[BillyGman]

I will be installing four SAS type hard drives (Serial Attached SCSI hard drives)into a desktop PC and I will be creating a RAID 0 array. But because they're SAS type hard drives, I will need to use a RAID controller card which I have purchased also since there isn't any motherboard that I know of that can run SAS type hard drives without a RAID controller card plugged into it (correct me if I'm wrong about that). So the RAID controller card will be plugged into one of the PCI-e expansion slots on this motherboard, and the SAS type hard drives will be plugged directly into that same RAID controller card, and NOT into the SATA connectors on the motherboard since the hard drives are NOT SATA type drives, they're SAS drives. I will be installing Windows 7 64-bit Home Edition O/S on this PC. When the installation begins, Windows will ask me for the RAID driver files, but do I need to install the RAID files from the RAID controller card manufacture ONLY, and not the RAID driver files from the ASUS motherboard too? These hard drives will NOT be directly plugged into the motherboard, but will be plugged into the RAID controller card which will be plugged into one of the motherboard PCI-E slots. Please understand that if it weren't for the Adaptec RAID controller card that I will be using for this PC, I would NOT be able to create any RAID array at all with the motherboard alone since the only RAID array possible with the motherboard alone would be provided through the SATA II connectors that this motherboard has. The hard drives would then have to be plugged into those SATA II connectors on the motherboard in order for any RAID array to be created. But I wouldn't be able to do that with these SAS type hard drives.

So the RAID 0 array that I will be setting up for this PC will be accomplished with the RAID controller card, and NOT via the motherbaord itself. Here's my question: I believe that I will NOT need to supply the Windows O/S with the RAID driver files from the motherboard software disc, but only with the RAID driver files from the RAID controller card manufacture's software disc. Am I correct on this? I'm thinking that if I give Windows the RAID driver files from both the RAID card as well as from the motherboard too, that there will be a software conflict of some sort. But I'm not quite sure. Please guide me. Do I need to give the operating system both RAID driver files, or just the one from the RAID controller card? BTW, this is not a server type motherboard. FWIW, it's an ASUS M4A89GTD motherboard I'll be using. Please help.

Edited by BillyGman, 10 January 2011 - 03:35 AM.

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Nobody? C'mon guys. Where are all the PC whiz's? I know there's someone here who knows this stuff. Plese help.

[BillyGman]

Nobody? C'mon guys. Where are all the PC whiz's? I know there's someone here who knows this stuff. Plese help.

[Spyderturbo007]

Where are all the PC whiz's?

Not that I'm an expert, but I was sleeping when you posted, then woke up and had to come to work. Now I'm on my lunch break. Sometimes you have to be patient because everyone isn't here all the time. We do have lives outside the forums.

Anyway, yes, all you need to do is install the RAID drivers for your PCI card since that will be the RAID controller. During the early part in the OS installation, you will see a screen listing the available drives. There will be a "clickable" option for installing additional drivers. Point the OS installation routine to the drivers for your SAS controller.

Once the OS is installed, you can proceed with the driver installation for the motherboard and the rest of your components.

Edited by Spyderturbo007, 10 January 2011 - 01:10 PM.

[BillyGman]

Thankyou for yoyur reply. I work nights, so I'm home in the day. Yes, I have a "life" too. I guess I'm used to the drag race car forums where there are literally tens of thousands of us drag racers on there, and when you post a question on there, you often get answers withing an hour or so, or sometimes even within minutes. But perhaps this board isn't as heavily populated as a drag race car board is.But I did see a number of other threads getting answers to them within a few hours, so I was beginning to think that I wouldn't get any answers. Anyway, Thankyou for answring my question. That helps me a lot!

Edited by BillyGman, 11 January 2011 - 01:55 AM.

[Spyderturbo007]

No problem. Glad I could help. If you run into any problems during the installation, please let me know and I'll do the best I can to help you.