Reinstalling Windows 7 on system with RAID 1

[ryan112ryan]

So I setup up RAID on my computer a while ago and I love it (RAID 1). My computer is in need of a some refreshing so I wanted to backup everything to my external backup drives (not part of the RAID), wipe everything on the computer, then reinstall Windows 7. I have reinstalled windows several times, but never on a computer with RAID. One thing to note, I am managing the RAID with Intel's Rapid Storage Manager software. I don't think there should be any difference when it comes to doing this, but I thought I'd ask before I do it.


1. What differences are there reinstalling Windows 7 RAID 1
2. What potential problems because of RAID 1 setup could occur
3. Is there any difference when formatting?

OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name RYANSCOMPUTER
System Manufacturer Dell Inc.
System Model Studio XPS 8100
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 870 @ 2.93GHz, 2926 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. A05, 7/8/2010
SMBIOS Version 2.6
Windows Directory C:\Windows
System Directory C:\Windows\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.1.7601.17514"
User Name RyansComputer\Ryan
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 7.96 GB
Available Physical Memory 5.96 GB
Total Virtual Memory 15.9 GB
Available Virtual Memory 13.7 GB
Page File Space 7.96 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

 

[ryan112ryan]

I would be appreciative if anyone has any info. Thanks!

 

[OhSnapWord]

Is it a software RAID? I have no experience with that.

If it's a hardware RAID then all you need to do is load the driver at the install if Windows doesn't already do so. Windows will see the array as one logical disk which will format just the same as a single drive.