Re Install of windows 7 with mirrored Storage drives, any measures required?

yuyuyup

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It's interesting to understand your arrangement, what I do is install my OS exclusive to a harddrive (or partition.) When I need a new install, I simply create a brand new partition, and leave the old one behind. It's a "wasteful" practice, but data becomes cheaper and cheaper to simply abandon.
 

steve_fox

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It's interesting to understand your arrangement, what I do is install my OS exclusive to a harddrive (or partition.) When I need a new install, I simply create a brand new partition, and leave the old one behind. It's a "wasteful" practice, but data becomes cheaper and cheaper to simply abandon.
Nothing unusual about my setup other than im mirroring, something the majority of home users dont, just people like us outside of the corporate world

I have a O.S drive and storage drives although i suppose you could argue that the average home user does not even do that and has everything on the same drive as their O.S :ohnoes:

I have always used separate storage drives which are no big deal when it comes to the inevitable maintenance reinstall but mirroring is something i only started doing about a year ago and my reinstall is well past being due, i just didn't know how mirrored drives would be affected by a reinstall of windows.
 

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I mean, typically RAID setups are dependent on your bios configuration as well as your OS, plus its just an R1 type, so nothing really needs any worry.

Honestly though it sounds like you should just use drive cloning software and do a clone of your drives every now and again so you have the latest up to date data on each drive. RAID mirroring is useful in case a drive starts dying, outside of that data configurations are almost instantaneous between both drives unless you have some sort of setting that prevents that from always happening (such as to prevent an event of ransomware or the like).

I have done enough of these setups in the past for clients (and myself with my synology) most of the time its not as big of a deal unless you are doing a storage pool scenario between multiple drives, which is always best to have a hot spare in the occasion of drive failure in one of your drives.

Also are you using HDD's or SSD's? If the former how old are they and how many times have you reinstalled windows on them? Finally why don't you use 10 with classic shell if you want to retain the 7 experience?
 

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If it is hardware based RAID, then I would imagine that things should run like normal, may have to install drivers for the hardware to see the RAID array, been I while I touched RAID. I don't recall if hardware based RAID controller gives you the ability to choose which drive to exclude from the array. If memory serves me correctly, with a hardware based RAID, Windows can be installed within the array. Using Software RAID may present a problem if such software does not run on Windows 7 or refuse to install in Windows 7. Not sure if installible software exist for creation of RAID.
I agree with @Dr_Faustus for drive cloning. It just seems more cost effective and can keep the wear and tear down on the backup drive. You can clone once then use Beyond compare software (shareware) to copy over any new or modified/updated files not on the backup drive to the backup drive without recloning if desired.
 

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I mean, typically RAID setups are dependent on your bios configuration as well as your OS, plus its just an R1 type, so nothing really needs any worry.

Honestly though it sounds like you should just use drive cloning software and do a clone of your drives every now and again so you have the latest up to date data on each drive. RAID mirroring is useful in case a drive starts dying, outside of that data configurations are almost instantaneous between both drives unless you have some sort of setting that prevents that from always happening (such as to prevent an event of ransomware or the like).

I have done enough of these setups in the past for clients (and myself with my synology) most of the time its not as big of a deal unless you are doing a storage pool scenario between multiple drives, which is always best to have a hot spare in the occasion of drive failure in one of your drives.

Also are you using HDD's or SSD's? If the former how old are they and how many times have you reinstalled windows on them? Finally why don't you use 10 with classic shell if you want to retain the 7 experience?
My mirroring is done using the Built in windows option, not using anything 3rd party or within bios.

I get what your saying about manually cloning, i used the built in drive mirroring because i thought it would be an easy automated way of having data backed up to a second drive but now its left me in a situation where i have never reinstalled the O.S having mirrored storage drives and biting my nails to the bone over the reinstall ha ha.

My O.S is currently on a HDD but the new install will be on SSD, i have gone for a 256gb drive which is way bigger than i need for the O.S drive, im currently using 80gb of my O.S drive but went for a bigger SSD than i need for the wear leveling capacity.

I did not buy an SSD because i even wanted an SSD, i want to migrate to a different case i have at some point and the stupid thing only has rails for two 3.5" hard drives and two mounts for SSD/2.5" HDD, i have had to 3D print a tray to mount two of the 4 storage drives, it has bags of room for hard drives where the two rails are but only has two rails, so stupid :(
 

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My mirroring is done using the Built in windows option, not using anything 3rd party or within bios.

