What happens to a RAID1 array when reinstalling Win MCE?

Hi all

I have Win MCE installed on one Samsung HD501LJ (very happy) - and a RAID 1 mirror array for important data on 2 separate Hitachi 250GB drives.

When I format the Win partition and reinstall MCE, will the RAID array automatically be visible? Does the reinstallation of the OS have any affect on the RAID array?

Presumably I have to do the F6 during installation thing for the RAID drivers, even though I'm not installing to a RAID drive?

I dare say this is quite straightforward but would appreciate knowing from someone who has done it! I'd like to know in advance if I'm going to risk losing any data, or have to rebuild my array or something!

Thanks very much

DM

You should be fine - you have a choice of making the RAID array visible by providing the F6 drivers during installation, or just installing the RAID drivers later (once windows is installed). If you're not actually installing on the RAID drives then it's probably easier to leave it till later. XP won't touch them unless you tell it to ;)

u will need to go into drive management to reactivate the volume, so no it wont show on 1st boot normally, not until you find the array and reactivate it.

control panel > admin tools > computer management > disk managment

And reactivating it won't change any of the data which is already on/in it? It won't change the array at all?

DM

nope the data is still there, u just have to tell windows to use it again.

Just an update on this in case anyone comes across this thread and is wondering the same as I was...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dangel

You should be fine - you have a choice of making the RAID array visible by providing the F6 drivers during installation, or just installing the RAID drivers later (once windows is installed). If you're not actually installing on the RAID drives then it's probably easier to leave it till later. XP won't touch them unless you tell it to ;)

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When I booted from my XP MCE disk, and didn't press F6 to add drivers for RAID, the installer said it couldn't find any hard drives in my system - even though 2 SATA drives (including the one I wanted to install to) are not in a RAID array, just plugged in. I suspect this is because I have set the controller to RAID in the BIOS as opposed to ACPI or Standard IDE (because 2 other drives on the same controller are a RAID1 array). So I had to press F6 and install from floppy, which was annoying since I don't keep a floppy drive in this PC! Had to open it and another PC up...

However, when I did get through all this and into Windows, the RAID1 array I have was completely visible straight away - before I'd installed the Intel Chipset utility, Intel Matrix Storage Manager, anything. It was just there. Didn't even need to activate it in Computer Management. I have since installed this stuff and other drivers, it does make me wonder if I need the Matrix Storage Manager installed though.

So I did need the floppy drivers and F6, but the RAID1 array worked straight off. Thanks all for your help. I now need to research a) what is the practical difference between basic and dynamic disks (saw them in Computer Management), and b) how to install XP MCE next time without needing to temporarily install a floppy drive (either off USB or slipstreaming).

Cheers all

DM

Glad you got it sorted - the matrix storage manager is optional (the drivers do the work) i've never installed it on my work PC for instance (and yet still use the RAID).

To answer your questions:

a) read http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309044 which may help :)

b) use nLite to slipstream the drivers - it's pretty easy and well worth the effort. See http://www.nliteos.com/ Thank God in Vista you can use one of those new fangled USB keys eh? ;)

Cheers matey!