RAID 1 Question

[havokator]

I have a question about how RAID 1 works. (Using hardware RAID1 with an onboard motherboard hardware raid controller)

Say I create a RAID1 mirror array with 2 500gb hard drives and copy a bunch of data to the array. If I then take one of the drives out of the array and plug it in to a different computer, would I be able to access the data that was in the RAID1 array?

Can I create a RAID1 array if one of the drives already has a bunch of data on it? Or is like RAID0 where I have to basically erase both drives and start over when the array is created? Basically does RAID1 affect the partition information or file structure(NTFS) of the drives? When I create a mirror of one drive with a 2nd drive in a 2drive RAID1 array, is the original drive altered at all?

 

[sphinx99]

I did not see an answer; I believe the answer to the first question is "Yes" however I should probably test it out myself.

 

[Thor]

1 yes, you should be able to. as long as the second PC is exactly the same, it should even be bootable... but watch your licenses and such for windows.

as for 2, if its an nvidia controller, you can create a software raid 1 with the control panel software. that should duplicate the drive with data on it.. i know you can do it, but i have never done it my self. any other controller type, well your milage may very.

 

[Red Falcon]

Ok, you are not using hardware RAID, it is FakeRAID.

1) Yes, you should be able to do this, but as said above, watch for licensing issues, drivers, etc. Using a disk with Windows that was meant for one mobo may not work on the next as Windows links itself to the installation motherboard. This may cause a BSOD, or at a minimum, second license key activation or purchase. For straight data, it's no problem.

2) This depends on the RAID controller. Some allow the existing data to be duplicated, others require the drives to be wiped and synced, resulting in a total format and loss of data on both drives. As for the mirror of a second drive, it depends on the controller, but yes, the first drive should have the same data as the second, so it will be altered.