Help with setting up RAID

[Mr.Big]

I want to set up a raid on my computer as I have many pictures I just can't afford to lose. I was thinking that a mirror would be the best bet.

I also am looking for the cheapest way to do this. If anyone has any suggestions on hard drives that are cheap and reliable. I have sony pc that was manufactured about 1 month after winXP was released, so I assume that I should not get any sata correct. Price is an issue.

Also is it possible to transfer all the data on the old hard drive to the RAID setup without having to redo everything again. I just can't afford to mess this up. I do have norton ghost, so I don't know if that makes it possible to transfer from one drive to a RAID. Thank you.

 

[David]

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

The cheapest option for backing up is to buy a DVD rewriter and make regular backups. RAID 0 (mirror) is better if you want to mirror constantly changing data (on a fileserver for example).

With RAID, once the array is setup it appears as one drive which can be partitioned and you can copy data to as normal.

 

[Mr.Big]

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

The cheapest option for backing up is to buy a DVD rewriter and make regular backups. RAID 0 (mirror) is better if you want to mirror constantly changing data (on a fileserver for example).

With RAID, once the array is setup it appears as one drive which can be partitioned and you can copy data to as normal.

Thanks for the quick reply. I already have 2 dvd writers for each computer I own. I am not going to make a backup of the computer each and every day. With a raid setup it would be already be backed up with the mirror option. That is what I want. I only make dvd backups about every month. Raid is a must for the pictures.

 

[Xaotic]

RAID 1 is mirroring. RAID 0 has no redundancy. The array creation process will destroy data on the disks, so you will need two new HDDs.

Given that you already have the OS on the current HDD, the best way to do this is to buy a PCI RAID controller(PATA or SATA) and two new HDDs. Best pricing tends to vary by need for space and price per GB can be greatly affected by sales.

Once you have these, set up the array through the controller card's BIOS. Next, boot into Windows and install the drivers for the controller. This will allow boot when you image the drive.

Shut down and restart with the image software. Image the drive to the array. Once imaged, shut down and unhook the original drive. Remove it and keep it in a safe place, instant additional backup.

Next, reset the boot order in the BIOS, usually set it to SCSI due to the controller.

You should be able to boot to Windows and begin operation.

Remember to back up regularly. RAID is NOT a backup.

Welcome to the Forums!

 

[David]

oops, my bad, confused RAID 0 and 1

 

[cooter]

One of hte big questions that I have is how much space do you need. Remember with RAID 1 (mirroring) you only get 1/2 of your total drive space. So if you have 2x 200 gb hard drives you will only have 200 gb total. Also you can find, if you look hard enough, 200 or 250 gb hard drives fro about $90 each, then just get a cheap raid controller.

What is your budget?

 

[Mr.Big]

One of hte big questions that I have is how much space do you need. Remember with RAID 1 (mirroring) you only get 1/2 of your total drive space. So if you have 2x 200 gb hard drives you will only have 200 gb total. Also you can find, if you look hard enough, 200 or 250 gb hard drives fro about $90 each, then just get a cheap raid controller.

What is your budget?

I would say my budget would be $150 on the very top end. I also noticed they have some good external hard drives that have automated backup options. I might just go with that route instead.

 

[JTanczos]

2x WD SE 80gig drives $120
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-144-122&depa=1

Highpoint raid controller$43.99
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductdesc.asp?description=16-115-001&depa=1

Not too bad. You might want to try to ebay the controller.

JT