Adding RAID 1 Storage Array To Existing Windows 7 Installation

[AnotherHiggins]

I recently bought two 2TB internal HDDs to replace a couple of aging 500GB drives. It's hard to believe that what I'm trying to do is uncommon, but nearly all of the results I find in Google deal with trying to add the an existing non-RAIDed boot drive into a RAID without wiping the boot drive.

So, to be clear: I do NOT want to mess with the HDD that Windows is installed on. I know that putting that HDD into a RAID would require reformatting the drive, but, again, that's not what I'm after. I just want to add RAID storage using two brand new drives.

I want to install the two drives in my tower and use a hardware RAID to mirror them for redundancy. They'll just be used for media - mostly pictures and music. (I know that mirroring != backup. I'm also probably going to wind up using Mozy for online [readffsite] backup, but I would like to have the redundancy for the sake of convenience should one drive die).

Specs:
Windows 7 Home Premium
Existing boot drive (that I won't be messing with): Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB
Drives for RAID: 2x Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P (link to product page)
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black (Quad core non-OC'ed @ 3GHz)

My MoBo has two SATA controllers. My OS HDD & existing 500GB HDDs are on one controller, and I want to put the new HDDs in a RAID on the secondary controller.

I've downloaded the GSATA drivers from Gigabyte's website. I've configured a mirrored RAID 1 in my BIOS and it shows up during the bootup.But once I'm in Windows I can't figure out how to set up the RAID. In My Computer > Manager > Disk Management, it shows both of the disks but if I right click on either one it only shows me options to set up a software RAID. I would just do that except mirroring isn't an option for software RAID on Home Premium. I've tried updating the driver, but it says that the driver is already up to date.

So, does anyone have any ideas what else I can try?

Secondary question: I've considered just throwing the new drives into an old tower I have laying around and building a media server, but I have no experience with that sort of thing. How cheaply could I realistically do that for given that I'd have to buy a new mother board and processor?

[tt][blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.

 

[goombawaho]

I think you're missing something. You said: "I've configured a mirrored RAID 1 in my BIOS"

If you configured your HARDWARE using the RAID controller and set it up for RAID 1, you are done as long as Windows sees the drive as available space.

You don't set up the RAID WITHIN Windows after having set up the hardware RAID. You only have to set up RAID in Windows if you're trying to do software mirroring of two hard drives. This is NOT what you are trying to do.

So, as long as you can create a partition on the RAID ARRAY within Windows, you are all set.

 

[kjv1611]

When you say you set up RAID in the BIOS, do you mean the motherboard BIOS or the actual RAID BIOS? The RAID controller would have it's own BIOS configuration when enabled. If you don't see some other screen along the way when booting, giving you RAID options, then you may not have it configured correctly in the motherboard BIOS.

 

[goombawaho]

That is correct - you should have had to hit some button or combination of buttons upon booting to get into the RAID controller configuration mode whereupon you can select the drives and RAID version.

Never mind - I looked at the manual - it IS within the BIOS of the motherboard.

See page 73 of your manual

http://download.gigabyte.us/FileList/Manual/motherboard_manual_ga-ma790xt-ud4p_e.pdf

 

[goombawaho]

I'm sorry - actually setting up the RAID controller is in the BIOS, but hitting CNTRL F is required to get into making an array. Page 75











Request for RFM.

 

[AnotherHiggins]

I do see a separate RAID configurations screen during boot up - after the MoBo splash screen and before Windows starts to load.

But once I'm in Windows and go to Disk Management it shows two different drives. and only intermittently shows those. I sometimes have to Rescan Disks before they show up. Luckily I'm working from home today so I can fiddle with it while on my work laptop.

I'll reboot in a bit and report back with specifics on what the RAID screen says when booting.

[tt][blue]-John[/blue][/tt]
[tab][red]The plural of anecdote is not data[/red]

Help us help you. Please read FAQ 181-2886 before posting.

 

[kjv1611]

Yeah, I was going to look at the manual to see the details, myself, but that's when my browser crashed - oh well.

I did notice at least one other person having some crazy issues with RAID on that same motherboard on a tom's hardware forum posting.

You could end up coming out best to just buy a cheap PCI or PCI Express RAID card than to deal with the RAID on this board.

If you want to go that route (cheaper than getting a mobo/cpu combo, I guess, for another tower), you could look here:

http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=410&Tpk=RAID CONTROLLER&Order=PRICE

I searched NewEgg, and sorted by price. Happy hunting.

Or (being that you're in NC and I'm in SC), I happen to have a stack of PCI Sata RAID cards just waiting to be used, b/c I was too stupid and bought a pile at one time a handful of years ago, thinking I'd keep a few and sell most - well, I didn't sell one, go figure.

Anyhow, they're good cards, have their own dedicated processor and memory and all, but they're on the PCI bus, so they're limited by that. But for media storage, especially for a RAID 1 setup, they should be fine.

But if you went that route (my card), you'd want to upgrade the firmware before using it (at least I had to with the ones I've used).

Then again, nevermind.... it'd cost more in gas for you to come and get a card than it would to have one shipped to you. ;0)

If I were heading up to Raleigh (since my brother now lives there) anytime in the near future, I'd say I could meet you there, but I don't have any plans for any such travel - yet. I might, though, you never know. Haven't been up there now in about a year and a half, I guess.

Or you could get one of those low powered CPU/MOBO combos where they are all in one unit, but I'd imagine you'd still end up spending minimum $200 to $300 to get all the components - the CPU/mobo combo, RAM, Power supply, etc.

Here's another option if you want to consider another computer for the storage solution - check out your local pawn shops, good will stores, craigslist, newspaper, etc, see if anyone has one they're willing to let go for a bargain. But even with that, you may run into other RAID headaches...

-----------------------------------

And here's another solution, which I think would work just fine - no RAID required:

1. Put all your data on one of the hard drives
2. Download and install SyncBack - free edition
3. Install said application
4. Set it up to sync files between the 2 hard drives
5. Once you set up that relationship in SyncBack, you can put it on a schedule. One that I've tried that worked really well was setting it to run whenever the system is idle. That way, any time you make a change to the system, walk away for a few minutes and come back, it'll already be syncing your changes.

Of course, there are other software options out there as well.

Sorry so many different ideas, but there really are more than one way to skin this cat.

 

[rclarke250]

Make sure to enable the SATA controllers and configure hard drive mode in system BIOS Setup.
Step 1:
Turn on your computer and press <Delete> to enter BIOS Setup during the POST. In BIOS Setup, go to
Integrated Peripherals, ensure that Onboard GSATA-II Ctrl is enabled. Then set
Onboard GSATA-II Ctrl Mode to RAID, save and exit. May have to turn off the bios splash screen to see the prompts.

Than follow the directions on page 80 of the manual to create the array.

After creating the array you need to install the raid driver for the controller to be used correctly in windows.

 

[BadBigBen]

AnootherHiggins, as suggested by the previous posters, you are only half done by setting the BIOS option for the RAID...

the other half is accessing that SPLASH SCREEN between the POST and Windows load screen...

BTW. to access the RAID CONFIGURATION SETUP screen, you have to hit <CTRL> & <G>, not <CTRL> & <F> as suggested earlier (that is for the AMD RAID Controller)...

good luck and keep us posted...

Ben
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