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View Full Version : Windows XP software raid...?



Paul
02-26-2009, 03:08 PM
success/failure?

I've always used hardware raids but in the economic down turn i need to turn some desktop hardware into a server... I am thinking about running XP software raid w/ two identical drives (even though it isn't needed), but anyone running this setup and what do you think?

green91
02-26-2009, 07:27 PM
If they are IDE drives put one of each on seperate controllers. Ive done this and had decent performance gains. SATA drive probably won't make much difference. Or you could just pickup a hardware RAID card and not trouble your processor lol.

guinness
02-26-2009, 08:13 PM
I would just pick up a RAID card,however many u may need for your server,& not worry about much anything else.if you really want a server that can do all that you need to do,you should really look into a linux server.granted you may spend about 25 to 30K just for the server,but they are worth every penny.I have bought & used 4 myself & they walk over everything else,from microsoft to IBM.

green91
02-27-2009, 07:11 AM
Huh????? Obviously if he is considering a software raid solution he doesn't need fantastic performance.. plus i have no idea what you are talking about $25-30k for a linux server.. you could build a MASSIVE cluster for much less than that. Ive got a linux server in my home and only have like $600 in it. Even our servers at work that handle hundreds of users didnt cost a fraction of that.

Paul
02-27-2009, 08:00 AM
Huh????? Obviously if he is considering a software raid solution he doesn't need fantastic performance.. plus i have no idea what you are talking about $25-30k for a linux server.. you could build a MASSIVE cluster for much less than that. Ive got a linux server in my home and only have like $600 in it. Even our servers at work that handle hundreds of users didnt cost a fraction of that.

25-30k for a linux server; you can tell he prices these out often :lmfao:


if i'm looking to build a quick server using desktop hardware then obviously i am trying not to spend any money; i'm using a dualcore dell box + 2 sata drives i have lying around. this is a simple file server for our graphics/media dept which consist of 2 guys. i just want to know if anyone is using XP Pro w/ software raid - I know there is a hack out there so you can get it to mirror/raid5, etc. anyone done this and how good did it work?

green91
02-27-2009, 08:45 AM
There was an article a few years back on tomshardware that showed how to to raid 0 or 1 with dynamic drives through XP, lemme see if i can dig the article up again.

Paul
02-27-2009, 09:31 AM
There was an article a few years back on tomshardware that showed how to to raid 0 or 1 with dynamic drives through XP, lemme see if i can dig the article up again.

ya i found that the one where you use hex editor to change 3 files to allow such, i'm thinking about doing that just wondering if anyone on here has tried that.

green91
02-27-2009, 12:40 PM
Ive only done raid striping with XP dynamic drives, never tried mirroring (Raid 1)

Danny
02-27-2009, 05:27 PM
I have been running this card for 8 months 24/7 on a small server at my office. Is a very affordable solution if you decide to go hardware. As far as software, why not use one of the software based raid drivers that a variety of motherboards use? I am sure you have a mobo layin around somewhere that has raid support. Is is there a reason u dont want to go that route? If your on tiny budget i would stick to mobo raid support and some spare sata drives. But then again my knowledge is pretty limited.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816116030

PS. Ill build u a linux box for 12k, thats over half off! :D

Paul
03-01-2009, 12:45 PM
I have been running this card for 8 months 24/7 on a small server at my office. Is a very affordable solution if you decide to go hardware. As far as software, why not use one of the software based raid drivers that a variety of motherboards use? I am sure you have a mobo layin around somewhere that has raid support. Is is there a reason u dont want to go that route? If your on tiny budget i would stick to mobo raid support and some spare sata drives. But then again my knowledge is pretty limited.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816116030

PS. Ill build u a linux box for 12k, thats over half off! :D
there is no budget for this and available hardware doesn't have raid hence use of software. that card is pretty cheap but i can't spend 1$ on this setup.

Danny
03-01-2009, 02:27 PM
there is no budget for this and available hardware doesn't have raid hence use of software. that card is pretty cheap but i can't spend 1$ on this setup.

you got some old school mobos if they dont come with software raid, i feel for ya. i have no idea about any free raid solutions.

green91
03-01-2009, 03:26 PM
a mobo would be hardware raid btw

Danny
03-01-2009, 05:30 PM
a mobo would be hardware raid btw

some much higher end mobos have hardware raid. but most mobos will just be software raid. A budget server would almost forsure have a mobo with software based raid.

Paul
03-02-2009, 07:53 AM
you got some old school mobos if they dont come with software raid, i feel for ya. i have no idea about any free raid solutions.

business class desktops rarely come with raid unless you are buying higher end hardware for jobs like engineering, development, etc

i'm using a dell optiplex so no raid support.