any computer gurus here?

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pishta

pishta

I know I'm right....
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Help, I got a Promise SATA controller on my laptop motherboard and tried to install a 2nd HD in RAID 2 (striped) and lost my windows, tried to reinatsll XP from a boot disk and it says there are no disks! ran Fdisk and it sees array and says functional but I guess I need to format it? From what, a floppy? I got a USB one I can use. Didnt think it would be this hard. Seems WinXP needs the SATA 378 promise driver off a floppy as its not native, loads up fine but I got BSOD whenever I try and instlal it now. Stumped.....would Win7 install? I got a Win7 boot disk also but this laptop is XP specific in a few features. Alienware M7700, older but badass none the less.
 
Just venturing a guess. Is it not seeing the boot disc at all? Could it just need boot order changed in the BIOS?

I'm no guru, just the first thing that popped in my head from the first part of your post.
 
Bios sees both disks, taid array says functional. Fdisk sees it as one large hd as desogned but i guess o need to format it, usually xp install says do you want to format disk but this time it doesnt. Wil, try win7..
 
You have to start over with a fresh install for striped RAID because it needs to distribute the installation over two drives.

With redundant RAID you can just tell the BIOS to "Build RAID Drive" or whatever wording that machine uses.

So yes, a reinstall is necessary unles something has recently changed.

www.bootdisk.com is where you can download a file to make a bootable disc.

If you have a factory image one the original drive it can be copied to a DVD or USB drive and that can be used to reinstall with, but you would need to look up how to make the disc bootable for that.
The info is on the net and I can't remember all the steps off the top of my head.
 
Striped was always flakey in my experience. It was used so if drive fails you have back up. With todays cheap external drives for back up I would use extra drive as storage.
 
partsman1965 said:
Striped was always flakey in my experience. It was used so if drive fails you have back up. With todays cheap external drives for back up I would use extra drive as storage.
Click to expand...

Striped stores some of the data on one drive and some on the other, and yes it has been flakey in my experience also.
Never saw a speed benefit to speak of either.

The other way (Raid 1 I think) is reduntant so if a drive fails you still have the entire data.
with striped if a drive fails you have half of the data and the total system can not be recovered.

Mirrored (RAID 1) is redundant and both drives hold all the data.
Striped (RAID 2) is for making the computer faster by cutting down the data searching over a single drive.
 
RAID 0 is "striped for performance", RAID 1 is mirrored, the only choices I have for this older controller card.

Instructions say to install drives (bare)
create array using fastbuild (auto) for performance (striped)
Then it says use need to FDISK and format array as if it were a single drive.
Then install new OS
I guess I missed the FORMAT step, will do that next
 
Told you I didn't remember without looking it up. :)
Yep, 0 and 1 sorry about that, but you are on the right track.
Do you know how to burn a disc image?
Basically you just download an image file and use a CD/DVD burning program to make a bootable disc. (like from bootdisc.com)
I'ts really no different than burning a file to CD or DVD.

Feel free to ask if you need help, and I can upload most anything to my server for download if needed.


pishta said:
RAID 0 is "striped for performance", RAID 1 is mirrored, the only choices I have for this older controller card.

Instructions say to install drives (bare)
create array using fastbuild (auto) for performance (striped)
Then it says use need to FDISK and format array as if it were a single drive.
Then install new OS
I guess I missed the FORMAT step, will do that next
Click to expand...
 
yeah, im pretty savvy on burning iso disks and booting live distros off DVD.s and USB's. My trouble was with this stupid SATA controller. I ended up taking the raid function off and it installed Linux Mint 15 just fine on the 1 HD (after it had a fatal error trying to install on the RAID array) so Im going with this if I can get my WIFI stable...Still looking for my Win7 install disk.
 
pishta said:
yeah, im pretty savvy on burning iso disks and booting live distros off DVD.s and USB's. My trouble was with this stupid SATA controller. I ended up taking the raid function off and it installed Linux Mint 15 just fine on the 1 HD (after it had a fatal error trying to install on the RAID array) so Im going with this if I can get my WIFI stable...Still looking for my Win7 install disk.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what we meant by striped raid being sketchy.
Both drives are identical right?

