How do I undo raid 1?

  • Thread starter katpeeler
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katpeeler

katpeeler

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katpeeler
I have 2 X 2 TB hard drives that a friend put in a raid 1 configuration (mirrored) that I now want to use them as separate HD's. I have backed up data and ready to proceed but I am skeptical. I have my operating system (Windows 7) on a separate but smaller HD. I google but came up with different solutions and was hoping to get advice from the good people in here.

These HD will mainly be for media storage.
 
If you want to unRAID them just remove them from the array.

If it is using the motherboard raid, just go into the RAID menu and follow the prompts to remove them from the array if that doesnt work, go to the BIOS settings and set the controller to ACHI instead of RAID
 
I guess we need to know the RAID controller details. It should be OK as it's a mirror. If it were a RAID 5 and you wanted to disable the array so you could remove a disk, you would render them all useless. Let us know the RAID controller and we can look up the steps and what actually happens when removing RAID.
 
DQuaN
I guess we need to know the RAID controller details. It should be OK as it's a mirror. If it were a RAID 5 and you wanted to disable the array so you could remove a disk, you would render them all useless. Let us know the RAID controller and we can look up the steps and what actually happens when removing RAID.
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I think your thinking of RAID 0.

RAID 5 has one parity drive so if you remove one, the array still should work, if another is removed it is cactus.

If you disable any RAID array the data is gone unless you rebuild the array using specialized software.
 
I can see Im over my head.....I have no idea what yall are talking about..as far as a motherboard raid, it does not have the same motherboard it had to begin with. I have changed it and used the HD's....unfortunatly I cant get up with the guy that put my HD's in RAID.....but after doing a google search I have figure out it is in RAID 1 because I wanted it the PC to back itself up....And now I want space more that I want a backup of data...Is there a 'Unraid for dummies" link out there???
 
How do you know you are in RAID?

Did you enable it.
Most OEMs dont use RAID at all

To disable RAID you disable it in the RAID menu which you can enter during boot up or you go into your motherboard and disable it.

Get a screenshot of your device manager with the discs tree collapsed.
 
Grayfox
I think your thinking of RAID 0.

RAID 5 has one parity drive so if you remove one, the array still should work, if another is removed it is cactus.

If you disable any RAID array the data is gone unless you rebuild the array using specialized software.
Click to expand...

I mean disabling RAID at the controller. It will make the data useless. Sometimes (depending on the controller), disabling RAID 1 can leave you with 2 identical disks that work fine. But not always.

He's saying some guy set it up for him.

As you said, a screenshot of disk management and device manager would be helpful.
 
Remove one of the drives, attach it to a different non-RAID controller be it either a separate internal controller/port or even a USB controller. Reformat the drive, copy contents from other drive still in array to newly formatted drive. The RAID array will be in a degraded state so the controller might limit performance. And this assumes that you don't have an OS on the array that you're trying to preserve in a bootable state.
 
Grayfox
How do you know you are in RAID?

Did you enable it.
Most OEMs dont use RAID at all

To disable RAID you disable it in the RAID menu which you can enter during boot up or you go into your motherboard and disable it.

Get a screenshot of your device manager with the discs tree collapsed.
Click to expand...

A friend of mine built the PC for me a few years ago. I was using the PC as a HTPC and wanting my HD that had my media on it to back up itself on the OTHER HD. So he put the Hard Drives in a RAID for me. Now I want the space instead of the backup ability of my HD's. I will get a screen shot of what you need if you can explane what you want..I know a little about PC's but not as much as you..
 
I bet your using a motherboard raid, intel matrix storage, or a softraid mirror volume.

Look for these things:

Look in start/programs for "Intel Matrix Storage Console".
When you restart before your BIOS screen do you see something like this?

screenshot.gif


If you open "disk management" (right-click on Computer, choose manage, then find disk management)

mirror-created.png


Notice Disk1 and Disk2 are red lines indicated a mirrored volume.

See if any of these two apply.
 
Thank you for the pics...that is exactly what I had to do....Wish you would have replied sooner..=)...But I will bookmark this in case I ever have to do this again
 
Infinital-NG
Which one was it?
Click to expand...
It was a Motherboard Raid...Im not real familiar with PC's and a buddy built/Raid the first one. I found out he knew a LITTLE more than I did when it was all done...I then replaced my Motherboard/Processor/Graphics card and a different buddy did it for me...he is very knowledgeable about PC's but even he was having an issue..it was a pain in the butt
 

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