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Please help setting up RAID mode on 2 HDDs

H

HardForumer

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
173
I have already installed my 4 SATA devices which are Crucial M4 64GB (OS in already installed in it) 2x Samsung SpinPoint F3s, and the LG BD writer.
I want to set up the 2 F3s in RAID 0, and put everything else there, leaving just the OS in the SSD.

My manual is crap, it doesn't explain what to do really well, I can't understand it.

So, My MoBo is an ASUS P8Z68-V PRO, and the 2 HDDs that I want to put on RAID mode are on SATA3G_3 and SATA3G_4 ports.

It's set up like this:
SATA6G_1 (White port) - M4
SATA6G_2 (White port) - Nothing
SATA3G_3 (Light Blue port) - Samsung F3
SATA3G_4 (Light Blue port) - Samsung F3
SATA3G_5 (Light Blue port) - LG BH12 BD-RE
SATA3G_6 (Light Blue port) - Nothing

So that means everything was detected by the mobo.

When I go into windows 7 though, it only shows the SSD and the optical drive. Can't find the HDDs anywhere.

I went back into the BIOS and they're there on the same ports I mentioned above.

How do I set up RAID mode on the HDDs (Which are not being used right now since windows 7 is in the SSD)?
 
HardForumer said:
My manual is crap, it doesn't explain what to do really well, I can't understand it.
Click to expand...
Read it again. The manual is extremely straightforward.

HardForumer said:
How do I set up RAID mode on the HDDs (Which are not being used right now since windows 7 is in the SSD)?
Click to expand...
Well two things:
- Even if you weren't setting up the drives in a RAID array and just using the drives as single drives, you would still need to initialized and format the drives under "Disk Management" in Windows 7. Once you setup the RAID array, you would still need to initialized and format the array under "Disk Management" in Windows 7.

- You need to set up the RAID array in the BIOs. Read page 4-18 again in your manual. Those are very clear instructions on to setup a RAID array.
 
Ok I will, I just needed to eat something and get some air, that manual was frustrating me.
One question though, in the BIOS, like I said above I have 4 SATA devices. I can't select the 2 that I want in any way, All I can do is select RAID up top, but won't that try to put all 4 devices in RAID?
Basically from what I understood I have to set RAID in the BIOS and the rest is done in windows?

Also, which should I leave as my boot option? the M4 or the optical Dr? I set the OD so I could install windows, should I change it to M4 now that it's installed? The system boots normally, but I'm afraid it wont if there's a disk in there.
 
HardForumer said:
One question though, in the BIOS, like I said above I have 4 SATA devices. I can't select the 2 that I want in any way, All I can do is select RAID up top, but won't that try to put all 4 devices in RAID?
Click to expand...
No. Read the manual again. It clearly shows that you can select individual drives for the RAID array.

HardForumer said:
Basically from what I understood I have to set RAID in the BIOS and the rest is done in windows?
Click to expand...
More or less.
HardForumer said:
Also, which should I leave as my boot option? the M4 or the optical Dr? I set the OD so I could install windows, should I change it to M4 now that it's installed? The system boots normally, but I'm afraid it wont if there's a disk in there.
Click to expand...

Whatever you prefer. Personally I leave it as optical drive since I don't have the habit of leaving a bootable disc in my DVD drive.
 
HardForumer said:
I can't select the 2 that I want in any way, All I can do is select RAID up top, but won't that try to put all 4 devices in RAID?
Basically from what I understood I have to set RAID in the BIOS and the rest is done in windows?
Click to expand...

you have to enable raid in your mobo bios, best done before os install

then you have to ctrl+i at post to access the raid bios, this is where you actually set up the array
 
I just read the entire part about the BIOS part of setting up RAID and all it says is to change it to RAID mode up top, nothing else?
 
you are using the intel raid controller right? I am not familiar with your particular mobo. My mobo has the intel IHC10R and some POS Marvell controller.

