Some advice for replacing a horrible highpoint raid card

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Hi All,

I'm running a Tyan K8WE dual opteron system with Windows 7 64 Bit.
I have a HORRIBLE Highpoint 2340 RAID card installed in a PCIe slot which has caused me headache upon headache in the last couple of years.
Fortunately I have always kept another backup of the RAID system, so when I have had failures (which have been plenty of times) I've always been able to retrieve the data I needed.

I'm looking at replacing the highpoint card that is currently running two RAID5 arrays at 2TB apiece which are running 3 1 TB Hitachi drives in each array.

I have 3 TB total filled on the 2 arrays and I don't forsee filling up the second array for a couple of years (photo raw files) so I'm looking for a card that is actually reliable in keeping my data safe and I'm fine with switching to RAID1 if necessary since I keep an additional backup at all times.

The plethora of options is simply over the top and I'm not seeing a lot of cards that explicitly say that they're Windows7 64bit compatible.

I currently also backup to Backblaze online and I've seen from their descriptions that they use an Addonics card in all of their storage pods, so I was thinking that maybe if they have good luck with those I might also.

I'm totally open to options though, but nothing to do with highpoint because their card sucks and their customer service is even worse.

Thank you for any assistance you may have to offer.

Cheers,

*steve

 

[Harvey]

The latest BIOS for your RAID card is v1.4, and the latest driver is v1.7.9. Here's the link, just in case your problem could be resolved with one or the other.

If that helps, it's cheaper than buying a new one.

 

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Harvey,

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

I have both the newest BIOS and the newest driver for the card. All has been well since I upgraded to WIN7 64 with a clean install until one of my arrays just started to disappear on me. A reboot and a check in the card's BIOS shows the drives are healthy and fine and the array shows up again when I reboot, but then it will just disappear again.

That card has made me replace multiple drives for one reason or another and it's just gotten tiring with all of it's problems. If I have to spend more money for something even slightly more reliable, so be it.

Thank you again for your advice,

Cheers,

*steve

The latest BIOS for your RAID card is v1.4, and the lastet driver is v1.7.9. Here's the link, just in case your problem could be resolved with one or the other.

If that helps, it's cheaper than buying a new one.

 

[Harvey]

Have you tried Highpoint's tech support? Some manufacturers designate specific models of their drives as qualified for RAID operation. You may want to ask about that, as well as any other tests or settings they may recommend.

You could also contact Hitachi's tech support for more info. The good news is, they live in one of your favorite area codes.

Toll-free: 1-888-426.5214

E-mail: support_usa@hitachigst.com

 

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Harvey,

I have been in contact with highpoint's tech support in the past and they have been less than useful for me unfortunately.
Never bothered contacting Hitachi as it seems that it would be highpoint's domain in the support ladder.

Thank you again for your suggestions, I appreciate that you have taken the time to post these links and ideas

Cheers,

*steve

Have you tried Highpoint's tech support? Some manufacturers designate specific models of their drives as qualified for RAID operation. You may want to ask about that, as well as any other tests or settings they may recommend.

You could also contact Hitachi's tech support for more info. The good news is, they live in one of your favorite area codes.

Toll-free: 1-888-426.5214

E-mail: support_usa@hitachigst.com