How to set up a RAID system in Windows 11: Complete guide with Storage Spaces, BIOS/UEFI, and Intel RST

Setting up a RAID system in Windows 11 is a tempting idea when you're looking for more performance, capacity and fault tolerance without spending a fortune on hardware Dedicated. Windows has evolved: today, it focuses on Storage Spaces and, on certain computers, motherboard RAID via the BIOS/UEFI or Intel RST. The key is to choose the right approach based on your goal, your motherboard, and the available disks.

Before touching anything, it's worth understanding some specifics. In Windows 11, creating a classic RAID from Disk Management has been deprecated. limited or restricted in some builds, and the preferred method is Storage Spaces (Control Panel or the new WinUI). Also, software RAID is system-dependent: if you reinstall Windows or make low-level changes, you will need to reconfigure. Still, with good preparation and backups, the process is straightforward.

What is RAID and how does Windows 11 implement it?

A RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) combines multiple drives to improve performance and/or resilience. In Windows 11, there are three common paths: Storage Spaces (classic and WinUI), software RAID with dynamic disks (limited in Windows 11), and motherboard RAID (BIOS/UEFI with Intel RST or equivalent options).

In Storage Spaces you can create these resiliency configurations with different names than in the traditional RAID world, but the mapping is clear and in the WinUI version there is even a additional dual parity option compared to the classic:

• Simple: equivalent to a non-fault-tolerant array (similar to RAID 0/JBOD). Requires at least two disks.
• Bi-directional mirror: RAID 1 (mirroring). Requires a minimum of 2 disks and provides protection against the fall of a unit.
• Three-way mirror: a mirroring with three copies. It is not RAID 5; it works as three replicas and demands more discs, aiming for maximum resilience.
• Parity: similar to RAID 5, requires at least 3 disks and provides balance between capacity and safety.
• Dual parity (in WinUI): Comparable to RAID 6, with double parity to survive two disk failures; Windows introduces it with more demanding drive count requirements.

In motherboard RAID (BIOS/UEFI), very common in computers with Intel chipsets, you will find classic levels such as RAID 0 and RAID 1, and sometimes RAID 5 on specific chipsets. This method operates at the firmware level, so Windows “sees” a single volume since the first Boot.

Prerequisites and important checks

Before creating your array, it's a good idea to check your environment. A basic step is to confirm that the disks you're going to use are compatible with each other, especially in the logical and physical sector size. Windows Storage Spaces may be denied if there is a mix of 512e and 4Kn.

To check the sectors, open a symbol of the system with administrator privileges and executes fsutil fsinfo ntfsinfo X: (replace X: with the drive letter). Look at the lines Bytes per sector y Bytes per physical sector; if there is a disparity between disks, errors may occur.

If you detect a sector incompatibility, there are two approaches: either replace with homogeneous drives, or try adjusting to 4K if the manufacturer and tools allow it. Some third-party partition managers claim to offer sector size conversion; use it with extreme caution, preferably after a full backup, and assuming that the ideal is to standardize using equivalent units.

Another key requirement is to operate with empty disks or at least without volumes. To prepare them, go to Disk management (right click on Start → Disk Management), locate the drives you are going to use and delete any volumes by right clicking → Delete volume. This way you avoid errors when creating the group.

Create RAID with Storage Spaces (Control Panel and WinUI)

Storage Spaces is the recommended path by Microsoft in Windows 11 for software fixes, since manage groups and spaces flexibly, allows capacity expansion and facilitates replacement of units in the event of failures.

Classic access: Control Panel → Storage Spaces. From there, tap Create a new pool and storage space. Select the disks (preferably of the same size) and create the group. The system will notify you that all data will be erased of those units.

Modern Access (WinUI): Settings → System → Storage → Advanced storage settings → Storage spacesYou will find a more visual experience, with the novelty of the dual parity on many Windows 11 installations.

In both cases, after creating the group, define the storage space (the logical volume): assign a name, a letter, the file system (normally NTFS) and the resiliency type (Simple, 2-Way Mirror, 3-Way Mirror, Parity, or Dual Parity on WinUI). You can open advanced options to choose cluster size; for large files, 64 KB or more usually performs best. If you need more space, you can extend a partition using unallocated space depending on the logical volume you created.

