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Need Help, Backup or cloning?

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Hi everyone, need some advice as to what to do.
I have a Dell Studio 540 desktop with 2 Samsung 600mb Hard drives in RAID 0 arrangement. Operating system is Vista x64
Got the message that a drive in RAID 0 volume is failling and to try to backup data inmediately.
My question is: I would like to replace this RAID 0 volume with a single 2TB WD Caviar Green SATA HD.   Is this possible? , If so, please let me know what are the steps to properly do this without loosing my data.
Your help is greatly apprecited!

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Whatever you do, backup immediately so at least you you a good chance of recovering your data files.

Re dealing with the RAID. I can only say, "UGH, the dreaded RAID 0, the only RAID that isn't truly RAID, the only RAID that doubles your chance of data loss due to hardware failure. The only RAID that is the opposite of redundant."

Now that I have that out of my system, you should be able to un-RAID your RAID (disassemble your array into separate disks) using whatever RAID management software came with your PC or RAID card. Unfortunately, breaking RAID 0 usually means giving up all data on the disks due to the lack of redundancy. Other RAIDs, like RAID 1, you could break the array without data loss, but RAID 0, not so. So you need to backup the drive array, reset your bios to non-raid if your RAID controller is on the mobo, and then restore using the ATI Plus Pack so that you can restore to different hardware. Check out Grover's guides--see link on left hand side of ati forum page. Alternatively, you could install your OS and progs anew on the new hdisk (if you have the install disks) and then restore or copy only your data files from the backup. You can google or bing "Break RAID 0" and find lots of info on how to break up a RAID 0 array.

Scott, thanks a lot for the reply. I've just purchased ATI Home 2012, can this Backup and Restore be can be done with this version I have?

You need the plus pack to be able to restore a system disk to diff hardware.

Again, Thanks Scott.
I have the original Vista x64 install disks that came with the computer, my question is: Using this ATI Home 2012 version that I've already purchased,
Can I install the OS on the new drive (using a USB hard drive docking), install the drive in the computer, remove the failing drives, and then copy my backed-up data files in the new drive?
I do not plan to keep the original 2 hard drives.

Sorry for asking to much. I'm trying not to buy another version of ATI
Thanks a lot for your help.

If a diskmode or partitionmode backup is not corrupted, then you can mount it or just open it in explorer -- in either case you need to have installed ATI so that your machine has the drivers to let windows know how to open the backup file.

The backup file will open as a virtual, read only, disk, from which you may copy files. You won't be able to copy and paste system files but you can copy and paste your documents, pics, mp3s, etc -- i.e., your data files.

Also you don't want to copy program files -- you want to install these so that the windows registry has the rpoper info in it for each program.

I hope that's not sarcasm. But if so, well done. ;)

Don't delete your backup when you're done. Keep it until you just can't afford to keep it any longer. You never know when it might turn out you forgot to copy something or one file copied badly or whatever.

I wouldn't recommend installing Windows to a drive connected via USB. I don't even think the installer will allow it.

You may be able to do a normal backup and restore without needing to use the Plus Pack. For example, create a backup of the entire RAID 0 drive. Then remove those drives, disable RAID mode, change to AHCI mode (most likely), install the new drive, and then restore the backup to the new drive. If it doesn't boot up correctly you may need to use the Plus Pack to insert the drivers.

I would also note that if you haven't previously done any successful TI restores on that system that you should boot to the TI CD and make sure it sees all the drives correctly and that it can successfully validate the backup you created before you break the RAID and disable the system.

Scott nad MudCrab, thanks for your help and guidelines how to solve my problem.