SATA RAID coexisting with IDE drives 3

[jsiegendorf]

I am building a computer for the first time. I have 2 brand new Western Digital SATAs that I want to configure as RAID 0. I have my old hard drive that I want to put as an IDE drive. I also have a CD drive.

1. With 2 IDE channels, what is the best configuration?
2. In a few months I will have another old hard drive and a DVD writer. What would be the new best configuration?

It was suggested that I keep the CD and DVD on separate IDE channels for performance, and to just put my old HDs as slaves with the CD and DVD as masters. He also said I should not put my non-bootable drives as masters. But on Maxtor's web site I read that I should never put a HD as a slave to a CD or DVD drive. Does this only matter if it is a bootable drive though?

Thank you in advance

Jason

 

[paparazi]

As non bootable, storage drives, it really doesn't matter but I would tend to put the HDD's together and the Roms together and differant channels.

Initially of course, with a single IDE HDD and a single CDrom, place them both as Masters (HDD primary master, CDrom Secondary master)

Modern writers with "burn proof technology" work just fine on the same channel as another CDrom device and because it's a CDrom not DVDrom you will only be able to copy CDR/CDRW media on the fly (much less demanding to a DVDRW and PC)so no probs.

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[jsiegendorf]

That answered my questions. Thank you. However, I forgot to mention something that may change things (or may not). My old HDD has an OS, but the two WD for the RAID array do not. I want to install Win XP freshly on the RAID array. Given this, is it a problem to have the HDD as a master on the IDE channel?

I'm really not sure if I should install the OS first and then connect the old HDD. Like I said...first time building!!

Thanks

Jason

 

[paparazi]

jsiegendorf
It could be a problem.

System will nearly always boot from IDE first irrespective of weather attached to primary or secondary, master or slave.
Personally I would backup any files you need and format this drive first.
Martin

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[stduc]

[blue]jsiegendorf[/blue]

I assume you have a RAID controller, either as an add in PCI card, or on the motherboard. Therefore you should have at least 4 IDE ports available.

If you want to make a RAID 0 you should put the two new disks, one on each RAID IDE controller port, each set as a master. This will ensure they work as fast as possible. You will need to configure the RAID at boot time, in the BIOS, before any O/S is loaded. You will see some sort of configuration, RAID is working type screen. Put the CD-ROM as a master on one of your ordinary, non-RAID IDE ports. Leave the old disk out for now. Set the BIOS so that the CD-ROM is primary boot device & the RAID is the secondary boot device.

Install XP from the CD-ROM and when finished & tested change the BIOS to set the RAID as the primary boot device. You can then safely put in your old HD as a master on the fourth spare ordinary IDE channel. I suggest doing it at the end to avoid accidently using this drive when installing Windows! When you boot from the RAID XP should see the old drive and assign a drive letter.

I think you will find that if you have your RAID set as primary boot device in the BIOS then windows will boot off the RAID. If you set the old HD as primary boot device and the RAID as secondary boot device you will be offered a choice at boot up. The trouble is, they will both have the same name! (Anyone know how to change the names from the default when multiple boot devices all called Windows XP ... are available?)

Remember, your boot device order is configured in your BIOS. Often it is set to boot from a hard drive, then CD-ROM, then a floppy. One way to help protect yourself from accidental virus infection is to ensure that once your system is stable you set the BIOS so that it will only attempt to boot from the hard drive with the O/S. Disable alternative boot devices!

 

[jsiegendorf]

stduc

thanks for the additional information. That is extremely helpful. But please clarify... Am I connecting the RAID array to the SATA ports on my motherboard (is this what you mean by a RAID controller?). So I will have the new disks plugged into the SATA ports, and one IDE ribbon cable plugged in with my CD-ROM as master (I can plug this in before configuring RAID?). Then I configure RAID array. Then I boot from CD-ROM and install the OS. Then set to boot from RAID. Then throw the old drive on the other IDE cable as master.

Thanks to both stduc and paprazi immensely.

Jason

 

[stduc]

Yes [blue]jsiegendorf[/blue] That is exactly what I mean. I am however assuming that your SATA ports are capabable of making a hardware RAID. XP can support a software RAID - but I wouldn't recommend using software RAID as a bootable device! So if you can't make a hardware RAID just accept you have two disks! (as against one RAID0 disk as far as XP is concerned) and choose one as the boot disk when install XP. If you set up RAID0 correctly then the XP install CD-ROM will only see one disk and only offer to partition and format one disk (although you know it is really 2). Which is another reason I recommend leaving your old disk out of the equation until you have a stable O/S!

Remember as well that you choose through the BIOS how your PC boots. It is not inevitably the first IDE disk as paparazi says.

 

[paparazi]

stduc
Nearly always is not the same as inevitably, I have had many systems that even when a IDE Hard Drive was not sellected in the boot sequence, the system would still detect and boot from it.
Now I know this shouldn't happen but the fact is if often does.
Martin

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[Freestone]

If you are able to create a hardware RAID0 array, be aware that more than likely you will need to provide SATA RAID drivers during the early stages of the XP install.