I get what your saying about manually cloning, i used the built in drive mirroring because i thought it would be an easy automated way of having data backed up to a second drive but now its left me in a situation where i have never reinstalled the O.S having mirrored storage drives and biting my nails to the bone over the reinstall ha ha.

My O.S is currently on a HDD but the new install will be on SSD, i have gone for a 256gb drive which is way bigger than i need for the O.S drive, im currently using 80gb of my O.S drive but went for a bigger SSD than i need for the wear leveling capacity.

I did not buy an SSD because i even wanted an SSD, i want to migrate to a different case i have at some point and the stupid thing only has rails for two 3.5" hard drives and two mounts for SSD/2.5" HDD, i have had to 3D print a tray to mount two of the 4 storage drives, it has bags of room for hard drives where the two rails are but only has two rails, so stupid :(
The issue is with mirroring (perhaps I'm not remembering correctly) if data (file) corruption happens via software side not hardware faults, then that file corruptions carries it across all mirrored data and may not even know of it until too late. Where manual cloning, you may have a chance to recover a known good file from your backup.
Perhaps someone can confirm this or not.
 
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Dr_Faustus

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The issue is with mirroring (perhaps I'm not remembering correctly) if data (file) corruption happens via software side not hardware faults, then that file corruptions carries it across all mirrored data and may not even know of it until too late. Where manual cloning, you may have a chance to recover a known good file from your backup.
Perhaps someone can confirm this or not.
This can happen. In fact I am dealing with a few users at the moment who have corrupted Windows/profiles and my only solution to them is to back up the personal data and doing a fresh install. Since corruption happens on a software/data level and not a hardware level there really is not a difference between what has happened on your front end and on your mirrored backup. That is the whole point of what a mirror is, for better or for worse. The same would happen if you had someone zero out your drive or if you had gotten ransomware'd. The only benefit of Mirroring is immediate failure recovery once the main drive starts to struggle/die. Outside of that a better method is cloning, and depending on the storage medium for that there are technically better solutions than hard drives for that. That said this starts ending the consumer level solutions and enters into enterprise level solutions such as tape drive archive backup systems.

My mirroring is done using the Built in windows option, not using anything 3rd party or within bios.

I get what your saying about manually cloning, i used the built in drive mirroring because i thought it would be an easy automated way of having data backed up to a second drive but now its left me in a situation where i have never reinstalled the O.S having mirrored storage drives and biting my nails to the bone over the reinstall ha ha.

My O.S is currently on a HDD but the new install will be on SSD, i have gone for a 256gb drive which is way bigger than i need for the O.S drive, im currently using 80gb of my O.S drive but went for a bigger SSD than i need for the wear leveling capacity.

I did not buy an SSD because i even wanted an SSD, i want to migrate to a different case i have at some point and the stupid thing only has rails for two 3.5" hard drives and two mounts for SSD/2.5" HDD, i have had to 3D print a tray to mount two of the 4 storage drives, it has bags of room for hard drives where the two rails are but only has two rails, so stupid :(

So with what you are trying to say is you are fresh installing the OS on the mirror, but you are afraid that the mirror will wipe out both drives with the fresh install? I do not entirely understand. If this is the case you should unplug your mirrored drive right before install as the mirror could do what it is designed to do and mirror the fresh install on both drives, losing your archived data on both.

Outside of this if your solution that you are seeking is a data archive backup or a rescue image of your OS/Data it would be beneficial and even cheap to invest into an external HDD and use a cloning program or even windows built in back up system that will make backups periodically on your external drive in the event of failure, virus or ransomware attack. That is something we have set up on *a lot* of our clients. At least the cheaper ones who cannot afford cloud backup/enterprise solutions.
 
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steve_fox

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This can happen. In fact I am dealing with a few users at the moment who have corrupted Windows/profiles and my only solution to them is to back up the personal data and doing a fresh install. Since corruption happens on a software/data level and not a hardware level there really is not a difference between what has happened on your front end and on your mirrored backup. That is the whole point of what a mirror is, for better or for worse. The same would happen if you had someone zero out your drive or if you had gotten ransomware'd. The only benefit of Mirroring is immediate failure recovery once the main drive starts to struggle/die. Outside of that a better method is cloning, and depending on the storage medium for that there are technically better solutions than hard drives for that. That said this starts ending the consumer level solutions and enters into enterprise level solutions such as tape drive archive backup systems.



