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Maximus VI Hero won't boot in RAID mode

cnote123
Level 7
I recently installed 2 Seagate Barracuda 3 TB hard drives with a Maximus VI Hero MB. I already have Windows installed on a Samsung SSD. I wanted to set the HDDs up in a RAID 1 array for redundancy, so I followed the manual and changed the SATA mode to RAID in the BIOS, then set up the array in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology ROM. However, when the computer rebooted, I got a BSOD when trying to boot into Windows and the computer restarted. I can't boot to Windows with SATA in RAID mode.

I'm able to boot into Windows if I change the SATA mode to AHCI. I only see the one drive in Disk Management, and under the Device Manager they show up as an Intel Raid 1 Volume SCSI device, so it looks like the RAID array is working, but the array doesn't show up under the Intel RST desktop software (but the drives do show up in the system report under the Help tab).

I tried updating to the latest BIOS and I checked to make sure the drives are plugged into the Intel SATA controller (they are, on ports 3 and 4). Is there a reason why I'm not able to boot to Windows when the SATA mode is set to RAID? Is anyone else having trouble with a RAID 1 array not showing up in the Intel RST desktop software?

The motherboard constantly shows the error code A0 if that helps (according to the manual this means "IDE initialization has started" - I don't have any IDE drives). I just got a new board from customer service to replace a dead one with code 00 that wouldn't even start... but everything's been great with the new board until I tried setting up this RAID array.

Anybody else experiencing similar issues?
27,472 Views
6 REPLIES 6

WEIR_SJ
Level 7
I might be wrong and im sure someone else like Praz or HiVisMan will come alone shortly...

but from what i read your windows is not installed on the RAID 1 array is this correct?
if so i think this is the problem, i not 100% sure, but i dont think you can set it to boot in raid mode if the OS is not installed in a raid array

are you planning on keeping the OS on the SSD and using the seagate drives as storage in the raid 1 array?
Case Corsair 600T || PSU CX Series™ Modular CX750M
Motherboard Maximus VI Hero || CPU Intel i5-4670K
Cooler Corsair H100 || Ram 16gb Corsair Vengence 1600 (4x4gb)
SSD 2 x Samsung 840 Evo (250gb) [RAID 0] (OS) || HHD WD 500gb Black
GPU EVGA 780ti SC ACX || OS Windows 8.1

Classic_GOD
Level 10
Is there a reason why I'm not able to boot to Windows when the SATA mode is set to RAID?
Yes, it is perfectly normal. Once you've installed Windows in AHCI mode it won't boot in any other configuration. It's one of Windows quirks. There are ways to get around this using registry hacks but it'll probably be faster and easier to just reinstall your OS.

[EDIT]
I just found this tutorial: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-7-installation it seems much simpler then I remember so maybe it'll be faster than OS reinstallation. Just remember to have IntelRST installed before you make any changes and to backup all of the data. If something goes wrong your Windows installation won't boot in any configuration after changing those settings.

Thanks for your responses. The OS is installed on the SSD, which is not part of the RAID array. Do you think I would still need to reinstall Windows if I'm only using the RAID array for storage?

cnote123 wrote:
Thanks for your responses. The OS is installed on the SSD, which is not part of the RAID array. Do you think I would still need to reinstall Windows if I'm only using the RAID array for storage?
You would have to reinstall your Windows or do the trick I linked above (the "Change to RAID mode from AHCI mode or IDE mode" section) because even if the drive is not a part of the array once you activate RAID it is seen as single drive connected to the RAID controller and not single AHCI drive and that is why Windows has problems initializing it.

Thanks a lot man, I followed the link in your previous post and it worked. If anyone else has this problem in the future, you can download a hotfix from MS at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/922976 to avoid the Windows reinstall.

HiVizMan
Level 40
Sorry guys was away with the family for a few days.

Indeed you can do that method as per the Microsoft support link.
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