Does P5LD2 Deluxe support this HDD Configuration?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jackpine
  • Start date Start date
J

Jackpine

My P5LD2 Deluxe motherboard manual is not clear on this issue, and I
need help.

Can I configure the following on the Asus P5LD2 Deluxe:

One WD 250GB SATA ll HDD as non-RAID for boot drive.

Two WD 250GB SATA ll HDDs set up as RAID 0 for data drive?

If so:

- what mobo connections are used for the 3 HDDs?
- do I need to install any drivers?
- what sequence would this installation require?

Thanks.
 
For anyone who may be considering doing what I was asking about: it
can be done.

1. Install boot drive to SATA1 connector.
2. In BIOS, set IDE Configuration to RAID.
3. Save changes and exit BIOS.
4. Boot from Windows CD.
5. Press F6 and follow on-screen instructions to install Intel ICH7
32bit RAID driver (made previously on a floppy using the mobo CD).
6. Complete Windows installation.
7. Install the other two drives to be configured in RAID 0 to SATA2
and SATA3 connectors.
8. Reboot and press Ctrl I (for those who don’t know, and I was one of
them not too long ago, Ctrl I is Ctrl “eye”) to enter the Intel Matrix
Storage Manager Option ROM Utility.
9. Follow on-screen instructions to set up RAID 0.
10. Save and exit.
11. Go to Windows, Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Disk
Mangement, and follow instructions to initialize, format, and assign
a drive letter.

The steps above were not clear (to me, at least) from reading the mobo
manual. I arrived at this sequence through a combination of
discussions with people on various forums, friends, Asus technical
rep, the person at the store where I bought most of my components,
the manual, and thinking about it.

The bottom line is that my setup now includes one non-RAID boot drive,
and a RAID 0 data drive. And it works!

Note 1: The P5LD2 Deluxe has four SATA ports: According to the Asus
technical rep, SATA1 and SATA2 are Master, and SATA 3 and SATA4 are
Slave. I connected my boot drive to SATA 1, and my two drives to be
configured in RAID 0 to SATA 2 and SATA3.

Note 2: The Asus technical rep told me that I could create my setup
only by installing the boot drive to the single SATA_RAID2 red
connector on the motherboard located near the I/O connectors. I
would first have to install the Silicon Image 32bit RAID Driver Disk.
After talking about this to the store person, who also installed a
setup like mine, I ended up doing it the way described above. It is
interesting that the Asus technical rep did not propose the setup as
it was actually done.

Hope this helps anyone who wants to do the same thing.
 
For anyone who may be considering doing what I was asking about: it
can be done.

1. Install boot drive to SATA1 connector.
2. In BIOS, set IDE Configuration to RAID.
3. Save changes and exit BIOS.
4. Boot from Windows CD.
5. Press F6 and follow on-screen instructions to install Intel ICH7
32bit RAID driver (made previously on a floppy using the mobo CD).
6. Complete Windows installation.
7. Install the other two drives to be configured in RAID 0 to SATA2
and SATA3 connectors.
8. Reboot and press Ctrl I (for those who don’t know, and I was one of
them not too long ago, Ctrl I is Ctrl “eye”) to enter the Intel Matrix
Storage Manager Option ROM Utility.
9. Follow on-screen instructions to set up RAID 0.
10. Save and exit.
11. Go to Windows, Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Disk
Mangement, and follow instructions to initialize, format, and assign
a drive letter.

The steps above were not clear (to me, at least) from reading the mobo
manual. I arrived at this sequence through a combination of
discussions with people on various forums, friends, Asus technical
rep, the person at the store where I bought most of my components,
the manual, and thinking about it.

The bottom line is that my setup now includes one non-RAID boot drive,
and a RAID 0 data drive. And it works!

Note 1: The P5LD2 Deluxe has four SATA ports: According to the Asus
technical rep, SATA1 and SATA2 are Master, and SATA 3 and SATA4 are
Slave. I connected my boot drive to SATA 1, and my two drives to be
configured in RAID 0 to SATA 2 and SATA3.

