Raid 0+1; Need Help Understanding

[hpolack]

I finally built a Cube box. I bought parts that were cost effective, but I am look forward to upgrading it sometime in the future to an AMD 64 X2.

Current Configuration:

* NF4K8MC-EKRS - mATX, GigNet, Firewire, Compatible (AMD 64,AMD 64 X2,AMD 64 FX)
* AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz FSB 512KB L2 Cache Socket 939 Processor - Retail
* ASPIRE X-QPACK-NW-BK/420 Black Aluminum MicroATX 420W Power Supply
Stock 420W Power Supply
Stock Chassis Fan
* MITSUMI Black USB2.0 & FDD Digital Card Reader/Writer W/FD (Black)
* CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit
* Connect 3D Radeon X800XL 256MB PCIe w/DVI
* Maxtor DiamondMax 10 6L300S0 300GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA150
* Mad Dog Dual Layer DVD Writer

I got anxious to get the PC together so I could get it inside my desk and have a PC back up and running in my office, so I formatted the Hard Drive and moved all of my Data files over. Well now I am rethinking whether I want to add another 300GB drive so I can run redundant/fast Raid 0+1. I have no idea what I am talking about when it comes to Raid. Is it possible to add the 2nd drive now and run them in Raid 0+1 without reformatting the drive and having to reload all of my data. I have nearly 9 GB of digital photos I want to protect. Of course I burn the pictures down to a DVD and backup to another computer every once in a while.

I am guessing that there might be away of doing this since you can replace a raid drive without loosing any information. GUESSING IS IT!!!!!

I know I would have to find a matching drive.

I am also having a problem with the Mitsumi Flash/Floppy Drive. If I leave it plugged in along with my wireless USB based Keyboard, my PC won't boot. I have to admit I knocked the power cable off the floppy drive portion and did not want to take it apart right this moment, but I will shortly. I currently have 3 HD plugged in to transfer old data off of it. I am going to recheck the pinouts next on the flash drive vs motherboard.

Thanks,
Howard.

 

[65StangBoy]

You need a minimum of 4 drives for a RAID 0+1, usually. I believe that Intel has an option on their motherboards that will let you do 0+1 on two drives using two partitions on each drive, I wouldn't do it though. You could either do a RAID 0 for speed or a RAID 1 for redundency with two drives. I believe that you can create a RAID 1 array without losing your information as it is just mirroring the drive. However, for the RAID 0 array you WILL lose your data. I have 4x120GB drives in a RAID 0+1 for my storage drive with a formatted capacity of 228GB. One bonus of doing a RAID 0+1 is that the read speeds are pretty crazy as some RAID controllers will read from all four drives instead of just two. I think I covered all your questions but feel free to ask more.