WinXP/RAID install problem. HELP!!

22nd March 2007, 13:20

Hello.

I was wondering if anyone has run into a similar problem that I'm currently having.

I'm building a new PC and in the process of installing WinXP,when I try to install it in a RAID configuration WinXP doesnt see/recognise the drives. If I don't use RAID it will see the drives and allow XP to continue to install.

I then downloaded the RAID driver for my motherboard to a floppy,thinking that the driver might be the problem. When I try to install XP again and get prompted press F6 to install the driver,I frantically press F6 but nothing happins. (and yes,the floppy is in the drive!

)

I can't figure out why nothing happins when I hit F6.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks,Greg

jmke · 22nd March 2007, 13:30

normally you should get a separate screen for loading RAID drivers after you pressed F6, are you using an USB keyboard? Do you have a PS/2 lying around you can use for test.

22nd March 2007, 15:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmke

normally you should get a separate screen for loading RAID drivers after you pressed F6, are you using an USB keyboard? Do you have a PS/2 lying around you can use for test.

Ive tried both USB and PS2 keyboards with no luck.

I've never set up a RAID(raid 0) array before. My PC will mainly be for gaming and for multimedia. Will I even see any noticable performance increases with RAID? At this point I'm about to say the hell with it and get on with the XP install

jmke · 22nd March 2007, 15:30

check our daily news section

RAIDing Your Hard Drives - Yes or No?

I would never use RAID 0 for data, OS, or games. but that's just me; I like stability over high OC/speed.

22nd March 2007, 15:42

Hmmm.....interesting article. I may just scrap the whole RAID thing........

jmke · 22nd March 2007, 16:07

the only usable RAID configs in my humble opinion are RAID 5 and RAID 1.

RAID 0 is ok for a temp disk volume for video editing or similar, but wouldn't trust any valuable data on there

22nd March 2007, 16:19

No critical server storage or anything like that for me. My PC is for entertainment purposes only.

22nd March 2007, 16:21

Is raid 5 striping and mirroring? If I were to go that route,would I need a third drive that equals the volume of the first two drives combined?

jmke · 22nd March 2007, 16:25

RAID 5 works with parity and striping, with 3 drives, drive one will have DATA1 DATA2 + PARITY; drive two will have DATA1 + PARITY + DATA3, and drive three PARITY + DATA2 + DATA3.

the parity section has the data needed to recreate the missing data if one drive should fail; by adding drives to your RAID 5 configuration you'll increase redundability as more drives can "fail" before the RAID array will go offline.

Quote:

Minimum of 3 drives, data is striped across 2 drives with the third drive receiving a parity bit. The drive receiving the parity constantly rotates around the 3. The array can survive a failure of a single drive, but it must be replaced before the array will be functional again. This setup provides an increase in performance slightly less than RAID 0, but is more efficient with your drive space, a 3-drive array is 66% efficient, and the more drives you have in the array, the more space efficient it becomes. This array also allows the use of a ‘hot spare’, a drive that is not used until another drive fails. The controller will automatically rebuild the array using the hot spare and continue to operate, and then when the faulty drive is replaced, it will take on the role of being the hot spare.

but do know that with onboard raid solutions like those on recent motherboards, you can run into problems if you want to upgrade to another motherboard; as you'll most likely loose the raid arrayin the process and have to start from scratch.

22nd March 2007, 17:04

Thanks for letting me pick your brain a little bit JMKE!!

22nd March 2007, 13:20	#1
mad70sx Posts: n/a	WinXP/RAID install problem. HELP!! Hello. I was wondering if anyone has run into a similar problem that I'm currently having. I'm building a new PC and in the process of installing WinXP,when I try to install it in a RAID configuration WinXP doesnt see/recognise the drives. If I don't use RAID it will see the drives and allow XP to continue to install. I then downloaded the RAID driver for my motherboard to a floppy,thinking that the driver might be the problem. When I try to install XP again and get prompted press F6 to install the driver,I frantically press F6 but nothing happins. (and yes,the floppy is in the drive! ) I can't figure out why nothing happins when I hit F6. What am I doing wrong? Thanks,Greg

22nd March 2007, 13:30	#2
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,021	normally you should get a separate screen for loading RAID drivers after you pressed F6, are you using an USB keyboard? Do you have a PS/2 lying around you can use for test. __________________

22nd March 2007, 15:30	#4
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,021	check our daily news section RAIDing Your Hard Drives - Yes or No? I would never use RAID 0 for data, OS, or games. but that's just me; I like stability over high OC/speed. __________________

22nd March 2007, 16:07	#6
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,021	the only usable RAID configs in my humble opinion are RAID 5 and RAID 1. RAID 0 is ok for a temp disk volume for video editing or similar, but wouldn't trust any valuable data on there __________________

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22nd March 2007, 15:42	#5
mad70sx Posts: n/a	Hmmm.....interesting article. I may just scrap the whole RAID thing........

22nd March 2007, 16:19	#7
mad70sx Posts: n/a	No critical server storage or anything like that for me. My PC is for entertainment purposes only.

22nd March 2007, 16:21	#8
mad70sx Posts: n/a	Is raid 5 striping and mirroring? If I were to go that route,would I need a third drive that equals the volume of the first two drives combined?

22nd March 2007, 17:04	#10
mad70sx Posts: n/a	Thanks for letting me pick your brain a little bit JMKE!!