Using factory restore disc after factory set RAID 5 configuration change

November 19, 2009 5:51 AM

Will changing/removing a factory (DELL) set RAID 5 configuration from a home desktop PC interfere with rebuilding the OS (XP Pro) from the factory restore discs?

I have a home XP Pro system utilizing a RAID 5 array that was setup by the factory. If I want to rebuild the system, but reconfigure the hard drives as two independent drives, will I still be able to use the factory restore disk to restore the OS? I'm afraid that I only have access to XP from the restore disc (shakes fist at Dell). Thanks!

posted by lyam to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Don't know about Dell per se, but I imagine that it's more expensive for Dell to make a restore disc that only supports a certain configuration. So I imagine you'll have some flexibility. Have you tried booting the dics and looking around a bit?
posted by krilli at 6:23 AM on November 19, 2009

The factory restore disc shouldn't be bothered about different size partitions and shouldn't be able to tell the difference between a RAID and a normal volume. However, I'm confused by your post - it's impossible to have a RAID 5 configuration with only two drives.
posted by turkeyphant at 7:09 AM on November 19, 2009

Whoops, ever have one of those false notions corrected over and over again but it still sticks in your brain?

I meant RAID 0. It was originally configured to stripe data for a performance boost. Negligible, IMO. Also, I'm having a hard time creating an image for quick restoration, so I want to reconfigure the drives.
posted by lyam at 7:26 AM on November 19, 2009

The 'restore' CD is just a Windows install CD. Its the same thing you would buy from a retail store; except it only installs onto Dell's. It wont care about your harddrive arrangement.
posted by SirStan at 3:42 PM on November 20, 2009

FYI, I ended up removing the array via the RAID menu that you can access upon start up. I had little difficulty and did not need to physically reconfigure the drives. Thanks all!
posted by lyam at 10:31 AM on February 4, 2010