RAID headaches

[Mogglewump]

To keep things quick and simple - just got an adaptec 1200 RAID card however after setting up the RAID 0 (2 disk) array I installed XP. After 'Booting windows for the first time' shutting down and restarting the machine gives a '\Windows\System32\Config\' is missing or corrupt - run the repair interface. Any ideas? I did remove all partitions from the drive before I created the RAID array but do I need to do a low-level format to get it back to 'pristine' condition?

 

[jihiggs]

low level format is a last resort, its never neccissary for software problems. i only had to do it once, i had a scsi drive up and die, so i low level formated it and it is happily chugging away.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[Mogglewump]

Well considering that this RAID card is to replace the function on my motherboard that doesn't work at all and so far I've thrown £170 at the problem, oh no wait I forgot to include an £90 power supply. I'm ready for last resorts.

 

[jihiggs]

i dont know why you keep getting that problem, can you install anything else successfuly?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q307545 see here

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[Mogglewump]

I've seen this article and I could try to do a system restore but it doesn't identify or fix the problem. As I say the only thing that I can think of is the line in the RAID installation instructions that says that the controller must see the drive as 'pristine'. Has anyone else had any experience with using previously used drives in a RAID array?

 

[jihiggs]

have you broken the stripe set and recreated?

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[Mogglewump]

Erm, I could try deleting the RAID array and re-creating it. Just to clarify I have previously been using one of the drives as a standard IDE drive not as part of a RAID array.

 

[jihiggs]

this is ide? if the card doesnt have a low level format utility, do not use a 3rd party util. i would fdisk /mbr them separately, do a scan disk too.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[Mogglewump]

Yes IDE RAID, not making myself clear. I was going to take the drives off the RAID channels and reconnect them to IDE0 and use the Powermax (from Maxtor, same as the drives) to do a low level format. Do you think that fdisk /mbr will be enough?

 

[jihiggs]

the powermax came with the drives right? dont attempt it if you think they came with a different drive, dont even think about it if they are not maxtor.

how do you shoot the devil in the back? what happens if you miss? -verbal

 

[Mogglewump]

They are two identical DiamondMax+ 60 30.7GB drives and I downloaded the util of the drives' support pages on the Maxtor site.