Setting up a RAID 1 array

Greetings. I couldn't find a thread matching my specific scenario, so I'm starting one here. Hopefully, I've landed in the right subforum.

The situation is this: I have an SSD running Windows 7 and an HDD for storage. Since I've lost quite a bit of data due to drive failures—and frankly, I'm too lazy to manage backups, which is impractical—I bought two extra HDDs to set up in RAID 1 for storage. I want redundancy that isn't tied to the OS; if I eventually install Windows 10 or set up a dual boot, I need that RAID array to show up just like any other disk.
I'm using an ASUS Z97 Anniversary motherboard (Intel CPU) with some sort of hybrid RAID controller. The motherboard manual isn't particularly helpful, though it mentions an Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver and software provided on a CD. What I've tried so far is plugging in the drives and switching the SATA mode from AHCI to RAID. This should allow me to access an Intel utility to create a RAID volume via a hotkey (Ctrl-I) during startup. My plan was to create the RAID 1 array, then switch the SATA mode back to AHCI because my SSD won't boot otherwise. In Windows, I see one logical disk (though Windows doesn't see the physical disks individually). However, in the Intel software, nothing appears—neither the logical disk nor the physical drives in the RAID 1 setup. If I plug the drives in normally without RAID, they show up everywhere. Why does Intel Rapid Storage Technology even exist, and do I actually need it? Why isn't it working? Furthermore, if I create a RAID at the BIOS level, how am I supposed to know when a physical disk actually fails?
If anyone has experience with these Z97 boards or this Intel software, I would be grateful. M

Let me make sure I’ve got this straight—your end goal is to have one system drive (an SSD) and then a second drive dedicated solely to backups (which, in this setup, would be a logical RAID 1 volume)?

If you're dealing with data that actually matters, I’d personally steer clear of an internal setup and go for a dedicated backup solution, like a NAS with a more robust RAID configuration (maybe RAID 10, though that requires more drives). It’s always smarter to keep your backup location physically separate from the machine you're backing up, even if we're just talking about a different physical disk inside the same rig here. Especially if some ransomware hits your system and starts gobbling up everything it can touch—if you set up your NAS right, you can restrict access so the malware stays locked out.

Also, you mentioned that doing backups feels like a chore and is just too impractical?
Honestly, every backup tool out there—from the basic stuff built right into Windows OS to the high-end professional software—has an auto-backup feature. You set it once, and it just handles itself.

Anyway, back to your specific situation. Usually, RAID is configured outside of the OS, so you were definitely on the right track by setting it up that way. If that "RAID disk" shows up in Disk Management, then you're good to go. As for knowing when a drive fails? The system will let you know.

Exactly. My main goal for using RAID is hardware redundancy against drive failure, not protection from ransomware or anything else. It’s strictly for storage. I plan to have a dedicated backup drive—likely the one I'm using now—that stays offline most of the time, maybe synced once a month. I don't have the budget for a dedicated NAS right now. I just have two identical new drives and a motherboard that supports a hardware-based RAID 1 via the chipset, independent of Windows.

I assumed that was the case based on your last point. My concern is how the system handles specific scenarios. For instance, when does it notify me if a drive fails? Is it within Windows or during the boot process? What happens when I swap out a dead drive? Can I simply pull one of the disks and plug it into another machine to access it like a standard drive?

The bottom line is that the RAID array needs to function normally even if I switch operating systems or boot from a Linux CD. I need to know exactly what happens during a failure so I don't lose everything by failing to restore the RAID to a healthy state properly.

I actually wrote more about this on another forum (the first post is identical), so I won't repeat myself here:

urbanpilot7 said:Exactly. My main goal for using RAID is hardware redundancy against drive failure, not protection from ransomware or anything else. It’s strictly for storage. I plan to have a dedicated backup drive—likely the one I'm using now—that stays offline most of the time, maybe synced once a month. I don't have the budget for a dedicated NAS right now. I just have two identical new drives and a motherboard that supports a hardware-based RAID 1 via the chipset, independent of Windows.

I assumed that was the case based on your last point. My concern is how the system handles specific scenarios. For instance, when does it notify me if a drive fails? Is it within Windows or during the boot process? What happens when I swap out a dead drive? Can I simply pull one of the disks and plug it into another machine to access it like a standard drive?

The bottom line is that the RAID array needs to function normally even if I switch operating systems or boot from a Linux CD. I need to know exactly what happens during a failure so I don't lose everything by failing to restore the RAID to a healthy state properly.

I actually wrote more about this on another forum (the first post is identical), so I won't repeat myself here:

That part is telling: some jerk would probably suggest you patent that idea right now and get rich quick. 😁

So, you don't want a NAS because those aren't cheap, but you want all the perks of a totally software-hardware independent system built right into a single PC? And if I'm following you, you also want the RAID array to act as a "reserve" system partition you can boot from if things go south?
Man, let me stop you right there:
- If it's software-based, it's tied to the OS;
- If it's hardware-based, you're stuck with that specific RAID card and whatever OS supports it;
- If it's integrated into the motherboard, you're at the mercy of that specific motherboard + OS combo.

Basically, with software solutions, there's a huge risk when switching OSes, and it might not even work. If you buy a dedicated RAID card (the pro stuff makes sense, and the people buying them know why), you wouldn't put that in a PC where everyone's messing around. And if you rely on the motherboard? Just remember they can be pretty flaky...

Storing data like this is practically its own science. There’s no "click next, click finish" solution that actually works reliably without costing a fortune.

That’s why we have things like little home NAS units or network drives. But for people who hate "black boxes" and want total control, there are TrueNAS options available as free operating systems. You can throw one of those onto a mini-PC or an old desktop that's too weak for modern gaming but still crushes any off-the-shelf network drive. Toss some drives in, install TrueNAS or something similar, hide the PC somewhere in the house, plug it into your home network, and boom—it's available to everyone (or whoever you want) without anyone messing with the actual machine.
It’s minimally dependent on hardware because you can run that OS on basically any PC. The OS itself is robust enough that you can just grab an image and reinstall it anywhere. And that bit about swapping disks in a RAID array? That's a whole different beast. If one drive dies, the others are basically just acting as a backup. You pop in a new one, pray everything goes smoothly, and rebuild the array. That’s really only for mirrors; more complex setups theoretically guarantee integrity, but in reality, anything can happen.

Besides, with RAID 1, you get a nice speed boost on reads (depending on how it's set up) since it pulls from two disks at once. But on the safety side? Both disks are in the same box, so whatever kills one disk will probably kill both. With how reliable drives are these days, the only real backup is... a backup. A physically separate one, preferably multiple copies...

I spotted two older Western Digital NAS units on Craigslist—one single-bay for $450 and a dual-bay for $700.$17 Honestly, that’s a pretty decent deal if you just want to get things running for the OP.