This document is a guide to SATA hard disk installation and RAID configuration. It provides instructions for installing SATA hard disks and explains the basics of RAID and how to configure different RAID modes.
This guide explains how to install Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks on a motherboard that uses the Intel Z77 chipset and how to set up various RAID configurations. It covers RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10 and Intel Rapid Storage, including BIOS settings and Windows installation procedures.
Detailed instructions are provided for entering the BIOS, creating and deleting RAID volumes, selecting stripe sizes, and using the Intel RAID utility. The document also includes precautions, recommended drive configurations, and notes on operating system compatibility.
| Supported RAID levels | RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 10, Intel Rapid Storage |
|---|---|
| Number of SATA channels | Four independent SATA channels |
| Minimum drives for RAID 10 | Four hard disk drives |
| Minimum drives for RAID 5 | Three identical hard disk drives |
Set “SATA Mode Selection” to [RAID] in the BIOS setup utility.
The default stripe size is 128 KB.
No, RAID mode is not supported under Windows XP or XP 64‑bit.
Only one RAID partition can be created at a time in the BIOS environment.