RAID on W530?

I'm thinking about a W530 and am wondering about getting it with RAID.  My primary use for the W530 will be virtual machines beyond the usual needs for a laptop.  No gaming at all. A couple of questions:
1. If you order RAID 0 can you change it to RAID 1?
2. Can you turn off RAID and just use the regular SATA controller?
3. Is this overkill, when I probably just need a second HD in the ultrabay?
Thanks

Until recently you could not RAID SSD drives and still have trim work properly.  I believe that is resolved.  Therefore you can get pretty extreme I/O if that is the goal.  Hence the reason I asked up front.
I like having the flexibility of removing and inserting different drives into the primary drive bay, and the ultrabay for "in chassis" storage.
Most likely my next ThinkPad will be the W530 or its successor with a 256GB mSATA drive for the OS and apps.  I will use the SATA III primary and ultrabays for VM and other data storage.
My final config will be something on the order of 256GB mSATA, and two 512GB SSD's in the other bays.  It's going to depend largely on price.
But I will order the machine with RAID.  It's a fringe scenario for me now, but when you need it, you need it.

Similar Messages

  • Raid 1 W530

    I recently just purchased a w530 with the 3.7 processor and 1080i screen with win 7 pro. I also purchased 4 8gb corsair vengence ram and one 512 GB 840 pro SSD. I am wondering if using raid 1 with the HDD the w530 comes with, if raid is efficent. In another words will it read from both drives in an efficent manner to decrease read times? Also will writing speed cecrease in raid 1? I never used raid on any of my systems before. I also have no use to use the HDD as a storage drive since I will never come slow to storing that much data (most likely just half at most).

    If you want to move your user profile to the hard drive to save space on the SSD, then you can follow this guide:
    http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/4275-user-profiles-relocate-another-partition-disk.html
    Often anything in the Users folder is the kind of thing that isn't really affected one way or the other by read+access times, almost always bulk data like downloads and temporary files. If you use MEGA's services for example, Firefox's FileSystem API will store their downloads in the Firefox profile folder (and not delete them afterwards for whatever reason) for the purpose of client-sided decryption.
    Using both an SSD and an HDD is less a matter of making read times more efficient and more allocating resource to the proper drive where it would get the most use out of blazing fast read times. Some video games are an example of this. Programs you want to start faster are as well. Non-essentials aren't.

  • W530 RAID option

    I am considering purchasing a w530 thinkpad.
    I was looking at configuring RAID in my laptop. I don't want to have lenovo do it because they charge for the bay adapter and I loose the dvd drive. I probably wouldn't configure it for RAID for a long time either; I just want to have the option. I was told that lenovo has two different motherboards they put in the w530s. One supports RAID, and the other does not. If you do not have lenovo configure RAID for your laptop, they put in the motherboard that does not support RAID.
    Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.
    If this is the case, is it possible to get the correct motherboard without them configuring RAID?
    Thinkpad W530, i7-3720QM, 1920x1080 screen, 12GB 1333Mhz RAM, RAID 0 2x 320GB 7200 RPM HDD, Quadro K2000M, 6-cell battery, Bluetooth 4.0, Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 AGN

    Perhaps someone who has received their non-RAID enabled W530 can check to see if RAID can be enabled in BIOS.
    (from the Hardware Maintenance Manual) :
    Configuring the system UEFI BIOS to enable embedded SATA RAID functionality
    Note: For RAID-supported models, the embedded SATA RAID functionality is enabled by default.
    To configure the UEFI BIOS for RAID, do the following:
    1. Press F1 to enter the ThinkPad Setup program.
    2. Select Config.
    3. Select Serial ATA (SATA).
    4. Select SATA Controller Mode Option, and then the following options will be displayed:
    • Compatibility
    • AHCI
    • RAID
    5. Select RAID.
    6. Press F10 to save changes and exit.
    W520 4270CTO i7-2820QM Quadro2000M 1920x1080 Display 16GB RAM 2x240GB Intel 510 SSDs (RAID 0) - BIOS 1.42 - PCMark7:4,568
    Samsung Series 9 15-inch NP900X4C-A03US - PCMark7: 4674

