Setting up RAID 1 on already running OS drive

pioneerx01

Posts: 279   +2
Hi,

Quick question and I believe the answer is NO. If you have a PC with one drive where OS is already running and configured, can you add another identical drive and configure RAID 1 without having to reinstall or reformat anything?

Thanks
 
Hey there, pioneerx01!

Unfortunately, you can't convert a single drive into a RAID array without data loss. At least one sector will be overwritten, which will cause problems because the file system and partition information will not be correct anymore. This will lead to a lot of annoying notifications and very unpleasant problems.
However, I believe there's a chance to create RAID arrays while keeping the data but I'd strongly advise against it.
The best way to deal with this is the safe way - back up your data and properly create the RAID 1 array.

Hope this helps.
SuperSoph_WD
 
You guessed correctly. In addition, it is a fundamental mistake to boot from a RAID-* Even Microsoft discourages this configuration. Kind of an oxymoron isn't it - - Raid-1 to give fault tolerance but not for the booted system :sigh:
 
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