Can't format RAID 0

[Namalus]

Hello,

Thank you for any advice.

Problem:

Unable to format RAID 0 array with FDISK. However if I create a RAID 1 array I have no problems seeing, formatting and installing Win2K on it.

Setup:

Asus P4C800 Deluxe MD w/ built in Promise 20378 S/ATA RAID controller
512 MD Dual Channel 400 DDR
Intel P4 HT 2.4Ghz
Western Digital 10.2GB ATA 100
Western Digital 40GB ATA 100

Notes:

Once I see RAID 0 working with Win2K I'll buy another 40GB drive.

Win2K sees the RAID 0 array having 4 drives with huge GB space (e.g. c: 89GB).

I'm aware that different size drives may be an issue but can someone tell me conclusively that Win2K will behave this way with two different size drives configured in an array?

Even so once the array is configured FDISK is either unable to 1) detect any drive at all or is able to 2) see the individual partitions but not the array.

I did not format the drives prior to configuring them in a RAID 0 array.

Currently I have Win2K running with a RAID 1 array.

Question:

What am I doing wrong? I want FDISK or Win2K to see and report the correct RAID 0 array for formatting.

I would appreciate hearing from anyone with experience installing Win2K to an ATA RAID solution.

Thanks!

[BipolarBill]

Why are you using different drives? You're wasting space that way. Not only that, performance differences between the drives may actually slow performance to below one drive. Add slower disk access times to this equation. I believe that your manual covers all of that.

Ok, so you can format in Win2K. I assume that you've done that. Now - why do you want to FDISK? Win2K's Disk Management can do all of that.

RAID 0 makes all drives appear as one. Older versions of FDISK cannot address huge drives. This is probably the real "problem".

[Picard]

The drives will need to removed from the array, wiped as they should have been before creating a raid array with them. IBM's Zap utility is sufficient for this.

And what BPB said.

[AllGamer]

i don't think ZAP is necesary in this case

most RAID BIOS already comes with their own partitioning and formating software

that will automatically NUKE anything you have on the drives connected to the RAID, and prepare them to be RAIDed

:t

[Namalus]

Thank you for the advice.

I will wipe the disks entirely tonight and give it a try. Initially when I set up the array Win2K detected some strange partitioning (e.g. 89GB) which was unusable.

I am aware that there are performance/wasted space issues with using different size drives and as I said in my post I will be purchasing the same drive once I work through these issues.

[BipolarBill]

The wasted space may be the cumulative unused space on teh odd drives. Take the smallest drive and multiply it times number of drives for total usable volume on the array. Add your wasted space and I'll bet it adds up to the total drive space before the array.

[Namalus]

Hello,

So I got some good information for working with Promise RAID controllers from their technical support. I tried their solution and it worked perfectly. Here's the message verbatim for anyone else in the same jam!

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To wipe the reserve sector, just go into CRTL+F, than option number 2, highlight the first drive, than hit ALT+F1 at the same time, than the drive you highlight should flash, than hit CRTL+TAB at the same time and follow the instruction the box that pop up. Also do that to second also. Than reboot and re-create the strip array over again and see what happen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you all for the help. Tomorrow I pick up my new 40GB drive!

[BipolarBill]

That's a real head-scratcher there. Why would they make that so hard?

[Namalus]

I agree, never would I have figured that one out.

I wonder if those commands are even documented. I'm going to ask techsupport at Promise to provide me with a list of undocumented commands.