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    Clean Windows 7 install RAID 0

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by logicraju, Apr 14, 2015.

  1. logicraju

    logicraju Newbie

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    Hi,
    I have an Alienware 14 (2013) laptop with 750 GB HDD and 80 GB SSD which was by default, configured for speeding up the system. I formatted both my HDD and SSD for some reason and want to clean install Windows 7 now, with the SSD configured for speeding up my system (similar to factory setup).

    While trying to accomplishing this, I did the following:

    1. Set the SATA OPERATION field in the BIOS -> ADVANCE to "RAID" mode.
    2. Configured the raid as RAID 0 with the RAID Capacity set to 139.1 GB.
    3. Then, I tried to install Windows 7. But, on the way windows asked me the following:
    "Where do you want to install windows?" (I'm attaching the screenshot)
    [​IMG]

    I have 750 GB HDD and 80 GB mSATA SSD. Why is the remaining space not displayed ? Should i install Windows in the displayed "139.1 GB" RAID space ? If the driver needs to be loaded, which driver should I specify ? I don’t know which driver to use.

    Please help !

    Regards,

    Rajesh.
     
    logicraju, Apr 14, 2015
    #1
  2. tijo

    tijo Sacred Blame

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    You're doing it wrong, the SSD was probably using some kind of caching software. Either something like Intel SRT or another third party caching solution. Find what the caching solution for the SSD was and follow the instructions on how to get that up and running. You may have to be in RAID mode, but I would find unlikely that you have to actually RAID0 part of the HDD and SSD together.
     
    tijo, Apr 14, 2015
    #2
    alexhawker likes this.
  3. WhatsThePoint

    WhatsThePoint Notebook Virtuoso

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    Personally,I would not do the Raid array on those 2 drives or bother with the caching of the 750GB hard drive.

    If it were me I'd set the bios to AHCI and install the OS on the 80GB SSD after breaking Raid in the Intel Raid utility making both the SSD and 750GB spinner non member drives and full formatting both.

    After installing Windows on the SSD you can turn off hibernation to save about 13GB of disk space.

    It's best to install the OS on the SSD while the hard drive is physically removed from the notebook.

    You might also put the SSD in the primary drive SATA drive bay.
     
    WhatsThePoint, Apr 14, 2015
    #3