  • RAID 0 volume failed - Intel RST, W530 (wonder if it is hardware issue now)

    Hi,
    My laptop is about two years old. I got one of two intel RAID 0 volumes failed several months after I got this laptop. This problem has been on my laptop for a long time.
    The functionality of my laptop started to become poor after this volume failed.In the beginning, windows explorer stopped working and restarted every time I opened the laptop. The windows repair tool said windows could not be repaired... So I reinstalled the OS and reset it to factory setting. However, the crashes persisted and gradually became more frequent. Many other error reports showed up. After searching for solutions, I finally did a clean windows install and used the BIOS Intel RST to repair the corrupted volume (I deleted old volumes created new ones).
    Unfortunately, now, the same volume fail error appears again and the functionality of my laptop is impacted. Sometime I cannot save my excel or pdf file because program stop working, or cannot open a pdf file. I have to restart the OS.
    The detail error message of Intel RST is: "your volume appears inaccessible. Try fixing any problems reported on the array disks. If this fails, review the Troubleshooting section under Help for more information. In all cases, back up any accessible data before taking action".
    I'm now wondering if it is the hardware issue. If so, I'm thinking about buying an extended warranty because my orignal warranty has expired. However, I'm not sure if the warranty can cover this... 
    In this community, I find there are two types of extended warranty, one will start from the expiring date of the original one and the other will start from the date of purchase. I suppose I need to find the second one.
    I'm also wondering the quality of the warranty. Will it take a long time to repair if I send it? or will it take a long time for them to ship?
    Any idea, solution and experience in warranty / repairment would be appreciated.
    Best Regards,
    Haoyi
    BTW, here is also my experience with Lenovo if you would like to have a look at:
    I got my W530 two months after purchases... I found it was a common problem in Lenovo... 
    When my laptop was still in the original warranty, I contacted the lenovo customer service for repairment of the failed volume. Those people told me it was errors coming from my software. They said the repairment was not covered in the original warranty and I needed to buy a new type of warranty (related to software repairment). I had no confidence in the quality of lenovo's customer serivce... So I did not buy it.

    Hi, Colonel,
    Thank you for reply. I tried HD Tune, but it cannot show any information about my harddisk. It only shows Intel Raid 0 Volume, the firemware version is 1.0 and the capacity is 931.5GB. There is no other information, such as serial number, standard, supported, and buffer. I cannot choose supported features. HD Tune also cannot display the temperature of my drives. What should I do?

  • Help thinking buying a W530 with RAID hardware or software

    I'm thinking to buy a W530 with RAID. I have no experience with RAID and never thought that RAID is possible in a labtop. 
    I have read that RAID comes in types of implementation, software or with a hardware controller. In this forum I read that in the W530 service manual the RAID controller has been disappeared from the motherboard (I have not checked by myself).
    Does anyone know if RAID is still implemented by a hardware and not by software.
    Frank

    From the forums and the rep I spoke with, RAID is implemented in the hardware.  You will not be able to enable RAID later on if you did not order it like that from the factory. 
    You would probably be better off going SSD in the primary and a larger capacity HDD in the ultrabay.  You'll have better speed, more reliability, and lower power consumption in general compared to 2 HDD in RAID 0.

