Don't wanna use 3.5" FDD to setup my Raid 0

[Witt78]

Setting up my first Raid 0 and ran into something I didn't expect...

I need to make a 3.5" floppy disk that contains the 3rd party drivers that Windows Vista would require at the beginning of the OS installation.

NEVER had I dreamed I would actually need an ancient 3.5" FDD in my brand new $3000 quad core PC. I suppose the cost of this drive is no big deal as they are super cheap... However, I'll NEVER use it again and therefore don't really want the silly thing staring at me from the front of my computer tower.

Does anybody know a way around this??? Is there some way I can create the required driver disk using a CD-R or USB Flash???

Give me your 2 cents please...

- Witt

PS - I actually do have a bunch of floppies and a drive here... But the drive and disks are all 13 years old and don't work. lol

 

[fleakiller]

you can use usb or just unplug 3.5 after you install drivers

 

[MrCommunistGen]

With Vista at the hard drive selection screen it has a button to add drivers. You can use almost any type of media with that. I've used flash drives and I imagine you could use a CD but you'd probably need 2 optical drives to do that.

-mcg

 

[Witt78]

How would I go about using a USB flash drive to do this...

I am not familiar with using flash drives outside of a plug-and-play environment.

If I have the USB Flash plugged in while I begin my Windows Vista installation... Will it show up as an available drive? Or is it not that simple?

--------------------------------------

Another question. My Asus Motherboard came with a CD that has many utilities on it. One of these utilities is used to create a floppy with the raid drivers... When I load it up with my flash plugged in... I see a G:> available to make my driver disk... (G:> is my flash)

However, when I try to extract the drivers to my flash I get an error that states "Unable to get disk information" (This is the same error I get when I try to extract to the A:> with no disk in the FDD)

You guys have any information that can help me past this hurdle?

- Witt

 

[B-Unit]

The Vista installer is advanced enough to support USB keys, I dont know if they have to be in when you start the PC up or not.

 

[1haplo]

If you are using the Intel RAID you do not need a driver disk, Vista will see the RAID.

If you are using the other controller, Switch to the Intel unless you have IDE drives.

 

[MrCommunistGen]

You need to get the actual drivers (.dll, etc not the .exe installer) and put them on a flash drive. When the drive selection window comes up in the Vista installer there should be a button to add drivers. If you click this it will let you select the flash drive and it will let you select from the drivers it detects on the drive. It should then work.

-mcg