 Raid 0 Problem |
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 Sep 13 2008, 02:01 PM
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#1
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Member  Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 13-September 08 Member No.: 238,417  |
Im having some major probs here. after all sorts of crap i won't get into i finally decided i needed a fresh install of windows XP home - so i have inserted my 'recovery' CD on startup and tried a fresh install. I have 2x 200GB Western Digital HDDs which were set up in RAID (i think its RAID 0 where they act as 1x 400gb HDD). I selected to install windows and it showed two HDDs with one partition of approx 400GB - great. so i tried the fresh install here. it reformatted NTFS - got to 50% after a while then shot up from 50% to 100% in a few secs. It then said it cannot install XP (cant remember the reason blink.gif ) . Sooo, I then deleted the partition and made a new one which is now around 200gb on on HDD. I am unsure how to get the partition back to around 400GB which is using both the HDDs in RAID. The 200GB partition gets to 100% NTFS format as expected, then 'installs' XP - then it restarts its self as expected but when it gets to the XP loading screen it always gives a BSOD saying 'UNMOUNTABLE BOOT VOLUME'. On startup it says the RAID 'nvidia stripe' (i think) is healthy. Basically my now dilema is i just want to get windows working in any way - it would be ideal for it to work with the HHDs as 400GB RAID again but if it comes to it i could settle for 2x 200GBs. It is possible that the HDDs (or one of them) are 'damaged' (or not healthy) but previous Checkdisk scans showed no probs. Is there any way to get XP booting again with these HDDs as they are? Any advice would be much appreciated. |
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Sep 13 2008, 04:34 PM
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#2
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Forum Addict Group: Members Posts: 6,542 Joined: 3-September 05 From: Killeen, TX Member No.: 33,068 |
The RAID must either be set up before XP is installed...or a RAID driver must be inserted into XP install routine near the beginning (when prompted)...in order for XP to see the two drives as one partition/disk.
As for booting the two drives as 2 separates...basic rules. Delete everything on one (attach one drive only to the system initially). Use the XP CD to do this and to create/format/install XP. After XP is set up properly on one of the 200GB drives and XP has been properly updated...reboot, attach the second drive, reboot, delete and then format/partition 2d drive. Louis |
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Sep 14 2008, 05:06 AM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 13-September 08 Member No.: 238,417 |
ok thanks for the advice Louis. My problem is as far as i am aware i do not haver a RAID driver which it asks for as you suggest near the beginning of XP installation (by pressing F6) - it asks for a CD. Can i get these drivers anywhere if i do not have a copy?
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Sep 14 2008, 08:12 AM
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 Member Group: HJT Junior Classmen Posts: 129 Joined: 29-August 08 From: Cornwall UK. Member No.: 234,380 |
Hi
The RAID Controller drivers should be on a CD that came with your motherboard. If you don't have the CD then you should be able to locate them on the M/B manufacturer's website. -------------------- Steve
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Sep 14 2008, 08:39 AM
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#5
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Member Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 13-September 08 Member No.: 238,417 |
Ah ok i thought it would be from the HDD manufacturers site that i would need the driver.
My motherboard is a GIGABYTE Nvidia Nforce 4 SLI the model is GA-K8N Pro-SLI. I have a Utility CD that came with the motherboard and i tried it when i pushed F6 but nothing happened. One more thing, before i try anything else is there a difinitive way that i can check that neither of the HDDs have errors on them? This post has been edited by danstar10: Sep 14 2008, 08:43 AM |
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Sep 14 2008, 08:43 AM
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#6
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 Computer Masochist Group: Moderator Posts: 8,472 Joined: 27-January 07 From: Cleveland, Ohio Member No.: 108,618 |
QUOTE One more thing, before i try anything else is there a difinitive way that i can check that neither of the HDDs have errors on them? Go to the manufacturer's support site for you hard drive and check the download section for their diagnostic utility -------------------- Mark
 why won't my laptop work? Having grandkids is God's way of giving you a 2nd chance because you were too busy working your butt off the 1st time around Avatar by Handplane |
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Sep 14 2008, 08:45 AM
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#7
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Member Group: HJT Junior Classmen Posts: 129 Joined: 29-August 08 From: Cornwall UK. Member No.: 234,380 |
Have you set up the RAID option in your BIOS?
-------------------- Steve
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Sep 14 2008, 09:25 AM
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#8
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Member Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 13-September 08 Member No.: 238,417 |
Hi guys.
