Things You'll Need

Instructions

1

Check your mother board documentation to find out if your PC has a RAID controller already built in. If it does not, you will need to purchase an adapter card. Read your documentation to find out what levels of RAID your computer supports.
2

Install new hard drive. Shut off the computer and unplug it. Put the grounding strap on your wrist and clip the other end to the side of the computer. Remove the screws holding the removable side of the computer.
3

Use your operating manual to locate the hard drive. Most computers will have a second set of controllers. The controllers are cables that connect to the hard drive. Install the new hard drive and the adapter card according to the manufacturer's instructions. Not all adapter cards are alike. Put the side of the computer back on.
4

Configure the new hard drive and adapter card in your computer's CMOS. Start the computer. Enter the CMOS by hitting F2. Make sure the computer is detecting the new hard drive. If the new disk is not detected, restart the computer. If that fails, make sure the cables are connected properly.
5

Go to control panel on your computer. Click on "administrative tools." Double-click on "computer management." Click on "disk management." In disk management, you will see both hard drives. The primary hard drive will be listed as disk 0 and the second drive will be listed as disk 1. Delete the volumes on both drives except for the system partition on disk 0. To delete the volumes, right-click each disk.
6

Convert disk 0 and disk 1 to dynamic disks. Right-click the disk. To right-click the disk, you must click on the box showing the disk title on the left of the box. Select the check box next to the disk being converted. Click "OK," and then click "convert." Follow these steps for both disks.
7

Add mirror. To implement RAID 1, you must add a mirror. The mirror is an exact duplicate of disk 0 being created on disk 1. Right-click disk 0 and select "add mirror." In the add mirror box, you will be prompted to select a location for the mirror copy of the C drive. Choose disk 1 and select "add mirror." It can take a little time for this to be completed. Once the mirror is created, everything on disk 0 will be copied to disk 1.