So with what you are trying to say is you are fresh installing the OS on the mirror, but you are afraid that the mirror will wipe out both drives with the fresh install? I do not entirely understand. If this is the case you should unplug your mirrored drive right before install as the mirror could do what it is designed to do and mirror the fresh install on both drives, losing your archived data on both.

Outside of this if your solution that you are seeking is a data archive backup or a rescue image of your OS/Data it would be beneficial and even cheap to invest into an external HDD and use a cloning program or even windows built in back up system that will make backups periodically on your external drive in the event of failure, virus or ransomware attack. That is something we have set up on *a lot* of our clients. At least the cheaper ones who cannot afford cloud backup/enterprise solutions.
No, My two mirrored volumes are storage, my O.S is on a separate non mirrored drive and my worry is what a fresh install of windows would make of two mirrors being presented to it that were made in a previous windows install, i wont be doing anything to the mirrored drives during the reinstall other than disconnecting the 4 drives till the install is complete.
 

RandomUser

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This can happen. In fact I am dealing with a few users at the moment who have corrupted Windows/profiles and my only solution to them is to back up the personal data and doing a fresh install. Since corruption happens on a software/data level and not a hardware level there really is not a difference between what has happened on your front end and on your mirrored backup. That is the whole point of what a mirror is, for better or for worse. The same would happen if you had someone zero out your drive or if you had gotten ransomware'd. The only benefit of Mirroring is immediate failure recovery once the main drive starts to struggle/die. Outside of that a better method is cloning, and depending on the storage medium for that there are technically better solutions than hard drives for that. That said this starts ending the consumer level solutions and enters into enterprise level solutions such as tape drive archive backup systems.



So with what you are trying to say is you are fresh installing the OS on the mirror, but you are afraid that the mirror will wipe out both drives with the fresh install? I do not entirely understand. If this is the case you should unplug your mirrored drive right before install as the mirror could do what it is designed to do and mirror the fresh install on both drives, losing your archived data on both.

Outside of this if your solution that you are seeking is a data archive backup or a rescue image of your OS/Data it would be beneficial and even cheap to invest into an external HDD and use a cloning program or even windows built in back up system that will make backups periodically on your external drive in the event of failure, virus or ransomware attack. That is something we have set up on *a lot* of our clients. At least the cheaper ones who cannot afford cloud backup/enterprise solutions.
Thank you for confirming and also never thought of that scenario. That would be pretty bad for that to happen.

@steve_fox
I tried to emulate some of your setup by using virtual machine. Here is what happens when using Disk Management dynamic disk feature in Windows 10 to create an array, then Windows 7 Disk Management.
Dynamic1.png

It reads as "Foreign" which makes sense since Windows 10 uses later version of Disk Managment. You cannot view the contents of your mirrored array. That is until you import them:
Dynamic2.png

Then the contents seems to be readable. I was able to read a small text file as a test file. Your mileage may vary, so I recommend to try it in a virtual machine using virtual hardware, and then you can replicate the action on your real hardware. Be aware that I'm not responsible for your data and you're taking the risk.
Edit:
By doing this, Windows 10 will not be able to see the contents of your array, until you import them again in Windows 10. It seems to be a back and forth game.
 
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So I finally got around to doing it and thought I'd post an update for anyone finding this through a search and hopefully help them too.

It was completely painless, I reinstalled windows (7) without the disks connected then once I'd sorted the machine out I connected the four drives and the found new hardware process completed but no drives displayed in 'my computer' but that didn't worry me too much as I kinda expected them to be offline so headed out to disk management and like Ransomuser found in his test, they are flagged as foreign disks.

Imported the disks to the new install and it recognised the four disks as being two mirrors and with just two clicks to import the two mirrors it was done and dusted and no more action required.

I actually ended up swapping out my MB, CPU, RAM and GPU so it was an entirely different machine in the end.

Will look into making win 10 behave and look like 7 at some pont as I have a laptop dual booting 7 and 10 that I can experiment on but for now sticking with 7 as out of the box I can't stand 10.
 

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