GA-X38-DQ6 - RAID 0 Status Failed on BIOS Change

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: GA-X38-DQ6 - RAID 0 Status Failed on BIOS Change

What I do to avoid confusion when removing this on my motherboard (I know this may not help you now though) is I put a post-it note on each disk stating where it goes in my disk drive rack IE>>>> Top-Bottom-Middle, and then also write on the note which plugs Exactly it is plugged into.

Please note when I said it must be the exact plugs, I mean the same exact disk must be plugged into the same exact plug on the board. Meaning you cannot just be sure the disks are plugged into the same set of ports, they must be the EXACT same port for each disk.

This is all just a heads up to keep your future problems with RAID to a minimum, I am sure by now you have messed it up so far either way that you must do a reinstall anyway.

And yes, as Rewl Said software raid is not the best, and is your only option on a motherboard with on-board raid. It is not fully "Software" raid, but is not at all hardware raid. Hardware Raid is made possible, and made the best by purchasing a $150-$250 Raid PCI card. And no those ones under $100 are generally not hardware raid either, they do not have their own processing chips and therefore are software raid as well. They just offer a easier solution to make more disk available to the system.

The Gigabyte and Intel Raid on Gigabyte board is software raid, but a little faster then software raid on a board with no raid array chips.

And also RAID 0 is ALWAYS the easiest to make corrupt and loose, with either type of raid, but it is also the fastest of the arrays which is why most people use it.

[infirmus]

Re: GA-X38-DQ6 - RAID 0 Status Failed on BIOS Change

Hey just letting you know that I have had similar problems with my RAID arrays on my P35-DS3P. I dont know what causes it but a couple of times I had my drive status change to "offline member" and a couple of times it said the array was "failed". I think its caused by the array metadata at the start of the drive becoming corrupted or something.

I have managed to repair numerous arrays by doing the following:
1. Reset the disks to non-RAID in the RAID BIOS
2. Recreate the arrays with the exact same parameters as they had to start off with
3. Boot from a Windows PE x86 CD (can be made using the Vista AIK)
4. Run Active@ Partition Recovery from a network share or from a USB drive etc - http://www.partition-recovery.com/ (need windows version)
5. Do a Tools...Fix MBR (then no)
6. Run a super-scan or whatever its called, not the quick scan
7. Choose to scan the first 100000 or so sectors of your RAID volume
8. It should find the partition with the correct size and show you you're files
9. Right click the discovered partition and choose restore, tick the bootable checkbox if it is your boot drive
10. Partitions should be readable now but Windows Vista comes up with an error upon booting from the recovered RAID volume, boot from your Vista DVD and choose "Repair Install" and then the OS is bootable again

[Rewl]

Re: GA-X38-DQ6 - RAID 0 Status Failed on BIOS Change

hehe good job, sounds like the result of a lot of experimenting

[spec]

Re: GA-X38-DQ6 - RAID 0 Status Failed on BIOS Change

Hey just letting you know that I have had similar problems with my RAID arrays on my P35-DS3P. I dont know what causes it but a couple of times I had my drive status change to "offline member" and a couple of times it said the array was "failed". I think its caused by the array metadata at the start of the drive becoming corrupted or something.

I have managed to repair numerous arrays by doing the following:
1. Reset the disks to non-RAID in the RAID BIOS
2. Recreate the arrays with the exact same parameters as they had to start off with
3. Boot from a Windows PE x86 CD (can be made using the Vista AIK)
4. Run Active@ Partition Recovery from a network share or from a USB drive etc - http://www.partition-recovery.com/ (need windows version)
5. Do a Tools...Fix MBR (then no)
6. Run a super-scan or whatever its called, not the quick scan
7. Choose to scan the first 100000 or so sectors of your RAID volume
8. It should find the partition with the correct size and show you you're files
9. Right click the discovered partition and choose restore, tick the bootable checkbox if it is your boot drive
10. Partitions should be readable now but Windows Vista comes up with an error upon booting from the recovered RAID volume, boot from your Vista DVD and choose "Repair Install" and then the OS is bootable again

Sounds like a lot of work ! anyway, I wasn't interested in recovery of data.
I knew the risks of using RAID 0, so stored only system data and apps on this drive, all my backup is on other media. I was only surprised by how the RAID failed just by udpating some BIOS params...
I've rebuilt the system now, no RAID, can't afford to waste time on useless RAID. Perhaps some day later, when the BIOS is stable enuf or when I get a proper RAID controller

[ehsan]

Re: GA-X38-DQ6 - RAID 0 Status Failed on BIOS Change

...
I have managed to repair numerous arrays by doing the following:
...

your tutorial saved my arse mate
I'm on P35-DS3R