RAID 1 & Windows Install

[Matt Schneider]

I am currently trying to install Windows XP Professional on
a RAID 1 set. The drives are both brand new and empty, they
are both identical drives (Western Digital 80GB *WD800JB*).
I have a PCI controller card (Extreme IO AP-1680 ATA133
IDE). When I proceed to being installing Windows XP, the
prompt on the bottom says "Press F6 if you need to install
a third party RAID or SCSI Driver". I press F6 many times
for 1 second, even before the prompt comes up, and it
doesn't respond. I know my F6 key works and I even tried
changing keyboards. After it finishes loading all of the
installation files it prompts me about mass storage devices
and I can press "S" to install the appropriate drivers.
Once I do that, it lets me know that the floppy drive is
empty and I need the floppy disk. The driver disc that came
with my RAID card is a CD and the instructions lead me to
believe that when I press F6, I will be prompted
immediatly. I was wondering if there is any way I can
install this in a different order or what I need to do to
make this work. Right now I'm going to install Windows one
of the Drives and then see if I can add the other and have
it copy the image of the main drive.

Thank you for any and all help.

[Ted Ruoff]

Hi Matt,

After you press F6 Windows will keep loading stuff and then start loading
the drivers for the RAID controller. It will only work off a floppy. You can
copy the drivers you need from the CD to a floppy and use that.

Your other option will work also. Take out the PCI controller card and put
one of the drives on the primary IDE controller and load Windows normally.
After it is installed, then install your card and load the drivers into
Windows. Then shut down and move both the hard drives to the controller
card. When you boot up your cards BIOS should then give you the options for
building the array and the type you want. Follow their instructions for
doing so.

Good luck

Ted

"Matt Schneider" > wrote in message
...
> I am currently trying to install Windows XP Professional on
> a RAID 1 set. The drives are both brand new and empty, they
> are both identical drives (Western Digital 80GB *WD800JB*).
> I have a PCI controller card (Extreme IO AP-1680 ATA133
> IDE). When I proceed to being installing Windows XP, the
> prompt on the bottom says "Press F6 if you need to install
> a third party RAID or SCSI Driver". I press F6 many times
> for 1 second, even before the prompt comes up, and it
> doesn't respond. I know my F6 key works and I even tried
> changing keyboards. After it finishes loading all of the
> installation files it prompts me about mass storage devices
> and I can press "S" to install the appropriate drivers.
> Once I do that, it lets me know that the floppy drive is
> empty and I need the floppy disk. The driver disc that came
> with my RAID card is a CD and the instructions lead me to
> believe that when I press F6, I will be prompted
> immediatly. I was wondering if there is any way I can
> install this in a different order or what I need to do to
> make this work. Right now I'm going to install Windows one
> of the Drives and then see if I can add the other and have
> it copy the image of the main drive.
>
> Thank you for any and all help.