Update -> I ended up changing my BIOS from AHCI to RAID and created a new RAID volume for RAID 1. I then reinstalled Windows 7. After the installation I reinstalled the Intel Matrix Storage Console and it looks the way it should (the way it did before my crash). It now shows my RAID volume and I have options to create new volumes under the Actions menu item.
I swear this was all done under AHCI previously (how I received the computer from Dell). When I received the computer from Dell Device Manage listed:
Disk drives -> ARRAY0
IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers -> Intel ICH10R SATA AHCI Controller
Storage controllers -> JMicron JMB36X Controller
After I changed the BIOS to RAID and reinstalled (now):
Disk drives -> Volume0
IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers - > ATA Channel 0 & ATA Channel 1, Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
Storage controllers -> Intel ICH8/ICH9R/ICH10R/DO/PCH SATA RAID Controller
Maybe this way will work out better. After all my computer totally died when one drive failed which mirroring should have prevented.
Except, the factory installs an image on the HDD. They don't do a clean install on every single PC. So if the image was created on PC with RAID enabled in BIOS, all the RAID drivers got installed, regardless of how BIOS was set on your own system.
If you're doing a clean install, as you were, you need to enable RAID in BIOS so the Windows installer knows to install the right drivers and settings for RAID1. Make note for the next time... :emotion-4:
If you connect a bootable USB flash drive to the PC and only then power on and press F12, you should see the option to boot from USB on the F12 menu. If you power on before connecting the bootable flash drive, the USB boot option won't be listed.
You should have been able to recover from a single HDD failure in a RAID1 setup. You would have had to replace the failed drive, and move the surviving original drive to SATA0 (assuming the old drive on SATA0 failed), and then rebuilt the array... Too late now...
If I remember correctly, you have to go into bios and set it up for RAID, not AHCI then re-install. I think if you install just via AHCI, the RAID isn't active. The last time I played with RAID was on my E310. I couldn't find a manual for a Dell XPS 9000 to double check. How old is it?
Thanks Beamer. I bought my XPS 9000 in 6/2010. What's confusing to me is that I didn’t change the BIOS from AHCI between the time the computer crashed and I reinstalled Windows 7 with new hard drives. It has always been AHCI since I bought it. Maybe I’m using the wrong term (RAID 1) but the Matrix Manger software was doing some sort of mirroring before my crash. Twice the disks got out of sink and I had to run a process in the Matrix Manager app to resync them. I'll give doing a fresh install with RAID selected in the BIOS. My understanding is that once you install as RAID you can't switch back to AHCI though. Do you know if that is correct? Thanks again.
Thanks for the link to the manual RoHe. It doesn't really go into much detail other than the line you posted though. The setting was AHCI ever since I purchased the computer which is why I'm confused that I need to change it to RAID when it appeared that mirroring was working before.
On a side note I noticed in the manual that USB is a boot option. It does not seem to an option on my motherboard. Maybe I have to flash the BIOS?
hmm.. I'm wondering if it was software mirroring.. Maybe try the A0 version of the drivers from dells site? And yes if you go RAID you cannot go back to AHCI without wiping it all and starting over. The system uses a different driver set to control the HDD through the RAID chip set.
RoHe Thanks again! All great points. You've taught me a lot. Fortunately, I still have the RAID drive that didn't fail. My intent is to plug it in and get my data.
I guess it was dumb luck that my drive on the lower SATA port failed. If it had been the other way around I could have still booted to windows? That makes sense but it didn't occur to me.
Also, thank you for the pointer on on the USB boot!
deadcatbounce
6 Posts
0
March 7th, 2015 17:00
Update -> I ended up changing my BIOS from AHCI to RAID and created a new RAID volume for RAID 1. I then reinstalled Windows 7. After the installation I reinstalled the Intel Matrix Storage Console and it looks the way it should (the way it did before my crash). It now shows my RAID volume and I have options to create new volumes under the Actions menu item.
