Raid problem

Even though you enabled RAID the controller must be configured to "show" a logical drive to the computer. You can configure the controller if you look for the proper interupt key sequence during system startup. CAUTION: ONCE YOU CREATE A LOGICAL DRIVE, ALL YOUR DATA WILL BE ERASED!!

I can see the drives under the Raid configuration. But the instructions said I had the option of keeping my data or not. I don't want to lose all the data on the drive with the OS on it. Do I have to have clean drives totally to do the Raid thing? If that's true I don't want to use it.

Always remember, setting up raid is basically a step before setting up partitions. so basically it should be done before installin OS unless the OS is on a seperate drive.

If you are planning to raid a new system... it is always the first step. (OK, shush you experienced... I am speaking in generalities for the average person setting one up)

Using mirrored volumesA mirrored volume is a fault-tolerant volume that provides data redundancy by using two copies, or mirrors, of the volume to duplicate the data stored on the volume. All data written to the mirrored volume is written to both mirrors, which are located on separate physical disks. If one of the physical disks fails, the data on the failed disk becomes unavailable, but the system continues to operate using the unaffected disk. When one of the mirrors in a mirrored volume fails, you must break the mirrored volume to expose the remaining mirror as a separate volume with its own drive letter. You can then create a new mirrored volume with unused free space of the same size or greater on another disk.

Mirrored volumes are available on all computers running Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server. Mirrored volumes are not available on computers running Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, or Windows XP 64-Bit Edition. However, you can use a computer running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional to create mirrored volumes on a remote computer running Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, or Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.

i think it is pretty likely you will have to hose the contents of the drive to set up the raid array. but for mirroring, maybe not. did you look this up at the raid controllers website. (what controller model?) i bet your drive geometries are too different. can you get your hands on a pair of matched drives to try this. if i were doing it, i'd use a utility from seagate to copy the 120 boot drive to the 200 drive as a replacement boot drive. follow the instructions in the utility to disconnect your 'old' drive and connect your new drive and test it by booting. then switch it back and boot. then take yourself to lunch and take drive with you because, if it works, you have a tested backup of sorts and know that you can do whatever you want now to your boot drive without fear...have fun. just go for it. it gets easier every drive you partition...

ok first things first, in any RAID array, the array size will the the sum total of the smallest drive. you have a 200GB and a 120GB therefore the sum total of 120GB X2 or 240GB total. that means your wasting virtually 1/2 the storage space on the 200GB drive.

Second RAID is mass storage therefore Windows sees the RAID array as a SCSI type of drive. The BIOS of the motherboard has boot options and first looks to boot to off a floppy, then CD then IDE Controllers. RAID arrays in the BIOS is classified as boot SCSI. Therefore you have to change the boot sequence/order from boot HDD-0/1/2/3 to Boot SCSI.

Third is Windows also sees RAID arrays [SATA]as SCSI drives. Therefore when installing Windows you have to install the SATA drivers before Windows is installed by pressing F6. If you didn't do that, you have to start from scratch.

The NTLDR message is that Windows can not find a bootable partition [your RAID array of drives]. That means that the BIOS isn't reporting to Windows where the bootable partition is [the SATA RAID array]. That's either the boot sequence wasn't changed to boot SCSI or the RAID array wasn't created properly in th SATA RAID array utility of the BIOS [either CTL+F or ALT+F during POST.

Recreate the RAID 1 array and sync the drives, change your BIOS boot sequence to boot SCSI or Boot other [if that is an option]. Install the Windows CD and press F6 when it asks if you need to install mass storage device drivers [you do].

You have to turn Raid on in the BIOS then LOAD the RAID drivers during XP installation you will hit F6 to install additional drivers. Your MB should have the disk or a utility on CD to create the Floppy to load the RAID drivers for XP. Then when you boot you will not get the NTLDR msg.

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