Anyway, it looks like you know what you are doing to be able to get it going again.
 
well, one is a Toshiba 120GB DMA5 and one was a WD 120GB DMA6. I was going to install an SSD for the OS and keep the 120GB as the apps but thought I would dabble in the RAID first. I just wasnt sure you had to format the array as striped? Seems the Fasttrack builds a mirror all by itself as you can do that with a working drive, but not a striped. you have to start from scratch, and 2 120's made 1 240GB drive array. I thought for all this time that it would stay a 120, but it would be like 2 identical drives sending the info twice as fast, like 2 heads reading instead of one. Oh well, Im not out a PC I got 4 more laptops to fall back on, this one is just the biggest/baddest- fastest. In 2006 it was the fastest laptop on the planet...! Of course its not nowadays...but its like having a Hemi Cuda, fastest at one time but not any more.
 
pishta said:
well, one is a Toshiba 120GB DMA5 and one was a WD 120GB DMA6. I was going to install an SSD for the OS and keep the 120GB as the apps but thought I would dabble in the RAID first. I just wasnt sure you had to format the array as striped? Seems the Fasttrack builds a mirror all by itself as you can do that with a working drive, but not a striped. you have to start from scratch, and 2 120's made 1 240GB drive array. I thought for all this time that it would stay a 120, but it would be like 2 identical drives sending the info twice as fast, like 2 heads reading instead of one. Oh well, Im not out a PC I got 4 more laptops to fall back on, this one is just the biggest/baddest- fastest. In 2006 it was the fastest laptop on the planet...! Of course its not nowadays...but its like having a Hemi Cuda, fastest at one time but not any more.
Click to expand...

Mirrored it just duplicates the data on both drives and would be 120 but not striped as you found.
Your fatal failure was the two drive not being identical make and model.

"2 identical drives sending the info twice as fast, like 2 heads reading instead of one"
This is exactly how it works.
 
Interesting....most literature says you can but it will fall back on slowest drive. Also it showed double my disk space at 240Gb, did that happen because it was striped? This guy had same question.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/248395-32-320gb-hard-drives-raid-320gb-space

There is a 80 page manual on this sata controller in addition to the 10 page startup guide, guess ill have to hit the books...my RAID knowledge was gleened from the back of a spray can.
 
Ok, youtube is my other friend on this one. Win7 might need to be installed first, then Xp, then linux as I need a triple boot box for school. Ill format both drives via docking station off another win8 laptop-Just to wipe them- then build raid0 in bios, then install win7 off boot disk to new 240Gb partition and load Promise 378 sata driver when it asks for it. I read I have to use win server 2003 driver for this particular controller as there is no win7 driver. Hope its worth it in the end, ill let you guys know for giggles.
 
pishta said:
Ok, youtube is my other friend on this one. Win7 might need to be installed first, then Xp, then linux as I need a triple boot box for school. Ill format both drives via docking station off another win8 laptop-Just to wipe them- then build raid0 in bios, then install win7 off boot disk to new 240Gb partition and load Promise 378 sata driver when it asks for it. I read I have to use win server 2003 driver for this particular controller as there is no win7 driver. Hope its worth it in the end, ill let you guys know for giggles.
Click to expand...

Hm, I was under the impressin that RAM was affected like that (default to the lowest speed) but I'll have to check it out about hard drives.

I'd be interested to know what happens in the end.
You got enough BS to go before you get there for sure as theoretically it works fine but doing it tells a different story all to often.
 
Ok,got it to install correctly under WIn7. Seems its a little more proactive in drivers, even though the driver I used was a Vista driver. BUT it didnt make the 2 120's a 240, it made them 2 120 partitions on a 240GB array. Cool with me. I tried to shrink the partition in diak management but didnt like the way it was behaving so Im good with a C and a J partition (2 DVD drives and 4 card reader slots, all on a laptop!) rocking a bootleg Win7 right now. I couldnt find my legit version plus I dont think I could use it to install again anyway as I didnt have a multi-use license. Bill has enough of my money already....
 
