Problem setting up RAID in Windows 10

[Danja]

Hello,

I just simultaneously upgraded my PC (new board and CPU) and also switched to Windows 10. On my previous rig (in my sig), I had a pair of 2 TB drives in RAID1 via the BIOS (not software). Neither of these drives is the boot drive. My new parts are an ASRock z97 Extreme6 and i7 4790k. When I installed Windows the SATA mode was AHCI, and now I have the following behavior:

1. Windows recognizes the two disks as a RAID1 volume. I can access the drive through My Computer.
2. Intel Rapid Storage Technology does not see the disks at all; it's as if they were unplugged.
3. Intel Rapid Storage Technology periodically warns me about an unspecified problem with my storage configuration.

I did some googling and found this thread in which the user had the same issue I'm having. His/her solution was to edit a registry key and then change the SATA mode to RAID in the BIOS. I have a couple questions about this:

1. Do I need to change the SATA mode to RAID even though neither RAIDed drive is the boot drive?

2. Is the registry edit the same in Win10 as in Win7/8 as described in the linked thread above?

Thanks for any advice; I'm definitely an uneducated end user here.

 

[GotNoRice]

Yes, you need it set to RAID. Non-raid drives, when it comes to speed, features, and capabilities, will function the same as they did before when set to AHCI.

 

[Danja]

Thanks!

In case anyone digs up this thread with the same issue, the registry tweak in the post I linked to in my OP doesn't work on Windows 10, but it's actually even easier. Just reboot into Safe Boot via Start -> Command Prompt -> msconfig -> "boot" tab, change the BIOS setting to RAID, boot back into Windows, disable Safe Boot, and restart one more time.

Source: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-installation

 

[rsq]

Glad to see you solved your problem, and thanks for sharing the solution.

Just for your information:
The Intel RAID is software RAID. It just happens on the BIOS level rather then the OS level. It is still your CPU that handles the RAID.

 

[SmithyJones]

If neither is your boot disk/system drive, then you could also use the 'Storage Spaces' feature in your control panel instead.

 

[newls1]

I tried setting up RAID once.

Never again.

Good luck friend.

Is it that hard to hit CNTL-V (I think it is) to enter the raid setup utility and make about 3-4 key slaps, and reboot.... sheesh Setting up a raid array using the basic Intel Chipset and software is as easy as it gets..

 

[Tup3x]

Since recent Intel RST drivers have totally fucked up APM settings that almost killed my Samsung HD103SJs, I switched to Windows software RAID0. Honestly I think it's the best option if you only use Windows and don't need bootable RAID array. Upgrading your motherboard will also be painless and RAID0 or RAID1 performance is just as good (RAID5 should be equally slow in all software/firmware raid solutions). Also as far as I know Windows Software RAID1 utilises both disks when reading content.

It's really easy to setup: