How to remove RAID: dissimilar hard drive system backup/restore
 

i had a 3 drive RAID0 configuration.
i figured i didn't really need the speed of a RAID0 over the safety of my system/data.

hence i wanted to go back to 3 separate drives: use one for the operating system and other software and the other two for my data and backups.

however, i didn't want the pain (joy?) of having to sit through reinstalling windows, and then the patches and then all my other software and their patches etc.

i looked around and found that "Acronis True Image" could handle dissimilar hardware. so, there was nothing left to do but test it out!

step 1: installed the Acronis software.
step 2: created a backup image of my 3 drive RAID0 system.
step 3: created a bootable Acronis cd.
step 4: rebooted my PC with bootable cd and went into the Acronis menu.
step 5: validated my image.
step 6: prayed to god! and then removed the RAID0 configuration.
step 7: rebooted my PC with the bootable cd and went into the Acronis menu.
step 8: navigated to my backup image and got Acronis to restore my system.
step 9: rebooted PC and went into windows as normal.

as far as i can tell, everything is working.
system is stable.

i'm posting this as a FYI.

i'm not saying Acronis True Image will work 100% of the time for everybody.
use it at your own risk.

is Acronis True Image the best at what it does? - don't know.
can it really handle dissimilar hardware - like different mobos, cpus, gpus etc - don't know.

all i can say is that for my specific task, it worked like a charm.

one further point:

you can validate the image when first created - using Acronis prior to rebooting the system with the bootable cd.

but apparently, sometimes, when you try to restore the image after booting the PC with the bootable cd, the image is seen to have errors.

hence the need for steps 4 & 5.
validate the image at the point where you actually want to restore it.

you have been warned!

hope this helps some of you toying with the idea of creating backup images of your system.

This was a very wise move on your part. :thumb:

RAID-0 configuration computers never end well. The usually crash on an orgy of computer problems.
And then you're stuck with lots of lost data, and lots of lost time rebuilding your computer.

Most people who use this non-redundant "RAID" configuration don't even need it.
It's not stable, it's not safe for your data, it's abusive to the hard drives, and it doesn't really give a speed boost.