W7x64 install, will not boot after enabling RAID0

[ryanmhale]

I just bought a refurb Dell XPS 420 w/ Q9300, running Vista Home Premium x64 and downloaded/installed an activated version of Win 7 Ult x64 on an 80GB SSD [Sata1] I bought for it; dual booted w/ Vista x64 on old hard drive [Sata0].

Windows 7 x64 was running stable and instantly fast, I wanted to enable RAID0 on the old hard drive [Sata0] and another new hard drive [Sata2]

I entered Intel Maxtrix Storage Manager (Ctrl-I), creating a RAID0 volume on [Sata0] and [Sata2].

After reboot, it says "No boot device available" after BOIS screen.

My subsequent boot attempts include (roughly in order):
1. disable RAID0 volume, boot to [Sata1]
2. disable [Sata0] and [Sata2], boot to [Sata1]
3. disable [Sata1], boot to CD/DVD-drive (Windows 7 install/boot)
4. disable CD/DVD-drive, boot to USB flash (Windows 7 install/boot)

I have done some digging around and cannot seem to find a solution. I have the use of my notebook (w/ broken DVD burner, still reads) running Windows 7 Ult x86 so apparently I cannot make my USB flash drive x64 bootable from what I've read. I also have 2-USB hard drives (80/250GB) and an eSata 2x docking station available, but no eSata on notebook.

Hope I gave enough info for someone to come up with an easy fix. If I could boot to the Windows 7 x64 install DVD that I made with the non-booting PC, I would have just done a clean install by now, but it refuses to boot to the CD/DVD drive. It actually wouldn't even boot to DVD to install Windows 7 x64 in the first place, I had to install from Vista. Also I do not have a Vista x64 install disk either.

Thanks in advance to anybody would can help.

 

[zrtom]

If you wanted to create a RAID0 array from an existing installation, you had to build the array from within Windows using the Intel Matrix Storage Manager. If you created the array at the BIOS level, it wiped the drives.

If you do plan to install a RAID array, I would suggest using Sata 0 and Sata 1 instead of Sata 0 and Sata 2. Its simply a matter of switching Sata cables on the motherboard and the Dell BIOS prefers it that way.

The XPS 420 has no problems booting Windows 7 USB install keys (32 and 64-bit) if the BIOS is set to enable USB in the boot menu and then you tap F12 (boot menu) during boot to select the "USB Device." Check the "Install Windows 7 from USB Key" tutorial in here to see if you haven't overlooked anything. And it should have no problem booting the DVD drive provided the drive is set to "On" under "Drives" in the BIOS. In fact the XPS420 will boot the DVD drive without even tapping F12 as long as there is a CD/DVD present in the drive when you turn the computer on.

After you've had a chance to digest this and checked your BIOS settings (that the correct drives are switched "on" and that RAID is set to "RAID ON" in the BIOS, etc.) let us know what you've found and we'll see what else might be preventing you from booting the DVD drive and/or USB key.
Tom

 

[ryanmhale]

Thanks for the advise, I ended up borrowing a computer to burn a new boot disk and it seems to work fine. I'm just going to do a clean install; reinstating RAID 0 first and I already switched the sata cables around, what you said made sense. I'll let you know how it turns out, should be seamless from here. Thanks again