Asus RIVE X79 RAID Issue

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Joined
31 May 2012
Posts
3
Hey Guys n Gals,

The setup i'm trying to build currently is:

Rampage IV Extreme
WD 300GB 3.5" SATA-III 6Gb/s VELOCIRAPTOR Hard Drive - 10,000RPM x2
WD 2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s Caviar Green Hard Drive
Corsair 120GB Force 3 SSD

Now all these drives are SATA 3 (6GB) compatible and the MB internal controllers are as such:
Intel® X79 chipset :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red
4 x SATA 3Gb/s port(s), black
Support Raid 0, 1, 5, 10
ASMedia® PCIe SATA controller :
2 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s), red

The Corsair 120GB Force 3 SSD is plugged into SATA6G_1.
The WD 2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s Caviar Green Hard Drive is plugged into SATA6G_2
The 2 Velociraptor drives are plugged into SATA3G_3 & 4
SATAG_1 & 2 are occupied by optical drives.
Nothing is in the ASMedia Controller.

My goal is to load Window 7 Home Premium onto the SSD, RAID0 the 2 Raptor drives and have the 2TB as storage.

I have tried installing Windows while in AHCI Mode on the BIOS (BIOS Version 1305, latest). This loaded Windows and booted all ok, however when then trying to switch to RAID Mode after the Windows bootup logo appears the PC BSOD. After reading some forums I found the general consensus is that you cant load Windows in AHCI and then change to RAID.

So last night I installed Windows in RAID Mode, having to install the RAID Controller Drivers via USB. Windows installs, it then says it needs to restart to complete installation however I get this error:

"Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem:
1 Insert your Windows installation disc and restart your computer.
2 Choose your langauge settings, and then click "Next".
3 Click "Repair your computer"

If you do not have this disc, contact your system administrator or computer manufacturer for assistance.

File: \Windows\system32\drivers\iaStorA.sys

Status: 0xc0000359

Info: Windows failed to load because a critical system driver is missing, or corrupt."

Now I have a iaStorA.sys on the USB but no idea how or where to put it into. Any and all help will be appreciated.


Many thanks in advance for responses,

DeChe.
 
First of all, you should have your drives formated.
Second, remove all other drives from the ports (although I installed my RAID with my other drives plugged in, dunno why can't you).
Third, boot, get into Bios, and set your drives into RAID mode.
Fourth, boot and enter into the RAID menu/software, pick the drives, set the RAID array, and boot with your Win7 x64 DVD disk into your DVD drive.
Fifht, load your Win7 from DVD drive (maybe you'll have to enter one more time into Bios in order to change your boot drive).
Sixth, install Windows, shut down, plug your other drives, restart and get into Windows..

Of course, you should install your latest drivers previously, when in Windows and only the RAID drives..
And, had your RAID drives into an USB pendrive for the installation process.. You must load from the pendrive when you're into the RAID menu..

Your motherboard's manual should tell you this.. Mine is an Asus ROG model too, and it came with a very nice and clear manual.. ;)

Best regards.. :)
 
I just raided a couple of 1TB F3s on my RIVE and it was pretty simple.

I had already installed Windows on my Samsung SSD in AHCI mode and that was plugged in the SATA 6G port. Plugged the F3s into the SATA 3G ports, booted and went into BIOS and set the drives to RAID mode. Then when I restarted, I just pressed CTRL + I to go into the raid setup and set up RAID 0 on the two F3s.

When I rebooted, it was left in Raid mode and my PC BSODed on the Windows startup so I went back to BIOS and reset the drives to AHCI mode. The F3s still show up as raided though and the benchmark results indicates that RAID is working perfectly fine. The chipset drivers might need to be installed for it all to work properly. The only issue is that Intel Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise doesn't work but from what I've read, if you get it to work, you have to uninstall some other drivers and that will impact performance.
 
I just raided a couple of 1TB F3s on my RIVE and it was pretty simple.

I had already installed Windows on my Samsung SSD in AHCI mode and that was plugged in the SATA 6G port. Plugged the F3s into the SATA 3G ports, booted and went into BIOS and set the drives to RAID mode. Then when I restarted, I just pressed CTRL + I to go into the raid setup and set up RAID 0 on the two F3s.

When I rebooted, it was left in Raid mode and my PC BSODed on the Windows startup so I went back to BIOS and reset the drives to AHCI mode. The F3s still show up as raided though and the benchmark results indicates that RAID is working perfectly fine. The chipset drivers might need to be installed for it all to work properly. The only issue is that Intel Rapid Storage Technology Enterprise doesn't work but from what I've read, if you get it to work, you have to uninstall some other drivers and that will impact performance.

You sir... are a.... GENIUS! OMG I LOVE YOU AND WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES!
 
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