RAID 1 on Windows 2000 Professional ? Thanks!

[BigDog]

RAID 1 on Windows 2000 Professional ?

This is probably a stupid question considering Microsoft?s help files state that ?Mirrored and RAID-5 volumes are available only on computers running Windows 2000 Server?. Is this any way to setup fault tolerance (RAID 1) on Windows 2000 Professional or is RAID 0 the only option?

 

[Cheetah8799]

I think the Microsoft documentation you're reading is for a software raid. You can tell Windows to keep the drive mirrored. The best way though is to do a hardware raid with an actual raid controller. You can buy a PCI IDE raid controller and setup the array totally independant of Windows.

Promise and High Point are the chipsets you want to be looking at.

 

[GfW]

As far as I know, you can set up RAID 0 or RAID 1 on any system with a RAID controller, either as a PCI IDE card or as a controller on the motherboard. Windows 2000 is no exception.

 

[BigDog]

I am trying to setup RAID 1 on Windows 2000 Professional with no success.

Current Hardware:

Abit IC7 Max
(2) 36GB Raptors


BIOS Setup:
HD Disk Priority: Recognizes Raptors as 1 & 2
Other Boot Device: Disabled (Tried Enabled)

OnChip Serial ATA Mode: RAID
OnChip Serial Ata: Enhanced

I ran the Raid Configuration Utility: Raid volume setup ok but Windows 2000 Professional will ?not? install onto this volume.

So I should be able to setup RAID 1 on Windows 2000 Professional using the controller on the IC7 or do I require an additional RAID controller card?

 

[SpunkyJones]

Are you installing the drivers for the sata drives during the install? You should be prompted to press F6.

 

[BigDog]

I installed the SATA RAID driver from off Abit's site.
I tried the Silicon image and Intels.
I did not install the plain SATA driver.

 

[jbritt1234]

You installed them at the f6 prompt?

Exactly what error are you getting? when did it happen? When it tried to access the drives to install Windows?

Still not sure if this is a Hardware or software RAID you are trying to set up. Is it Hardware? Your mobo has a built in RAID controller? What mobo do you have?

 

[BigDog]

Yes ... installed sata raid drivers at f6 prompt.

CurrCurrent Hardware:

Abit IC7 Max
(2) 36GB Raptors


BIOS Setup:
HD Disk Priority: Recognizes Raptors as 1 & 2
Other Boot Device: Disabled (Tried Enabled)

OnChip Serial ATA Mode: RAID
OnChip Serial Ata: Enhanced

I ran the Raid Configuration Utility: Raid volume setup ok but Windows 2000 Professional will ?not? install onto this volume

Windows setup sees the raid drive .... goes through the formating to 100% and then fails.

 

[jbritt1234]

Sorry I missed where you posted those specs already man, I musta fell asleep for a second there...

Is there an option in the boot order for RAID or SCSI device? I would not think that it would have you select an individial drive.

Also, during bootup is there an option at some point to go into the RAID configuration? I'm talking about while the PC is still posting, before hitting windows. You have to configure the RAID so that it knows to set it up as a -0 or -1

Edit: On my Abit board under Hard Drive Boot Priority there is a sub option for
-Bootable add-in card under which select OnChip SATA is a option. You got anything like that?

 

[SpunkyJones]

Try this thread shown below. It helped me set up raid 0 with a couple of Raptors on my IS7 board.

Abit Thread

 

[Agamar]

I just ran into the same problem with a Nforce3 board and Win2k Server. I had to make the mirror in the SATA raid bios, then unplug the second drive (degrading the raid). After installing Win2k Server, and all the associated drivers, I plugged back in the second raptor and added back into the array in the bios. Booted up and it rebuilt it into the mirror.

 

[BigDog]

Thanks for All your replies. It was a BIOS configuration issue.
Here's the settings if anyone else runs into the same issue.

Select the "Integrated Peripherals" screen, and then select "Onchip IDE Device". Set the following options in the indicated order:
a) ?IDE Bus Master? set to ?Enabled?
b) "Onchip Serial ATA? set to "Enhanced Mode"
c) "Onchip Serial ATA Mode" set to ?Raid?
In the "Advanced BIOS Features" screen set the following options:
a) ?Hard Disk Boot Priority? set to "Bootable Add-in Device" as #1
b) ?Bootable Add-in Device? set to ?OnChip SATA RAID?
c) ?First Boot Device? set to ?Floppy?
d) ?Second Boot Device? set to ?CDROM?
e) ?Third Boot Device? set to ?Hard Disk?

Here's the link to the thread over at the Abit forum where I located these settings:
http://forum.abit-usa.com/showthread.php?s=9d533a75a9bcf735fb5bc34718522bcf&threadid=48862&highlight=dont+intend+to+use+that+IDE+drive+just+put+your+winxp+cd

Here's a thread with setting pics:
http://forum.abit-usa.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=336200#post336200

Also, here is a detailed thread on the process if anyone needs it:
http://www.abxzone.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34558

Thanks Again All!