Add Intel RAID Drivers to existing Windows 7 install BEFORE enabling RAID in BIOS?

I'm trying to:

Take a system image of my current WIndows 7 x64 setup, which is using IDE-mode storage
Enable RAID in the BIOS
Install two new drives and set up a RAID mirror
Restore my system image onto the new mirrored C: drive

The problem is - my existing Windows 7 install won't boot if the storage controller is set to RAID or AHCI mode (instead of IDE) in the BIOS.

The Windows 7 system recovery process works fine - will quite happily restore my old C: drive image onto the new mirrored C: drive - but then this won't boot, either.

I'm guessing that I need to install the Intel Matrix Storage Manager RAID drivers - but if I try to do this with the BIOS configured to use IDE, the installer reports:

"This computer does not meet the minimum requirements for installing the software."

So - I can't boot with RAID enabled in order to install the drivers, and I can't install the drivers first in order to boot with RAID enabled.

Any bright ideas? Really rather not reinstall if I can help it.

Dylan Beattie

Posted 2010-11-12T13:21:54.267

Reputation: 693

can you boot it into safe mode when running on the raid? – Xantec – 2010-11-12T13:29:45.713

Nope. Will boot into recovery mode off a Windows install DVD but I don't know how you slipstream drivers into a separate Windows install having done so. – Dylan Beattie – 2010-11-12T13:48:52.453

Answers

This was by far the simplest solution I could find. The others involved reinstalling windows, downloading sketchy software or large registry hacks.

1) With RAID disabled, boot into Windows and start Regedit.exe

2) Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStorV

3) In the right-hand column, you should see a value named Start. Double-click this entry and change the data from 1 to 0.

4) Reboot with RAID enabled – Windows should load just fine. Now install the Intel Matrix Storage Manager as you usually would. This time around, it should detect your hardware and install without any issues.

Arical

Posted 2010-11-12T13:21:54.267

Reputation: 196

1You, sir, are a steely-eyed missile man. That worked like a dream. Thank you. – Dylan Beattie – 2010-11-22T11:07:42.897

Good solution that gets a +1, so did 'Steely eyed Missile man' made me laugh – Joe Taylor – 2010-11-23T11:58:33.087

Oh no, but the current value is 3! – Alain – 2012-08-22T23:02:20.927

I had a "3" as well, but changed it to 0 anyway and this still worked. Thanks for this answer! – andrew – 2012-10-26T19:46:41.297