How to set up Win7x64 on an SSD and add an existing RAID10 data-disk

Talden · 23 Mar 2012

I have the following hardware components:

- ASUS PX79 PRO motherboard (6-port Intel RAID and 2 Marvel ports)
- An Intel SSD
- 4 Disks containing a RAID10 array from a previous dead system (whose information I want to recover)

I want to install Win7 Pro x64 on the SSD and add the existing array as a data-disk but I seem unable to get the SSD recognised when the controller is set to RAID. I can get the system to recognise (and try to boot from) the existing array. The OPROM identifies all drives and correctly notes that the SSD is a non-RAID disk - I just can't seem to get the Win7 installer to work with it.

Can anyone confirm this configuration is supposed to be possible?

Does anyone know what combination of port assignments, BIOS settings and Installer gestures are needed to get Win7 up and running where I can mount the existing array partitions as the non-primary disk?

Golden · 23 Mar 2012

Hi Talden and welcome to SevenForums,

What you are proposing certiainly should be possible - its no different from having an SSD+RAID0, or SSD+RAID1 combination. Please try this, if you already haven't:

1. Physically unplug the 4 xHDD's from the motherboard (simply disconnecting the SATA cables is sufficient):
- at this point, only the SSD should be connected
2. In the BIOS, change to AHCI mode, and proceed with the installation.
3. Once installation is completed, shut down the PC.
4. Reconnect the 4 x HDD's.
5. Boot the PC, and in BIOS, change back to RAID, and contunue booting as normal.

Please post back if that worked.

Regards,
Golden

Talden · 24 Mar 2012

Thanks Golden, I think I tried that earlier but I did repeat the procedure and do have the same result, once switched to RAID (with or without the existing array attached) Win7 is no longer inclined to use the SSD.

From another forum there were suggestions that the version of the boot-time RSTe drivers supplied by ASUS were too old. Restarting from scratch using the latest drivers and being in RAID mode from the outset got me into Win7 with both the OS on the SSD and the RAID array accessible (which means I can transfer content off it so I have some options from here on in - yay).

However I do have another quirky problem...

Another problem for me though is that the array was bootable (XP Pro win32) and the bios always tries to boot into that rather than the SSD. However if I put the optical first in the boot order with the Win7 disc in, after the 'press any key to boot from the DVD' times out it does boot into Win7 from the SSD.

Will it be safe for me to transfer the content off the array and repartition it without a primary partition (non-bootable array) - that would stop the bios booting from there, will it boot from the SSD though?