XPS 410 - How to enable RAID 1, various questions

Question

Sort of a newbie... used to build systems in the 90s, but haven't done anything hardware related since 1999. I know nothing about SATA or RAID, but I finally got a new PC.   I have a new (3 wk old) XPS 410 with Vista and a 250GB hard disk. I'd like to add some additional storage and enable RAID mirroring for data backup / integrity purposes. Here are my questions:   1. If I buy a second 250GB drive, can I enable RAID 1 without reinstalling Vista? Is this difficult? 2. Is mirroring automatic, ie, is every write operation made to both drives simultaneously? Is the entire operation seamless? Is there maintenance? 3. Is it possible to buy a larger drive than 250GB and still have RAID 1? For example, could I buy a 400GB drive, install it as a secondary drive, enable RAID 1, and mirror the smaller 250GB drive onto the 400? If so, would the remaining 150GB of space be addressable as a secondary drive?  I'm finding that 250GB isn't enough space.   If anyone could answer my questions and/or pass me some useful links, I'd appreciate it. Thanks.

Uncle Ripper · Answer

1. Yes, install the drive and turn on the sata port for the drive in the bios. (You'll need a sata drive cable with a 90 degree bend as the hard drives are at the bottom of the computer and dell does not supply it). Then simply go to Intel matrix storage manager and select RAID1. Intel matrix storage manager will take care of everything, you're done.

2. Yes it is automatic, no maintenance.

3. Yes, the 2nd drive has to be at least as big as the first one. My opinion is to get the same size hd as you mirroring and buy a usb external for backup. If you have an old drive laying around go to new egg and buy an external usb housing for it and use it. You cannot access the 2nd hd if it is mirrored as the 2 are one, so a bigger drive will not provide extra storage. (as far as I know)

Hope this helps.

Message Edited by Uncle Ripper on 03-12-2007 09:23 PM

TomXPS · Answer

The SATA Cable should be 18 inches or longer.  I got a 18 and found it a bit short to route it the way Dell did for SATA drive 0.     The migration process to setup RAID 1 should take about 1 hour or so depending on the size.

knome2 · Answer

Thanks for the info. Looks like I need another 250GB drive for RAID 1, and then a separate drive for additional storage. If I were to buy a 500GB internal SATA drive and install it in one of the 3.5' front bays, would I have any problem? Can I have a 2 x 250 RAID 1 system with an additional 500GB standalone SATA internal drive?   One last question: is it worth it to get an identical 250GB drive? I have found another Samsung SP2504C drive online, or can get a Seagate 7200.10 drive for the same price. Any advantage / disadvantage to either choice?   Oh yeah, and thanks for the info on the SATA cable. I didn't know what to get, so this is really helpful.

Uncle Ripper · Answer

Yes you can use one of the 3.5' bays and have an additional 500 gb hd.     Some say it's best to have identical type drives for raid, I didn't and all is O.K.

knome2 · Answer

Thanks. The matching drive was OOS at most places, so I ended up with a new Seagate 7200.10 250GB w 16MB cache. Found a 24' SATAII cable with a 90 degree connector as well.

DudeMon · Answer

I am a newbie and a bit confused about adding the RAID 1 capability to an existing XPS 410.  The following discussion seems to dispute your recommendation????  My current XPS 410 system has a single 250 Gbps HD.  Thanks!   http://www.dellcommunity.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=xps_desk_hddr&thread.id=5285

TomXPS · Answer

If you have a single 250 GB Drive you can setup RAID 1 on your XPS 410.   Best to buy another drive the same make and model of what you currently have.     No reload necessary if you have a single drive system.    Install the Drive.  You need a 18+ Inch SATA cable with 90 Degree end.   Enable the SATA Port that you install the drive on. Must have SATA RAID set to *ON or SATA RAID forget exactly what.   By default it's on. Use Intel Storage Manager to Migrate to Raid 1.  May take an hour or so. Reboot once or twice and your all setup on RAID 1.

Uncle Ripper · Answer

Dude   TomXPS is exactly right and it is very simple to complete.  raid 1 is the easiest raid config to migrate to.

Roger1955 · Answer

Hi,

I've posted already, I followed everything to the tee. Installed 2nd sata ll HD,enable port, created raid 1 array utilizing intel matrix storage console migrated successfully. Did f12 hd diagnostic both drives passed. Surfed the web, copied a dvd got ready to go to bed...shut down got BSOD!!!!

0X0000008E, (0XC0000005, 0X806357F1, 0XBA247B88, 0X00000000).......DUMP OF PHYSICAL MEMORY.......

Earlier I keep getting a notification down on my task bar that I had a corrupt file(norton(symentec) and to run chkdsk which I did took a long time, shortly thereafter I surfed a little as stated at the beginning of this post, the BSOD on shut down. I was able to boot up in safe mode though. How do l get my system up and running normally again?? Thanks

Roger1955

-------------------------------------

XPS 410
winxp mce 2005
Intel Core 2 duo
E6300 @ 1.86 ghz
2 gigs Ram
Geforce 7300LE

2 250 GB Sata II HD Raid 1

dual drives Sony cd/dvd, TSST corp DVD +-RW DL
13 and 1 media card readerXPS 410

Message Edited by Roger1955 on 04-20-2007 02:13 PM

Uncle Ripper · Answer

Uninstall norton completely through add/remove programs,  anti virus, live update anything symantic.  Then get AVG, it's free, your computer will run better and you'll have less problems.  After that's done get Ad Aware and run it once a week, it's free to.   http://www.download.com/Ad-Aware-SE-Personal-Edition/3000-8022_4-10045910.html?part=dl-ad-aware%26subj=dl%26tag=top5   http://free.grisoft.com/doc/5390/lng/us/tpl/v5#avg-anti-virus-free

Storage, Drives & Media

XPS 410 - How to enable RAID 1, various questions

Was this post helpful?