RAID array isn't recognized?

Hey all,

So I'm running an ASUS M4N72-E mobo which has the Nvidia nForce 750a SLI chipset with built-in SATA RAID. I bought a pair of 1TB Samsung SATA hard drives to set up in a RAID 1 (mirrored) array for backing up pictures and the like, but I can't get the thing to show up in Windows for the life of me...

I first installed the nVidia driver set which supports in-Windows setup and configuration of RAID arrays (Nvidia Mediashield). With that all installed, I shutdown installed the two drives on SATA ports 5&6 which are supposedly for dedicated RAID according to the mobo manual. I went into the BIOS and set onboard SATA to RAID, and went to the RAID configuration utility to make sure both drives were showing up (they are). At first, I didn't set up the RAID in the BIOS config because I was going to do it in Mediashield.

Once I got back into windows the two drives show up as unpartitioned drives in Windows drive manager, and so I load up Nvidia Mediashield go through the steps to set up the array, and when I click "finish" the utility locks up for about 5 minutes (at first I thought formatting the array), but then closes with no messages. Once mediashield closes the drives no longer show up in the device manager or drive partitioner, and no RAID array shows up either. Rebooting is the only way to get them back. I've tried plugging the drives into different SATA ports, tried setting the RAID up in the BIOS config utility and then booting to Windows, and tried uninstalling and re-installing the Nvidia software/drivers... When I set the RAID up in the BIOS config utility and then boot to Windows, the drive just doesn't show up at all (but the BIOS post shows the drives set up in a healthy array).

So what gives? Is my onboard RAID bad? Do I need to update my BIOS? I'm stumped...

mastacox said:

Hey all,

So I'm running an ASUS M4N72-E mobo which has the Nvidia nForce 750a SLI chipset with built-in SATA RAID. I bought a pair of 1TB Samsung SATA hard drives to set up in a RAID 1 (mirrored) array for backing up pictures and the like, but I can't get the thing to show up in Windows for the life of me...

I first installed the nVidia driver set which supports in-Windows setup and configuration of RAID arrays (Nvidia Mediashield). With that all installed, I shutdown installed the two drives on SATA ports 5&6 which are supposedly for dedicated RAID according to the mobo manual. I went into the BIOS and set onboard SATA to RAID, and went to the RAID configuration utility to make sure both drives were showing up (they are). At first, I didn't set up the RAID in the BIOS config because I was going to do it in Mediashield.

Once I got back into windows the two drives show up as unpartitioned drives in Windows drive manager, and so I load up Nvidia Mediashield go through the steps to set up the array, and when I click "finish" the utility locks up for about 5 minutes (at first I thought formatting the array), but then closes with no messages. Once mediashield closes the drives no longer show up in the device manager or drive partitioner, and no RAID array shows up either. Rebooting is the only way to get them back. I've tried plugging the drives into different SATA ports, tried setting the RAID up in the BIOS config utility and then booting to Windows, and tried uninstalling and re-installing the Nvidia software/drivers... When I set the RAID up in the BIOS config utility and then boot to Windows, the drive just doesn't show up at all (but the BIOS post shows the drives set up in a healthy array).

So what gives? Is my onboard RAID bad? Do I need to update my BIOS? I'm stumped...

Ok, Let's run some thoughts,

1. Can you Init The Array using Your Local Disk Management, and just skip mediasheid and BIOSRAID?

2. Are you sure the RAID didn't Correctly Finish and you need to make sure that your GUI ust isn't Configured to the wrong listening port and just doesn't see the new array?

check those and lemme know i'll be checking for a reply...

Hope this helps, and Good luck

-Tweek

Tweek said:

Ok, Let's run some thoughts,

1. Can you Init The Array using Your Local Disk Management, and just skip mediasheid and BIOSRAID?

The array doesn't show up in windows. I only see the disks in Windows individually before they're applied to an array. The BIOS Raid utility is able to create an array as far as I can tell, but it never shows up in Windows; Mediashield apparently errors out and isn't able to create an array (and the drives disappear after is errors out).

Does Win7 have native support for creating RAID arrays from multiple drives?

Tweek said:

2. Are you sure the RAID didn't Correctly Finish and you need to make sure that your GUI ust isn't Configured to the wrong listening port and just doesn't see the new array?

The BIOS RAID utility appears to be able to create an array successfully, but it doesn't show up in Windows as a drive. Mediashield is definitely not working correctly.

I'm fine with creating the aray in BIOS as long as it shows up in Windows. Mediashield doesn't appear to be working for me, not sure why.

The only drives I'm trying to run over SATA are the two Samsung hard drives, although I do have a SATA Blu-Ray burner... Is the Blu-Ray burner preventing me from creating a RAID array?

If this is the case, I'll set up the RAID array on another computer on the network.

My operating system is installed on a 160GB PATA drive (IDE). The only SATA devices plugged into the mobo are the 2 Samsung drives I want to set up in a RAID, and the LG Blu-Ray burner. It could be the SATA optical drive is causing the grief, but if that's the case I'm better off installing the RAID array on another computer on the network, even though I'll take a big hit in speed...

All this effort was to save some money avoid getting a NAS box, but now it's looking like a Gigabit NAS box might be my only solution that wouldn't bottleneck my access to the array... My only other option would be to buy a new mobo for my computer it looks like.

Well it's an easy thing to find out- all I have to do is unplug the optical drive and see what happens.

Problem is, I need that optical drive because this machine is our media center for watching movies and such, so we may have to dump the RAID on this machine and run it somewhere else. The other box on the network that can support SATA RAID is an older one that's connected to the network through Wireless-N on the other side of the house...

Decisions, decisions. The "best" option may be to find a replacement mobo, but most if not all mobos that suport AM2+ and DDR2 ram are running the nVidia 750a chippset, which means they're probably hobbled by the same RAID limitation. But it occurs to me I could get a SATA card for one of my PCI-E slots and run the optical drive on that; or I could get a SATA PCI-E card that supports RAID and run the hard drives on that.