Reinstallation of Windows OS

[take_one_pass_it_on]

Hello 

I am currently trialling the DrivePool - so far so good. However I want to switch from Windows 8.1 to Windows 2012 R2 Standard. I have a single 256 GB OS SSD and 3 6TB WD RED HDD which have a data pool of around 4 TB. 

If I reinstall how do i get Drive Pool reconnected to the pool ?

What do I need to check for ? Any risks involved with regards to data loss ?

Many thanks for any advice.

 

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Well, it is definitely by design, but it definitely feels like magic.
 

Assuming you're reinstalling on the same box:

1.  Deactivate the license on the "old" box (and note the activation key before that I would think)
2. Turn off the system and take the pooled HDDs out (to make sure you can only install to the correct disk)
3. Reinstall the OS
4. Install and activate DrivePool on the new installation
5. Reconnect the HDDs in the system (turn off and do so, if needed)
6. As soon as the system sees the pooled drives, StableBit DrivePool will detect the drives and recreate the pool automatically.

[take_one_pass_it_on]

Can i hope for this same magic ?

[teddyboy16]

It's not magic. It's by design. As long as the pooled drives are intact, you should be fine.

[take_one_pass_it_on]

Thanks teddyboy16 and big thanks Christopher for the details.

 

Unfortunately I just clicked Transfer license..... and think I might have lost my trial license anything i can do ? 

 

edit: sent note to support.

[Christopher (Drashna)]

You're very welcome.

 

Unfortunately I just clicked Transfer license..... and think I might have lost my trial license anything i can do ? 

Not sure what you mean there.

 

But to clarify, if it was a "Transfer" wizard/window, then hardware (or some other system identifier) changed, and we're updating the activation information to make sure we have the most up to date information on file. 

 

If you've deactivated the license, then that may be more problematic, and opening a ticket (with me) would be the best option. 

[crowdx42]

A quick comment here, I am going to re-install the OS this weekend, same OS, just a fresh install. From the above comments I presume drivepool will see the drives which it has used before and add those. Will it assign the same drive letters to the pool? (I have two pools, D: and N: ) .

Also I have unassigned the drive letters for all the drives in the pool, will I manually have to do this again? 

Thank you for your assistance.

Patrick

[Christopher (Drashna)]

No, it won't assign the same drive letters, unfortunately. You'll have to manually change them.

 

As for the pooled drives, I'm not sure, but I do believe that it should not re-assign letters to the drives (IIRC, there is a "flag" on the volume that prevents this from happening, even on a different machine).

[crowdx42]

Ok, well it is no biggie to re-assign

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Yup, exactly.

 

Though, instead of no mount point (drive letter, etc), we do recommend mounting the disk to a folder:

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q4822624

This removes the letter and declutters the drive list, but allows you full access to the drives if you need it (such as manually running a chkdsk pass).