Can I set up a new raid (1) array on an old computer?

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I’m out of my comfort zone, again.

I’m planning for inevitable disk failure by purchasing a pair of identical 3Tb drives that I would set up as a mirror raid array for my data, only. The mobo is a 4-year-old Asus P7P55 LX that boots off a 240G solid state drive. I want to consolidate all of my data files into a single structure mirrored between the new drives.

Reading the mobo manual is no help and I’m not even sure I can set up a raid array on a box with an old OS installed. Can I do this? Some references as to how would be appreciated.

Dan Lynch

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You would appear to be talking about software RAID via Windows 7, unless you can (or wish to) install a RAID card. Software RAID will slow down the computer, to some probably-small extent.

Examine carefully what you think that the RAID1 situation will do for you.

[*]It is not backup (which you also need to consider as a matter of importance).
[*]There are potential situations where you can end up with identical corrupt data on both disks, because the data from one disk is mirrored exactly to the other
[*]Since you are choosing identical disks, probably from the same batch, you could end up with simultaneous failures

Those are some of the downsides of RAID1, probably somewhat exaggerated, but worth considering.

Having said all that, I have a RAID1 NAS box!

BATcher

Plethora means a lot to me.

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Yes you can:
https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P7P55_LX/specifications/

Update BIOS to last revision available. (1202)

Update chipset & Intel SATA drivers for your (unnamed) OS from Intel for your P55 chipset.

Follow software RAID directions in your MB manual.

THAT SAID: What BATcher said is absolutely correct. If you are looking for an automated backup solution RAID 1 is not intended for that purpose.

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I use Backblaze as well as keep an external one T drive in my wife’s pottery studio a block away that I write to regularly.

I have just been thinking that drives are cheap, a pair of 3T for less than 200 bucks, and that two to three-year-old used drives are more likely to die than new ones. While it IS possible that both drives in a mirrored raid COULD fail simultaneously, being from the same manufactured batch, the next large bolide to hit Earth could take out Tucson and then who would care?

I remember, from building a computer years ago, that the Raid array had to be set up before the OS was installed but that might have been a misunderstanding, I’m a geologist and not a real geek.

I’m running Windows 7, a real OS, not the unnamed one.

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Software RAID is a bad idea IMO, one power glitch and you have 2 corrupt disks that take an age to re-sync.

Older drives are not necessarily more likely to fail than new ones.
http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread//168991-System-Backup-Image-fails?p=1003600#post1003600

cheers, Paul

the next large bolide to hit Earth could take out Tucson

Can we arrange that one early?

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Software RAID is a bad idea IMO, one power glitch and you have 2 corrupt disks that take an age to re-sync.

I will happily install a separate RAID controller card if that will make for a more stable array. Any recommendations?

This whole project got started with an ad for sub $100 3T drives and the thought that all of my data (mostly images) would fit nicely onto one of those and why not two in a mirrored array.

I have lost things on failed drives, one lasted all of two days and croaked while I was rearranging files. From that, I learned to never have fewer than two copies of important files in separate places which is why I leaped onto Backblaze when they first got started.

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The only RAID controller worth having is one that has on-board RAM and a backup battery, so that data is retained across a power failure and re-written post failure.
It may be cheaper and easier to buy a NAS enclosure.
http://windowssecrets.com/best-hardware/network-attached-drives-for-here-and-there/
http://lifehacker.com/5968677/five-best-nas-enclosures

cheers, Paul

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I think you might be better off simply having OS partiion, data partition, on the 1st HD. Then, if you want to have some fun and backup also — mirror 1stHD onto 2ndHD, there are a few ways to do that
I did that over here. I’m still experimenting — I have to cough up a way to ReEnable the 2ndHD without going into 1stHD OS’ CTL-PNL –>Device Manager –>Disk Drives –> enable; then apply,ok my way out of there.

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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You can FreeFileSync data partition from 1stHD to 2nd HD.

"Take care of thy backups and thy restores shall take care of thee." Ben Franklin, revisted

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Thank YOU, Paul T!

Your suggestion sent me to “Turn an Old Computer into a Networked Backup, Streaming, or Torrenting Machine with NAS4Free” on lifehacker and I now have a better use for the old machine I was planning to set up for glaze recipe storage in my wife’s pottery studio. She is better off with paper, anyway, clay is easier to remove from that than from a keyboard.

Youse guys here at the Lounge are GREAT!

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