disabling RAID 0 without losing data - is it possible?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Austin Newton Rice
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A

Austin Newton Rice

I am using RAID 0 (i.e. my data is being written across two drives). AFter
using it for a while, I realize this is not the ideal configuration for what
I want to do. Ideally, I'd like to disable RAID and basically have one
drive be my operating system drive and have the other one serve as a storage
drive. Is there a way of doing this without having to do a reinstall of
Windows/losing all the data I have on there? Any help would be much
appreciated. I'm using XP Home Edition, should that matter. Thanks in
advance for your help.
 
Austin Newton Rice said:
I am using RAID 0 (i.e. my data is being written across two drives). AFter
using it for a while, I realize this is not the ideal configuration for what
I want to do. Ideally, I'd like to disable RAID and basically have one
drive be my operating system drive and have the other one serve as a storage
drive. Is there a way of doing this without having to do a reinstall of
Windows/losing all the data I have on there?
Click to expand...

NOT easily. Start over or do an image backup like
TrueImage(www.acronis.com) or Ghost. Restore the image after thr RAID 0 is
disassembled.
 
I am using RAID 0 (i.e. my data is being written across two drives). AFter
using it for a while, I realize this is not the ideal configuration for what
I want to do. Ideally, I'd like to disable RAID and basically have one
drive be my operating system drive and have the other one serve as a storage
drive. Is there a way of doing this without having to do a reinstall of
Windows/losing all the data I have on there? Any help would be much
appreciated. I'm using XP Home Edition, should that matter. Thanks in
advance for your help.
Click to expand...

No, you can't undo a RAID0 onto the same drives. You must
copy off the data, delete the array, copy back the data
(after recreating new partitions and/or formatting if your
backup and restore data strategy doesn't do so for you
automatically).
 
David Wang said:
I don't think you can do Ghost on RAID drives.
Click to expand...

Sure you can but not on an individual drive. Do a Ghost image of the RAID 0
array to a file located somewhere else and then restore that image file
wherever later.
 
Sorry, but you are hosed on this one. The only way to break the RAID array
is to reformat your drives and reinstall your OS and applications.
 
in message : Like Ron Reaugh said, I would recommend TrueImage. Dont go for Ghost,
: its not fun.
:
: www.acronis.com
:
: ==============
: Posted through www.HowToFixComputers.com/bb - free access to hardware
troubleshooting newsgroups.

What about Drive Image?
Click to expand...

I recently tried both Ghost (The version prior to the one that came out
this month, 9-2004)and Drive Image 7 for a hdd upgrade. I could not make
Ghost work. It wanted to boot to DOS and could not find drivers or
couldn't find the destination drive (an external usb hdd). Drive Image
worked great. Drive Image runs completely in windows, 'NO' rebooting. I
had to play with some settings but nothing too diffucult. I have to
wholeheartedly recommend Drive Image over Ghost.
 
I recently tried both Ghost (The version prior to the one that came out
this month, 9-2004)and Drive Image 7 for a hdd upgrade. I could not make
Ghost work. It wanted to boot to DOS and could not find drivers or
couldn't find the destination drive (an external usb hdd). Drive Image
worked great. Drive Image runs completely in windows, 'NO' rebooting. I
had to play with some settings but nothing too diffucult. I have to
wholeheartedly recommend Drive Image over Ghost.
Click to expand...

I'll second the thumbs down to Ghost...

Just built a server for a friend... Raptop on the mainboard SATA connector
and an 8 drive RAID5 array on a Highpoint PCI-X controller card.

Ghost won't even start on this machine, let alone recognize the drives.

The only reason I liked Ghost is that you don't have to install it to use
it, just boot the disk and make the partitions. I'm hoping to find something
else that will work with this hardware without having to be installed first.
 
: > I recently tried both Ghost (The version prior to the one that came out
: > this month, 9-2004)and Drive Image 7 for a hdd upgrade. I could not make
: > Ghost work. It wanted to boot to DOS and could not find drivers or
: > couldn't find the destination drive (an external usb hdd). Drive Image
: > worked great. Drive Image runs completely in windows, 'NO' rebooting. I
: > had to play with some settings but nothing too diffucult. I have to
: > wholeheartedly recommend Drive Image over Ghost.
:
: I'll second the thumbs down to Ghost...
:
: Just built a server for a friend... Raptop on the mainboard SATA connector
: and an 8 drive RAID5 array on a Highpoint PCI-X controller card.
:
: Ghost won't even start on this machine, let alone recognize the drives.
:
: The only reason I liked Ghost is that you don't have to install it to use
: it, just boot the disk and make the partitions. I'm hoping to find
something
: else that will work with this hardware without having to be installed
first.
:
:

Drive Image works from the CD. Oops, the newest version
doesn't, sorry. I wonder why they did that. Oh well Symantec
does a lot of, well a few crappy things.
 
Do you know the version number you are refering to?

TIA
Click to expand...

I know that Driveimage 6 allows making a boot floppy, OR
just making a copy of that file set and putting it on
whatever you like, whether that be a FAT32 partition (folder
on one) booted to via DOS, or a flash thumbdrive or CD, etc.
This is very convenient as it allows putting the DriveImage
files on a bootable CDR/DVD holding the image file(s).
 
: "formerly known as 'cat arranger'" <[email protected]>
: wrote in :
: >:
: >
: > Drive Image works from the CD. Oops, the newest version
: > doesn't, sorry. I wonder why they did that.
:
: Do you know the version number you are refering to?
:
: TIA

Drive Image 7 does not allow you to make a copy from
the CD. Drive Image 2004 is included with 7 though, but
I'm not sure how that works. It might be that 2004 can
make floppies that do image XP and NTFS partitions.

Thanks for asking something I could answer, not a common
experience.. : -) I'm about 82.5 % sure.
 
Noozer said:
I'll second the thumbs down to Ghost...

Just built a server for a friend... Raptop on the mainboard SATA connector
and an 8 drive RAID5 array on a Highpoint PCI-X controller card.

Ghost won't even start on this machine, let alone recognize the drives.

The only reason I liked Ghost is that you don't have to install it to use
it, just boot the disk and make the partitions. I'm hoping to find something
else that will work with this hardware without having to be installed first.
Click to expand...

BootIt Next Generation (BootItNG) can be run from a bootable CD-ROM, without
installation, and perform a number of tasks, including drive imaging (they also have a
standalone "Image for DOS" application).

http://www.bootitng.com

Jon
 
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