  • RAID and SSD Caching Notes for the W530

    Here are some interesting compatibility and limitations issues I've encountered with the W530 on Windows 7 and 8 and Linux. To the point, a trio of SSD units may prove superior to two physical disks plus an mSATA SSD for several reasons outlined here.
    Original goals: quick restore of a previous OS state, data resillience on the road, and use of Intel's SSD caching feature in RST (which is fully compatible with the Lenovo W-series).
    Since there are several issues involved, you may want to consider adding the RAID option only after understanding these tradeoffs, which presumably still exist on latest products.
    APS (active protection) does not work when RAID is in use. Show stopper! I really don't want a head crash even with a RAID 1 mirror. APS is an outstanding feature of IBM/Lenovo products and may give better overall data stability than running with a mirror in which case both heads might crash from a drop or jar, without APS. (Disks these days sometimes have their own APS built-in so that's worth considering as well.)
    Intel's Rapid Storage caching solution requires RAID to implement on an mSATA cache. See #1.
    Reverting to a previous OS image by splitting and reverting to a mirror is not fast. It's easier to break the pair and swap the disks but far easier solutions are available.
    Documentation is sparse for the Intel RST product and Lenovo could help fill in the gaps.
    Without Rescue and Recovery, which I've used in the past to revert to earlier OS builds, other backup/restore options are still required. It is VERY HELPFUL to have a product purchased with a Windows 8 license in the EFI firmware, so that rebuilds aren't a problem. If you experience rebuild issues, quickly contact Lenovo support for workarounds and solutions. I recommend testing a rebuild several times before putting your system into production.
    On a related note, the APS feature is currently unsupported on Linux because of lack of documentation for the output stream of the positioning sensor in recent Lenovo products.
    Workarounds and Problems:
    ExpressCache, which Lenovo provides, is simple to use as an alernative to Intel's RST-based caching.
    Lenovo warns that ExpressCache is incompatible with TrueCrypt and BitLocker encryption.
    FDE (full disk encryption) drives and FDE SSDs are presumably available as a workaround to #2.
    I'm glad I have the RAID option under the hood, but I'm currently not using it. I would if I were on pure SSD storage, which does not require or benefit from APS. ExpressCache does seem to help boot up speed and overall performance, and doesn't appear to add any significant overhead.
    References:
    http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/rapid-storage-technology.html
    http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/diagnose-and-fix/detail.page?DocID=HT079225
    https://www.condusiv.com/partners/oem/technologies/expresscache/
    What's on your Thinkpad? T42 2379-R9U, T61 6460-DWU, W530 2436

    I'd like to suggest an alternative caching product (not affiliated with them, but have used for a long while) by the name of eBoostr.
    What I like about it:
    - Mostly OS agnostic (runs on anything after 2000, including 2000 (!))
    - Chipset agnostic (runs on any chipset)
    - Device agnostic (accepts caching on RAM, SD, CF, USB, Intel's old Turbo Memory, anything that shows up as a drive)
    - GUI interface for excluding files you don't want cached (ignore downloads, music, etc.)
    In short, there's virtually no restrictions on how, where, and what to use it with.
    I think it works fine with TrueCrypt and BitLocker, but I'm not 100% sure.
    What eBoostr doesn't do is sector-level caching, or write-caching. I use CleverCache to bump Windows' file cache size to improve write caching.
    W520: i7-2720QM, Q2000M at 1080/688/1376, 21GB RAM, 500GB + 750GB HDD, FHD screen
    X61T: L7500, 3GB RAM, 500GB HDD, XGA screen, Ultrabase
    Y3P: 5Y70, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, QHD+ screen

  • RAID config in W530

    Q1: Can I put two SATAIII(6Gbps) SSDs in internal and Optical Bays and Configure them with RAID 0 or 1.
    Q2: Is the mSATA moudle compatible with availabe standard SATA3 SSDs in the market?
    Thanks 
    ==========================================================================================
    W530: i7-3820QM Quadro1000M 1920x1080 Display 32GB RAM (1600MHz) - 2x240GB SSDs (RAID 0)
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    I'm also wondering if you can set up a raid after the fact and not choose "raid configured" from ordering through lenovo. 

