I currently have a AMD mobo RAID 10 array consisting of 4 drives of a total capacity now available of 2TB.
I can change those RAID arrays without effecting the disks. That means I can split the array in two if I want without overwriting the MBR/partition table. That means no data is destroyed at all, but Windows won't boot from the changed (now smaller) array.
I have tried two things:
- Automatic startup repair, will just exercise the drive for a countless amount of time, takes much too long, not sure what it is doing, I just rebooted.
After:
- Refresh Windows, but complains the Drive is locked and won't do anything, from the console window I can see now drivers and I don't know about any partitioning tools from the command line still in Windows.
These things I got I believe by booting from the Windows 8.1 Pro install DVD.
So Refresh Windows never works (to my recollection) since it always complains about locked drives and Automatic Startup Repair I let it run for 15 minutes, but it hadn't done anything.
So when I delete the arrays and recreate the original one, Windows starts again as usual no problem.
Maybe there's something about drive geometry no longer being right, I don't know. I guess this doesn't work then and I can only change the arrays by reinstalling my system; in that sense.
Windows *tries* to load but then it fails with an error message and quickly reboots.
Only troubleshooting I can do at this point is to run a Linux live DVD and see what happens to my partition layout.
There are only two partitions; the Windows System Reserved boot partition, and the C: partition itself.
It's a shame; perhaps I can split the arrays again but then I really wanted 3 arrays on my system but the RAID controller BIOS only allows me to create 2 max, no matter what sizes I specify. Bummer.
Reason for me to split things is that I want to use TrueCrypt whole drive encryption on a part of the total "array". But the way it is now I can only encrypt either the system partition (C
or the entire thing, which in the end is 2TB and may not allow me to subsequently do encryption of other partitions, that I do not know yet.
Ideally my setup would be a whole disk encryption of a "C: + D:" drive (array), and a whole disk encryption of the 2nd array (E
en then the last array I can keep unencrypted if i want.
Unfortunately that won't work as I can only create two arrays. So what remains is splitting it in two which I don't really like but still. I wonder if the partition table will still remain valid if I split the arrays. Geometry might mess things up.
I *was* using split arrays (each 1TB) before I installed Win8 so I don't feel much like installing again. Then I remembered how I had wanted my setup to be and now I realize it can't even be done, again. Maybe I should just use partition encryption all over the place when needed but that does reveal all the partition tables to the outside. I kinda like having this stuff hidden, it's important. And I want to replicate the setup I had at home (3 separate disks, instead of 1 raid). Such a darn shame the RAID BIOS won't allow me to create more than 2 arrays.
Before someone says "Where's the question?" -- my question is whether it is possible to get Windows running again on a changed AMD RAID array. Since nothing changed on disk; the disk appears to be different to the OS.
I can change those RAID arrays without effecting the disks. That means I can split the array in two if I want without overwriting the MBR/partition table. That means no data is destroyed at all, but Windows won't boot from the changed (now smaller) array.
I have tried two things:
- Automatic startup repair, will just exercise the drive for a countless amount of time, takes much too long, not sure what it is doing, I just rebooted.
After:
- Refresh Windows, but complains the Drive is locked and won't do anything, from the console window I can see now drivers and I don't know about any partitioning tools from the command line still in Windows.
These things I got I believe by booting from the Windows 8.1 Pro install DVD.
So Refresh Windows never works (to my recollection) since it always complains about locked drives and Automatic Startup Repair I let it run for 15 minutes, but it hadn't done anything.
So when I delete the arrays and recreate the original one, Windows starts again as usual no problem.
Maybe there's something about drive geometry no longer being right, I don't know. I guess this doesn't work then and I can only change the arrays by reinstalling my system; in that sense.
Windows *tries* to load but then it fails with an error message and quickly reboots.
Only troubleshooting I can do at this point is to run a Linux live DVD and see what happens to my partition layout.
There are only two partitions; the Windows System Reserved boot partition, and the C: partition itself.
It's a shame; perhaps I can split the arrays again but then I really wanted 3 arrays on my system but the RAID controller BIOS only allows me to create 2 max, no matter what sizes I specify. Bummer.
Reason for me to split things is that I want to use TrueCrypt whole drive encryption on a part of the total "array". But the way it is now I can only encrypt either the system partition (C

Ideally my setup would be a whole disk encryption of a "C: + D:" drive (array), and a whole disk encryption of the 2nd array (E

Unfortunately that won't work as I can only create two arrays. So what remains is splitting it in two which I don't really like but still. I wonder if the partition table will still remain valid if I split the arrays. Geometry might mess things up.
I *was* using split arrays (each 1TB) before I installed Win8 so I don't feel much like installing again. Then I remembered how I had wanted my setup to be and now I realize it can't even be done, again. Maybe I should just use partition encryption all over the place when needed but that does reveal all the partition tables to the outside. I kinda like having this stuff hidden, it's important. And I want to replicate the setup I had at home (3 separate disks, instead of 1 raid). Such a darn shame the RAID BIOS won't allow me to create more than 2 arrays.
Before someone says "Where's the question?" -- my question is whether it is possible to get Windows running again on a changed AMD RAID array. Since nothing changed on disk; the disk appears to be different to the OS.
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