Since RAID is current topic, newbie question secondary drive

[Pur3vil]

Well I built my first RAID array. Using 2 320's I had laying around they are in RAID-0 and running like a dream. However, I havea misc. 160 in the machine that I can't access. This is probably the stupidest question around, but why?

 

BIOS sees the drive, Windows DM sees the drive, it was my old OS drive and it works fine. It will not let me partition it, format it, assign it a letter. I'm assuming I missed a step in RAID Array Builing 101.

 

Do I simply need to jump back into RAID Bios and add it to the array? Any help here would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Chris_Trooper]

Well I built my first RAID array. Using 2 320's I had laying around they are in RAID-0 and running like a dream. However, I havea misc. 160 in the machine that I can't access. This is probably the stupidest question around, but why?

 

BIOS sees the drive, Windows DM sees the drive, it was my old OS drive and it works fine. It will not let me partition it, format it, assign it a letter. I'm assuming I missed a step in RAID Array Builing 101.

 

Do I simply need to jump back into RAID Bios and add it to the array? Any help here would be appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Might be an obvious step but did you check the jumpers on the drive itself? If it was your old OS it would have been set to master right? Im a bit of a noob at this so it may be a silly response but it could be something that was overlooked?

[DevilMB3017]

You can't alter a RAID array like that once it's been built.

 

How did you build the RAID array? You mention the RAID BIOS, so I assume it's a hardware RAID, and not built inside Windows, correct?

 

When you say you have a 160GB you can't access, do you mean you go into Computer Management and see extra space? And you see a single 320GB drive in Windows - probably as C:\ - right?

[AIinc]

Nope, he's using the built in Intel raid controller on his MB. & no you can't add your 160Gb drive to your 2- 320Gb drives in Raid

Plus it's an SATA drive, so it's not the jumpers.

 

Try going into your device manager, click on Disk Drives, and you should see 2 of them there.

One will be your Raid array, then the other.

With the other, uninstall the drivers, then reboot

Then see if you can format the drive after windows re-installs it.

 

If that wont work, go into your bios, and into your Boot device/Boot order, and there you will see what is made bootable.

highlight the 160Gb drive and change it to "Disable"

Your first boot device should be your raid array, it will say something like "Volume 0" or "Volume 1"

 

Then boot up and try to format again.

Edited October 19, 2010 by AIinc

[Pur3vil]

Ok I will try this in a few, and report back.

 

***edit***

I disabled the 160 in BIOS in the boot menu. System says there's no Boot disc.

 

So I'm pulling the 160 from the system and will redo EVERYTHING from scratch when I get home from work in about an hour. The 160 isn't being usedfor anything, it's GOING to be used for storage of pics and music incase my RAID array fails. I have another TB+ in a networked PC and an external so the only thing I'm taking a hit on is reinstalling my games. >_<

Edited October 23, 2010 by Pur3vil

[Guest ajmatson]

If you are using softraid with the BIOS are their additional ports you can set to IDE. I have my main 4 ports on my ASUS board set to RAID with a Raid-0 and then I set ports 5-6 to IDE mode. This lets me run the RAID on two of the drives and also access the third from the other ports. Just an idea.

[Pur3vil]

Yea my RAID setup was on 4 ports, Enhanced IDE on the other 2.

 

I let windows reinstall the drivers, and I was able to access the disc and use it but not format or partition it. ( This was when I went to sleep )

 

Then I got woke up way early by my wife, who said my machine crashed. And indeed it did. One of my RAID drives went poof. Which is completely fine with me the disc is REALLY old... So now I'm off to newegg for new (matching this time!!! )drives.

[Guest ajmatson]

Yea my RAID setup was on 4 ports, Enhanced IDE on the other 2.

 

I let windows reinstall the drivers, and I was able to access the disc and use it but not format or partition it. ( This was when I went to sleep )

 

Then I got woke up way early by my wife, who said my machine crashed. And indeed it did. One of my RAID drives went poof. Which is completely fine with me the disc is REALLY old... So now I'm off to newegg for new (matching this time!!! )drives.

 

Ha Ha you caught the RAID bug, and like the overclocking bug it is an addiction which will never stop Good luck with the new drives

[dihartnell]

Ha Ha you caught the RAID bug, and like the overclocking bug it is an addiction which will never stop Good luck with the new drives

 

LOL I know what you mean. I've been thinking about re-doing RAID 0 array but short stroking them to 2 x 250 RAID 0 just to see if that will go faster (never mind all the hassle and time to redo everything).

 

Next long weekend I think.

[Guest ajmatson]

LOL I know what you mean. I've been thinking about re-doing RAID 0 array but short stroking them to 2 x 250 RAID 0 just to see if that will go faster (never mind all the hassle and time to redo everything).

 

Next long weekend I think.

I have three RAID setups among my servers and desktops and always looking for excuses to have the wife let me buy more setups