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6701
January 11th, 2011 19:00
System Image on Raid 0
I have a new Studio XPS 9100 with Raid 0. I dutifully used Win7 system image. About three months later one of the harddrives failed and both had to be replaced. I attempted to restore the system image but could not. I had to purchase software assistance but they couldn't do it either. Eventually I was told Win7 cannot restore system image to Raid 0 since it saves two both harddrives images. This is an unintended consequence of Raid 0.
Now my question is, can I convert my system to either Raid 1 or dual harddrive so I can have the security of Win7 system image restore? Is there an article that explains it in detail for someone with a moderate level (non-expert) of familiarity with computers?
Thanks in advance.
jackshack
6.4K Posts
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January 11th, 2011 21:00
The Dell sytem image resides on a hidden partition of whatever drive you ordered from Dell. Once you lose that drive you no longer have the system image. A RAID is treated as a single drive by the computer; if you have RAID 0, all data is lost if one of the drives fails, including the system image. If you have RAID 1 you have a redundant drive which can be used to restore the computer if required, but that is immaterial in your case.
Dell ships the Studio series with Data Safe 2. This application is intended to be used to make a set of back-up disks that can be used to restore your system. General information on restoring your system can be found here: Windows 7 PC Restore. There is a link on that page to specific information on Data Safe.
If you did not make the back-up disks you will need the Windows 7 Installation DVD. You can request this from Dell Tech Support, or if you live in the U.S., you can use this form: Dell Replacement Disk. Information on installing Windows 7 manually is here: Manual Install of Windows 7.
kapalua
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298 Posts
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January 12th, 2011 06:00
Software exists that will image a Raid 0 aray to another drive which can be restored back, if array problems develop for whatever reasons and you are unable to access your original array. Look for Acronis True Image Home 2011.
This works with SSD's and SSD Arrays as well and will align the image correctly on a new replacement SSD array.
Good luck. Hopefully you have been backing up your data regularly.