Upgraded RAID discs didn't grow.

June 27, 2004 12:41 PM

I have a RAID 1 running on an Adaptec 1200A controller. I want to increase harddrive size from 50GB to 200GB. So I changed out one of the 50GB with the 200GB, copied and then changed out the remaining 50GB with the other 200GB. So I have everything running as 200GB but Windows (and the RAID BIOS configuration) shows me as only having 50GB. Please tell me I can do this without formatting the harddrives and without wasting $300+ on these expensive drives.

I thought it'd be as simple as swapping out harddrives in a non-RAID configuration. I tried going to "Create Array" in the BIOS, but apparently I can't, nor can I delete a bootable array. I feel like I've hit a brick wall. I'm waiting anxiously for the simple "Did you try this?" to which I'll go "How the hell did I miss that?"

posted by geoff. to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

RAID1 requires that each drive is the same size. So when you swapped a 50 for a 200, the controller marked it as a 50. Then when you swapped in the other 200, it got marked as a 50 as well.

you need to:
(1) swap the 50gb drives back in
(2) add a 200 gb drive on an ordinary (non-RAID) controller
(3) copy your data from teh 50 GB RAID array to the 200 GB disk
(4) pull both RAID 50 GBI disks
(5) add one 50 GB disk to the ordinary (non-RAID) controller
(6) copy the data from the 200 GB disk to the non-RAID 50 GB disk
(7) put both 200 GB disks into the RAID controller
(8) reformat / reconfigure the RAID system so it is a new array of 200 GB disks
(9) copy data from the 50 GB disk to the 200 GB RAID array.
posted by Kwantsar at 2:24 PM on June 27, 2004

Response by poster: Sounds like I got a fun Monday ahead of me. Thanks.
posted by geoff. at 5:45 PM on June 27, 2004

Response by poster: What's the best way to copy the harddrives? Do you mind e-mailing me in my profile? Thanks.
posted by geoff. at 9:36 AM on June 28, 2004