RAID Question

[cgsigns_jamie]

I thought the same thing when I posted those photos. I started the format process at 8:30 and it just now finished. Windows just loaded and still no new HDD in device manager or computer management :-(

 

[SignBurst PCs]

It doesn't even show up as unallocated space in "disk management"?

Does it show you any new options in the disk utilities menu now that the drive has been formatted?

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

No windows has no idea it even exists.

After it formated I did go back and try to create a new array but it still won't let me create an array with just one drive.

It might be easier for me to just buy another drive for $80 and have 1 TB worth of RIP space. Just use RAID striping.

If I were to do that could I get an SATA cable with two ends on it for the two drives like the old IDE cables used to have? My mother board only has two SATA ports on it.

 

[SignBurst PCs]

No windows has no idea it even exists.

After it formated I did go back and try to create a new array but it still won't let me create an array with just one drive.

It might be easier for me to just buy another drive for $80 and have 1 TB worth of RIP space. Just use RAID striping.

If I were to do that could I get an SATA cable with two ends on it for the two drives like the old IDE cables used to have? My mother board only has two SATA ports on it.

Doesn't sound like an option to me, unless you want to add in a new hardware SATA RAID card. This is pretty crazy (Thank Dell for making it so easy).

OK, you can't create a new array, but do you have any new options in the "disk utilities"?

Also, I did some reading and there is apparently a few RAID options in the BIOS as well. Any idea what they are talking about? What the options / settings might be?

 

[SignBurst PCs]

I am running out of ideas here.... You could try installing SATA RAID drivers for the "Perc 2s" controller, but I would assume that they would have had to already been installed to get your original drive to show up. You should be able to download them from Dell.com.

You can search the stop error that you get when you change the setting to "raid off" and also include "perc 2s" in the search, there are a lot of results and solutions, but all the ones that I have seen are folks going the other way, "raid off" to "raid on". You are going the opposite direction.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

I'm not sure what options they are speaking of. The only option in my bios for RAID was On or Off.

I'm using the computer to run a few files on the printer. Once it complete I'll check to see if any new options popped up in the disk utility.

And yes, thank you Dell!!!

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

I am running out of ideas here.... You could try installing SATA RAID drivers for the "Perc 2s) controller, but I would assume that they would have had to already been installed to get your original drive to show up. You should be able to download them from Dell.com.

You can search the stop error that you get when you change the setting to "raid off" and also include "perc 2s" in the search, there are a lot of results and solutions, but all the ones that I have seen are folks going the other way, "raid off" to "raid on". You are going the opposite direction.

Yes those drivers already show up in Device Manager.

... I wonder what might happen if I disable those drivers, then reboot with RAID off?? Probably render windows useless then??

 

[SignBurst PCs]

You can also set the jumpers on the drive for "150 only". I have run into this issue on some older motherboards.

 

[SignBurst PCs]

Yes those drivers already show up in Device Manager.

... I wonder what might happen if I disable those drivers, then reboot with RAID off?? Probably render windows useless then??

I would try this as a last option. There is actually "meta" data written to the drives once you enable the RAID option. The OS needs those drivers to read the data.

 

[SignBurst PCs]

Do you have a "drive options" in your BIOS?

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Attached is the screen shot for the Drive information in the bios. This is all the control I have for the drive in the bios, on or off...

Also no new option for Drive Utilities in the RAID controller.

 

[Techman]

Techman... Yes all the hard drives are SATA. I do have a DVD burner that is a parallel drive, as well as a floppy drive. I'm not sure why I would need a RAID card to use my DVD drive as it works fine now...

This is really not a job for a webs site posting. There is too much info missing.
Installing SATA is supposed to be straight forward. DELL is actually a pretty good setup.

As for why a RAID card would be needed is not answerable here. However many older model machines needed one to fully enable all the drive channels.

You have room for 2 SATA drives and four regular drives.

You have one 500 gig SATA drive on port 1.
Why is it NOT on port 0? In my experience they are supposed to be on the first port available when standing alone. Yes, some will say it doesn't matter but that is only on some machines. Some will say the drive needs no jumpers set. However some find it is necessary to set a jumper. That is why the SATA drives have jumper ports on them anyway.

You have to read the manual for the motherboard to be sure. Your machine shows its capable of handling four non SATA drives. However, that may be possible only with certain other settings. Also the drive channel config will matter. Are all the other drives jumpers set correctly. Are they all on the correct channels?

Is the SATA driver installed? Is it required on yoru board. Did you press f6 when doing your XP install to add any other drivers that may be required? Does your motherboard require a driver to enable the SATA access?

Do you have the BOOT order set right?

 

[SignBurst PCs]

Try this:

Go to "SATA Operation" in the BIOS

Your system probably came set to "RAID Autodetect / AHCI"

Change the operation setting to "COMBINATION"

Reboot - and see if the drive shows up in the OS

If it does, Dell recommends that you change the SATA Operation setting back to RAID AUTODETECT / AHCI (or back to whatever your factory setting was) to avoid any problems with other IDE devices installed on your system.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Techman I think you may have misunderstood my original post.

The computer currently works fine. Right now it's running with one 40 gig hard drive. I've recently started using this workstation as my rip computer so installed an extra 500 gig hard drive, in addition to the 40 gig. So in windows I would have the 40 gig as drive C: and the 500 as D:.

The issue is when I disable RAID in order for Windows to be able to see the new drive Windows gives me a stop error. I was asking if there was a way to tell Windows I wouldn't be using RAID anymore.

Casey... I'll try that now.

 

[SignBurst PCs]

How did it work out Jamie?

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Haven't been able to try yet. They are printing files with the computer at the moment.

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Well Casey I scoured the bios and the raid controller for the option you mentioned and I couldn't find it.

I did however (just for the heck of it) turn on the SCSI controller to see if that would help and sure enough once windows loaded I opened computer management and the new drive showed up.

I just initialized the disk and I'm about to format it.

So I guess the problem has been resolved.

Thank you all very much for helping

 

[SignBurst PCs]

Very strange...

Glad to hear that you got it figured out though!

 

[cgsigns_jamie]

Tell me about... It is close to halloween though???

The good news is it's working. I've formated the disk and installed VersaWorks and remapped the jobs file in production manager. Now I don't have to worry about not being able to rip large files due to a small hard drive.