xps raid 0 adding 2 3rd hard drive

Hello.
I've got an XPS600 with 2 250GB drives configured in a RAID 0.
If I add a large 3rd drive will it be independent of the RAID and appear as
a separate drive allowing access to all it's capacity or will it
automatically join the existing RAID?
Thanks.

Hi!

The drive will appear as a separate volume that is not part of any
array. You may need to define it as part of an "array" even if it is
the only new drive you are adding.

Some RAID controllers allow you to add capacity nondestructively to an
existing array if you want to do that.

William

<> wrote in message
news:3357425e-6cc0-4d27-a021-...
> Hi!
>
> The drive will appear as a separate volume that is not part of any
> array. You may need to define it as part of an "array" even if it is
> the only new drive you are adding.
>
Thanks does that mean that it doesn't have to join the array. I want it to
be separate because with RAID 0 I think only the size of the drive equal to
the others is recognized and the more you connect the more vulnerable data
is.

In other words I have 2 x 250GB drives in RAID 0 giving a single drive of
500GB.
If I add say a 1TB drive to the RAID only 250GB will be recognized giving a
total of 750GB.

Which I don't want to do. So I can keep the existing RAID and add a 3rd
drive that does not have to join it?

"Pete" <> wrote in message
news:476835ea$0$21104$...
>
> <> wrote in message
> news:3357425e-6cc0-4d27-a021-...
>> Hi!
>>
>> The drive will appear as a separate volume that is not part of any
>> array. You may need to define it as part of an "array" even if it is
>> the only new drive you are adding.
>>
> Thanks does that mean that it doesn't have to join the array. I want it to
> be separate because with RAID 0 I think only the size of the drive equal
> to the others is recognized and the more you connect the more vulnerable
> data is.
>
> In other words I have 2 x 250GB drives in RAID 0 giving a single drive of
> 500GB.
> If I add say a 1TB drive to the RAID only 250GB will be recognized giving
> a total of 750GB.
>
> Which I don't want to do. So I can keep the existing RAID and add a 3rd
> drive that does not have to join it?
>

Yes, should be no problem. Just be sure to enable the appropriate SATA
controller in BIOS (controller #'s are on the system board - very small -
and match that number with the BIOS entry to enable/auto).

You'll probably have to partition and format the drive in disk management
before it will appear in 'my computer'.

Hi!

> Thanks does that mean that it doesn't have to join the array.

Yes, that is basically what I mean. But:

* Some high-end RAID controllers *can* add drives to an existing
array. Yours--being built into the system board--most likely doesn't
support this, so don't worry about it.

* You may have to make another array consisting only of the new drive
in order to use it. That part I'm not sure about.

> Which I don't want to do. So I can keep the existing RAID and
> add a 3rd drive that does not have to join it?

This should not be a problem. As always, make a backup if you have any
concerns and believe that your data is even remotely important.

William