I just did a new build with Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit.

Motherboard is an Asus p6x58d-e. I put in two 500gb SATA drives on the Intel ports. I installed onto one and the other is from my old XP machine and I have been transfering data and files over on the new build. I now want to create a RAID 1 set from the two disks.

I did not turn on Intel RAID in BIOS when I installed. SATA is set to IDE mode and the Intel Storage Matrix drivers are not installed.p

I have an external backup ISB drive.

How can I get to a RAID 1 mirror set, get the drivers install, without a complete reinstall of everything? Can I do a repair install?

TIA,
Bod

I assume you want to do a hardware RAID1, not Windows Software.

It would have been inifitly easier to install by default onto that Raid1, but you might have a chance:


Use Win7 System Restore tools (Image Backup) to create an image of your install to an external disk. Then create the Raid1 drive.

If you're lucky - I have never tested this - then the system restore (boot from Win7 Ultimate DVD...) will allow you to restore to the Raid drive. Problem I could forsee is that the recovered OS will not have any drivers loaded for the Raid system. Maybe try installing them first?

I actually found the secret last night. Not sure why this was so hard to find but I was able to change my BIOS to RAID and install the Intel Storage Manager. I was able to build the raid 1 set from within W7 and keep my primary drive without re-installing.


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976

I guess it depends on the Raid controller, most older stuff I've seen insists on "building a Raid" from fresh.