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[GUIDE] RAID-0 Dual-Boot WIndows 7 and Linux

Quasimodem
Level 10
I have achieved a RAID-0 Dual-Boot, and break 1GB/Sec in both Windows and Linux.

REQUIREMENTS:

2 HDs or 2 SSDs of the same exact size
Original Windows 7 NON-SP1 DVD or an SP1 DVD that YOU KNOW installs as MBR, because having MBR is the MOST important part, and it WILL NOT work using UEFI
Linux DIstro DVD of your choice

I determined my OS sizes like this:

(Total size * .8) / 2

This allowed for 20% Over provisioning, and equal sized partitions for Windows and Linux
For regular HDs, don't worry about the OP, and choose your own sizes.

SETUP:

Ctrl-I enters the RAID configuration

For SSD, un-RAID-0 them if already RAIDED by deleting them in the RAID configuration, change the BIOS SATA Configuration to AHCI and Secure Erase them, change the BIOS back to RAID, and Re-RAID-0 them.

For HD, change the BIOS SATA Configuration to RAID, and reboot. RAID-0 them in the RAID configuration. They will be erased.

Windows Installation:

Begin to install Windows 7. Make sure it sees your RAID partition. When it says that it will create multiple partitions, allow it to do so. Delete the MSR Reserved partition, and extend the 100MB System Partition to your desired size for Windows. Create the other partition for Linux now, and format it. Install Windows to the System partition you extended.

Linux Installation:

Boot to your LiveCD, and open GParted. DO NOT manage each drive separately. Using the drop down list, Choose the Large RAID partition. You will see your Windows partition and another one as NTFS. Format the partition you made for Linux during the Windows setup as EXT4

Start the Linux Installation. Because it is RAID-0 it will list your partitions twice. You will be using the first set of partitions. Click on your EXT4 partition and click Change. Give it EXT4 File System and Mount Point / and choose NOT to format it, you already did so with GParted.

On the dropdown for where GRUB will be installed, choose the partition you will be installing Linux on. Mine was Brian2, yours may be similar. It will also warn you that you don't have a SWAP partition, click continue, you don't need a SWAP partition, we have enough RAM. It will also warn you that you chose not to format, click continue. Once the installation is complete, it will give you a message stating that the bootloader installation failed. It will ask you if there is somewhere else you'd like to install it. Attempt to install it to EVERY partition with the same name as the one you installed Linux to. It will fail EVERYTIME. Choose continue without a bootloader, and reboot.

GRUB2 will be there.

PROFIT WITH RAID-0 DUALBOOT!!!!

Benchmarks:

Linux:



Windows:

G75VW-DS73-3D | 670m 3GB | 32GB RAM | 1TB RAID-0 2 x 830 512GB SSD DualBoot | Killer-N 1103 WiFi
37,460 Views
15 REPLIES 15

Zygomorphic
Level 17
@BNaughty, your title is right! "Recognized troll" indeed! Here I am, proud of my Seaget Hybrid drive, and you go and show off a RAID array that has bandwidth approaching that of my old (Core 2 Duo) laptop! :mad: 😄 😄 Please post all tricks! Tell all! 🙂
--For anyone wondering, I'm not mad at all...maybe a little jealous though.
I am disturbed because I cannot break my system...found out there were others trying to cope! We have a support group on here, if your system will not break, please join!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=16
We now have 178 people whose systems will not break! Yippee! 🙂
LINUX Users, we have a group!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=23

Zygomorphic wrote:
@BNaughty, your title is right! "Recognized troll" indeed! Here I am, proud of my Seaget Hybrid drive, and you go and show off a RAID array that has bandwidth approaching that of my old (Core 2 Duo) laptop! :mad: 😄 😄 Please post all tricks! Tell all! 🙂
--For anyone wondering, I'm not mad at all...maybe a little jealous though.


LMAO!!! Thanks man!!! I'm working on the guide right now, it will take me a few hours, I need some screen shots, etc... It literally took me 2 days to get it working!!!
G75VW-DS73-3D | 670m 3GB | 32GB RAM | 1TB RAID-0 2 x 830 512GB SSD DualBoot | Killer-N 1103 WiFi

Highlander
Level 8
Interesting... i bought 2 840 samsung with 512mb cache.... so... 512gb with 1gb cache... should be a very fast win8 machine.... i hope it boots in less than 10s.
GU603HM
16GB RAM
2x2TB Samsung 980 Pro
Wicked Fast Nitrous LS7 Corvette

Highlander wrote:
Interesting... i bought 2 840 samsung with 512mb cache.... so... 512gb with 1gb cache... should be a very fast win8 machine.... i hope it boots in less than 10s.


RAID-0 with only Win8 is simple. But for DualBoot, you can do this with Win8, the steps will be slightly different. Would you rather use the Win8 Boot Manager or GRUB2?
G75VW-DS73-3D | 670m 3GB | 32GB RAM | 1TB RAID-0 2 x 830 512GB SSD DualBoot | Killer-N 1103 WiFi

BNaughty wrote:
RAID-0 with only Win8 is simple. But for DualBoot, you can do this with Win8, the steps will be slightly different. Would you rather use the Win8 Boot Manager or GRUB2?


I would advise using the GRUB2 loader, as it plays nicer with LINUX as well as Windows. Microsoft's loader is arrogant and assumes that you are only interested in Windows.
I am disturbed because I cannot break my system...found out there were others trying to cope! We have a support group on here, if your system will not break, please join!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=16
We now have 178 people whose systems will not break! Yippee! 🙂
LINUX Users, we have a group!
http://rog.asus.com/forum/group.php?groupid=23

Hey, I have windows 7 Ultimate pre-installed on my system into my cached data.

This is alright, but I would love to have my OS installed on my cached data, and my programs installed on my physical hard drive (I have a hybrid drive)

Is there anyway this is possible? Like I said, Windows is already installed on my C: drive (as well as all of its data) and I have it backed up.

If you want more information, please check my posted topic http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?42630-Partitioning-harddrive-with-Linux-dual-boot&country=&...

Highlander wrote:
Interesting... i bought 2 840 samsung with 512mb cache.... so... 512gb with 1gb cache... should be a very fast win8 machine.... i hope it boots in less than 10s.


Also, a RAID boot is about 1 second slower to display the RAID screen. The benefits of RAID-0 is the read / write speeds. Trust me, it's a huge step up. Feel free to hit me up for help if you need it.
G75VW-DS73-3D | 670m 3GB | 32GB RAM | 1TB RAID-0 2 x 830 512GB SSD DualBoot | Killer-N 1103 WiFi

rewben
Level 13
wohoho! thanks a bunch for this!

rewben wrote:
wohoho! thanks a bunch for this!


NP man!!! I hope someone actually does it!!!
G75VW-DS73-3D | 670m 3GB | 32GB RAM | 1TB RAID-0 2 x 830 512GB SSD DualBoot | Killer-N 1103 WiFi