Windows 10: Windows 10 explorer does not see external network raid drive

I have 2 Windows 10 machines and older one CoolerMaster and a new refurbished unit ThinkStation. Explorer in the older machine sees the raid along with everything else on the network. Explorer in the newer machine does not. Both machines see the external raid 5N when using the Drobo Dashboard. Explorer in the Windows 11 machine does not see the the external drive.Since the external drive is visible in the Dashboard and not File Explorer i.e not a hardware problem, then I am hoping it is a simple matter of switching something on or off.

:)

 

Windows 10 Tweaks

Pressing “Windows+Pause Break” (it’s up there next to scroll lock) opens the “System” Window.

Windows 10: In the new version of Windows, Explorer has a section called Quick Access. This includes your frequent folders and recent files. Explorer defaults to opening this page when you open a new window. If you’d rather open the usual This PC, with links to your drives and library folders, follow these steps:

• Open a new Explorer window.
• Click View in the ribbon.
• Click Options.
• Under General, next to “Open File Explorer to:” choose “This PC.”
• Click OK

credit to Lifehacker.

 

Set up raid with external drives????

Hello, Harlan Sherriff

Welcome to Microsoft Community.

Generally Speaking, setting up a RAID array with external drives in Windows 11 using Disk Management can be a bit tricky because Windows generally expects internal drives for RAID configurations. However, if you want to mirror your data across those two external drives, you can try using Windows Storage Spaces, which provides a software-based RAID solution. Here's how you can do it:

Note: Make sure to back up any data on those drives before proceeding because setting up RAID can result in data loss if not done correctly.

1. Attach External HDD or Use Virtual HDD:

• To attach an external hard drive, simply connect it to your computer using the appropriate cable.
  
• To use a virtual hard disk (VHD), follow the steps below:
  

2. Open Disk Management: You can open Disk Management in Windows 11 using one of the following methods

• Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box, type diskmgmt.msc, and press Enter.
  
• Right-click on the Start menu, and choose "Disk Management."
  

3. Create VHD: In Disk Management, follow these steps to create a virtual hard disk (VHD):

• In the Disk Management window, click on "Action" in the menu bar.
  
• Select "Create VHD" from the dropdown menu. This will open a dialog box.
  
  • In the "Create and Attach Virtual Hard Disk" window:
    
    • Click the "Browse" button to choose the location where you want to save the VHD.
      
    • Specify the size of the virtual hard disk in the "Size" field. Ensure you have enough space for your needs.
      
    • Select "VHDX" as the type of virtual hard disk. VHDX is recommended for its improved features and performance over VHD.
      
    • Choose a location for your VHD and give it a name.
      
    • Choose whether to create a dynamically expanding or fixed-size VHD. The former consumes only as much space as needed, while the latter pre-allocates the full size.
      
    • Click "OK" to create the VHD. Click here to view it
      

4. Configure RAID in Advanced Storage Settings:

• After attaching your external hard drives or creating your VHDs, you can configure RAID using the following steps:
  
  • Press Win + I to open the Windows Settings.
    
  • Go to "System" and select "Storage."
    
  • Under "Advanced storage settings," click on "Storage Spaces." Click here to view it.
    
• In the Storage Spaces window:
  
  • Click "Add a new Storage Pool."
    
• Follow the prompts to create a storage pool by combining your disks, configuring the RAID settings (e.g., Mirror for RAID 1), and specifying the size.
  
• Choose the file system for your RAID array (usually NTFS).
  
• Click "Create" to create the RAID volume. Click here to view it, and here is another reference picture.
  

Now you have created a storage pool using either external hard drives or virtual hard disks in Windows 11. Please note that while this method allows you to create a RAID-like configuration using Windows Storage Spaces, it's not the same as hardware RAID and may not provide identical performance or features. Always ensure you have backups of your important data.

Hope it helps! If any update, welcome to share with us.

Best regards,



Chandy |Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

How to image 2 hard drives with raid 1

Hi there
Not sure if this is the best way but should work.

1) backup data to individual external drives (or whatever -- cloud services etc). For basic data - use ROBOCOPY ,XCOPY, or simply Windows / File explorer.
2) install new HDD's
3) Create your RAID array's for the new drives.
4) restore data saved via step 1).

If you have the Windows OS on a RAID device then that's beyond my knowledge - AFAIK Windows needs a hardware card with a driver to boot a RAID device. However the suggestion I've made will save / recover your DATA files.

Cheers
jimbo.