Raid 1 and win2k question

[adlep]

Hi!
I just have created an IDE Raid 1 strip using 2 x120 gb WD hard drives.
I am using high-point hp370 controller, which came with my board. After synchronization, I am booting up to windows and when I go to disk managment to prepare the disks for use (format) it says that I am only able to create a dynamic disks....
Can you explain what is a dynamic disk?
What are the limits, pros and cons?
Also, since I have created raid 1, the data security is the most important thing...
If one of the disks would fail, it will be instantly possible to retrieve the data of the other one?
Will it be still detected as a dynamic disk?
Should I just use some third pary utilites (Partition Magic) to format my Raid 1 strip as just as a regular disk?
I know for sure that dynamic disks can not be accessed from a DOS... can such volumes be accessible from a recovery console or from another O/S such us Win XP or ME..... (I might use FAT 32 instead NTFS but I havent decided yet)
Help?
Regards,
Adam

 

[adlep]

?

 

[stash]

Dynamic disks are a different name for software raid. Since you have created your stripe on a hardware raid card, you do not need to do anything with dynamic disks.

Its a little unclear if the stripe is what you have the OS installed on, or you just added it for additional storage.

 

[Kai4Linux]

I'm not sure, but I remember that during setup it says like push f1 if you have raid or something. You might want to chekc that out. This is before you can do the license agreement and all. It is like the minute u get that lovley blue screen.

 

[stash]

f6

 

[adlep]

Yeah, I know that this is weird...
I do not have OS installed on my RAID, I want to keep the OS independently from RAID 1 config, so should my win2k crash, the data will be safe.....
Well my idea was that after creating and synchronization of an array strip in hp 370 controller( hardware), and after installation of drivers in win2k for hp 370, the newly created RAID 1 strip
should show up in my computer, just as 120 Gb, unformated drive.....
Nothing shows up, and I have to go to disk mamangent in order to create the dynamic disk..........? weird

 

[stash]

You should not have to do that...After installing the correct drivers and creating the array you should see a big unused block in disk management. You then would have the option of creating a partition and formatting it.

 

[adlep]

Doh, so what is going on with my win2k?
Help
How should I fix it.....
Should I use Partition magic to try to create a regular partition on an a raid strip, then format it ?
That should force win2k to accept it right?