Unraid 0

[jyanko]

I am running rain 0 with XP Pro and Retrospective 7.6. I have two back up sets that I run daily. If I replace my two raid discs with one larger drive can I restore from my backups after installing the operatings system and Retrospective.

[Lennart_T]

That shouldn't be a problem, provided you install the same version of Windows (including all updates).

[jyanko]

Thanks for the info.

 

If I stay with XP for a while longer I will try it once I buy my new disc. I know I need to get rid of the radid 0.

 

I am undecided if I should upgrade to Windows 7 from XP Pro. That requires a complete reinstall of all the software. I will probably stay with XP until I get a new computer.

[Ramon88]

Lennard (as usual) is quite correct, The trouble is... to do this properly you need to update windows -exactly- in the same state as the old install. Not something for everybody.

 

Btw, this is a double posted topic, see: http://forums.dantz.com/showtopic.php?tid/31601/post/127132/hl//fromsearch/1/#127132

[jyanko]

I am not sure I know the definition of "update windows -exactly- in the same state as the old install".

 

From previous reinstalls after a raid 0 failure I start with the XP install then let XP go through all the updates with many reboots untill I am back to the latest updated OS version that I started with. Then I install my original Retrospective and it goes through all the updates to get back to the latest version. At this point I hook up and turn on my USB external hard drive and select my newest catalog file and do the complete reinstall. That also takes a few reboots.

 

I do this with only the windows firewall for protection. I have found that many security programs will screw things up. EMC puts my security programs back in place with the restore. After everthing is complete I do a complete system scan to make sure gremlins have not snuck in.

 

My current OS in in a directory Windows.0 so I assume when I begin the XP reinstall I should make sure that is installed in Windows.0. It got this way from a reinstall I did from a previous raid 0 failure. Windows worked well enough so I could take data out of the original installation and copy to Windows.0. It happened over a long time period and before I knew it all my backups contained the same errors. Raid 0 should be banned.

 

I should have kept a list of all my horror stories about raid 0.

 

I started out using Ghost. That was 3+ years ago. At that time Ghost would not restore to a raid array. It took three weeks of phone calls to India to get someone to tell me they did not support raid at that time. I am now a devote EMC user and would never try another product. I have always gotten straight answers to my questions. Brand X has given me partial or non answers.

 

My original question was motivated by the major change in file locations from raid 0 to no raid. I can see EMC handling that. But the correct new driver must stay in place and old raid driver stay away and all ther registry entries must reflect the new file locations.

 

I don't think an image backup could do the job. I think Retrospect might be able to handle it. In any case I have my backups and all software discs and install codes if I have to rebuild the long way. I like to try to use these experiences to learn from my mistakes.

 

Raid 0 has taught me a lot.

[rhwalker]

jyanko,

 

I would suggest using a disk imaging program or Ghost or some such. Ramon88 is on the right track here. The difference in what I suggest is that, if possible, the disk image, etc., (or even Retrospect, if you decide to go that route) should be done while booted from a different drive (or from a CD / DVD, etc.) so that the main filesystem is quiescent and all internal databases for the OS are self-consistent. The files WILL end up in different locations if you use Retrospect. The files will end up in the same logical sectors if you use a disk imaging program. Some programs (and copy protection schemes) are sensitive to being moved from their original position on the disk.

 

Just a suggestion. And, of course, you might consider removing the RAID0 drives before you boot the newly imaged drive, just to be safe.

 

Retrospect's strength is backup, and that's not quite what you are trying to do here.

 

Russ

[jyanko]

I would definitly remove the two 250 MB discs that create the raid 0 before installing a new 1 TB disc.

 

I am thinking about the following plan. My current configuration is running in a C:\Windows.0 directory. I would install a new versions of XP in a C:\Windows directory, allowing it to upgrade to the latest version. Then do the same with Retrospective.

 

Since all my backups are from the C:\Windows.0 directory I would restore them to C:\Windows.0 creating a second installation of windows. I may have to edit the boot.ini later to allow the selection between the two versions.

 

I believe there is a setting in Retrospective when doing the restore to do a partial restore and not delete the exsisting files on the hard disc.

 

If the C:\Windows.0 restore did not work the new C:\Windows versions should still be OK and I would then do the long process of installing the remaining software one at a time and then putting my data in the appropriate place.

 

For any backup software to make this restore work the registries must have to be rebuilt showing the files unstriped. If the restoring mechanisim can not handle the reindexing of the striped files with a differnt driver I doubt it will work. I have no data to tell me what software has the best chance of working. Since I own Retrospective and not willing to pay for a copy of another product to see if it might work it appears to me my only choice.

 

At this point I have not purchased my new larger drives and am still in the planning stage.

 

Any additional thoughts and comments are more than welcome.