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Why do I get a boot error when I install a RAID card?

I have a SCSI motherboard that has a software RAID 1 mirrored boot drive. The motherboard is capable of containing a zero channel, Adaptec 2010s RAID card that converts the onboard SCSI to RAID. The problem is that my boot partitions are on hard drives attached to the motherboard, and when I install the RAID card, I get a boot error. I believe that a different SCSI/RAID driver is required to recognize the new card, but the operating system won't boot. Since this is my Exchange server, I am nervous about reloading the OS, installing the new driver and possibly losing my configuration. Backing up system state will have my old driver information and not solve my problem. Modifying the boot.ini points to the correct boot drive, but it does not contain the proper driver for the raid card. What can I do?

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This sounds like a hardware issue, not a Windows issue. I'd recommend contacting the vendors of the SCSI card and motherboard and asking for a solution. You may need to upgrade the BIOS on the motherboard or SCSI card.

This was first published in July 2003

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