Bill Tatum
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How do I move Windows 7 hard drive from a RAID 1 into a new system?
I have two drives in an older Windows 7 drive in a RAID 1 configuration. I want to move one of the drives into a new system as the boot drive, without losing any of the programs and files on it. Will running sysprep on the current system accomplish this?
That depends largely on the RAID controller and on the disk controller in the system you're moving it to.
Most RAID controllers do not write a standard structure on their hard drives; they write mirroring information and other "stuff" related to the state of the RAID set. This information is hidden in areas not accessible to Windows. That means that when one drive is removed from a RAID 1 set, it should not be expected to operate as a normal single drive.
I would be inclined to attach an external drive, do a full backup to that, and then restore the full backup to the target drive on the new system. But if you're feeling lucky, go ahead, try the sysprep route and see what happens.
Most RAID controllers do not write a standard structure on their hard drives; they write mirroring information and other "stuff" related to the state of the RAID set. This information is hidden in areas not accessible to Windows. That means that when one drive is removed from a RAID 1 set, it should not be expected to operate as a normal single drive.
I would be inclined to attach an external drive, do a full backup to that, and then restore the full backup to the target drive on the new system. But if you're feeling lucky, go ahead, try the sysprep route and see what happens.
ASKER
There is no dedicated RAID controller, it is a DELL Optiplex 9010 and the system configuration just says: "MODULE, INFORMATION, RAID1, ICH10, OPTIPLEX".
ASKER
What software would you recommend to do the full backup with? I can attach an external dock with a similar or larger HD.
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ASKER
It is using Intel Rapid Storage Technology as software RAID, by the way. Based on the comments so far, I will try to image the drive using Acronis, put it in the new machine, and see what happens. I may try to disable the RAID using the Intel Rapid Storage software first, think that is a bad idea?
No. That is fake-RAID anyway and should never be used. If you want to use RAID, then use the OS's built-in software RAID, which is much more reliable and also performs a lot better.
Make sure you have a valid FULL backup of your system before you change anything - Just in case!
ASKER
Please bear with me, waiting on some RAM to come in, will test the moment it does. Holiday season seems to be delaying things.
ASKER
Thanks for all the comments. Broke the mirror, then imaged one drive, then sysprep. Bingo.
You can try it but you will probably have to image the drive to a third drive and then move it to your new system.