Re: Windows XP RAID 5

XP Software RAID can not RAID the System disk...
o Dynamic Disk status required for software RAID
o System Disk can not be set to be a Dynamic Disk
o XP can not RAID the System Disk

I take issue with your cause and effect here - I just had to move all
my data from my single 300gig boot disk onto a spare, reinitialise the
boot disk and move data back, because I'd made my system disk Dynamic
to (succesfully) solve a problem and later needed to set it back to
Basic so I could install a Linux on it.

MSFT have some badly worded & contradictory KB articles re RAID.

o Understand the implications of the following phrase...
---- "XP-Pro SETUP only recognises Dynamic
---- Disks with an entry in the Partition Table"

A) Convert a Basic System/Boot volume (disk) -> Dynamic Disk
o RETAINS the entry in the partition table
o So CAN use XP-Pro Setup to install to RAID-1 Dynamic Volume
---- Microsoft uses the term MIRRORED
o But can NOT use XP-Pro Setup to install to RAID-5 Dynamic Volume
---- Microsoft indicate requires Server product

B) Convert a Basic volume (disk) -> Dynamic Disk
o NO entry in the partition table
o So can NOT use XP-Pro Setup to install to RAID-1 Dynamic Disks
---- Setup can only recognise DD with an entry in the partition table
o Can NOT use XP-Pro Setup to install to RAID-5 Dynamic Disks
---- Microsoft indicate requires Server product


Their KB articles actually contradict one another, essentially there
are 2 forms of Dynamic Disk as far as XP-Pro SETUP is concerned.

Hope that is clearer - may need further verification.
Microsoft long ago said RAID-1 did not work on System disks,
I wonder if they were referring to the second instance as above.
--
Dorothy Bradbury


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