Raid after xp install

[si-skyline]

Hay guys i was wondering if someone could help me here...

iv been tring to figure out how to go about setting up a raid system.. i know the basics but havent done one before. iv been trying to research on the net too but every thing iv found is setting it up when installing xp.

now i was wondering if you can set up a raid array after xp has been installed?
The windows folder is not going to be on the raided drives, im also after i think is raid 10, two drives stripped and then mirrored. so it would be windows on hdd A then hdd B+C <> hdd D+E

i do have 4 sata ports on my mobo and found that it will support 1, 0, 1+0 and also jbod.

the mobo here (http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Products/ProductsDetail.aspx?DetailId=544&DetailName=Feature&MenuID=1&LanID=0)

thank you very much for your time, any one who can help can have a special my fluffy :) :bunny:

[Cannibal23]

for your mobo install the raid drivers. after that check the bios to see if there is a diffrent mode for your sata controler (im assuming your using onboard sata for raid). there may be a utility that comes with your board for configuring it. either during boot up or once your in windows.

[si-skyline]

hay, yeah i am using the onboard controller, iv never seen any thing in the bios before what would suggest some sort of raid config there and for the drivers.. its called a "IDE driver package" whats avalible from ecs website... iv never used because of a post i read when troubleshooting for another problem i had saying that they dont work and was better sticking with the windows drivers.. but il soon give that a try and see what comes out of it..

thank you very much, simon

[Cannibal23]

ya im not familiar with your board but on some machines i get here at my work we have to change the sata controler configuratioin in the bios to "raid" to activate the raid functionality of it. also it requires the drivers and software. you may have a diffrent setup with yours.

[J-Roc]

I believe if you set up the raid aray in your bios properly, windows will automaticly recognize the aray as a new hard drive.

Also, you need 4 disks for 1+0. 0 is striped for performance and 1 is mirrored for data security. If you only have 2 disks you cant do both. I believe there is a way to use 3 disks in an aray but the specifics elude me at the moment.

[si-skyline]

Ah i see, il also look thu the bios agian and have a closer look, there isent any thing else it can be called, can it?

yeah i also understand that i need 4 drives to do it, just so happens i have 4 here xD and you can do it with 3 disks but the 3rd/mirrored disk needs to be bigger then the other 2 striped or something like that..

also with the guides iv seen were you input a driver at windows install is that only if you are going to have the windows folder on the raid array?

thank you so much for your input fellas :)

[J-Roc]

SP2 has the raid drivers on the install disk. I would assume updates would also contain the drivers if you went from sp1 to sp2. If not, your mobo disk has the drivers.

Umm.. You'll have to browse around your bios for the settings and such. You have to set the SATA controller to RAID and then a raid post should appear after the regular post. Press the button it says to enter the program menu and set up the aray. I strongly believe that windows will automaticly detect your array.

Thats the way it works with Asus & MSI, cant comment on other mfg's as i've never used anything else.

[si-skyline]

Ah, iv found the raid funchion in the BIOS, the silly thing was under peripherals.. wouldnt of guessed it was there..
yep seen the raid post now thank you very much guys and as i promised mr fluffy :) :bunny: