RAID For Storage?

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Guitarrasdeamor

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Apr 5, 2008
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Basically, I want a way to combine my 2 500gb WD Drives. They are both SATA 7200 WD drives, the same model number. I have one wiped clean and the other with my data on it...however, I want a way to stick them together some how. Is there a way to do it? I don't want it to be prone to failures so I loose ALL my data like some say RAID is... If I need a boot drive, I can get one.

Thanks!
 
Yes, it will be Windows Vista Ultimate x64.

EDIT: Also, this will be just for my use....storing downloaded things, installed games, etc...not a server.
 
raid1, might have to transfer the data to another drive so that u can setup the 2 500gb drive.
 
I have a 500gb HDD in the mail (external) to backup my data on, possibly mirror if that is possible, and just copy it.

RAID1...would it require a seperate boot drive? Also, would my data have a better chance of faikling? Also, I am a noob to this stuff, sorry.
 
RAID 1 is where two drives are mirrored: basically all of the data in hard drive 1 is copied to hard drive 2. If one drive dies, the data on the other drive is OK, assuming that dead drive didn't leave corrupted files on the other. Also note that if you delete or make any changes to a file the main drive, it is automatically done on the second. You do not need a separate boot drive. You can boot off a RAID1 array.

Also with two 500GB drives in a RAID1 setup, you're able to use 500GB of space at any time. The other 500GB is used for the mirrored setup. Also note that you will have to format BOTH drives in order to use them in a RAID1 array.

Here's a great article on RAID:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/06/11/understanding_raid/1
 
and just remember that RAID is not a backup as if you get a virus, things get corrupted, etc. RIAD gives you no protection as edits are copied insantly to both drives
 
Danny Bui said:
RAID 1 is where two drives are mirrored: basically all of the data in hard drive 1 is copied to hard drive 2. If one drive dies, the data on the other drive is OK, assuming that dead drive didn't leave corrupted files on the other. Also note that if you delete or make any changes to a file the main drive, it is automatically done on the second. You do not need a separate boot drive. You can boot off a RAID1 array.

Also with two 500GB drives in a RAID1 setup, you're able to use 500GB of space at any time. The other 500GB is used for the mirrored setup. Also note that you will have to format BOTH drives in order to use them in a RAID1 array.

Here's a great article on RAID:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2007/06/11/understanding_raid/1
Click to expand...

I read some of the article, but I don't want a RAID1 setup.

Okay...

I want a VIRTUAL terabyte drive. I want the drives to be combined so I don't have to throw all my data back and forth between the drives and it is easier to manage. I don't want any space lost except the normal 40gb per hard drive for formatting.
 
Thank you :)
Will I need a boot drive for that? If so, I need to go get myself A bigger drive.
Also, will my hard drives fail easier? I can back up needed stuff on my external, such as torrents, but I just need to know if it fails easier.

Thanks!!!
 
No you can still boot off a RAID 0 setup. Your drives will not fail easier either in RAID 0 setup. The major problem with a RAID 0 setup is that if one drive dies or the onboard RAID chip gets screwy, you lose every ounce of data on both drives. However the likelihood of a drive dying on you is pretty small these days. Same goes for the likelihood of a mobo RAID chip becoming defective.

But two benefits of RAID 0 is that your load times get a little bit faster and all of HDD space of the 2 drives are added together.

Read the article again about the pros and cons about RAID0.
 
Raid 1 provides redundancy: two drives with identical info. One drive fails... you can still use the drive.

You can run Raid 1 as your OS drive(s).

Raid 0: one virtual drive split over two physical drives. One drive fails... you are fucked.

You get to choose what works best for you.
 
Hm....

I will have to weigh the pros and cons..

So if 1 disk fails...the other one is rendered useless as well, and I have to buy 2 new drives instead of 1?
If so...that would suck.

Also, in the article it said something about taking the cord out of a drive would make me loose the data or w/e..Is that true, or only when it is running...!!??!
 
No, if one disk dies, the data on the other drive is rendered useless. You can still reuse the other drive. It just won't have any recoverable data on it. And you wouldn't have to buy any new drives if your hard drives are under warranty. If a drive dies, RMA it back to the manufacturer and in a week or two, you'll get a replacement drive.

And I think it means when the PC is running.
 
If one drive fails you lose all your data, but the other drive will still be working fine, you'd just have to reformat/partition it.

You can do whatever you want to the drives when they're not running. Removing the cable then reinserting it won't do anything to the RAID array.

Edit: Time flies with tabbed browsing...
 
Okay thanks.
One more thing...

This will be a hardware RAID correct? (I would think..) If my board supports it, I just need to get the drivers basically...right?
I will just look for a tutorial probably.
 
Actually the mobo's onboard RAID is what I call hardware assisted software RAID AKA fakeRAID to some. Basically the onboard RAID chip sets up and maintains the RAID setup but uses the PC's CPU to calculate all of the parity info. A true hardware RAID would have a dedicated chip just for calculating the parity info.

Anyway, the mobo's onboard RAID chip is more good enough for RAID0 and RAID1. Vista should detect the RAID setup automatically. But have RAID drivers on CD or flash drive just in case. If you're using XP, you have to hit F6 when it prompts you to and load the drivers from a floppy disk.

Read the manual that came with your motherboard. It should tell you how to setup a RAID array.
 
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