M17x R2 Upgrading to RAID 0 Unable to Install Fresh Win7 x64

Here's a challenge where there should be none fellas:

Got my M17x R2 back in November with a single 500gb HDD in AHCI mode. Decided it would be cool to upgrade to 2x 750gb WD Scorpio Black HDD and configure RAID 0. Simple enough right?

Steps taken so far:

-Used Alien Respawn 3.0 Pro and created a full backup of my 500gb HDD

-Created System Recovery discs (2 DVD's) using Alien Respawn 3.0

-Removed old HDD, installed the 2x new 750gb HDD

-Booted to BIOS and enabled RAID mode, selected RAID 0 ENABLE, save and exit

-Saw the RAID utility window with my 2 new drives displaying beautifully... CTRL I to enter the utility

-Created RAID 0 Array with the 2 drives (identical by the way)... RAID creation Successful

-Insert 1st Recovery disc, reboot.

-Followed on screen instructions to initiate full system restore (pointed to my full system backup on my external drive. Recovery complete... REBOOT

-Starting Windows screen - QUICK BSD FLASH - Auto reboot - WINDOWS BOOT ERROR - Enter Windows Startup Repair? YES

-Completed Windows Startup Repair - NO ERRORS FOUND hmmm....

-Initiate command prompt and use DISKPART to view my partition configuration. I notice that my OS is somehow E: rather than C: and that my RAID is PARTITION 3 (last in the chain of partitions). Found this odd as the recovery created the RECOVERY partition and assigned it C:

-At this point I was unsure what to do so I started experimenting. I reassigned C: to my actual OS partition (The RAID-0 disc).. Same symptoms, No problem. I will install a fresh copy of Windows 7 x64 using my Alienware supplied OS disc.

-Begin installing fresh copy of Win7 x64... Windows sees my RAID 0 disc as 1.4TB, Looking good....

-Get to the Completing Installation phase and BAM, Pop-up error "Windows setup could not configure windows to run on this computer's hardware" HMMMM, now I am getting frustrated.

-I exit and get back to BIOS, break the RAID 0 and enter AHCI mode to test my HDD's. Back to 2 single drives, reinstall Windows and it works... So I can install a fresh copy out of RAID, but when attempting RAID 0, although Windows correctly sees the Array I get the "windows setup could not configure windows to run on this computer's hardware" error. I am at a loss.

My Recovery disc and image restoration also fails when running the process on a single drive. Not sure what is going on with the Recovery process, but I suspect I am having two separate issues at the same time.

In summary my problem is two-fold

1. Unable to install fresh copy of Windows 7 x64 on my newly configured RAID-0 (And Windows can see it as a correct single disc) with the resulting error "windows setup could not configure windows to run on this computer's hardware"

2. Unable to successfully perform the Alien Respawn Restore using the image I created of the old hard drive prior to the upgrade. Also unable to perform any Alien Respawn recovery using the prepared 2 disc recovery set on a RAID-0 or a single new HDD.

Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Here in Baghdad and physical help is not easy to come by!

Regards,

Alienware M17x Gamer

 

You need to install Windows raid drivers via an external HDD or thumb drive BEFORE windows.

First time I did RAID I was ready to smash my desktop. Good luck!

 

Is this the driver I need?

Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?ProductID=2101&DwnldID=19607&lang=eng&iid=dc_rss

Also, if it is a packaged driver like the one above, how do you extract the driver since the "Load driver" function on pre-install looks for specific drivers?

 

The only way I've been able to switch between single drives & Raid 0 is to perform a clean install. I've never been able to use any form of recovey backups. In the recovery data there has always been too many differences in the driver, registry & boot data.

 

What he said. I had the same experience going single drive to raid. Fresh install is a pain, but the best thing to do.

 

1. Unable to install fresh copy of Windows 7 x64 on my newly configured RAID-0 (And Windows can see it as a correct single disc) with the resulting error "windows setup could not configure windows to run on this computer's hardware"

2. Unable to successfully perform the Alien Respawn Restore using the image I created of the old hard drive prior to the upgrade. Also unable to perform any Alien Respawn recovery using the prepared 2 disc recovery set on a RAID-0 or a single new HDD.


At this point I realize a clean install is necessary, but as mentioned in my post this is also a problem.

Looking forward to any help you guys can give!

 

Surprised I'm not seeing more activity on this. I am surely not the only one trying to upgrade to RAID on an M17x R2?

 

I set up RAID 0 when I got my R2 almost a year ago, and did a clean Install of W7 Ultimate 64-bit.

I remember I had to use the Intel RAID drivers back on my XPS M1730, but not on the AW.

I did a clean install about 3 weeks ago, and went smoothly, did not have to do anything, just format the OS partition, and let the setup finish.

 

Yep, you need the raid drivers for your system and do a clean install.
The only time you can use an image recovery is if the image was made on a raid system to begin with.... (there are ways around this.. but it takes too much time, has a ton of little issues and generally just not a good idea).

SO, go to dell's website and download the raid drivers you need.
You will most likely need to extract them then copy the files onto the root of a fat formatted usb disk (or cd).
You could slipstream them in... but a lot of work unless you plan on doing a ton of reinstalls.

Then, when you get to setup you will just need to select 'additional drivers' or something to that effect at the format disk screen (you will also want to reformat the array at the same time)

You should be good from there.

OH, and after you get a clean and good install, make a backup using acronis, or windows backup or whatever to make it easier in the future.

Good luck

D.

 

Thanks for the comments fellas. I did try the driver preload option with the Intel RAID driver (came as an .exe file though, then ran the install to try and extract the actual driver...no luck) and of course it showed no drivers when I pointed to the location of where the file was. Does anyone know what actual driver file I need for the M17x R2? If so, can you post it in here? Thanks everyone!

 

Did you get it to work yet?

If not try this link
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Det...duct=Intel®+Rapid+Storage+Technology&lang=eng

Copy the iaStor.sys, iaStor.cat, iaStor.inf, and TXTSETUP.oem files to your usb drive.

Enable and ready your raid array, boot off of cd, go advanced, format your partition, then choose "load drivers" option (lower left) and it should scan your usb drive and find them.
Let them load then continue your win7 install.

LMK if it works

D.

 

Trying it now. Gonna reinstall the HDD's and see what we get. Wish me luck!

 

Be sure to come back and post if it worked out or not. Good luck!

 

debaucher,

I'm writing this from a fully functioning reload on my new RAID-0 my friend! Thank you for posting that ever-elusive driver link man, MUCH appreciated. After many long a grueling nights here in Baghdad slinking along at a blazing 5400baud internet connection I managed to get everything downloaded and updated after the initial load. Yeah! Thanks a million to all you guys