I swear this was all done under AHCI previously (how I received the computer from Dell). When I received the computer from Dell Device Manage listed:
Disk drives -> ARRAY0
IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers -> Intel ICH10R SATA AHCI Controller
Storage controllers -> JMicron JMB36X Controller
After I changed the BIOS to RAID and reinstalled (now):
Disk drives -> Volume0
IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers - > ATA Channel 0 & ATA Channel 1, Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
Storage controllers -> Intel ICH8/ICH9R/ICH10R/DO/PCH SATA RAID Controller
Maybe this way will work out better. After all my computer totally died when one drive failed which mirroring should have prevented.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
March 7th, 2015 19:00
Except, the factory installs an image on the HDD. They don't do a clean install on every single PC. So if the image was created on PC with RAID enabled in BIOS, all the RAID drivers got installed, regardless of how BIOS was set on your own system.
If you're doing a clean install, as you were, you need to enable RAID in BIOS so the Windows installer knows to install the right drivers and settings for RAID1. Make note for the next time... :emotion-4:
If you connect a bootable USB flash drive to the PC and only then power on and press F12, you should see the option to boot from USB on the F12 menu. If you power on before connecting the bootable flash drive, the USB boot option won't be listed.
You should have been able to recover from a single HDD failure in a RAID1 setup. You would have had to replace the failed drive, and move the surviving original drive to SATA0 (assuming the old drive on SATA0 failed), and then rebuilt the array... Too late now...
beamermt79
4 Operator
•
2.3K Posts
0
March 6th, 2015 15:00
If I remember correctly, you have to go into bios and set it up for RAID, not AHCI then re-install. I think if you install just via AHCI, the RAID isn't active. The last time I played with RAID was on my E310. I couldn't find a manual for a Dell XPS 9000 to double check. How old is it?
RoHe
10 Elder
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45.2K Posts
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March 6th, 2015 19:00
Another key piece of info is the version of Windows.
From the manual: Configure SATA 1-5 as AHCI or RAID (AHCI by default).
deadcatbounce
6 Posts
0
March 6th, 2015 23:00
Thanks Beamer. I bought my XPS 9000 in 6/2010. What's confusing to me is that I didn’t change the BIOS from AHCI between the time the computer crashed and I reinstalled Windows 7 with new hard drives. It has always been AHCI since I bought it. Maybe I’m using the wrong term (RAID 1) but the Matrix Manger software was doing some sort of mirroring before my crash. Twice the disks got out of sink and I had to run a process in the Matrix Manager app to resync them. I'll give doing a fresh install with RAID selected in the BIOS. My understanding is that once you install as RAID you can't switch back to AHCI though. Do you know if that is correct? Thanks again.
deadcatbounce
6 Posts
0
March 6th, 2015 23:00
Thanks for the link to the manual RoHe. It doesn't really go into much detail other than the line you posted though. The setting was AHCI ever since I purchased the computer which is why I'm confused that I need to change it to RAID when it appeared that mirroring was working before.
On a side note I noticed in the manual that USB is a boot option. It does not seem to an option on my motherboard. Maybe I have to flash the BIOS?
Thanks again.
beamermt79
4 Operator
•
2.3K Posts
0
March 7th, 2015 00:00
hmm.. I'm wondering if it was software mirroring.. Maybe try the A0 version of the drivers from dells site? And yes if you go RAID you cannot go back to AHCI without wiping it all and starting over. The system uses a different driver set to control the HDD through the RAID chip set.
RoHe
10 Elder
•
45.2K Posts
0
March 8th, 2015 13:00
Either way, you would still have had to follow the procedures to recover from a RAID 1 failure...
Hope your files are accessible on the remaining drive.
deadcatbounce
6 Posts
0
March 8th, 2015 13:00
RoHe Thanks again! All great points. You've taught me a lot. Fortunately, I still have the RAID drive that didn't fail. My intent is to plug it in and get my data.
I guess it was dumb luck that my drive on the lower SATA port failed. If it had been the other way around I could have still booted to windows? That makes sense but it didn't occur to me.
Also, thank you for the pointer on on the USB boot!