migration back to non-RAID configuration from an INTEL RAID 5

Hi all,

I got 3 SATA WDC HD's coming from a Intel RAID 5 (matrix Storage) . I
suppose that the RAID was not dismantled before taking the disks off.
Now I would like to use them for an ordinary non-RAID configuration
and I do _NOT_ need to backup the data. I just want to format them and
put them into use again as single hard drives.

The problem is that when I connect them to my VISTA system and go to
the control panel, I got an error: "Unable to inizialize the disk" and
the OS cannot update/create the new MBR. Vista sees the disk connected
but the HD cannot be used by the OS and the size of the HD is reported
incorrectly as that of the whole RAID 5 and not of the single hard
drive.

I tried to boot with Ultimate Boot Utilities CD under DOS and I tried
some of those utilities that fix MBR and partitions. But I'm still
unsuccessful because when I reboot under Vista the drive is still the
same as before. I have tried also with Acronis sw, but it even
recognizes the HD ... I really don't know what to do at this point!

Thanks to all who will post me back! :-)

Have a nice sunday!

Did you use the Hard Disk Wiping Tools?

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:49:13 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Hi all,

I got 3 SATA WDC HD's coming from a Intel RAID 5 (matrix Storage) . I
suppose that the RAID was not dismantled before taking the disks off.
Now I would like to use them for an ordinary non-RAID configuration
and I do _NOT_ need to backup the data. I just want to format them and
put them into use again as single hard drives.

The problem is that when I connect them to my VISTA system and go to
the control panel, I got an error: "Unable to inizialize the disk" and
the OS cannot update/create the new MBR. Vista sees the disk connected
but the HD cannot be used by the OS and the size of the HD is reported
incorrectly as that of the whole RAID 5 and not of the single hard
drive.

I tried to boot with Ultimate Boot Utilities CD under DOS and I tried
some of those utilities that fix MBR and partitions. But I'm still
unsuccessful because when I reboot under Vista the drive is still the
same as before. I have tried also with Acronis sw, but it even
recognizes the HD ... I really don't know what to do at this point!

Thanks to all who will post me back! :-)

Have a nice sunday!

Previously Andy wrote:
Did you use the Hard Disk Wiping Tools?

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:49:13 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Hi all,

I got 3 SATA WDC HD's coming from a Intel RAID 5 (matrix Storage) . I
suppose that the RAID was not dismantled before taking the disks off.
Now I would like to use them for an ordinary non-RAID configuration
and I do _NOT_ need to backup the data. I just want to format them and
put them into use again as single hard drives.

The problem is that when I connect them to my VISTA system and go to
the control panel, I got an error: "Unable to inizialize the disk" and
the OS cannot update/create the new MBR. Vista sees the disk connected
but the HD cannot be used by the OS and the size of the HD is reported
incorrectly as that of the whole RAID 5 and not of the single hard
drive.

I tried to boot with Ultimate Boot Utilities CD under DOS and I tried
some of those utilities that fix MBR and partitions. But I'm still
unsuccessful because when I reboot under Vista the drive is still the
same as before. I have tried also with Acronis sw, but it even
recognizes the HD ... I really don't know what to do at this point!

Thanks to all who will post me back! :-)

Have a nice sunday!

Previously wrote:
Hi all,

I got 3 SATA WDC HD's coming from a Intel RAID 5 (matrix Storage) . I
suppose that the RAID was not dismantled before taking the disks off.
Now I would like to use them for an ordinary non-RAID configuration
and I do _NOT_ need to backup the data. I just want to format them and
put them into use again as single hard drives.

The problem is that when I connect them to my VISTA system and go to
the control panel, I got an error: "Unable to inizialize the disk" and
the OS cannot update/create the new MBR. Vista sees the disk connected
but the HD cannot be used by the OS and the size of the HD is reported
incorrectly as that of the whole RAID 5 and not of the single hard
drive.

I tried to boot with Ultimate Boot Utilities CD under DOS and I tried
some of those utilities that fix MBR and partitions. But I'm still
unsuccessful because when I reboot under Vista the drive is still the
same as before. I have tried also with Acronis sw, but it even
recognizes the HD ... I really don't know what to do at this point!

That is the wrong approach. You need to wipe the whole disk on
sector level. For this you need to attach them to a controller that
does ignore the RAID information on the disks. This means a) a
non-RAID controller or at least not the INtel one. And b) possibly
a non-Microsoft OS. Personally I would use a Knoppic CD-Linux and
just use

dd_rescue /dev/zero /dev/device

with device being the HDD, i.e. hda or sda if it is the only
disk in the system (highly advisable for this type of operation).

