Windows 7 Win 7 64 bit RE - install and drivers for raid 0

[sammydabulllll]

Ok guys I'm stumped. I have been lurking around dozens of forums and have read until my head is gonna explode, I can't figure this out. I am sorry in advance that this is such an elaborate thread....

I added 2 identical WD 1/2 TB green drives to my rig, and I want to re install windows on that set in raid 0 for performance, and use my existing (and fully functional) hitachi 1TB drive as back up and data storage.

The drives are in, and being recognized in the bios, raid setup, and in windows 7 device manager. They have both been fully formatted and partitioned as simple drives.

I have a thumb drive with dozens of drivers on it, including sata raid controllers from INTEL, ASUS, and AMD. I have been sifting through tons of links online trying to find a set of drivers that the installation dvd will like. no go.

When i start the install, I get the message that i need to load missing drivers, I click browse, go to my thumb drive,... and find that 99% of the drivers on the thumb drive are hidden as they are recognized as being incompatible. The 3 or 4 that I can find always hang for a while as the installer tries to mount them, but then I get a strange message: "No new devices found, make sure the drivers are correct and they are located on the proper installation media" or something really close to that.

Could they possibly be any more vague with these error messages? If that means it doesn't see the array that's really strange, because for the record, when I am in the browse menu hunting through my thumb drive, the C:\ drive is in the list of attached devices. (during the attempt to re-install windows, I disconnect the SATA cable from the back of the hitachi drive to protect the data, and the installer seems to see both WD drives as the default C:\ )

Question 1. Working from my original single hitachi drive, should I stripe the two newly formatted WD drives together in the windows device manager before I attempt the re-install? (My initial thought was that this would be useless, because when the hitachi gets disconnected any thing I do on the current windows platform would be lost anyway as i am re-installing the os on 2 new drives like it was a new computer)

Question 2. Just so I am sure what it means, could somebody break down that error message for me?

Question 3. Anybody know where i can get an all inclusive pack of raid drivers for windows 7 64?

Question 4. Am i missing a step or anything else I need to know about?

My Gear:
PS: Corsair 850 watt
MOBO: Asus P6td Deluxe
CPU: Intel I7 960 @ 3.2
RAM: 12 GB corsair dominator ddr3 @ 1600
GPU: Radeon 4890 1GB X 2 in crossfire
OS: Windows 7 64, home premium.

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you are encountering some challenges with setting up a RAID 0 configuration with two WD Green drives and trying to install Windows 7. Let's address your questions:

Question 1:​

Should I stripe the two newly formatted WD drives together in the Windows Device Manager before attempting the re-install?

• No, you should configure the RAID 0 setup using the RAID controller in your BIOS, not in Windows Device Manager.
• Windows needs the RAID controller drivers during installation to recognize the RAID array. It's a hardware-level configuration, not a software one.
• So, first, you need to ensure that the RAID option is set up correctly in the BIOS and install the necessary RAID drivers during the Windows installation process.

Question 2:​

Interpreting the error message "No new devices found, make sure the drivers are correct and they are located on the proper installation media."

• This message typically indicates that the installation process couldn't find the required drivers for the RAID controller.
• It might be due to incompatible or incorrect RAID drivers being loaded.
• Ensure you have the correct RAID drivers for your motherboard's chipset and that they are 64-bit Windows 7 compatible.

Question 3:​

Where can you find an all-inclusive pack of RAID drivers for Windows 7 64-bit?

• For your particular motherboard (Asus P6td Deluxe), you should visit the official Asus support website and look for the RAID drivers specific to that motherboard model.
• Check for drivers under the "Support" or "Downloads" section on the Asus website. Ensure you download the correct RAID drivers compatible with Windows 7 64-bit.

Question 4:​

Any additional steps or things to consider for this setup?

• Disconnecting other drives: It's a good practice to disconnect any other drives during Windows installation to prevent accidental formatting or interference.
• BIOS settings: Make sure the SATA mode in BIOS is set to RAID before starting the Windows installation.
• RAID Config: Configure the RAID 0 array in your motherboard's RAID configuration utility (typically accessed during system boot).
• Driver integration: If the Windows installer is still unable to recognize the RAID array, you might need to integrate the RAID drivers into the Windows 7 installation media using tools like nLite or RT Seven Lite.

By following these steps and ensuring you have the correct RAID drivers, you should be able to set up your RAID 0 configuration with the WD Green drives successfully. Feel free to ask if you need more specific guidance on any of these steps!