I want to perform a clean install of Windows XP Home on my system.
Believe it or not after 10 years of computing I have never had to perform
this.
I have two 160GB Maxtor SATA drives hooked in a RAID 0 array.
Does this install effect the RAID setup in any way?
Will Windows reformat or zero fill these striped drives before it installs?
I went to the Maxtor web site and the zero fill program they had there
indicated it would not work on a RAID array.
--
Onward through the fog

"Shumandu" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:6189C118-EBCA-4342-BCC9-(E-Mail Removed)...
> I want to perform a clean install of Windows XP Home on my system.
> Believe it or not after 10 years of computing I have never had to perform
> this.
> I have two 160GB Maxtor SATA drives hooked in a RAID 0 array.
> Does this install effect the RAID setup in any way?
> Will Windows reformat or zero fill these striped drives before it
installs?
> I went to the Maxtor web site and the zero fill program they had there
> indicated it would not work on a RAID array.
> --
> Onward through the fog

Boot your machine with your WinXP CD, then follow the clues.

An adventure, oh my!
I notice some posts speak of entering F6 at a que to load RAID drivers.
I do have a RAID floppy that came with my system.
I'm guessing those drivers are called by the BIOS to initiate RAID before
Windows loads?
Do these clues ask me if I want to wipe my drives before install?
--
Onward through the fog


"Pegasus (MVP)" wrote:

>
> Boot your machine with your WinXP CD, then follow the clues.

See below.

"Shumandu" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news048194C-0A20-440F-BC47-(E-Mail Removed)...
> An adventure, oh my!
> I notice some posts speak of entering F6 at a que to load RAID drivers.

Correct.

> I do have a RAID floppy that came with my system.

Excellent!

> I'm guessing those drivers are called by the BIOS to initiate RAID before
> Windows loads?

No, the drivers are called by the Windows installation process.

> Do these clues ask me if I want to wipe my drives before install?

Yes, they do.

"Shumandu" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news048194C-0A20-440F-BC47-(E-Mail Removed)...
> An adventure, oh my!
> I notice some posts speak of entering F6 at a que to load RAID drivers.
> I do have a RAID floppy that came with my system.
> I'm guessing those drivers are called by the BIOS to initiate RAID before
> Windows loads?
> Do these clues ask me if I want to wipe my drives before install?
> --
> Onward through the fog
>
>

If your RAID uses a third party controller, you will need the drivers for
these on a floppy disk.
Almost as soon as setup starts you will see a message at the bottom of the
screen telling you to push F6 to specify third party SCSI or RAID drivers.

After some time you will be presented with a screen to specify these third
party devices.

From that point on it is pretty straight forward.

You will be asked where you want to install and if you want to format, (NTFS
only for disks over 32GB), or not. You can do either a full format or quick
format. AFAIK Formatting doesn't overwrite the data with zeros. For that
kind of service you would probably break the array and do each disk
separately
HTH.

Pegasus and dobey,
Thanks for your assistance.
After some further digging I found my system utilizes the Silicon Image, Sil
3512, PCI-to-SATA Host controller chip, for the SATARaid function.
As I understand it the serial ATA controller drivers, Si3512r, are installed
for Windows use by the floppy at the F6 function.
After Windows is installed the Windows Installshield installs the SATARaid
GUI from the original driver CD.
I am in the process of learning how to slipstream SP2 with my original OEM
Windows Home SP1a CD.
I only asked about the zero fill because some posts suggested it was
necessary for a clean install.
Thanks again....shumandu
--
Onward through the fog