Buzz
RAID, or Redundant Array of Independent Disks, is a technology that enhances a computer's storage capabilities by combining multiple disk drives into one drive. Occasionally, it may be necessary to temporarily disable RAID on a system. PC users can achieve this by disabling the RAID utility in the system BIOS, while Mac users can use Apple's RAID Admin feature. This guide provides instructions on disabling RAID on both PC and Mac systems.
Steps
Disabling RAID in the System BIOS (PC)
Accessing the BIOS before startup. Different systems and BIOS versions have varying methods for accessing and modifying the BIOS settings. Despite the differences, the BIOS interfaces generally share a similar layout, and each system has a designated key that grants access to the BIOS utility before booting up.
Find the Key to Access System BIOS. Common keys for accessing the system BIOS include Delete, F1, F2, F11, and Escape. After the Power-On Self Test (POST), a prompt usually appears at the bottom of the screen indicating the assigned key for accessing the BIOS configuration utility.
- Use the designated key to access the BIOS screen. Restart your computer if necessary, and during POST, press and hold or tap the key to open the BIOS configuration utility screen.
Locate the BIOS RAID Configuration Utility. The location of the RAID configuration utility varies depending on the system's BIOS version. It may be found in the advanced BIOS features menu, on-board device configuration menu, or SATA Configuration menu.
- Use your computer keyboard's directional arrows to navigate through different menus within the BIOS configuration utility and find the RAID configuration options.
Disable RAID from the System BIOS. Once located, use the directional arrows on your keyboard to scroll down the options list and highlight the RAID configuration menu. Choose 'disable' and press enter. Then press 'esc' to return to the main menu.
- Exit the BIOS. Navigate to 'Save Settings and Exit' from the main menu using directional arrows, then press enter. The system RAID is now disabled, and the computer will boot automatically.
Disable RAID Using RAID Admin (Mac OS X)
Disable RAID on Mac OS X. RAID Admin is a RAID management tool and disk utility app included with Mac OS X Server. It can also be downloaded for free from Apple.
- Find and click the RAID Admin icon on the dock or desktop to open the application. Click on 'Delete Array' in the RAID Admin toolbar. Enter the management password when prompted. Repeat for all arrays in the list to disable system RAID. RAID function is now disabled.
Useful Tips
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Disabling the RAID function on any system can result in significant data loss. Make sure to create a secure backup of all drive data before deleting an array or disabling the RAID feature in the system BIOS.