Note 2: The Asus technical rep told me that I could create my setup
only by installing the boot drive to the single SATA_RAID2 red
connector on the motherboard located near the I/O connectors. I
would first have to install the Silicon Image 32bit SATA Driver Disk.
After talking about this to the store person, who also installed a
setup like mine, I ended up doing it the way described above. It is
interesting that the Asus technical rep did not propose the setup as
it was actually done.

Hope this helps anyone who wants to do the same thing.
 
For anyone who may be considering doing what I was asking about: it
can be done.

1. Install boot drive to SATA1 connector.
2. In BIOS, set IDE Configuration to RAID.
3. Save changes and exit BIOS.
4. Boot from Windows CD.
5. Press F6 and follow on-screen instructions to install Intel ICH7
32bit RAID driver (made previously on a floppy using the mobo CD).
6. Complete Windows installation.
7. Install the other two drives to be configured in RAID 0 to SATA2
and SATA3 connectors.
8. Reboot and press Ctrl I (for those who don’t know, and I was one of
them not too long ago, Ctrl I is Ctrl “eye”) to enter the Intel Matrix
Storage Manager Option ROM Utility.
9. Follow on-screen instructions to set up RAID 0.
10. Save and exit.
11. Go to Windows, Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Disk
Mangement, and follow instructions to initialize, format, and assign
a drive letter.

The steps above were not clear (to me, at least) from reading the mobo
manual. I arrived at this sequence through a combination of
discussions with people on various forums, friends, Asus technical
rep, the person at the store where I bought most of my components,
the manual, and thinking about it.

The bottom line is that my setup now includes one non-RAID boot drive,
and a RAID 0 data drive. And it works!

Note 1: The P5LD2 Deluxe has four SATA ports: According to the Asus
technical rep, SATA1 and SATA2 are Master, and SATA 3 and SATA4 are
Slave. I connected my boot drive to SATA 1, and my two drives to be
configured in RAID 0 to SATA 2 and SATA3.

Note 2: The Asus technical rep told me that I could create my setup
only by installing the boot drive to the single SATA_RAID2 red
connector on the motherboard located near the I/O connectors. I
would first have to install the Silicon Image 32bit SATA Driver Disk.
After talking about this to the store person, who also installed a
setup like mine, I ended up doing it the way described above. It is
interesting that the Asus technical rep did not propose the setup as
it was actually done.

Hope this helps anyone who wants to do the same thing.
 
For anyone who may be considering doing what I was asking about: it
can be done.

1. Install boot drive to SATA1 connector.
2. In BIOS, set IDE Configuration to RAID.
3. Save changes and exit BIOS.
4. Boot from Windows CD.
5. Press F6 and follow on-screen instructions to install Intel ICH7
32bit RAID driver (made previously on a floppy using the mobo CD).
6. Complete Windows installation.
7. Install the other two drives to be configured in RAID 0 to SATA2
and SATA3 connectors.
8. Reboot and press Ctrl I (for those who don’t know, and I was one of
them not too long ago, Ctrl I is Ctrl “eye”) to enter the Intel Matrix
Storage Manager Option ROM Utility.
9. Follow on-screen instructions to set up RAID 0.
10. Save and exit.
11. Go to Windows, Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Disk
Mangement, and follow instructions to initialize, format, and assign
a drive letter.

The steps above were not clear (to me, at least) from reading the mobo
manual. I arrived at this sequence through a combination of
discussions with people on various forums, friends, Asus technical
rep, the person at the store where I bought most of my components,
the manual, and thinking about it.

The bottom line is that my setup now includes one non-RAID boot drive,
and a RAID 0 data drive. And it works!

Note 1: The P5LD2 Deluxe has four SATA ports: According to the Asus
technical rep, SATA1 and SATA2 are Master, and SATA 3 and SATA4 are
Slave. I connected my boot drive to SATA 1, and my two drives to be
configured in RAID 0 to SATA 2 and SATA3.

Note 2: The Asus technical rep told me that I could create my setup
only by installing the boot drive to the single SATA_RAID2 red
connector on the motherboard located near the I/O connectors. I
would first have to install the Silicon Image 32bit SATA Driver Disk.
After talking about this to the store person, who also installed a
setup like mine, I ended up doing it the way described above. It is
interesting that the Asus technical rep did not propose the setup as
it was actually done.

Hope this helps anyone who wants to do the same thing.
 
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