Question Creating RAID0 volume using existnig boot drive without reinstall

[azazel1024]

So, I've tried to do poking around the internet. Usually I have much more success, but I guess the coffee hasn't kicked in this morning and I am failing at the right search terms.

I've got a Z77 MoBo if it helps in terms of the Intel RAID features. Win10 Pro.

I am running a 240gb SSD and I'd like to add an identical SSD and setup my boot volume as a striped RAID0 volume encompassing both drives. Is there a way to do that without reinstalling windows and transferring everything over from a cloned copy of the drive? Currently I've got about 36GB free on the drive and the volume is setup as a basic (not Dynamic) volume.

With the Intel RAID management tools/engine, if I install the new drive and setup both as a RAID0 volume, can/will the Intel management engine rebuild the RAID volume from the original drive and then stripe it across both drives? Is it something I can or would need to do manually using Windows disk partition tools? Will I be stuck and only be able to create a RAID volume from the free space on disk 1 and disk 2?

Attempting to avoid the hassle of reinstalling windows and everything all over again and I don't see an (easy) way to clone my boot drive and then copy it in to a RAID 0 volume without getting a RAID enclosure. I know RAID1 isn't an issue. You add the drive and then use the Intel management tools to "rebuild" the array from the existing drive. But I am coming up with nothing on RAID0. Everything I can find really only addresses creating a RAID0 volume and installing Windows on it. Or creating a RAID0 array and creating an extra logical partition in Windows. Not rebuilding the array from a single drive that has all of the data on it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. For $40-55 (its a PNY1311) it seems worth while to double my storage space and roughly double my partition performance. But not so worth while to have to go to a TON of hassle to do it. I already plan to more or less replace my workstation in the next year or so. Budget permitting. Just got a new GPU, a 5500xt. Also ended up needing to get a new PSU as the old one didn't have an 8-pin power connector. I am hoping to "gift" this one to my kids. Likely get a new case and put all of the components in to a new case for my kids (I really love my case). It'll handle what they want fine. Having double the storage space for the boot drive would be nice for them also. Performance is less of a concern for them with that. I'd probably just get a new semi decent (Samsung or WD Black) M.2 SSD, likely 1TB to use as a boot drive in it. My other RAID array, a pair of striped 3TB drives, would get moved to my new machine. They really just need game storage, not movies, music, all the family pictures, etc. (all that is backed up on the server also, but the more copies the better). And ~450GiB of storage should be plenty for them. 240, probably not. If its a lot of hassle, I might as well just get a new 500GB SATA SSD, or even a 1TB, and drop it in later once it becomes my kid's computer. Especially since a single new 500GB SSD these days is likely slightly more performant than one PNY1311 and seems to run $65-80, vs a lightly used PNY1311 240GB for $40-50 ($55 new the couple places that still carry it). But I'd imagine a pair of PNY1311 240GB stripped has a fair amount more performance under real use than any current 500GB SATA SSD.

Anyway, thoughts, suggestions. Is what I want to do possible (rebuilding/stripping the array from an existing boot drive) without reinstalling windows and copying all of the data over?

Thanks!

 

[piokos]

If you already had the RAID controller enabled while installing Windows, this is possible using Intel Rapid Storage. But it's fairly risky, so do a backup and prepare mentally for a fresh start.

All things considered, why not just get a larger SSD and reinstall Windows? I mean... why do you even consider this more risky path?


And, obviously, you can just add the second SSD and move some stuff from boot drive.
The only folders that have to be on the Windows partition are:
Windows
Users - but without the Library subfolders: Documents, Movies, Pictures, Downloads
Program Files - just what doesn't let you change location during setup (mostly Windows-related)
ProgramData - can be moved but DON"T

These mandatory are unlikely to get anywhere near 200GB.

 

[azazel1024]

A couple of reasons. It is slightly cheaper then just getting a new drive that is larger (I don't have a particular use for the 240GB drive otherwise). Likely a bit more performant than a single SATA drive in a lot of workloads. A bit easier management than having separate drives. I guess I could just get the larger, faster drive, slap it in there and create a storage pool and not worry about RAID and then have ~720GiB of storage (or just get another new, but even cheaper 240/250GB SSD).

Partly I am looking for more storage for games and not deal with slow loading times by running it off my HDD RAID array. My kids have been bugging me to install COD Modern Warfare to play with them and their uncle (who has also been bugging me). I don't have remotely like the ~100GB of storage necessary to install it on my SSD nor can I easily free up that much space on my boot drive.

 

[aigomorla]

i dont see why loading times would be an issue in COD as it has a load timer, so even if you are one of the tech nerds like me who has a massive nVME for game drive, it wont matter as were slapped with a timer which waits for everyone to load before the match starts.

To be honest if your strapped on cash, i would probably rather get a very fast large cap CMR spinner, like a HGST or WD, avoid Seagate (make sure your HDD is defrag'd daily) and install your games on that unless you intend to play a game with lots and lots of loading screens, like a open world rpg which needs to load the map transition each time you go into a different zone.