  • RAIDed w530, drive replacement options (SSD)

    New here,
    I just ordered a w530 factory configured with RAID.
    Does anyone know what height the 500GB 7200 RPM drives are?
    Thanks!

    on the ThinkPad W530, the 500 gigs 7200 RPM drive is 9.5 mm thick.
    Regards,
    Jin Li
    May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
    I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

  • W530 w/RAID Option Installed

    I'm having trouble understanding if an optical drive comes with the maching I just ordered.  If not, can the W530 boot from a portable optical drive?  I ordered the RAID option and this could be an issue that someone had to think about. 
    tnx,
    Gene
            Processor        Intel Core i7-3920XM Processor (2.90GHz, 8MB L3, 1600MHz)
             Operating system                 Windows 7 Professional (64 bit)
            Windows XP Mode          Windows 7 XP Mode - English
             Display type             15.6" FHD (1920 x 1080) LED Backlit AntiGlare Display, Mobile Broadband Ready
             System graphics          NVIDIA Quadro K2000M Graphics with 2GB DDR3 Memory
             Total memory             4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM)
             Camera           720p HD Camera with Microphone
             Configuration option             Primary SATA RAID 0
             Hard drive               Dual RAID HDDs, 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
             Optical device           RAID via Bay Adapter
             System expansion slots           Express Card Slot & 4-in-1 Card Reader
             Battery          6 Cell Li-Ion TWL 70+
            Power cord               170W Slim AC Adapter - US (2pin)
             Bluetooth                Bluetooth 4.0 with Antenna
             Integrated WiFi wireless LAN adapters            ThinkPad 1x1 b/g/n
             Integrated mobile broadband
             ThinkPad 15W Case Sleeve
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    critical_ wrote:
    harrisb wrote:
    Yes, the W530 will boot from the USB CD ROM
    Yes it can boot from USB CDROM but there are a few caveats to watch for. On the W520, a USB CDROM fails to load any recovery system that uses WindowsPE. The only way around this is to use an optical drive attached to the eSATA port.
    Your premise is incorrect.. A USB CD-ROM will boot properly using either of the USB 2.0 ports on the W520. The eSata/USB 2.0 port on the USB will be used in USB 2.0 by the device. The W520 USB 3.0 ports need a driver that is not supported by WPE and not enabled properly in the BIOS.
    The W530 has native USB 3.0 support and will support booting the system in WPE. I believe that the original system concerned the W530.
    W520, i7-2820QM, BIOS 1.42, 1920x1080 FHD, 32 GB RAM, 2000M NVIDIA GPU, Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD, Crucial M550 mSata 512GB, WD 2TB USB 3.0, eSata Plextor PX-LB950UE BluRay
    W520, i7-2760QM, BIOS 1.42 1920x1080 FHD, 32 GB RAM, 1000M NVIDIA GPU, Crucial M500 480GB mSata SSD, Hitachi 500GB HDD, WD 2TB USB 3.0

  • New W530 setup questions...

