RAID question

[RThurmont]

I have a relatively new Dell computer with an easy-to-open case and easily accessible drive bays, with a RAID 1 configuration (two 250 gb HDs with a rather important Windows XP Pro installation on them). I have some older spare HDs lying around, and I'm really interested in swapping out the two XP Pro HDs in favor of a single HD on which to install Linux, so that I can, for a time, use the machine as a dedicated Linux box, and then, when I'm done with that, put the Windows RAID disks back in. Would that work, or would I break my RAID array or loose my data?

[Faram]

I have a relatively new Dell computer with an easy-to-open case and easily accessible drive bays, with a RAID 1 configuration (two 250 gb HDs with a rather important Windows XP Pro installation on them). I have some older spare HDs lying around, and I'm really interested in swapping out the two XP Pro HDs in favor of a single HD on which to install Linux, so that I can, for a time, use the machine as a dedicated Linux box, and then, when I'm done with that, put the Windows RAID disks back in. Would that work, or would I break my RAID array or loose my data?

Depends on the controller.

If the RAID controller stores the disk information, you might be in a spot of trubble if you do that.

Try dells support forums, they might have the answer.

[RThurmont]

Thanks, I'll do that.

[Pu-239]

If the RAID hardware doesn't do the raid functionality in hardware (like most "RAID" stuff that doesn't cost a few hundred), you're better off using the softraid that comes w/ the OS (not sure about Windows- I believe you use dynamic discs - I don't think you can put C:\ on it though - putting / on it works for Linux though.), since the HDDs would be transferrable between machines.