Do I need to reinstall XP Pro after adding a RAID 0

[quadcells]

Hi All,
I was tring to add a RAID 0 array to my existing Windows XP Pro system. But once I configure the array in the BIOS and reboot, I see the XP splaxh screen for a split second and then the computer reboots over and over. I go in the BIOS and remove the array and XP boots fine. So do I need to do a reinstall after adding the array or do I have other problems?
Thanks in advance.

 

[badnewcastle]

If your XP installation is on 1 of the drives you are using for the RAID then most definitely yes! I ran a RAID 0 for 3 years, right next to a computer with slighty lower specs and I can tell you the RAID 0 was not worth it. Lost data 2x because one driver or the other failed at a point.

 

[quadcells]

Sorry I forgot to mention that the RAID 0 array is not for the OS, only for data.

 

[badnewcastle]

Basically what you do with a RAID 0 is split the data in half, one half on each drive. For example, if you have a 32 bit file it will split that file into 2 fragments each 16 bits so and each driver will get only one of those fragments. Does that make since?

Since your XP install is on one drive and was not stripped (split in half and seperated between 2 drives), then the raid will not have see your XP because it is only on 1 drive while the Raid setup is looking for it to be split.

 

[badnewcastle]

Originally posted by: quadcells
Sorry I forgot to mention that the RAID 0 array is not for the OS, only for data.

oh... ok, then look at your boot sequence make sure your xp drive is listed first...

 

[quadcells]

Hi badnewcastle,
That is a good Idea. I will look at that when I get home.
BTW: the two drive I am using are WD 320Gig SATA drives.
-quadcells

 

[frankgomez75]

Originally posted by: quadcells
Sorry I forgot to mention that the RAID 0 array is not for the OS, only for data.

I hope you have backups of everything or that your data is not critical. One drive crashes and there goes EVERYTHING!

If it is critical, you should do a Raid 0+1 or a Raid 5 setup instead.

 

[quadcells]

I guess I should say that this array is for video and audio data files that are being rendered and encoded during the editing. After the files are rendered and encoded then they are removed from this array. Burned to DVD, CD or saved back to MinDV tape.
But thanks for the warrning anyways. I am told this will speed up the process and want to see if it does. Time is money. If it doesn't give me a big improvement I will just go back to the way I do it now.
-quadcells

 

[postmortemIA]

Originally posted by: quadcells
Sorry I forgot to mention that the RAID 0 array is not for the OS, only for data.

nevertheless, if OS drive is on RAID controller, then even if it is not on RAID0 it still needs RAID driver... at least this is for intel controllers.

By the way you can do this actually within Windows... intel and nvidia provide RAID tools that lets you create RAID0 array in windows.


..but if your SATA controller has been changed to RAID mode (you did this in BIOS?) then you can;t boot tll you mvoe it back to whatever it was (AHCI, legacy mode)

 

[Jiggz]

Try a repair installation if you changed the SATA controller mode to RAID. Just like what you did initially, (RAID 0 and OS on a separate hdd) boot from XP CD and do a repair installation. Or just like you mentioned you can just do a full re-installation. The only advantage of the repair installation is that all your existing settings and programs stay the same. However, you will need to re-activate and install updates which by the way is also required for a full re-installation (plus the installation of all your programs).

 

[highwire]

Originally posted by: postmortemIA
...
By the way you can do this actually within Windows... intel and nvidia provide RAID tools that lets you create RAID0 array in windows.

...

Anyone have a link or report on this s/w? I did a s/w raid 5 ( Tom's Hardware hack) on a win 2000 box that works well. However, this hack is limited to win2000 or XP Pro. I have an XP home with Intel chipset I would like to s/w raid.

 

[postmortemIA]

For intel, here's info & download link:
Intel® Matrix Storage Technology

download

Simplified Upgrade

Building or buying a PC with a single Serial ATA hard drive, then upgrading to RAID at a later date is typically not a simple task, as it requires the reinstallation of the OS and applications. However, an Intel Express chipset with Intel Matrix Storage Technology** can be more easily upgraded to RAID capabilities when adding one or more additional Serial ATA hard drive(s). The Intel® Matrix Storage Manager software (included with platforms supporting Intel Matrix Storage Technology) handles the configuration and migration while running in the background, allowing users to surf the Web or read e-mail during the process. Once the migration is complete, dramatic increases in data protection or storage performance are available.

For nvidia, I think it comes with driver.