    Just received my W530 in the mail and I've been trying to get up to speed on all the new technology out there and how to properly setup my computer... I've tried various searches but haven't got a clear answer I don't think - here goes: 
    W530 8gb RAM (2x4), K2000, 500 gb HDD with raid option, x64 win 7, hi res screen
    I already bought a Samsung EVO SSD 250GB for the main drive which I will pickup from my US mailbox on Monday.
    The reason I bought the computer is because my 4 year old Acer just couldn't handle the intensity of PlanSwift and On-Centre digital estimating programs for construction. In addition I dabble with Chief Architect Premiere for 3D house design and the Adobe Suite to do graphics stuff for the company, etc., etc. I will likely take some CAD related courses at school as well in the future.
    My plan was to install OS and programs on the new SSD in the main bay and keep current project files on there. All misc pictures, videos and company files and other things on the HDD which would be in the UltraBay. I currently use about 180 GB and have another 250GB stored on an old laptop which I'd like to transfer over so everything is on one laptop. That one will be for internet searches in the garage for dirtbike repairs 
    Questions:
    1. Is it worth getting a 128 GB mSata drive for the OS (under $100 for Crucial)? Then have all program files on SSD in main bay and misc files on HDD in ultrabay? do I need an adapter for the ultrabay or is it already able to accept the HDD in the ultrabay? I haven't popped out the ultrabay yet to see... 
    2. I hear of using the mSata drive for Caching? Is 128 GB enough for OS and caching? When is the caching helpful? Should I use the mSata just for caching?
    3. Do I setup the computer with the OS on the HDD in the main bay and then clone/image it to the mSata drive oro SSD drive? Or do I start with the SSD in the main bay? I'm really confused on this part... 
    4. If necessary I will upgrade the RAM later - I think this is a straightforward upgrade as long as the voltages with the original RAM are the same - is this correct?
    5. I currently use a Sony KDL 40XBR8 TV as a second monitor at work - what connection should I be using to get the best display settings? I currently use an HDMI with my Acer for no particular reason. I also have an Acer 23" at home which will be replaced with another Sony or Samsung TV when we move into our new house... 
    sorry for the noob questions... I am typically really good at finding answers to my questions but i really didn't find any clear answers or they were so technical I didn't realize it was the answer to my question ;-)
    Can someone give me a practical approach to setting up my computer so I can start off right... thanks!!
    Daniel
    Thanks in advance
    Daniel
    ps can't wait to light this thing up with the SSD! It should rip pretty good... 
    | W530 | i7-3630QM | 16GB DDR3 | 128GB mSATA | 250GB 840 EVO | 500GB HDD | 1920x1080 | QUADRO K2000M |

    Hi Daniel.  When I bought my w530 I immediately installed a 256gb SSD. And now, over a year later I'm looking at getting a 256gb mSata for the boot drive. 
    1. The mSata port may only be Sata II but I figure it's not likely that I'll notice the difference.  High transfer rates are really only realized with large files and the OS is usually a large collection of very small files.  But that's just an opinion and your experience may vary.
    For an ultrabay adapter, check out newmodeus.  Quite a few forum posts mention success with this adapter versus the cheap ones from eBay.  I haven't bought one yet myself, but this is what I will get when the time comes.  (they also sell an adapter  to convert your optical drive into an external USB optical drive.)
    http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_7&products_id=400
    Also, search the forum and be aware that there are many who report problems of the w530 kicking out the ultrabay drive, but it seems better with the newmodeus adapter (as I recall; it was quite a while back when I read about it).  I haven't looked at what ncix carries for adapters but would be interested to know if you find something that works.
    And the drives shipped with the w530 come in different heights, and if it doesn't match the height of your SSD you will need rubber rails.  I still haven't ordered mine and I'm letting my drive sit in the overheight internal bay without proper support.   I just carry it very carefully.  I'm not sure of the best place to get rails, direct from Lenovo or elsewhere.  Last time I checked with Newmodeus they didn't sell just rails, but that may have changed (it was quite a while ago that I checked).
    2. Caching only helps if your OS boot partition is on a traditional harddrive.  With an SSD you won't utilize the caching as it won't be any faster (and may be slower).
    3. I would try installing direct to the mSata/SSD instead of cloning.  For a new system it's probably just as easy and less prone to issues.  Windows will take care of alignment, etc., and turning off features unnecessary for SSD (superfetch/prefetch/and all that).
    I also don't believe it necessary to install Win7 fresh.  It depends on your view.  I didn't want the hassle of tracking down a legit copy of Win7 install that I would trust, not to mention the hassle of installing it.  Instead, I made the restore DVD(s) using the Lenovo tools whlie the original harddrive was installed, then switched the drive with the new SDD and restored from the DVDs.  Then I went through and uninstalled any Lenovo software I didn't think was useful.  It's been working nicely ever since and I don't regret not starting with a fresh install.  Your experience may vary, though.
    4. Upgrading ram is very easy.  I'm not sure about specs, but if you don't match voltage and speed the system will downgrade both to the lowest common available.  You should be able to find many discussions about matching RAM voltage on the 'net.  You also would have to wait until your system arrives anyways because you don't know the specs of the RAM in advance (since Lenovo uses different suppliers).
    I'm not sure how much RAM you'd need for CAD software.  I upgraded mine to 32gb because I didn't want to find myself wishing I had more (for software development).  I think I only ever hit as high as 20gb used, and am usually around the 6-12gb mark (depends on how many VMs I have going).
    5. Sorry, I can't answer your video question.  I use the docking station with two monitors via DVI.  I haven't tried HDMI.
    Before you sell off the extra parts, make sure you don't need them for warranty coverage.  Warranty will only cover the system with original parts, so if you have to send in your system you would remove all custom parts and reinstall the originals.  I'm not sure about onsite service, if you have to revert your system or not to original specs.
    All comments I made above were in respect of Win7 Pro.  I have no idea if anything changes under Win8/8.1.
    Good luck!  I hope you enjoy your w530 as much as I do mine. 
    w530 i7-3820QM / 32GB Corsair Vengeance 1600 RAM / 256GB Plextor M3P SSD / Quadro K1000M

