New computer - setting up RAID

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by NipponBob, Jan 6, 2010.

  1. NipponBob

    NipponBob Private E-2

    Computer:-
    HP Z400 workstation
    1TB SATA main drive (0)
    2 x 500GB SATA drives (1 & 2)
    Windows 7

    Brand new and am trying to set it up.
    What I want to do is set the 2nd and 3rd HDs in a RAID 0 for video editing

    After setting the RAID up I wanted to save a system backup point to return to a safe and working computer if things went wrong. But maybe that's too late?:-o

    Problems:-
    1. When I click on "Computer" it only has one C drive and the other two drives are not shown.
    ( after a lot of reading I gather that the 2nd and 3rd drives have not been formatted???? Is this right or is there something else wrong?)

    2. Do I need to format the 2nd and 3rd drives before I put them in a RAID 0?

    3. WHAT do I do? How do I put them in a RAID 0 and hvae them come up as a drive under "Computer"?

    What I have done/tried:-
    - I set the BIOS for RAID configuration according to HP manual.

    - Included software on my computer is Intel Matrix Console (for manager). I loaded this and ran it and set the two extra disks as a RAID 0 array.
    Then I checked "computer" and it did not show up. Just C drive. So I got worried as this was the first I noticed that the drives wereassigned a drive letter.
    - Next converted them back to normal to check - still on C drive showing
    - Panicked and searched a lot to no avail; but I did find out how to get to Disk Managment feature. Here it listed the two extra drives correctly as Healthy. But they were "Unallocated" and had the black bar.

    - So then I used Intel Matrix Console to set up the RAID array again and it showed up as one disk with the combined capacity and "Unallocated".
    - Then I right clicked and converted the new disk (Disk 1) to a Dynamics Disk. (As I gather the RAID 0 array required this????)

    - Then I got stuck... the available options under "Action" were to "Create VHD" or "Attach VHD". Lots of reading and it seemed that I needed to create the VHD first and format it (???) then Attach it. But it wanted a "Location" for the virtual hard disk (VHD) and a file name. I tried Browsing to "Computer" and putting a file name but got the message that I couldn't put it here.

    SO now I am lost as the available routte (above) seems to me to make a file in the C drive but they are actually REAL HDs. Or is the location only for some small file that controls the HDs??????

    Could you fill me in on what to do and deatils? Please:cry

    I tought using the Intel Matrix Console would make it easier to do but is it the wrong thing to use? Should I try and undo all the things I have done and try to do something in BIOS at start up using

    "To enter the Intel Matrix Storage Manager option ROM Configuration utility, press Ctrl+l when prompted"

    I wasn't sure about this...Was this the same as for setting the BIOS for RAID? That is, press ctrl+i after turning on the computer and before windows booted up?

    Any help...or have I stuffed up things.:cry
     
  2. NipponBob

    NipponBob Private E-2

    correction- "where it says wereassigned a drive letter" it should have said NOT assigned...
     
  3. NipponBob

    NipponBob Private E-2

    Resolved
     
  4. Bold Eagle

    Bold Eagle MajorGeek

    Glad you got things sorted make sure the Video Editing apps are installed onto the RAID array.
     

MajorGeeks.Com Menu

Downloads All In One Tweaks \ Android \ Anti-Malware \ Anti-Virus \ Appearance \ Backup \ Browsers \ CD\DVD\Blu-Ray \ Covert Ops \ Drive Utilities \ Drivers \ Graphics \ Internet Tools \ Multimedia \ Networking \ Office Tools \ PC Games \ System Tools \ Mac/Apple/Ipad Downloads

Other News: Top Downloads \ News (Tech) \ Off Base (Other Websites News) \ Way Off Base (Offbeat Stories and Pics)

Social: Facebook \ YouTube \ Twitter \ Tumblr \ Pintrest \ RSS Feeds