Starting a raid 0 when dada is on 1st drive

I am going to be buying another HDD with the same model as my last.
I will already have programs, and data on the first HDD, but not an OS. Once the 2nd HDD arrives, i would like to set up a raid 0 array.
I am using the raid configuration on the asus p8p67 Deluxe board.
Will i be able to set up my raid 0 array after data has been put on the 1st HDD?
Or is it best to do the raid set up first, then put the data on?

When the RAID0 array is created the data on the first drive will be lost. You should back up your data to an external drive and reload it after you created the array. Be sure to use an appropriate stripe size.

Raid first. It will wipe out your data.

As far as stripe size, just leave it at the default (64k) and most people will be fine.

Ok, thank you. Could you tell me what stripe sizes are though?
Also, if I put programs on the hard drive, games and such, and then I back that up so I can restore it on the raid config, do the programs still work? I have never grasped my head around how you could transfer all the files for a game, and it working.

kevinmuff said:

Ok, thank you. Could you tell me what stripe sizes are though?
Also, if I put programs on the hard drive, games and such, and then I back that up so I can restore it on the raid config, do the programs still work? I have never grasped my head around how you could transfer all the files for a game, and it working.

Click to expand...

Most of the games and programs will probably need to be reinstalled because the paths will be lost when you create the new RAID array. There are also issues in the registry that cause problems as well but any stand alone program or game should work fine when you transfer it back.

kevinmuff said:

Ok, thank you. Could you tell me what stripe sizes are though?
Also, if I put programs on the hard drive, games and such, and then I back that up so I can restore it on the raid config, do the programs still work? I have never grasped my head around how you could transfer all the files for a game, and it working.

Click to expand...

If you have two drives on your machine, one for the OS, and the other for games, then all you really need to do on the game drive is backup the folders you are interested in. Note the drive letter of the drive you are upgrading, and assign the same one to the new RAID0 partition. Copy over your previously backed up game folder and it will behave the same as your old drive, with the exception that the data is now in a RAID configuration. As long as the directory is the same, the game or program will not be able to tell there was any change.

This is different than copying game folders, installing a fresh operating system, and then putting the original game folders back. In this scenario, the freshly installed operating system would not know about your game files, because it would be missing the necessary registry entries that are created when installing the game.

You are sure of this? If I Have a separate windows drive, which I'm not touching, I can just move over the game files and label the new raid array the same?
Also, will I be able to label the raid array something like d drive if the previous one was already d drive?

kevinmuff said:

You are sure of this? If I Have a separate windows drive, which I'm not touching, I can just move over the game files and label the new raid array the same?
Also, will I be able to label the raid array something like d drive if the previous one was already d drive?

Click to expand...

I am positive and have done it more times than I can count. After you setup your RAID array, go into Computer Management (right click My Computer > Manage) In the left pane, under Storage, select Disk Management. In the right pane, select your disc. If you haven't already, setup a new partition, and format it. Once you have a new partition, right click the disk in the list, and select 'Change Drive Letter and Path.' Select change, pick your letter, and confirm.