RAID1 Rebuild ?

In order to rebuild a array the driver needs to be loaded so it can link up with the CPU to do the rebuild, even if its a matter of copying data from good drive to new drive the hardware to do that is not there.

how did you verify that it rebuilt? i have the web app - but it doesn't see my local raid, even with the firewall turned off

I can't figure how to open a new thread on this forum, so with your permission, I'm gonna hijack this thread-- sort of, since my problem is related.

I am trying to rebuild my RAID 1.  I have an ASUS P-5E mobo with an Intel X48 Express chipset running WinXP Pro 32-bit and two Seagate 500GB SATA HDDs. Every time I try open the Matrix Storage Console via shell.exe (which is in my C:\ Programs) I rcv an error msg that the RAID and SATA plugins did not install because the drivers are installed incorrectly.  I have loaded the drivers (the same ones I used when I originally set up the now-failed RAID which, BTW, are identical to the current drivers D/Ld today from Intel) again & again via Windows Setup & F6. I continue to rcv the same "installed incorrectly" message.

I have attempted to re-install MSC using IATA_ENU.exe or IATA88_ENU.exe but always rcv an error msg that the PC does not meet minimum requirements.

I've hit a wall. Please help!

- H52

This is being posted as both a wrap up of this thread and as an aid to any fellow PCer who may find himself with a similar problem.

My most recent headache evolved from what should have been a straightforward exercise in RAID re-building. Unfortunately, it resulted in a series of “blind alleys”, frustration and some cussing (OK, a lot of cussing). It also consumed three weeks.

I set out to replace a failed 250GB RAID1 array with a similar 500GB RAID1 array.  My first error was to directly substitute a new 500GB HDD for the failed 250GB drive.  The array rebuilt itself as an exact image of the remaining 250GB drive and there was no way to access the remainder of the 500GB.

This should have been a simple “data migration” using Intel’s Matrix Storage Console (MSC), as my chipset contains Intel’s ICH9R.  Unfortunately, somewhere early in the process my MSC disappeared and despite numerous attempts, I was never able to re-install it because “The computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software” despite evidence to the contrary and positive advice from the Intel community.

I was left with Intel’s Matrix Storage Manager (MSM) which stubbornly insisted that there was "Not enough space to create a volume". In the end, I have not discovered why Intel’s software dislikes me, and at this point the matter is moot.

My workaround

1. I took my 500GB HDDs with their assortment of partitions and WinXP installs and wiped them clean using Darik’s Boot & Nuke (DBAN), a 2½-hour process using the “QUICK” tool.  This returned the drives to their out-of-the-box state.
2. With both 500GB HDDs connected, SATA configured as RAID in the BIOS and the optical drive as # 1 in boot priority, the Matrix Storage Manager (MSM) was used to create a RAID1 array, a process which occurred in the blink of an eye.
3. Next, used Windows Setup and F6 to install the ICH9R RAID drivers, partition the drive and install WinXP SP2.  All told, about a 40-minute process.
4. After completing the Windows install I used EaseUS’ Partition Master – a marvelously useful and intuitive tool that should reside on every “advanced” desktop – to further partition and adjust the disk the way I wanted, a process which took exactly 49 seconds.  Unbelievable!
5. The last step was to transfer files from the restore I had made when the original array failed. That process required 3½- hours.

Lessons learned “along-the-way”

* Create RAID arrays using “raw” (unformatted) disks

* If you are replacing a failed disk with one of the same size, simply substitute it for the failed disk

* If you are replacing a failed disk with a larger one, use Intel’s data migration procedure [link] »

                 http://download.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/imsm_reference1.pdf

* Install the O/S AFTER the array is created; the creation process will erase everything on the disks

- H52