problem with raid arter service Pack 1 update for windows 7 64

Hi Jeffcmfrt,

It sounds like you had RAID 1 (mirror), and now your RAID array has been undone. So all you need to do is use the Intel controller manager to set up RAID 1 again. The instructions should be in your manual.

Slow down a bit!  If you now have the controller in RAID On using the BIOS setup, and you are again showing a single drive of about 1 TB, you may have reached the state you wish to be in.  Use the Intel Rapid Storage console to check out the status of your drives.  It will show the drives and also an array with the volume name of the RAID if your RAID is now active.

It's just as well that it stopped you as those instructions were designed to correct a problem from the factory.  You might have noted that everything you have will be deleted if you proceed and the machine returned to the state that it was in when delivered to you.  Is that what you want?

You might be able to get away more easily by using the Intel Rapid Storage control console.  You should find it by clicking Start, All Programs, Intel, and then clicking on the storage console icon.  You should have a menu item offering to build an array from an existing hard drive.  Select your current boot drive as the source and make sure that your second hard drive is selected as destination, or whatever Intel calls it these days.  It will take a while to rebuild, but when done your RAID 1 should be as before.  If this doesn't work out for you, you still have the option to follow the procedure you found and reload the system manually.

By the way; you can only reach the RAID option ROM if you press CTRL i while the RAID status screen is visible on your display.

Thank's for the help I do not have a manual and I have been trying everything I know of when I reformat before installing windows I now show 0 & 1 at like 933 gb and when I click to install the drivers and insert dell drivers and utilities disc it says no drivers were found and has a rescan option I am pretty sure I have to install raid drivers at this point but being system can't find them I just selected 0 and am installing. I already went into bios and changed to raid rather the Ich or whatever the other option is. I found a section that chris wrote on raid and can go to a certin point then my computer displays different then what he is describeing.

I know how to reformat & reinstall all I need help with is seting up the raid like it was prior as I never had a computer runing raid before so I just dont know the process.

It is installing now I guess I will see how things go as this time I changed the setting in bios raid but I am pretty sure it is just going to instal on 0 what I selected guess I will find out soon.

Thanks any help at this point will be apreciated!

jeffcmfrt

This Is the link I found on raid  http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/kcs/document?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&docid=DSN_7911DD189C8068FFE040AE0AB6E13760&isLegacy=true

All goes well until I get to 13 after that it does not give me options as described.

jeffcmfrt

Update: Now it is showing the 1 drive in my computer with the right amount 931 gb but I am missing the recovery partition which was like 8.7 GB I think.But if it is now mirroring I should not need that right?

Also how do I tell it was showing both the Hard drives when I reformated them before installing all I done was in change to raid in bios and to display raid page or whatever its called Im guessing to change it back to hide so it does not show during boot. Is that right?

Thanks jeffcmfrt

Thank soo much thats what im doing.Just a little freaked out first time fooling with a system with raid and more then 1 hard drive.I shose Raid 0 for performence over the raid 1 useing the Intel rapid storage urility( It's migrateing now) Man I never been so confused in my life after googleing Raid! But seems everything is going well it's hard to beleive all this hassel is because of Service PK 1 for windows 7 64 read where a lot of people have had issues from the service PK 1

Dell wanted to charge me $ 89.99 for just a little advise and help (not cool in my opinion after all the years of being a customer who has spent as much as I have and refered so many people to Dell)

Anyway I think all is well at this point. I just lost that little 8.7 gb recovery partition but I have a fresh clean instal I will just be sure to back-up on my external hard drive.

Question now I can go into bios and set it to hide the raid rather then display so it will not show during boot? Is this corect?

I am so glad in a way no bloatware will be on my machine. The first  thing I used to do with a new computer from Dell is do a clean fresh format & install but with this one I did not because I was not sure what to do with the Raid configuration. I do not remember weather I had Raid 0 or Raid 1 to start with so I may even wind up with a performence boost with choosing Raid 0 and no bloatware.

Thank's again

jeffcmfrt

You might want to ask that question on the Alienware board.  With Dell hardware there is no way to hide the status screen on boot without disabling RAID.  That would be a function in BIOS I would think since it comes up ahead of the operating system.

You would find the Alienware board under the Owner's Club tab above.