RAID-1 doesn't boot Windows XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter neod
  • Start date Start date
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neod

I have setup a system with a Silicon Image IDE RAID controller. I
installed it without connecting the hard-drives and Windows picked it
up fine and installed the drivers from the CD.

Afterwards, I connected two drivers in a primary and master setup to
the IDE1 channel on the RAID card and booted the system. The card BIOS
came up and I set it up to mirror the two drives. The problem is, that
after the System and Controller BIOS run, the system doesn't boot
Windows... it simply shows a blinking cursor forever. The drives are
setup in proper order, I mean the same IDE cable if attached to the
system IDE controller boots up Windows XP Pro just fine. And I do
disable the onboard IDE controller from the system BIOS.

Where's the problem???
 
You set up a system with no hard drive, then connected hard drives
incorrectly and changed the RAID array, then disabled your IDE's in BOIS? I
think all of the above is the problem. You need to enable your IDE in BOIS,
then make one of the hard drives master and one slave, they can't both be
masters on the same IDE, it'll mess up your BOIS. Once you've done that, set
up your RAID array (effectivly the same as changing the partition on your
drives which is why there's likely nothing on those drives so nothing to boot
to), then install windows on that array. You'll probably need your RAID
driver disk, but maybe not since you're useing IDE drives.
 
May be I explained it wrong.

This is working system with Windows XP installed. I didn't built it
just now. I simply added the RAID controller (and a second harddrive),
booted windows, installed the drivers. Then shut down the computer
connected the hard drive IDE cable to the RAID controller instead of
the board.

Now when I boot it, it hangs at boot without showing any Windows
startup screen or anything. When I connect it back to the board IDE, it
works just fine. Also, when I change the order of the drives, and put
the new drive as master it tells me "NO OPERATING SYSTEM FOUND" or
something like it... which means that it does see the OS in the
original drive when connected to the RAID controller, but it doesn't
boot it...
 
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