Spanning Drives

[RiverDog]

I have a Win 7 system that is strictly used as a back system. It has a 1TB, with the OS installed, and two 500GB drives that I set up as a spanned volume. What I would like to do this weekend is a complete reinstall but convert all the disks into a single spanned volume. This would allow me to do a back from my other system onto what would be seen as a 2TB single drive. Is it possible to install windows to a spanned volume and if so, how do I format the drives before the install? Or can the existing system be expanded to form a single spanned drive? If I can’t do this, could I partition the 1TB drive into a small partition with the OS on and extend the remaining into a single spanned drive?

 

[imagoon]

You would need a controller to set the disks up as JBOD. Windows will not natively install to a software JBOD so a RAID controller of some sort woudl be needed. Realized that a single failed disk means everything is lost in this set up and is typically only used for temp or scratch space.

 

[RiverDog]

I'm not too concerned about reliability, this is a secondary backup device and if there is a failure i have replacement disks to use. I might have a raid controller on that motherboard, I'll need to check when I get home.

 

[Mushkins]

Dont forget to have media on hand to side-load the controller drivers during installation. I hate forgetting that step :/

 

[ViRGE]

You would need a controller to set the disks up as JBOD.

Actually that is incorrect. You can setup JBOD entirely in software on Windows. Just convert the two disks to dynamic disks, and from there you can create a spanned (JBOD) volume using said disks.

 

[imagoon]

To the best of my knowledge that is incorrect. You should be able to setup JBOD entirely in software on Windows. Just convert the two disks to dynamic disks, and from there you can create a spanned (JBOD) volume using said disks.

You can't install windows to a JBOD. You can create a JBOD with windows in software but the system disk cannot be joined. Since he wants to install windows to a JBOD he would need a controller.

 

[ViRGE]

You can't install windows to a JBOD. You can create a JBOD with windows in software but the system disk cannot be joined. Since he wants to install windows to a JBOD he would need a controller.

Ahh right. I forgot that it can't be booted in that configuration. Good call.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Why not find a small, cheap hard drive somewhere (if you don't already have one sitting around) and install Windows to it instead? Just as long as you have an additional SATA (or IDE?) header available. Then you can span the larger drives for only data. It would also be marginally more reliable, as the failure of any one of those data drives wouldn't mean having to reinstall the OS.

 

[RiverDog]

Why not find a small, cheap hard drive somewhere (if you don't already have one sitting around) and install Windows to it instead? Just as long as you have an additional SATA (or IDE?) header available. Then you can span the larger drives for only data. It would also be marginally more reliable, as the failure of any one of those data drives wouldn't mean having to reinstall the OS.

That's exactly what I did. I had an old 100GB sitting on a shelf, installed Windows to it, and then set up the other drives as spanned. Since this is a secondary backup, I can replace any failed drive and redo the backup. I have everything backed up on external drives as well.