You can use your own legit disc as many times as you want if you call them for an activation code for it.
They ask if it's only installed on one system (and of course you say yes) and then they give you an activation code for it.
 
TrailBeast said:
You can use your own legit disc as many times as you want if you call them for an activation code for it.
They ask if it's only installed on one system (and of course you say yes) and then they give you an activation code for it.
Click to expand...

Yup. I had one "store bought" version of Xtra Putrid that would NOT activate "online." I had to call every single time on their height hunnerd numbaw. They would ask me crap like "are you sure you only have this on one computer?" and I would assure them, "only one" and they always activated it.

On a side note, I have several systems "that you are not supposed to be able to do." "Bill" once claimed that an OEM license "lives and dies" with the computer it came with. While this might be LEGALLY true according to Microshit, the fact is, that I've taken say, a 40 dollar OEM box which I bought at the thrift store, WHICH HAD NOT been used for "some period" and WOULD NOT be reused.......the computer that is..........and taken THAT product key and created an activated, working computer. A completely different machine, different hardware, using the "thrift store" product key.

Another example is an Acer OEM came with Winhozed 7. It died completely----dead motherboard. I used the license to load up another laptop I have up and running.

Another side note...............You seem to be able to LEGALLY download winhozed 7 ISOs make a simple hack, and create a disc that will install ANY version so long as you have the matching product key. This is VERY handy as you don't have to keep track of endless versions of CDs and DVDs

Some linkies

http://www.mytechguide.org/766/download-windows-7-iso-official-links/

http://www.mytechguide.org/10042/windows-7-sp1-iso-download-official-digitalriver-links/

Version switching

http://www.mytechguide.org/689/windows-7-edition-switcher-easily-switch-from-basic-to-ultimate/

BEAR IN MIND this is not a pirate deal. You cannot use your "Windows 7 starter" or "Windows 7 home" product key to install Winhated 7 Ultimate. You must match your product key to the version you are going to install

If I remember this, when you boot up the Windows installation disc you have created, it goes through all the usual gyrations, then at some point, pops up a menu where you select which version you are going to install.
 
67Dart273 said:
...............You seem to be able to LEGALLY download winhozed 7 ISOs make a simple hack, and create a disc that will install ANY version so long as you have ......
Click to expand...

My activator!!! Muhahahaha! :)
 
pishta said:
My activator!!! Muhahahaha! :)
Click to expand...

LOL believe it or not I try and keep things pretty legal. What irritates the crap out of me is the supposed "need" for Microshit to have so many versions. In my pee brain it's simple..........

Make one version

Stop making stupid glitsy changes

Sell it for a fair price
 
67Dart273 said:
...............You seem to be able to LEGALLY download winhozed 7 ISOs make a simple hack, and create a disc that will install ANY version so long as you have ......
Click to expand...

My activator!!! Muhahahaha! :-

I tried Linux Mint 16, I really did. On a fresh install on my first download of Chrome for linux, it asked "what program do you want to open this?" and it was an RPM or deb some other native linux suffix, I threw up my arms and said "are you kidding me?". It also failed its ISO burn of my win7 image "there was an error..." really? My win7 PC burned it on its first try, not quite ready for prime time in my eyes, but Ill still dabble in it just to keep up with the rest of the free (open source) world.....
 
Don't know............I've run SUSE, Ubuntu, and only got away from it because of the "Unity" desktop a few years ago. Been running Mint quite awhile now. Very, very few problems.

After all, it IS free, LOL
 
ITs just the file structure that befuddles me. Im sure if I hung with it, It would end up working but if I got a working copy of win7, Im good. It couldnt install on RAID 0 either. Im good.
 
true. no hot-fixes, updates or patches anymore. I think there are a few 3rd party companies that are stepping in though. Win7 is close enough. Win 8.1 with the shell that makes it look like xp or win7 is tolerable but its just a matter of time before everything will go toward linux and cloud computing. Back to the dumb terminals of the 70's but they will be on a very fast backbone and will feel as if the terminal you are on is like a PC. Oh, and if MS is involved, you'll pay a subscription to use their cloud.
 
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