  • System Performanc​e Scores for W530?

    I would like to know what other's system performance scores are (control panel/system/performance) on their W530s...specifically configured with
    : Intel Core i7-3720QM processor (6M Cache)
      NVDIA Quadro K1000M Graphics with 2GB DDR Memory
      8 GB DDR-1600MHZ (2 DIMM)
     500GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200pm
     Windows 8 Pro 64 (if that is important)
    I am confused about my scores, They are not what I expected them to be.
    Thanks, I appreciate your input.
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    PCMark 7 Score 4940
    http://www.3dmark.com/pcm7/375661
    W520 4270CTO i7-2820QM Quadro2000M 1920x1080 Display 16GB RAM 2x240GB Intel 510 SSDs (RAID 0) - BIOS 1.42 - PCMark7:4,568
    Samsung Series 9 15-inch NP900X4C-A03US - PCMark7: 4674

  • T530 Raid Option Where is it ?

    I have T530  and i want to build raid with micro sata SSD
    I read this manual http://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mob​iles_pdf/t530_t530i_w530_hmm_en_0b48474_02.pdf
    In this manual....
    About this manual
    This manual contains service and reference information for the following ThinkPad products. ThinkPad T530 and T530i Machine type (MT) 2359, 2392, 2393, 2394, 2429, 2430, and 2434 ThinkPad W530 MT 2436, 2438, 2439,2441, 2447, 2449, and 2463
    In Chapter 5
    Configuring the system UEFI BIOS to enable embedded SATA RAID
    functionality
    Note: For RAID-supported models, the embedded SATA RAID functionality is enabled by default.
    To configure the UEFI BIOS for RAID, do the following:
    1. Press F1 to enter the ThinkPad Setup program.
    2. Select Config.
    3. Select Serial ATA (SATA).
    4. Select SATA Controller Mode Option, and then the following options will be displayed:
    • Compatibility
    • AHCI
    • RAID
    5. Select RAID.
    6. Press F10 to save changes and exit.
    My  MT number is 2392  and i don`t have raid choice  option in my BIOS
    Tell me Where i can fin it ?
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    Only certain model of W530 supports RAID function. Your hmm is for T530, T530i and W530 machines.
    For RAID, it is only available on Ultrabay bay and main hdd bay. The mSATA slot doesn't support raid.
    Regards,
    Jin Li
    May this year, be the year of 'DO'!
    I am a volunteer, and not a paid staff of Lenovo or Microsoft

  • Does w530 msata support 6Gbps SATA III?

    Hi everyone, I know W520 mSATA support 3 Gbps connection. but by launching new mSATAIII SSDs I hope W530 with Ivy Bridge and QM77 chipset suports 6 Gbps connection.
    thanks for any Idea or references abaut it? 
    ==========================================================================================
    W530: i7-3820QM Quadro1000M 1920x1080 Display 32GB RAM (1600MHz) - 2x240GB SSDs (RAID 0)
    Solved!
    Go to Solution.

