Raid 1 and SATA question

[hart5441]

I just bought a GIGABYTE X58A-UD5 MB with a new i7-960 3.2 Mhz. I want to use a pair of raid 1 drives from an existing machine and install them as raid 1 on the new MB and keep the data in tact.  I am worried that if I install these drives the MB or OS will recognize them and set up as std drives and kill my files already on the drives. Any ideas or suggestions on how I can proceed with caution?

Also which type of sata interface would be best for these 1 year old WD caviar black drives? Thank you!

[Dark Mantis]

I take it that the drives are SATA2. If you decide which ports you are going to use then in the BIOS set them up as RAID instead of IDE or AHCI I dont think you will have a problem. I take it that you have a seperate drive for the boot/OS?

[Peteruk]

First it depends on what RAID controller you used from your existing machine if Intel just enable RAID in the BIOS and have the drives on the Intel ports if its any other RAID controller that the board doesn’t have your stuffed.

Next the OS on that RAID may need reinstalling/repair for the OS to work with the new hardware but as long as you don't reformat or play about in the RAID BIOS your data will not get deleted.

[hart5441]

@Dark Mantis - The new machine is coming with 2 new 1Tb drives with W-7 loaded so those will be the boot drive. 

These older drive were configured with an intel supplied raid driver that I down loaded when I set up the drives about a year ago. The old machine cpu over heated when I did a vacuum job to clean out several months dust. I forgot to put the air shroud over the CPU and southbride chips and they fried in about 10 minutes after I started the machine.

 I want to set up my old drives on the new machine and do it with destroying about 300 Gb's of family photos and a bunch of other things loaded on the drives. Not sure how to check wheter the old drive were sata2 drive, however I beleive they were. Worst case scenario I could copy the contents from one of the old drives reraid the old drivers and reload their data but I am not sur if that is possible and certanly do not prefer that approach.
Thx
Bob
 

[Dark Mantis]

So do the old drives have an operating system installed on them or were they just data drives? The new drives, are they raided or just IDE/AHCI?
The Intel RAID should be able to be switched over hopefully but you may well find that you will have to run the repairer on them.

[hart5441]

The old drive have windows XP on them and the new drives are already set up as a RAID 1 cluster running Windows 7.

[Dark Mantis]

That may be the only downside, having an OS on the drive from a prevoius machine. Did you build this new computer your self?

[hart5441]

I  bought the machine from Cyberpower. I should be getting it thru the mail on Thursday.

[F5BJR]

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With WINXP

For me before i have RAID 10 with 4 * 500 GO and a motherboard ASUS ( also Intel ICH )

I have just plug the 4 disks in my new GA-X58A-UD5 ( ICH in RAID mode ) with good order ( disk0 --> sata0 ,  disk1 --> sata1 ... )

After i start my new computer in safe mode ( F8 )

I remove all old drivers not compatible ( i remove not Graphics drivers because the card is the same !! )

I reisntall new drivers ...

In fine i reboot and my computer run fine !!

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I think that with your new OS installed in RAID 1 + your old RAID1 you have absolutly no problem for read your old RAID1

Pierre

[Dark Mantis]

Yes but don't forget Pierre that his new computer has an operating system already on it (Windows 7) so they won't be compatible.

[F5BJR]

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Why not compatible , i can read with WIN7 FAT /  FAT32 / NTFS , and  RAID with same mounted chipset ?

Pierre

[Dark Mantis]

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Why not compatible , i can read with WIN7 FAT /  FAT32 / NTFS , and  RAID with same mounted chipset ?
Pierre

You're quite right Pierre, I probably didn't explain myself clearly. I just meant having two different working operating systems on two different disks would probably cause a problem.