Configuring a RAID Array Using UEFI Setup Utility

Step 1: Enter UEFI Setup

STEP 1:

Enter the UEFI Setup Utility by pressing the <F2> or <Del> key immediately after powering on the computer.

Step 2: Enable VMD Controller and Global Mapping

STEP 2:

Navigate to Advanced > Storage Configuration > VMD Configuration. Set Enable VMD controller to [Enabled].

UEFI BIOS screen showing the VMD Configuration menu. Options include 'Enable VMD controller' (set to Enabled), 'Enable VMD Global Mapping' (set to Disabled), 'Map this Root Port under VMD', and 'Root Port BDF details'. The description for 'Enable VMD controller' states 'Enable/Disable to VMD controller'.

Next, set Enable VMD Global Mapping to [Enabled].

Press <F10> to save the configuration changes and exit setup.

UEFI BIOS screen showing the VMD Configuration menu with 'Enable VMD controller' and 'Enable VMD Global Mapping' both set to 'Enabled'. The description for 'Enable VMD Global Mapping' states 'Enable/Disable to VMD Global Mapping'.

Step 3: Access Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology

STEP 3:

Enter Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology from the Advanced page.

UEFI BIOS Advanced page displaying various configuration options. 'Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology' is listed, with a description stating: 'This formset allows the user to manage RAID volumes on the Intel(R) RAID Controller'.

Step 4: Create RAID Volume

STEP 4:

Select the option Create RAID Volume and press <Enter>.

Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology screen showing the 'Create RAID Volume' option. It lists 'Non-RAID Physical Disks' such as 'SATA 0.0, BIWIN_C6370_256GB...' and 'SATA 0.1, BIWIN_C6370_512GB...'. The description states: 'This page allows you to create a RAID volume'.

Step 5: Name the RAID Volume

STEP 5:

Enter a volume name and press <Enter>, or simply press <Enter> to accept the default name. The name should be unique, contain no special characters, and be 16 characters or less.

Create RAID Volume screen with fields for 'Name', 'RAID Level', 'Select Disks', 'Strip Size', and 'Capacity (MB)'. The 'Name' field is ready for input.

Step 6: Select RAID Level

STEP 6:

Select your desired RAID Level (e.g., RAID0 (Stripe), RAID1 (Mirror)) and press <Enter>.

Create RAID Volume screen showing the 'RAID Level' selection. Options include 'RAID0 (Stripe)' and 'RAID1 (Mirror)'.

Step 7: Select Disks for RAID Array

STEP 7:

Select the hard drives to be included in the RAID array by pressing <X> next to each desired disk, and then press <Enter>.

Create RAID Volume screen showing the 'Select Disks' section. Disks 'SATA 0.0' and 'SATA 0.1' are listed. An 'X' appears next to a selected disk, indicating it's chosen for the array.

Step 8: Set Stripe Size

STEP 8:

Select a stripe size for the RAID array or use the default setting (e.g., 64KB) and press <Enter>.

Create RAID Volume screen showing the 'Strip Size' field, with '64KB' as a default option. The calculated 'Capacity (MB)' is displayed.

Step 9: Create RAID Volume

STEP 9:

Select Create Volume and press <Enter> to start creating the RAID array.

Create RAID Volume screen with 'Create Volume' option highlighted. The selected settings for Name, RAID Level, Disks, Strip Size, and Capacity are confirmed.

Step 1: Download and Prepare Drivers

STEP 1:

Download the necessary drivers from the ASRock website (https://www.asrock.com/index.asp) and unzip the files to a USB flash drive.

A file explorer window showing the contents of a USB flash drive (ESD-USB (D:)). It contains folders like 'boot', 'efi', 'sources', 'support', and 'WIN10', along with boot-related files like 'bootmgr.efi' and 'bootmgr'.

Step 2: Boot from Installation Media

STEP 2:

Press <F11> at system POST to launch the boot menu. Choose the item “UEFI: <Windows installation media>” to begin the Windows 10 64-bit OS installation.

A boot device selection screen displaying options such as 'UEFI: Kingston DataTraveler 3.0, Partition 1 (Kingston DataTraveler 3.0)'. Buttons for 'Enter Setup' and 'Boot Default' are visible.

Step 3: Load RAID Driver During Installation

STEP 3:

(If the target drive is not available during the Windows installation process, click <Load Driver>. If the drive is available, proceed to Step 6.)

Windows Setup screen titled 'Where do you want to install Windows?'. It shows a drive (Drive 0 Partition 1) and options to 'Refresh', 'Delete', 'Format', 'New', 'Load driver', and 'Extend'. A warning states 'Windows can't be installed on drive 0 partition 1'.

Step 4: Browse for Driver

STEP 4:

Click the <Browse> button to locate the driver on your USB flash drive.

Windows Setup screen titled 'Select the driver to install'. It prompts the user to insert installation media containing driver files. A 'Browse' button is available. A 'Browse for Folder' dialog is shown, navigating through 'Win11 22621 (C:)' and then into 'support' > 'v19.5.0.1037.1' > 'VMD' > 'f6vmdflpy-x64'.

Step 5: Select Intel RST VMD Controller

STEP 5:

Select “Intel RST VMD Controller” from the list and then click <Next>.

Windows Setup screen titled 'Select the driver to install'. It lists drivers such as 'Intel RST VMD Controller A77F' and 'Intel RST VMD Managed Controller 09AB', both pointing to the 'iaStorVD.inf' file.

Step 6: Choose Installation Location

STEP 6:

Select the unallocated space for Windows installation and then click <Next>.

Windows Setup screen titled 'Where do you want to install Windows?'. It displays 'Drive 1 Unallocated Space' with a total size of 3726.0 GB.

Step 7: Complete Windows Installation

STEP 7:

Please follow the on-screen Windows installation instructions to finish the process.

Windows Setup screen showing installation progress: 'Installing Windows', 'Copying Windows files', 'Getting files ready for installation (0%)', 'Installing features', 'Installing updates', and 'Finishing up'.

Step 8: Install Drivers and Utilities

STEP 8:

After the Windows installation is complete, install the Rapid Storage Technology driver and utility from the ASRock website (https://www.asrock.com/index.asp).

Windows Task Manager Performance tab. It shows CPU usage, Memory usage, and Disk activity. Disk 0 (C:) is identified as an 'Intel Raid 0 Volume' (SSD) with 3.6 TB capacity. Disk 1 (D: E:) is listed as 'Removable'. Performance metrics like active time, response time, read/write speed, and capacity are displayed.