Vista - Adding RAID to previous Vista Install

Hi,
First question. I'm running Vista Ultimate x64 on a 75 gig drive (way too small). Is it possible to setup a additional 2 drives in a RAID 1 array in addition to this drive? Or do I need to do a fresh install of Vista to recongize the drive(s)?

Second, if I can do the first, without needed a fresh install, why does it crash at crcdisk.sys when I enable the SATA ROM BOOT so the RAID can be done? I'm using ASUS A8R-MVP mother board. It has the newest version of the bios already installed on it (version 6003). I've tried to update the ULi RAID drivers, but I'm not having any luck. When I use the ULi RAID tool on boot-up, it says I'm using V1.1D M5288. I grabed the ULi drivers from NVidia (ULi integrated 220 bundle) and it won't install. I used WinRar to open it up and I grabbed everything out of the \SATA\M5288\ directory and booted from my Vista DVD and tried to load those drivers, it fails.

I'm not sure what to do from here. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance

My Vista Ultimate x64 with SP1 DVD recognized my RAID0 setup with the same chipset as you are using now. The ULi Drivers were outdated with Vista BETA 2. Try to get hold of a Vista DVD with SP1 and see if it recognizes your drives.

No promises but you should be able too, or at least it worked for me. At the time I had a single 250 GB drive and added two more in RAID0. All I did was,

1. Install the drives
2. Go into the bios and configured the RAID
3. Boot to Windows and installed the SATA/RAID drivers
4. Made a complete backup of C:\ (just in case)
5. Used Acronis True Home (which you get a free version of with Seagate's and Maxtor's DiskWizard, but only works if you have a Seagate or Maxtor drive) to migrate the existing install to the RAID
6. Booted into the bios next and set the RAID to the first boot device
7. Rebooted and it load Vista no problem (formatted the 250 GB after everything was up and running)

I used that install for over six months with no issues at all until I did a clean install after SP1 came out.

I'm having a similar problem.

I'm building a Vista 64 machine for my daughter using Intel E6750 CPU, MSI P35D3 Platinum motherboard, 8 gigs memory. The plan was to have 3 hard drives; one for the Vista 64 o/s only, 2 for all else configured in RAID 1.

Currently, Vista 64 is installed in the one hard drive. The 2 other drives are RAID configured in the BIOS and recognized. The RAID 1 drive shows up in Device Manager, but does NOT show up in Computer. (Incidentally, Computer shows a Floppy Disk Drive (A), but there is no floppy disk installed!)

The Vista 64 / computer combination seems to be working in all other aspects that I have tested so far.

Any suggestions as to how to get the RAID 1 drive to function will be very much appreciated.

By the way, this is my second build. I built myself a Vista 32 machine using a Gigabyte P35T-DQ6 about 9 months ago, but did not install RAID.

art have you checked in Disk Management to see if the drive shows there as well? If it does it will need to be formatted before you can see/use it.

Stormy13,

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Your response was just what I needed.

First, I went back into the BIOS to ensure that it was correctly set up. It was. To exit, I chose to "Save" even tho' I had made no changes. Immediately upon booting, the O/S begam a procedure to 'reconstruct the RAID' or words to that effect. That was about a one hour operation. Then I went to Disk Management as you had suggested. Poking around in there, I must have done the right thing because now the RAID is working perfectly!

Now, I have one more question. I read in one of the computer magazines that Vista has a method to move the user to a disk other than C:. That meaning that "Documents", "My Music", etc. moves to the desired disk other than C:. As I recall reading, Vista not only permits the move but will assist in the move. However, I cannot locate the article and I do not know how to do it.

I would like to set up the RAID drive to handle every thing (programs, data, etc) other than the O/S. I was successful in installing several programs on the RAID drive by creating a "Programs" folder on the RAID drive. But, what about the user 'stuff'? Any suggestions?

But, thank you yet again. The RAID works now and it is a wonderful feeling to have it working.

Art1

That would be this,

Personal User Shell Folders - Move Location

Hello Art1,

Welcome to the forums.

Personal User Shell Folders - Move Location[11]=File%20Folder%20Settings

Gary

Again, thank you for your response. I went almost immediately to the tutorial, but. . . .

I cannot do what I had hoped to do. Perhaps my expections are unrealistic. I know my knowlege is limited, but I have been trying to follow exactly the instructions in the tutorial, but have been unsuccessful.

Quoted from a previous msg, here's what I'm trying to do with this Vista 64 project:


"I would like to set up the RAID drive to handle every thing (programs, data, etc) other than the O/S. I was successful in installing several programs on the RAID drive by creating a "Programs" folder on the RAID drive. But, what about the user 'stuff'?"

I have been unsuccessful in moving an entire existing user folder to the RAID hard drive. I could move one subfolder. I haven't tried moving each subfolder one at a time.

In following the tutorial instructions, I discovered that there is no 'Properties" button for the user folder, only for each individual subfolder.

Have I missed the concept here?

Art1

garrysgold,

Please see my latest response to Stormy13. Any help would be appreciated.

Art1