Solved Removing RAID and Installing Windows 7

[blockalmighty]

I attempted to do a reinstall of windows 7 as I've been having some issues with this laptop (Lenovo U410) out of the box.

After making a bootable usb with windows 7 it failed to recognize the hard drives (I have a 32 GB SSD and 750 GB HDD). I had no idea why it couldn't and with a failed attempt at installing the provided drivers I let it be. I decided to try installing the windows 8 preview on a newly created ~50 GB partition today. The same thing happened and I was asked for drivers.

So, I scoured the web and found out why I couldn't install another OS. On linux forums (Ubuntu/Arch/etc.) it has been pointed out that the two drives are in RAID (I believe it's RAID 0) in order to increase the speed of Windows.

My questions are:

Can I "bypass" RAID and install Windows 8 Preview or another OS on a different partition?
If not:
How do I remove the RAID, install a clean version of Windows 7 (I have a legit iso and key), and reinitiate a RAID so I can use both drives?

 

[bigmck]

See if this helps. How to Remove RAID Drivers | eHow.com
Let us know.

 

[x BlueRobot]

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/219487-clean-reinstall-factory-oem-windows-7-a.html

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/26829-convert-dynamic-disk-basic-disk.html - Option 4 (Do not lose current data)

Hope this helps,

Harry

 

[blockalmighty]

Unfortunately those options don't really work. It seems that there is a special RAID configuration on this machine as it doesn't appear as a "Dynamic disk".

I really feel that I should just do a complete reinstall, so could anyone direct me on how I can break this RAID effectively - do I just do it through the bios? - and how I can reinitiate it. It seems that this RAID setup has something to do with Intel Rapid Storage Technology where the SSD is used as a cache.

Please don't offer me generic methods of eliminating RAID. I would like to know what the process is for this specific setup.

 

[gregrocker]

If that is like the 32gb SSD RAIDed in this recent marathon thread http://www.sevenforums.com/crashes-debugging/254025-iastor-sys-related-bsod.html then it is a chip on the mobo used for caching to speed up the performance of the HD it's RAIDed with. The thread may provide your solution as it did for him.

But since it's Lenovo it may use a different configuration. Is the array Intel? Do what Jim did in the thread above by booting in with a partitioning Disk like Partition Wizard to repartition to see if you can install the OS and programs to the SSD, then link data from the HD.

Normally RAID has a controller which pops up at boot where array can be broken, or else the SATA controller setting can be changed in BIOS setup from RAID to AHCI or IDE modes.

If you want to know the specfic procedure for your model access the Manual on the PC model's SUpport Downloads webpage.

 

[gregrocker]

There is more on reinstalling Lenovo with 32gb SSD here: The Guide on How To Reformat, Repartition AND Get ... - Lenovo Community