Raid 10 problem - complex, need expert advice please

[Guest]

Windows XP Home SP2
Asustek P5B E Plus mobo w Intel P965 ICH8R
Newly built pc
I have installed my OS on a 200 Gb SATA HDD running from the JMicron SATA
controller on the Mobo. Driver was installed for this during OS setup at the
F6 point. I also installed the Intel Raid driver at this point, and the Intel
Matrix Storage manager.
I have successfully configured a RAID 10 array in BIOS, using four 250Gb
SATA HDDs.
The problem is, Windows is not recognising the RAID array. I have looked in
Disk Management, and the array appears as a drive "Unallocated". But when I
right click on it, I do not get the option to Initialise. I do not get the
option to Creat Dynamic Volume. I have tried the Rescan option from the
Actions menu but it makes no difference. The only option available seems to
be New Partition, which leads to a window saying that this will be a
partition on a Basic disk. Is this the route I should take? It seems odd,
because when I did this once before on a different system, I am pretty sure
the raid was a Dynamic volume.
Is there anything else I should have done?

 

[peter]

Created the RAID before you installed XP
peter

 

[Guest]

Yes I did - from the BIOS, before I installed XP

Mike

 

[RonK]

You also need to Create the Raid just before it boots to the DVDas well as
in the Bios. Read below:
http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/iaa_raid/sb/CS-009325.htm

 

[Guest]

Try clerifying what youre trying to do...Why create a RAID set but put the OS
on a solo SATA hd,what use is the RAID set but for storage if the OS is solo
on the SATA hd....You could add to or create a RAID set after the install
but not
with a 200GB when the RAID hds are 250....Try removing the 200 SATA,set the
BIOS to boot to xp cd (1st priority) set RAID as 2nd,press F6
option,install xp
on RAID.Doesnt sound to complex,also,installing jmicron drivers for SATA isnt
needed,and installing (you think you did but didnt) intel matrix drivers at
the
same time doesnt work,intel matrix isnt jmicron,& the drivers have nothing to
do with that controller...Plus,try reading the owners manual...

 

[Guest]

I have solved the problem. I had done everything correctly, but what I
should have done is created a new partition on the raid volume. As I pointed
out, I was reluctant to follow that route because it seemed to be saying that
it was creating a partition on a Basic disk, and I felt sure I needed a
dynamic. What I had not understood was the subtle language difference between
a dynamic disk and a dynamic volume.
Having checked this out on the MS knowledge base I went ahead, followed the
partition wizard, which then formatted the volume, assigned it a drive
letter, and it was, of course, now visible and usable in Windows My Computer.