Windows 7 + RAID5 = not geting along?

ok here we go, lets see if i can make this make sense, im trying to install windows 7 on a raid 5 config (5, 1.5 teribite drives on a msi p55-gd85 mobo) and well its not going well, (new build) long story short when i try to partition the drives for the windows installer it partitions about 2 teribites and then leaves 3 unallocated... and completely non usable, when i try to partition those i get an error... it always does this, unless i boot into windows and partition from there... witch unless im mistaken is not what i want. then they are stuck as separate unallocated partitions.... and i have to re raid them...... (i am by far no expert in the whole raid business... so feel free to yell at me that im doing it wrong (also wasn't sure where to post this in)

it seems that i have answered my own question... mbr doesn't support more then 2tb

I know it's possible, just not how. Someone here definitely does though

well looks like im stumped again... now it says my mobo don't support gpt...... gaaaaaa!!!!.... what do i do!!!..... :'(

I thought you can't put a Windows OS on a GPT???

I don't think Windows can boot to a GPT partition, which is needed to use the entire space.

You'd have to create two partitions.

Or pick up a $99 Sandforce 64GB SSD for the OS It will smoke the RAID-5 for OS Duties Then you can have your one big GPT partition on the RAID-5 Data array...

I've NEVER been a fan of sharing the OS and Data arrays anyways - even if they are partitioned seperately...

newb questions here, 1. how much space does windows 7 actually need? and 2. how much is the drive that the os is installed on get used... as in, is it constantly being written and read to/from? (thinking of just sticking in an old 250gb dive i got laying around) and at last 3. Im almost possitive you can move all your program folders and crap to the other drives (so all the os drive is mostly for is to boot from) am i wrong?

yes you can install yiour programs into what ever drive / folder you want

win 7 uses about 10G installed, it is used when you do anything, run browsers, start the OS, even if programs are installed on a different drive they still access the registry on C drive.

thideras said:

I don't think Windows can boot to a GPT partition, which is needed to use the entire space.

You'd have to create two partitions.

Click to expand...

it seems that you can but you would have to manually make a efi system partition? (on a gpt formated disk)

well i found this but its seriously outdated.... can anyone make it make sense?

raid5 as a main drive is a bad idea anyways. the write performance sucks. yes theres a 2gb limitation, but you can merge multiple arrays into 1 if thats what you want. i forget the process of it, but its doable. if i recall there are disadvantages to it when it comes to reliability problems in the future.