RAID error

I have a brand new HP m9600t with vista home premium and RAID 0 2x500 GB hard drive, and I keep getting an error message that a drive in RAID 0 Volume is failing, please backup immediately. Intel matrix storage manager shows that errors occurred in either reading or writing to both of the hard drives, though shows the RAID volume operating normally. Basically the only thing I've done with the computer so far is transfer about 90 GB of music files onto it. Disc check in BIOS is normal for both drives, as is PC diagnostics for the drives and for the entire system. I downloaded Intel Matrix Storage Manager 8.8 (came with 8.6), but this didn't help. About 1-2 years ago, I know a lot of people were having problems with vista and RAID, but those issues were supposedly resolved. Anybody else having problems? It seems unlikely that my brand new drives are faulty. HP support, with whom I've now spent several hours on line, wants me to "rebuild" my raid drives from RAID BIOS, but that's not an option on there. The computer appears to be functioning normally. Anybody with any thoughts?

now I'm wondering if iTunes is part of the problem - searching the web I see a lot of people have been having problems with iTunes and RAID errors.

Okay...
By what you said I'm not sure whether your computer will boot past the Vista Bootloader, your computer has the error at the BIOS, or after you boot in you get this error.

To tell you the truth, I know how to solve this problem just not how to comprehend.

By the way, you mentioned you called HP and they told you to rebuild. I have spent at least total 12 hours on the phone and 2 hour chats and until you get a case manager, you won't get a firm answer.

The error does show up on the BIOS screen, but the computer starts up fine and runs fine. As soon as I get to my desktop, though, the first thing to pop up is the RAID icon saying my RAID 0 volume is failing.

There's no option to rebuild on the BIOS screen, I can only delete a volume or convert to non-RAID. Maybe because you can only rebuild if you are configured as RAID 1?

RAID 0 has no redundancy. So if one disk fails (as RAID means Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) all the disks fail. Maybe RAID 1 will do you better. I looked at version 8.8 for RAID 0/1 and it looks fine. So good luck 'cause I'm stuck at a dead end!

wyatto said:

I have a brand new HP m9600t with vista home premium and RAID 0 2x500 GB hard drive, and I keep getting an error message that a drive in RAID 0 Volume is failing, please backup immediately. Intel matrix storage manager shows that errors occurred in either reading or writing to both of the hard drives, though shows the RAID volume operating normally. Basically the only thing I've done with the computer so far is transfer about 90 GB of music files onto it. Disc check in BIOS is normal for both drives, as is PC diagnostics for the drives and for the entire system. I downloaded Intel Matrix Storage Manager 8.8 (came with 8.6), but this didn't help. About 1-2 years ago, I know a lot of people were having problems with vista and RAID, but those issues were supposedly resolved. Anybody else having problems? It seems unlikely that my brand new drives are faulty. HP support, with whom I've now spent several hours on line, wants me to "rebuild" my raid drives from RAID BIOS, but that's not an option on there. The computer appears to be functioning normally. Anybody with any thoughts?

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Only mirrored arrays (i.e., RAID 1) can be rebuilt.

You have a big problem. I am also running a RAID 0 (2x320GB sata 7200rpm), a stripped array failure (whether caused by a failing Hard disk, or Windows file corruption) is a catastrophic data loss situation, and cannot be fixed with installation of an updated controller. Your best bet is to backup (data corruption will corrupt the image also), reformat HDD's, and If it is due to corruption and not hardware you will have to re-install Windows and restore data fron the vista File Backup.
note- If it is hardware failure, the HDD will have to be replaced, but then you can restore the image. If that is not the case, and the HDD is fine, and just the file data is corrupted on it causing the array to fail, and you try to restore with the image, you will be restoring the corrupted array back to the Drives.

Your array is failing or a hard drive is bad. When it fails you will lose ALL data on the drives. This data will not be recoverable.

If you have an external HDD or multiple DVD's/BD's I suggest you install this, create a disk image, and then Use Vista's File backup utility to back up all your User Data.

recommendation:

create a complete pc restore disk image. This will create an image of exactly how your computer is now (with all partitions), then perform weekly file backup with Vista file backup utility. it is best to do these image/backups to an external. The initial file backups with be 25GB+, then it will backup weekly only the files that have changed since the last backup was performed, and create a new disk image every 6 months or so.

Drive Backup Express - Free Download!

Paragon will backup everything on the partitions you select, and create an exact mirror image.

File backup will only backup your User data-not installed programs/windows components. the should be used in conjuction, after a restoration of Windows with the image, to restore all changed/updated User data to the current last file backup made.

Any programs (say you upgrade your antivirus/ dvd player/and all new Windows Updates since the image was made) will have to be re-installed. It is recommended to create a new image every 6 months to take program/update changes into account,thus keeping your image up to date.
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Vista File backup Utility

start> in search, type backup>click "backup and restore center"> click "backup files"

I suggest you do this right now, because the next time you turn off your PC, it may not turn back on, and if the drive or the RAID Array fails all your files, pics, music, etc, are gone.

Thanks for the input guys. I don't think this is really a problem with my RAID drives though, which as I noted are brand new. I think it was a problem of Vista + RAID + itunes/quicktime.


I did basically what Tracie B did in a post here:

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
After 6 months of seeing the error message, “A RAID volume is failing…” pop up when I started my Vista 32-bit HP system, which resulted from attempts to play downloaded TV show files in iTunes, my problem is fixed! I’m able to play video in iTunes. It’s kindof a miracle, or feels like one, to be honest.
I was close to either doing a system restore back to factory settings or having to replace my hard drives, and now I don’t have to do any of that garbage!
Chris, your blog rules, and Wolfarelli, your suggestion to download the latest Intel Matrix Storage Manager was just the ticket. I didn’t have to deal with the Quicktime Alternative Lite solution, however; regular old Quicktime seems to be working fine.
Three things, however.
1. I updated to the very most recent Intel Matrix Storage Manager, v.7.6.0.1011.
2. After updating, I enabled the volume write-back cache in the Intel Matrix Storage Console, based on this advice from another blog post:
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/004446.html :
“After countless hours of updating drivers, trying, rebooting and failing, I stumbled upon a “fix.” With the newest Intel Matrix Storage Console installed (v. 7.6.0.1011 and no, that upgrade didn’t solve anything) I went into the console and enabled the “volume write-back cache” on the RAID 0 drive and voila! .mov files play flawlessly.
The help documentation says that the ENABLE mode is only for RAID 5, but it somehow makes a difference in RAID 0 with Quicktime.”
3. Before doing all of this (and before even learning about it at all), I had a fellow at HP tech support take me into the Intel Matrix Storage Console and right click on each of the 2 “failing” RAID volume ports. I clicked “Mark as Normal” — this ended the annoying popup about the failing RAID volume as well as the “error (0) occurred” thinger that had also showed on the black pre-startup screen for the last 6 months. I don’t know if this would have resolved itself upon updating the Intel Matrix Storage Manager/Console, but I’d assume it would.
Thanks again!!

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Things seem to be working now -- the RAID error message is gone and hasn't come back.