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Break RAID 1
I would like to break my RAID 1 (mirroring) since I back up to an external hard drive and keep a copy offsite. The Intel website makes it sound pretty simple and I've read the posts here. However, I’ve never dealt with RAID setups before and I’d like some reassurance before doing anything irrevocable.
System:
Dell XPS 400
Windows XP SP2
Intel 82801 GR/GH SATA RAID Controller
Intel Storage Console 5.1
Hard Drives: Two Maxtor 250 GB
- Do you need additional info re: the machine?
- Do I need a more recent version of Intel Console?
- Procedure for breaking the RAID
- Do I need to reload OS/software?
shesagordie
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July 28th, 2008 02:00
1) No.
2) No.
3) Boot the system, press CTRL+i when indicated to go into the RAID BIOS setup, and set the drives to a non-RAID configuration.
Then if you have RAID 1, you should have 2 hard drives that are exactly the same, after this, you can partition and format the second hard drive.
4) No.
Note: It's always advisable to make a backup of your critical data, before breaking a RAID.
Bev.
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keithg2
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July 28th, 2008 13:00
WilDeliver
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July 30th, 2008 02:00
It went without a hitch and now I've got two identical 250GB hard drives and no RAID. I checked the Intel web site and it pointed out that other RAID formats can, indeed wipe out data (which, they observe, is why there is a message to that effect on the Intel Storage Manager), but not one-volume RAID 1.
RAID 1 hardly seems worth it since 1. I have backup and 2. backing up to a drive on the same computer seems like the least effective strategy. It is true that hard drives crash, although not often, so I guess RAID 1 protects you against that. On the other hand, theft, fire, lightning, etc. still take everything.
Anyway, thanks for your insights.
WilDeliver
4 Posts
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July 30th, 2008 03:00
Also, for what it's worth, here's how I partition my drives:
C:/ WINDOWS
D:/ DATA
P:/ PROGRAMS
S:/ STORAGE
Windows gets plenty of room to play, all my programs are in one place and both can be stored occasionally as an image for easy reinstall, if needed.
I put My Documents on the D: drive so it's easy to just back it all up.
Storage is install disks and such.
Adios
shesagordie
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July 30th, 2008 03:00
Congrats, :)
RAID1 is great for hardware problems, the reason I stopped using it several years ago, is that all the software problems are mirrored to the second hard drive.
Instead, I use Acronis TrueImage to image the primary hard drive to the second drive.
Bev.
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pooz
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August 10th, 2008 19:00
shesagordie
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August 10th, 2008 20:00
pooz
No, because unless the primary C:/ hard drive is 'clean', I don't image it.
Prior to running Acronis, I always run a 'Chkdsk' and disk cleanup, plus check for any Malware and Virus. Been imaging the C:/ drives for seven+ years without a problem and it's great when a hard dive fails.
Bev.
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WilDeliver
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August 12th, 2008 00:00
OK, so here I am with two duplicate hard drives.
Can I simply delete the Windows, Uninstall and Program files directly (File/Delete) from the now-duplicate and redundant D:/ drive? (I would assume that ControlPanel/AddRemovePrograms would remove the application from the C:/ drive, right?)
shesagordie
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August 12th, 2008 01:00
The best method, is to delete all partitions and then format the new D:/ drive using XP disk management and use it as a second hard drive, for additional storage.
How to use XP disk management.
Bev.
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