How to update RAID drivers in windows?

[Epsilonn]

Hi all. Is there possible to update RAID drivers in windows without reformat? Or is it possible to update them if I try to reinstall windows and when asked, I press F6, install the updated drivers for RAID and I pull out the Windows installation CD without actualy installing Windows?
BTW. I have 2 Seagate ST3500320AS in RAID 0.

[Dr. V]

In your motherboard drivers CD there would be the raid drivers. Now a days raid drivers are installed like any other software. Just run the exe [double-click] and it will guide you with the rest... Prefer to go to your motherboards website for more details...
All the best!

[Vitus]

I managed to add the SATA drivers to existing windows system, without reformatting or any other major hassle. I installed RAID drivers, but not for actual RAID configuration, only just for enabling SATA-150 and NCQ.

I had to “repair reinstall” Windows on top of my original system for being able to install the drivers. This installation method is offered in the second selection after booting the Windows CD-ROM. It keeps your programs and user profiles, but clears windows components and hardware infromation.

1) First it asks, if you want repair existing system with Recovery Console or install new. DO NOT GO TO “recovery console”. Choose “install new”.
2) Then accept license agreement (not much choice there)
3) Select repair install of current system (or something like that).

You can googled for the following titles:
How to perform a ‘new’ or a ‘repair’ installation/install of Windows XP
How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
How to Repair Install

You need two things,
1) the floppy with the actual drivers (for F6 action during boot from Windows CD-ROM)
2) the IAA software, which is more or less the user monitoring interface for later use, and can be installed only after you have been able to install the drivers. (edit: new name is Intel Matrix Storage Manager)

(Embbedded in to the first point is that you need the floppy drive. I had no success with slipstreamed drivers.)

You need to press F6 early enough when Windows shortly shows the option just after booting the CD-ROM. Then you can can install the correct driver from the floppy, and leave the floppy to the drive until Windows installation has finished.

Here is link to driver download from Intel pages: (please check your chipset version.
Matrix Storage Technology drivers
(please check the correct download for your chipset version. Intel seems to recommend various versions depending on chipset.)

There you find both the floppy creation utility and the actual IAA/MSM software.

!!! Remember to change in your BIOS the SATA mode from IDE to either ACHI or RAID according to your needs before trying to install F6 drivers. !!!

Of course, something might go wrong and you could lose all data, so be careful wink

edit: update in June 2006 to reflect new links and new name “MSM” for IAA.
edit: update in Feb 2008 to update Intel download links.

you can also have a look at the follwoing forum discussion which may help to resolve your problem. Silicon Image RAID Windows Update Corruption

[Epsilonn]

OK, thanks, I'll try some of that.