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Incorrectly HD/RAID Configured XPS
I just received my new XPS yesterday and was thrilled-a major investment for me in state of the art hardware. My delight was shortlived. I spent hours migrating all my data and getting things set up only to discover that my computer had been configured with system, boot and all pre-installed software on the 250mb second drive and that my 2X74 RAID configured primary drives were unused. I'm amazed that this kind of mistake could be made. After hours of technical support on the phone last night I was told that my only choice is to reconfigure the boot sequence, completely re-install all of the system and pre-installed applications and then add my data back. I can no longer migrate it so this will be a long and tedious task. All of this work is me trying to fix a mistake that I didn't make. Is there another way to solve this that might be easier?
- Why do they sell RAID hard drives? Based on what you're saying I'd be better off with 2X250s-more space less money. Also, why does RAID only appear in the primary hard drive category on DEll site(what I ordered) and not in the backup which I ordered so that I'd be prepared if either of the 2 Raid drives failed.
RAID comes in multple varieties. You CAN safely install Windows to a RAID5 partition - that includes not only data striping for performance, but also parity, so that if one drive fails, you don't lose the entire array.
You can also safely use a RAID1 array as a boot drive (mirrored drives). It's striping without parity (RAID0) that is the danger zone.
That's interesting. All the other gaming system manufacturer's install the OS to their RAID 0 array, with recognition that it is for speed, and comprimises data safety. That's what I bought my machine to do - play games.
My decision to get this configuration was based on the information on the Dell site - that RAID 0 greatly improves gaming performance.
- I had purchased a new XPS Gen 3 about 6 weeks ago. The OS was loaded to the back-up drive. Dell XPS Tech support indicated that this was indeed an error and talked me through a re-partition with loading the OS on the 2X74Gb. (10K) RAID 0 array.... the next day my efforts culminated in the black screen of death. I sent the system back and re-ordered... the next system was also mis-configured. I appreciated that there is an enhanced risk of meltdown ( roughly twice?) if one's OS in on a RAID 0 array, but that's why God made back-ups. Without using the RAID Array as the boot drive, the speed advantage-- which is quite real when manipulating large files- like video-- is lost.A second call to XPS support resulted in a promise that a bulletin would be issued to assemblers, but I see it didn't result in any changes yet. Is every XPS Gen III with RAID mis-configured?
Mine was. Right out of the box I had to reformat and re-install everything to set it up as intended. My RAID 0 is my boot drive and my secondary 400 GB drive is for storing my backup images of my RAID. RAID 0 is no more risky than any other configuration, if you keep proper backups. Amazing what daily drive images can do for backup.
@eagleye49 wrote:
Is every XPS Gen III with RAID mis-configured?
- The big question is: when will Dell begin to configure the XPS Gen 3 with RAID appropriately? I'd love to reorder, but my e-mails to Dell heve been met with blank cyber-expressions. Has anyone with a mis-configured system actually talked or corresponded with anyone at Dell who recognizes the potential magnitude of this problem? I suspect that most systems are happily in use with owners who have not even recognized they have lost the speed advantage for which they paid so dearly.
- This whole incident has been very disappointing. Lacking technical proficiency, I hired someone to assist me with the transition from my old to new machine. Dell's error-not shipping me what I ordered based on their recommendation and what they committed to-somehow became my problem to fix. The cost of additional technician time, and my time and aggravation was a significant expense to me. I remain surprised that Dell hasn't in some way offered to compensate us for fixing their mistake. This seems a significant departure from their reputation for quality and excellence in customer service.
- I had similar feelings. I spent a conservatively estimated 15-20 hours in an effort to rectify things. I was offered a $75 gift certificate- better than nothing, but if it was not for Dell's reasonably priced top-shelf hardware, I'd bag it! I most certainly would not order an extended warranty...
ejn63
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Posted October 1st, 2004 01:00
It's not a mistake. Microsoft itself does not recommend using a RAID 0 array as the boot drive for an operating system. The lack of redundancy exposes you to twice the risk of data loss should a drive fail (lose either drive, lose the array). Recovering data from a failed RAID0 array is very, very difficult.
RAID 0 provides no performance advantage for a desktop system. That's been proven time and time again.
You're better off leaving it as Dell shipped it.
Message Edited by ejn63 on 09-30-2004 10:07 PM