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How to set up a RAID1 mirror with a drive which already has Windows installed
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Preparation (avoiding disaster!)
Setting up RAID 1 mirroring using a hard disk with existing data (or an existing operating
system) can have only two results : it is successful and you’re off and running, or your
entire hard disk is wiped out ! The second possibility is the one you need to focus on
right from the start, and by this we mean ……… focus on avoiding it completely !!
r Plan the job : the initial replication phase of your source hard disk to the target
hard disk will take anything from 5 to 10 hours depending on the sizes of the hard
disks involved. Therefore, if this is a business fileserver, you will need to plan this
as an after-hours job or a weekend job.
r Next, before you even think of doing anything, take an image backup of your
hard disk. There are many good products out there that you can use to take
images of a hard disk – after thorough evaluation of many of those products, we
ourselves prefer the low-cost yet comprehensive products from TeraByte Inc
(TeraByteUnlimited.com), Image for DOS, or Image for Windows. We tend to
use Image for DOS which you can use to backup any type of hard disk
(Windows, NetWare, Linux), but if you are more comfortable with a Windows
interface, then go for Image for Windows. Either way, our recommendation is that
you should buy Image for Windows which for $39 gives you Image for Windows,
Image for DOS, Image for Linux, and a few other goodies.
Tip : IT professionals and IT departments – check out TeraByte’s Image Technical Licence and
Image Deployment Licence interesting offerings.
r Test the image backup you just made. This is as important as making the image
itself. Do not go to the next stage until you know you will be able to use your
backup image if something goes drastically wrong.
Getting Windows to recognize the
Adaptec controller
r Now that you have a backup image that you can rely on if things go wrong, shut
down your PC/server and physically install your Adaptec RAID controller into the
PC/server (we used an Adaptec 1220SA for the purpose of this document).
r Do not connect the boot hard disk to the adapter. Leave it connected to the
motherboard’s onboard controller for the moment.
r Boot the PC/server into Windows.
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