ScoobyTal

hi

Just bought another ibm 40gb drive to go with my existing one to create a raid array (stripping)


the question is can i just add it to my system and create a 80gb hdd (using the raid controller) or do i have to reformat the whole lot i.e lose all my current stuf ??


Thanks

Tal

what would scooby do

depends on the hardware raid controller and/or raid software used ...........

ScoobyTal

msi kt3 ultra mother board


xp2000+
512mb ddr ram
2 41gb ibm 7200rpm hdd
dvd writer
ati 8500 radion

ect

windows xp pro

what would scooby do

ahh - not sure about that mb as it uses the promise raid controller that is limited to two drives only - suggest you check out the MSI website for more info...

super_si

fast as **** mate!

I created mine other month but i had to buy a bigger drive and sell my 40gb ones.

I had to format the array then install the OS , i think you will aswell.

Si

Miles

Bad news, most probably have to blow it all away and start again. Unless there's some whizzy utility out there which is non-destructive.

chiark

You will have to destroy the data and start again. Pain in the ****.

Also, be aware that you're putting a greater risk to your data. If you lose either disc, all data will be completely unrecoverable. For the sake of a performance increase, is it worth it? Personally, I wouldn't use striping on the controller (despite the fact that I have two identical discs) as I'm not needing the performance but do need the data.

super_si

Thats a good point! idea striping is

write say 1gb to one disc, 1gb to the 2nd disc which in theroy is quicker!

super_si

Thats a good point! idea striping is

write say 1gb to one disc, 1gb to the 2nd disc which in theroy is quicker!

Ya Na

I have a raid array with built on raid on my MB using the Fast track drivers. My MB and two 80 GIG drives are ATA 133 or DMA 6 and run using this setup faster that any other Data transfer possible. Theoretically it’s around 133 x 2 266 MBits per sec and for the money nothing comes close. With regard to safety of data I ghost the drive after everything has been installed and working proper and backup any other data monthly or when needed.
Normally put the ghost back on every 8 weeks anyway to get me back to that clean install moment.
When installing XP you need that driver for the raid right at the beginning of setup so you would need to format and install fresh which would insure everything runs proper anyway.

D.

ChrisB

I built a system using an Asus P4B-533E last week.

Has a Promise MB Fastrack IDE RAID and when I setup the RAID 1 mirror, it offered to either blank the 2nd drive or mirror the 1st drive (ie no data loss).

DavidRB

Dunno if this will help anyone, but it's my favourite explanation of RAID.

chiark

Striping normally uses 64KB MAX for stripes of data, so you really do lose the whole shebang...