I have a Z87-A motherboard. My main (Windows/Program) drive is Samsung Evo 840 256GB SSD and my storage drive is a 2TB Seagate Barracuda HDD (ST2000DM001). I bought another one of the Seagate HDDs for the purpose of setting up the two in RAID1. The HDD (and now the RAID) is strictly for Storage; it is non-bootable and has nothing installed on it.
I changed the SATA mode in the BIOS from AHCI to RAID, saved rebooted, Ctrl-I to get into the RAID utility, added the two HDDs into a mirror config (RAID1), confirmed that all info on the HDD will be destroyed (I have it backed up on an external drive) and restarted.
Instead of booting up into Windows, I was greeted with a prolonged Windows boot spinner followed by the BSOD with the smiley (I have Windows 8.1).
A bit of research and it seems to me that all roads lead to "reinstall Windows". But why? The bootable drive with the OS is a completely different drive. Wouldn't the RAIDed volume be detected just like any other new drive internal/external drive in Windows with Intel RST utility offering to config the RAID?
If reinstall is absolutely necessary, does it have to be a clean one? Or can I do the one where Files/Program are untouched?
Best Answer
Windows have disabled the RAID drivers because you were using AHCI.
You need to reenable them. Check this link http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-installation
No reinstall is necessary.