Solved How can I build a basic W7-Pro 64B Hardware Raid-0 System?

[Mike Lynch]

I would like to assemble the Hardware and then Clone an existing Windows-7 System to it.
Is there any chance this might work?

OR

I would like to assemble the Hardware and then using MS Backup, Restore an existing Windows-7 to it.
Is there any chance this might work?

I was unsure where my question would best be posted.

Please refer me to a more appropriate Forum if this one is not correct.

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

 

[samuria]

Unless you have very specific need raid 0 does very little for you and if one disk fails you loose everything. What are you planning to implment the raid with?

 

[Mike Lynch]

Yes! Will either solution work?

 

[Mellon Head]

Keep in mind that if you move Windows 7 to a new machine you will have to reactivate it with Microsoft. That's fine if you have a retail version, but if you have an OEM or System Builder version, MS may not allow you to reactivate the version that you have now.

I had to beg to reactivate the last time I had to reinstall, and I didn't even change any hardware.

 

[Mike Lynch]

Good point. Thank you.

 

[Megahertz07]

I do have a Raid 0 array and is working well.
To work well, you must have two identical drives (same brand, same model, same size).
Put a label on the drive with the SATA port it is attached to.
With only the two drives attached to the MB, enter BIOS and build the RAID 0 array.
When done you will have a array that works like a disk with the double size of the individual disks and you can do ALL operations you do on a disk (format, copy, install, clone etc)
As Samuria said, RAID 0 has the double the chance to fail, so you must backup it regularly.

Things you should never do on a RAID 0 array:
- Change SATA order (that is why you should put a label on it with the SATA port it is attached to).
- Detach only one drive.
- Disable Raid on BIOS with the disks attached to the MB. Special attention when you do a BIOS update as new version will have RAID disabled by default.

 

[Mike Lynch]

I will be using a:

https://www.startech.com/Cards-Adap...ss-SATA-6Gbps-RAID-Controller-Card~PEXSAT34RH

With two: Western Digital Blue 7200rpm 1TB drives.

https://www.wdc.com/products/internal-storage/wd-blue-pc-desktop-hard-drive.html#WD10EZEX

 

[Megahertz07]

If you don't have the disks, don't build the RAID 0 array.
Buy a small ssd (128G) for windows and programs. Up to 550 MBps, SATA III, New, 120GB, 128GB, 2.5, Internal SSDs, SSDs, Components - Newegg.com
Buy a 2T WD Gold. Blue is low quality.
WD Gold 2TB Enterprise Class Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM Class SATA 6Gbs 128MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD2005FBYZ - Newegg.com

US$ 100 for a SATA III controller is a lot of money. pcie sata card, SATA III, Controllers / RAID Cards, Hard Drives, Components - Newegg.com

If you decide to go with my suggestion, I can guide you to have the users folder on the HDD.

 

[Mike Lynch]

What the System will be used for!

Our current system is a:

https://www.cnet.com/products/gatew...tium-d-915-2-8-ghz-512-mb-80-gb-lcd-17/specs/

Intel Duo 2.13 GHz - 4 Gigs of memory using Windows-7 Pro.

It is used to run POS Software which has it's own internal Data Base.

This year, it really began to show it's age.

It's very slow and holds up the Customer Que at times.

We have an unused:

HP Elite 8000 Q9505 Intel Quad 2.83 GHz - 8 Gigs of memory using Windows-7 Pro.

We own the WD Blue Drives.

We do not have a Raid Controller Card.

The Gateway cannot accommodate a Raid Controller Card, it is an AIO PC but without a PCIE Slot.

We are committed to using the HP and an add on PCIE Raid Controller.

Our dilemma is how to 'move' Windows-7 and the POS application to the Raid-0 Array.

Building from scratch, yikes, I really do not want to do that unless it is the only way.

Cloning and / or Backing up and Restoring to the Raid-0 Array would be a God send.

I was hoping to hear if anyone had tried either the Cloning or the Backup and Restore.

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

 

[LMiller7]

RAID 0 will do very little for an OS drive. An SSD will give you much better performance. RAID 0 can be useful on a data drive with some kinds of data. Benchmarks can be impressive but results in the real world will be more modest. Maintaining backups is always important but doubly so with RAID 0. If one drive fails you will lose everything and data recovery is often challenging, even for data recovery professionals.

 

[Mike Lynch]

Thank you for the response.

But given what I would like to do, will the Cloning, Backup/Recovery options work?

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

 

[Megahertz07]

You will have a array that works like a disk with the double size of the individual disks and you can do ALL operations you do on a disk (format, copy, install, clone etc).
The main problem is that you're going to clone a system disk from one computer and install it on another computer. One is Gateway and the other is a HP. It won't activate. You will have to insert the HP COA key to activate.

To clone the Gateway disk, that is very old and has a lot of trash, is the worst you can do.
You should install the software you need on the HP and then move your data.

 

[Mike Lynch]

Excellent reply.

I had not thought of that.

Today, I will have the POS Software Vendor move the POS Application over to the HP System.

It is currently W7-Pro-64 on a single drive.

Once there, I will try the cloning process to Raid-0.

I need to order the Raid Controller so that will be several days, most likely next week.

Thanks again for your feedback.

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

 

[Mike Lynch]

The Move to the HP is 90% complete.

The Move went well, however some 'pieces' aren't quite functional.

The POS System is working and we now have one day under our belt on the HP.

A few of the peripherals need some attention.

Our Shelf Label Printer is not operational on the HP.

The custom software that it requires needs a 'tweak' to function.

We needed to send the Printer to the Software Vendor to allow them to 'tweak' it.

It left our Store yesterday and should be back in about ten days.

I am hoping to order the Raid Controller this Friday, looking for a better price.

I'll keep the Forum Posted as we make further progress.

Best regards,

Mike Lynch

 

[Mike Lynch]

Many things seem to get in the way when you can see the end results.

The Label Printer was damaged in transit.
The tech at the Software Vendor was still able to use it to 'fix' the Label Printing Application.
UPS is still in the process of determining when and how they will replace it, check or new printer.
The printer is still available so I hope they just send us a new one.

An additional 'problem' emerged as we run the POS Software to run our business.
One, yes, just one function takes +- one minute and thirty seconds to execute.
We had the POS Software Vendor 'dial' in and observe this in real time.
They attributed it to a Hardware problem from the Client to the Server.
They tried it on the Server and it completed instantly.
They recommended a new Cat5 Cable or a new Router.

I tried a new Cat5 Cable with no change in the symptoms.
I tried the new Cat5 Cable in a different Router Port with no change in the symptoms.
I then decide that if every other function that the POS Software does executes instantly, it's not hardware.

An important Tech from the Software Company is returning to work after A two week Christmas Vacation. I have a lot of confidence in him and I hope I can get some of his time this week. If he 'sees' what is happening, one way or another, it will be fixed.

With the above going on and us in our busy season, I have not made any progress on the Raid. I thought if I moved forward with it, it might cloud the solution to the slow response time of the one function.

Thanks for your feedback and patients.

 

[Megahertz07]

Open device manager to see if there is any Yellow alerts of missing drivers.