Software RAID Windows 10

I have always had a hardware RAID 5, but recently lost tons of data due to a drive loss, even after recovery steps.

I am trying to set up a RAID 1 on 3 drives, and I do not see the option "Add Mirror" which I saw on many How-tos.

^{(Click images to enlarge)}

EDIT Here is when attempting to click on a simple volume and no volume.

EDIT 2 Fun fact, I booted off my Windows 7 and attempted the same thing ... THERE IT IS!

EDIT 2016: Windows 10 Home Edition does not have support for most Raid setups. It's recommended to use Storage Spaces but if you get Windows 10 Pro or higher it will have the Raid support I wanted.

c3cris

Posted 2015-11-15T23:06:02.613

Reputation: 333

1You need to delete the volumes before you can access that option. – Michael Frank – 2015-11-16T00:37:24.837

@michael-frank Edited with your suggestions – c3cris – 2015-11-16T00:55:44.120

Have you installed the most recent storage drivers for Win 10 for your controller? What drivers are installed on the Win 7 install that are not on the Win 10 install? Is the Win7 install tested on the same machine or a different machine? – Bilfred – 2015-11-23T06:23:30.677

4RAID exists to minimize downtime due to hardware failures, not to protect against data loss. – David Schwartz – 2015-11-23T13:02:01.780

Why not to invest in a real RAID solution like QNAP or Synology? I know this is not answering the question but these devices are quite more simpler to manage. – рüффп – 2015-11-25T23:12:12.460

Answers

It is not surprising that Microsoft has lowered support for software RAID, as since Windows 8 it has incorporated a more advanced RAID technology that is called Storage Spaces. Microsoft always phases-out older technology in favor of newer one. If you really want the classic RAID, you'll need the Pro or Enterprise editions of Windows 10.

Storage Spaces are volumes rendered upon spanned pools utilizing multiple drives, in effect the same as RAID, just much easier to set up.

Here are a couple of references from the thousands that you can find on the Web:

If you are multi-booting Windows 10 and Windows 7, beware - Windows 7 will not understand Storage Spaces.

harrymc

Posted 2015-11-15T23:06:02.613

Reputation: 306 093

1For what it's worth, Microsoft hasn't changed anything from Windows 7 -- the disk mirror option only exists on Windows 7 Pro, not Windows 7 Home, just as with Windows 10. – Brooks Moses – 2018-09-07T05:20:21.387

Ability to add a mirror may only exist on Windows 10 Pro and Higher versions. I noticed you were using Home in all versions shown.

Looking for that option in Windows 10 Pro, I was able to select the "New Mirrored Volume" option.

There seems to be multiple other users noting this behavior on Microsoft's forums. https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/becca8a4-14c1-4341-9bb7-4730079819a3/i-dont-have-add-mirror-option-in-disk-management-in-windows-10?forum=w8itprogeneral

Shirow

Posted 2015-11-15T23:06:02.613

Reputation: 143

3I disagree. His was based on a presentation of a new feature meant to replace this functionality, where mine was outlining the specific deprecation of the questioned feature. Microsoft has and still does maintain many redundant features. – Shirow – 2016-01-17T03:44:12.790