Arno

On 17 Nov, 05:49, Arno Wagner wrote:
That is the wrong approach. You need to wipe the whole disk on
sector level. For this you need to attach them to a controller that
does ignore the RAID information on the disks. This means a) a
non-RAID controller or at least not the INtel one. And b) possibly
a non-Microsoft OS. Personally I would use a Knoppic CD-Linux and
just use

* dd_rescue /dev/zero /dev/device

with device being the HDD, i.e. hda or sda if it is the only
disk in the system (highly advisable for this type of operation).

Arno- Nascondi testo citato

- Mostra testo citato -

Hi Arno,

thanks for your reply. What is a Knoppic CD-Linux? I'm not expert of
the Linux world. if it's a bootable CD, it'd be perfect as at the
moment VISTA's the only one OS installed on this new machine. And,
yes, unfortunately also this motherboard has Intel controller only on
board.

Could you be so kind to fully descrive the procedure to wipe the disk?
Thanks in advance.

Best regards

L/S

On 17 Nov, 04:53, Andy wrote:
Did you use the Hard Disk Wiping Tools?

No, I didn't on the whole disk but I wipe out all the MBR, EMBR and
FAT locations on the disk. Then I entered with a disk editor and
checked that everything was set to "zero" in binary terms. I have the
suspect that there is a sort of lock on MBR which is allocated in some
reserved zone of the disk which is not easily accessible!

L/S

Arno Wagner wrote in
Previously wrote:
Hi all,

I got 3 SATA WDC HD's coming from a Intel RAID 5 (matrix Storage) . I
suppose that the RAID was not dismantled before taking the disks off.
Now I would like to use them for an ordinary non-RAID configuration
and I do _NOT_ need to backup the data. I just want to format them and
put them into use again as single hard drives.

The problem is that when I connect them to my VISTA system and go to
the control panel, I got an error: "Unable to inizialize the disk" and
the OS cannot update/create the new MBR. Vista sees the disk connected
but the HD cannot be used by the OS and the size of the HD is reported
incorrectly as that of the whole RAID 5 and not of the single hard
drive.

I tried to boot with Ultimate Boot Utilities CD under DOS and I tried
some of those utilities that fix MBR and partitions. But I'm still
unsuccessful because when I reboot under Vista the drive is still the
same as before. I have tried also with Acronis sw, but it even
recognizes the HD ... I really don't know what to do at this point!

That is the wrong approach.

You need to wipe the whole disk on sector level.

Bwahaha.

For this you need to attach them to a controller that
does ignore the RAID information on the disks. This means a) a
non-RAID controller or at least not the INtel one. And b) possibly
a non-Microsoft OS. Personally I would use a Knoppic CD-Linux and
just use

dd_rescue /dev/zero /dev/device

with device being the HDD, i.e. hda or sda if it is the only
disk in the system (highly advisable for this type of operation).

Arno

wrote in
On 17 Nov, 04:53, Andy wrote:
Did you use the Hard Disk Wiping Tools?

No, I didn't on the whole disk but I wipe out all the MBR, EMBR and
FAT locations on the disk.

Which obviously does nothing to the RAID configuration itself.

Then I entered with a disk editor and checked that everything was set
to "zero" in binary terms.

I have the suspect that there is a sort of lock on MBR which is allo-
cated in some reserved zone of the disk which is not easily accessible!

Not the MBR but the RAID setup info.
Use the RAID utility in BIOS to setup for Non-RAID.


L/S

wrote in
On 17 Nov, 05:49, Arno Wagner wrote:
That is the wrong approach. You need to wipe the whole disk on
sector level. For this you need to attach them to a controller that
does ignore the RAID information on the disks. This means a) a
non-RAID controller or at least not the INtel one. And b) possibly
a non-Microsoft OS. Personally I would use a Knoppic CD-Linux and
just use

dd_rescue /dev/zero /dev/device

with device being the HDD, i.e. hda or sda if it is the only
disk in the system (highly advisable for this type of operation).


Hi Arno,

thanks for your reply. What is a Knoppic CD-Linux? I'm not expert of
the Linux world. if it's a bootable CD, it'd be perfect as at the
moment VISTA's the only one OS installed on this new machine.

And, yes, unfortunately also this motherboard has Intel controller only on
board.

How is that unfortunate?
While obviously that is the culprit it also allows you to re-setup
your RAID, without all of the clueless babblebot's hocus pocus.


Could you be so kind to fully descrive the procedure to wipe the disk?
Thanks in advance.

Best regards

L/S

On 17 Nov, 13:49, "Folkert Rienstra" wrote:

Not the MBR but the RAID setup info.
Use the RAID utility in BIOS to setup for Non-RAID.

That was an OLD computer which is not here anymore as I wrote in my
1st post. I cannot use _ANY_ RAID utility to setup to a non_RAID
config.

L/S