The convention, as I understand it, is to push ctrl + the first letter of the controller's manufacturer (ctrl+i, ctrl+m, etc) at post to access the controller's bios
 
yes the intel controller. I set up the RAID 0 with the F3s but there's a problem, the OS won't start now.
I'm 100% sure I selectet the right ones.
It was doing the same thing before when I inverted boot option 1 and 2 from optical and M4 to M4 and optical. It also did the same thing before when I set RAID in the BIOS and let it go through the boot normally. It gives me a windows error recovery and gives me 2 options, recovery and start normally, I tried to start normally but it doesnt.
 
Maybe I just need some kind of driver? How am I going to install a driver if I can't access windows though?
 
if you werent on raid before, you will need to reinstall windows, you cant go from IDE mode to AHCI / RAID with out either reinstalling window or doing a fix for it.

Also you do know for the raid 0 one drive dies you loose everything? hope your not storing anything important on the raid 0 array.
 
also, I wasn't going from IDE to RAID, I went fro AHCI to RAID, dunno if that makes any difference.
What's the fix without reinstalling the OS?
 
Just insert the DVD in the optical drive and do it again or do I need to format the SSD first?
 
HardForumer said:
No, not after RAID setup in POST it doesn't.
Click to expand...
Just to be clear: you switched from RAID to AHCI in the SATA options correct?
HardForumer said:
So how do I reinstall properly?
Click to expand...
First, disconnect all the hard drives from the PC. Windows 7 has this weird issue where it'll install the boot table/partition/etc on another hard drive that's not the OS drive.

Then reformat the hard drive during the Windows 7 install. Then install Windows 7.
 
Danny Bui said:
Just to be clear: you switched from RAID to AHCI in the SATA options correct?

First, disconnect all the hard drives from the PC. Windows 7 has this weird issue where it'll install the boot table/partition/etc on another hard drive that's not the OS drive.

Then reformat the hard drive during the Windows 7 install. Then install Windows 7.
Click to expand...
Ok thanks,

And yes, I switched from RAID to AHCI in the SATA options in the advanced mode of the BIOS. And it actually gave me the same error, so I selected start windows normally and it actually did start normally.
 
Just to be clear:
1 - Turn system off, unplug it, and disconnect the all SATA devices except the SSD that I want to format and the optical.
2. Turn system on and format the SSD
3. Reinstall windows following directions for RAID mode on ASUS manual.

Is that right?

DO I need to reset the BIOS and start from scratch?
 
It's been years since I formatted a PC, what is the procedure? Insert OS disk, turn it on, and wait for right time to press a key? If yes what key and what time?
 
If the problem is that I need a driver why can't I just load one?
When I insert the disk and go into it it gives me the option to load drivers.
 
I don't have a floppy disk all I have are USB flash drives.
This is frustrating, I'm about to give up on this raid thing and just use the HDDs normally.
 
HardForumer said:
If the problem is that I need a driver why can't I just load one?
When I insert the disk and go into it it gives me the option to load drivers.
....
I don't have a floppy disk all I have are USB flash drives.
Click to expand...
You can load the RAID drivers from a USB drive during the Windows OS install. Alternatively you might be able to install the driver after the fact.

HardForumer said:
Nevermind I'm trying to figure out how to format with the OS disk but I can't...
Click to expand...
When you see the SSD in the drive selection screen during the OS install, there should be an option to format the SSD.
HardForumer said:
This is frustrating, I'm about to give up on this raid thing and just use the HDDs normally.
Click to expand...
Considering your level of technical expertise and inability to troubleshoot/google/research, that may be your best bet.
 
Danny Bui said:
Considering your level of technical expertise and inability to troubleshoot/google/research, that may be your best bet.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your help, really appreciate it, but do you really my computer magically assembled itself? By the way, got everything done a few hours ago, It's running great now... Gotta love magic, would be lost without it... :cool:
 
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