    Since my general recommendation for a normal SSD is the Samsung 830, my recommendation for an mSATA SSD is the Samsung PM830. The PM830 is the Samsung 830 in a mSATA format. It is also somewhat future-proof in the sense that it is capable of SATA III speeds.
    When asking for help, post your question in the forum. Remember to include your system type, model number and OS. Do not post your serial number.
    Did someone help you today? Press the star on the left to thank them with a Kudo!
    If you find a post helpful and it answers your question, please mark it as an "Accepted Solution"! This will help others with the same question in the future.
    My TPs: Twist 2HU: i5-3317U Win 8 Pro, 4GB RAM 250GB Samsung 840 | T420 4177CTO: i5-2520M, HD+, Win 7 Pro x64, 8GB RAM, Optimus, 160GB Intel 320 SSD, Intel 6300 WiFi, BT 3.0 | T400 2764CTO: P8700, WXGA, Win 7 Ult x64, AMD 3470, 8GB RAM, 64GB Samsung SSD, BT, Intel 5300 WiFi | A20m 14.1" PIII 500 (retired). Monitors: 2x Dell U2211h IPS 100% sRGB calibrated w/ Spyder3.

  • U310 Raid Bios Setting

    I have a U310 Touch w/ Windows 8.1,  500gb HDD and 24gb mSata SSD.  What does the RAID setting in BIOS do?  If it is supposed to do something,  Windows will not boot up after switching to RAID.  It just says there was a problem starting you computer and goes into Startup Repair. Any help would be great.  I am just trying to make it  a little faster if that is what it does.
    Moderator Note; subject edited

    Hello,
    Traditionally, a RAID option in a computer's BIOS or UEFI firmware allows the computer to treat multiple drives that are installed in it as if they were one big drive, and spreads files written to the RAID drive "array" across the individual drives for redundancy and performance.  For it to work best, the drives should be identical models.   There are several ways in which the RAIDed drive array can be configured, depending upon the number of drives, and what the RAID option in the firmware supports. 
    In some instances, the capacity of the RAID array is limited to the size of the smallest drive in it.  For example, if you created a RAID array with a two 500GB hard disk drives and one 24GB SSD, the size of the array would be limited to 72GB (3x24GB).
    Probably the best way to speed up the U310 would be to remove both the 500GB HDD and 24GB mSATA SSD, and replace them with one SSD (either a 2.5" SSD where the 500GB HDD was, or a mSATA SSD where the 24GB SSD was), then reinstall Windows from your recovery media.
    Regards,
    Aryeh Goretsky
    I am a volunteer and neither a Lenovo nor a Microsoft employee. • Dexter is a good dog • Dexter je dobrý pes
    S230u (3347-4HU) • X220 (4286-CTO) • W510 (4318-CTO) • W530 (2441-4R3) • X100e (3508-CTO) • X120e (0596-CTO) • T61p (6459-CTO) • T43p (2678-H7U) • T42 (2378-R4U) • T23 (2648-LU7)
      Deutsche Community   Comunidad en Español Русскоязычное Сообщество

  • Error Message in W530 BIOS setup

    Ordered W530 with Raid 1. After received it, I changed to Raid 0 and installed Windows 8 on MSATA SSD.
    Since then, every time when I try to "Save Changes" or "Exit with Save Changes", it will have a window pop up with a error message.
    Please see the picture.
    Anyone know how to fix this? Thanks

    Hi, arthurcorrell
    Since you can't change the settings as is, have you tried setting them back to default and see if that works? They may already be on default, but this will test whether any changes to the settings can be done. And if it does work, see if you can change settings thereafter.
    There is also a rather recent BIOS update (1 Feb 2013) available for your system if you haven't already installed it, and that can be found here.
    Hope it helps; let me know how it goes
    Adam
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