Great garmanma thats exactly what i need, going to test them now. Yeah SLIX the computer was running RAID 0 before i tried to reinstall windows. the options havnt changed in the BIOS and when i push F10 on startup for RAID utility it says that there is a healthy RAID array. il get bk to you on the condition of the HDDs. Cheers |
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Sep 14 2008, 12:11 PM
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#9
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Member Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 13-September 08 Member No.: 238,417 |
Hi guys,
I ran both the quick scan and full scan on bith HDDs and it came up with no errors. I am now in the process of writing zeros to the drives (fully erasing them) to as new condition. Once this is done how do I create a partioion which spans both drives? as i said it was previously running in RAID 0 so no BIOS etc changes should be needed. I have obtained the RAID driver from the motherboard manufaturer website: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherb...?ProductID=1883 I got the SATA RAID driver for XP. this came as a .exe file. can i write this to a disc and then insert it when it asks for a third party RAID driver CD (when you push F6 during XP installation)? |
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Sep 14 2008, 01:09 PM
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#10
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Forum Addict Group: Members Posts: 6,542 Joined: 3-September 05 From: Killeen, TX Member No.: 33,068 |
Although I have a motherboard with RAID option, I don't employ it. The only RAIDs I have set up involved a 3d-party controller.
Since you have RAID capability built into your motherboard...the motherboard manual should be your source of "how to do it." But...take a look: http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia....amp;p_topview=1 As for drivers...XP looks for floppy drive inputs at the F6 point. So, it appears to me that you have the choice of slipstreaming an XP install CD that includes all drivers (using something like nLite) or just going with the easy floppy inputs. Louis |
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Sep 14 2008, 01:22 PM
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 Visiting Alien Group: Members Posts: 4,959 Joined: 20-May 07 From: millenium falcon and rockytop Member No.: 131,963 |
I fooled with raid stripes a little when I was getting started, I found then quite unreliable, part of it was bad choices in hard drives, other glitches were allowing idiots to turn on the computer when I wasn't there. It took me a couple of years to finally decide to abandone the idea. Modern hard drives are fast enough, there's no need to stripe to make them faster and double the chance of a crash. Actually I think it's more like 10 times as likely.
-------------------- Chewy
life is like a box of chocolates and stupid is as stupid does but you can always run |
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Sep 14 2008, 03:12 PM
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#12
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Member Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 13-September 08 Member No.: 238,417 |
Iv had these HDDs running in RAID for 3 years now with no probs (before this) so am keen to get them back as they were. Plus the Hds are quite old, 7200 rpm and 8MB cache so not that fast .
QUOTE(hamluis @ Sep 14 2008, 07:09 PM)  So, it appears to me that you have the choice of slipstreaming an XP install CD that includes all drivers (using something like nLite) or just going with the easy floppy inputs. Louis what do you mean by this hamluis? Can i not just write the .exe driver to a floppy and insert that when it asks for it (F6)? |
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Sep 14 2008, 03:33 PM
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#13
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Forum Addict Group: Members Posts: 6,542 Joined: 3-September 05 From: Killeen, TX Member No.: 33,068 |
Did you not also mention that you have SATA drives...which takes a driver on a floppy?
http://icrontic.com/articles/slipstreaming_windows_easy http://www.nliteos.com/guide/ Louis |
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Sep 14 2008, 03:57 PM
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#14
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Member Group: Members Posts: 32 Joined: 13-September 08 Member No.: 238,417 |
This slipstreaming certainly looks interesting. If the RAID drivers do not work from a floppy disc i may well try this.
One more thing... I just want to make sure I am not waisting my (and your!) time here... My computer was running RAID 0 before the re-install of windows. should i have to reinstall the drivers? On startup it tells me there is a RAID array which is healthy - and when i try install windows it recognises both HDDs. I think all i need to do is create a partition which spans both HDDs - is this done thru the F6 driver install? |
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Sep 14 2008, 04:01 PM
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#15
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Visiting Alien Group: Members Posts: 4,959 Joined: 20-May 07 From: millenium falcon and rockytop Member No.: 131,963 |
QUOTE On startup it tells me there is a RAID array which is healthy - that's your motherboard's raid bios QUOTE and when i try install windows it recognises both HDDs . It should only see one hard drive, something is wrong -------------------- Chewy
life is like a box of chocolates and stupid is as stupid does but you can always run |
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