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bill4d

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  1. I guess it would be software RAID. After initializing the disk and formatting them, Windows 7 then asked if I wanted to configure them as RAID. So I never even went into the BIOS after the initializing and formatting was done to the new drives. They appear to be functioning fine though. I'm not sure how I could verify that each drive is in fact writing data identical to the other drive. The drives are two, Western Digital 1 TB RE-4 drives.
  2. No problem. I guess I'll just try a cable adapter first as it's only $10-$20. If that doesn't work I guess I'll have go to someone that makes dongle emulator software.
  3. I definately don't want to add a PCI card just to get this software working. I'd rather go the dongle emulator route first. I'm just not sure if the USB - Parallel port converter cable will function like I need it to. The program is actually not old. There is a 2011 version. My version is old, but it is the same basic program as their later released versions.
  4. I have an old version of 3D Studio MAX v3.1, that I purchased legally, and do have the serial number. The problem is, my new computer obviously does not have a parallel port for the dongle to attach to. Is it possible to use a parallel to USB cable adapter to make the dongle function properly? I checked and there is such a cable made. Thanks for any help.
  5. Yes. I am speaking of the initializing prcess present in Disk Management of Windows. These are new hard drives, installed in the tower and register in disk management, but have not been initialized yet.
  6. Okay next question is: Do I initialize the drives as MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table) ? Again, these 2 drives will be in RAID 1 and used for file storage and NOT the OS. Thanks.
  7. Is formatting a new drive required after it has been initialized?
  8. I have a SSD I am using for my OS. I also have two 1 TB Western Digital drives I want to use for storage of files. I need some guidance on the proper steps to get the drives up and running. They are brand new and already installed in the computer, but not initialized yet. Do they need to be initialized first and then formatted? Is formatting part of the initializing process? Or, are they separate steps? Then, do I just go into the BIOS on boot up and fix the appropriate settings to configure my RAID array? Thnaks for any help.
  9. The current machine I'm on at work has XP and did find that file. This file is something that is included in Windows 7, I assume??
  10. Can you explain what is involved in installing the "RAID drivers into Windows 7"? I'm not sure I understand what you mean or what needs to be installed. I thought the ability to create a RAID array came from the BIOS screen and you could select which drives make up the array. Thanks.
  11. So, should the firmware of the SSD be updated before or after the Windows install? And would this be something Windows possibly does on it's own anyway?
  12. How do you mean "safely"?You say you are already using the RAID volume for storage, there is no reason to assume the data on it will be affected by an installation of Windows on another volume, and if you are running Windows 7 currently then there must be drivers for your RAID controller to be able to access the data. To avoid wear on the SSD you should get into the habit of using your storage volume for temporary files, frequently updated data and small files which would not benefit from the low latency or read time. That depends entirely on whether there are in-box drivers from the manufacturer for your RAID controller.The easiest way to determine this is to see if the volume appears (as a single volume, not 2 separate disks) during the setup phase where you pick the volume on which to install Windows. If it appears there as 1 disk then once Windows is installed it will be available too - if not, then you'll need to have the chipset/disk controller drivers ready to install after installing Windows (or see if they come down automatically via Windows Update). This is definitely something to check in the forums for the SSD manufacturer (OCZ, Kingston, Intel, Crucial, etc.) - there are often tools to help clean & prepare SSDs, as well as check alignment and there may be firmware updates to apply to the disk itself before putting any data on it at all.When Windows 7 is installed on an SSD it auotmatically detects this to disable Superfetch & disk defragmenting so you don't need to do it manually as was necessary before. I am not currently using Windows 7, I plan to do a clean install of it on my SSD. I was just checking to see if it was acceptable to have drives for storage reconnected to the MB after the install of a new OS. Can you explain a little more detail on what files I should get in the habit of writing to the storage drives? Temporary internet files...... what other types of files? And, can I just go into these area and reassign where the temp files are written to? I will look into the acceptaed way to prepare the SSD. Thanks for your input.
  13. I am going to do a clean install of windows 7 on my SSD. I have a few questions about how I should go about it. I have 2 additional 1.5 TB drives (in RAID 1) just for storage. Can I store all my data here safely during the install of Windows 7 on the solid state drive? After the Windows 7 install, will the 1.5 TB drives be recognized, or are there some steps that need to be taken? How should I prepare the SSD prior to doing the Windows 7 install? Other than backing up the data, do I just put in the DVD and let the disk go through the formatting process of the drive? Thanks for any help.
  14. After going through the whole mess with my Seagate 7200.11 drives, I want to get the most reliable drives I can. Does anyone have any thoughts on the WD Enterpise line of drives such as the WD RE4? They are about twice the cost of the consumer drives such as the Caviar Green and Black drives.
  15. I need to buy two 1 TB hard drives. I'm replacing some Seagate drives that I was refunded for. Does anyone have any advice on the best quality, most reliable brand and model of drive they would recommend? So far I was considering the Wesetrn Digital Caviar Black 1TB. Thanks for any feedback.
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