At the end of Create storage space, the volume will appear as another drive in "This PC." You can check the status from the Storage Spaces section itself or in Disk managementIf the goal was RAID 1 (two-way mirroring), you'll see a single volume that duplicates data across both drives.

Maintenance: expand capacity, replace disks and remove drives

When you are short on space, you can add disks to the group from Storage Spaces. Enter the pool and choose "Add disks." The wizard will redistribute data based on the resiliency level and, if applicable, allow increase the size of the space.

If a disk fails or reports degradation, Windows 11 will display alerts in the pool and physical disk section. To remove a failed disk, first add a new disk (if you were at the minimum required for resiliency), then use the disk with the problem. Prepare for disposal and when it changes, press Delete. You can then physically remove the unit.

To remove a disk for reorganization, the process is the same: Storage Spaces automatically moves data to the other disks in the pool, minimizing risk. This approach simplifies maintenance. without the need for external tools.

Troubleshoot group discovery or creation

If Storage Spaces doesn't detect your drives, make sure they appear as unallocated space in Disk Management. Check cables and ports: connecting different SATA/NVMe ports sometimes resolves incompatibilities. Also check in the BIOS/UEFI that the ports are operational and, if you intend to use motherboard RAID, that the SATA/RAID mode is adjusted correctly.

When the error is related to residual metadata (for example, drives that were previously part of another array), you might encounter messages like "Cannot add a new drive, error 0x00000032"In those cases, a metadata reset from PowerShell helps:

1. Open PowerShell as administrator and run: Get-PhysicalDisk | ft FriendlyName, SerialNumber, UniqueId -auto to identify the disk by UniqueId.
2. Lanza Reset-PhysicalDisk -UniqueId "TU-IDENTIFICADOR". Make sure you write the identifier between double quotes.

After the reset, the disk is usually ready to be reinstalled. integrate into the group. Remember that sometimes a normal format doesn't erase the metadata that confuses Storage Spaces.

Motherboard RAID (BIOS/UEFI) with Intel RST and similar options

If your motherboard supports it, you can enable RAID mode from the BIOS/UEFI to create the array at the firmware level. This is especially useful when you want to the RAID volume is the system drive where to install Windows and manage the EFI partition.

General steps (varies by manufacturer): Enter BIOS/UEFI with F2, Del or F10, locate the storage settings and change the SATA mode from AHCI to RAID. Save and reboot; on many computers, you'll see the Intel Rapid Storage Option ROM warning that there are no volumes defined and the combination to enter the utility (CTRL+I in classic ROMs). From there you can create a RAID 0 or RAID 1 on most consumer motherboards, and on some chipsets also RAID 5.

On Dell computers (and countless desktop towers and fixed workstations), the typical flow is: System Setup → System Configuration → SATA Operation Mode → RAID On. After applying and rebooting, enter the RAID configuration utility when prompted by the firmware, choose the level, select disks, stripe size and confirm the creation of the volume.

Important warnings: Creating the RAID volume from BIOS/UEFI erase the data of the disks involved. Additionally, on some models, removing or replacing the CMOS battery may reset the settings and render inoperative the arrangement until reconfigured.

Migrate an existing Windows system to RAID 0/1 with Intel Matrix Storage or Intel RST

If you already have Windows installed on a disk and want to migrate to RAID without reinstalling, Intel tools offer a wizard. live migration in certain scenarios (depending on chipset and drivers installed).

With Intel Matrix Storage (older platforms): Open the console (Start Menu → Intel Matrix Storage Console), go to Create RAID Volume From Existing Hard Drive and follow the wizard. Choose RAID 0 (performance) or RAID 1 (protection), select the source drive (the system drive) and the additional member drive, and confirm. The process may take a while, but on many computers it allows continue working while migrating.

With Intel Rapid Storage Technology (newer models): Start the console, press Create, choose Real-time data protection (RAID 1) o Optimized disk performance (RAID 0), configure volume, disks and source drive, and confirm with Create volumeIf the system warns of long times, give it a margin; it is best to avoid heavy loads until it finish.

Remember: this migration does not replace a backup complete. If something goes wrong, you'll need your previous backupAnd if you're looking for RAID for the system drive in a clean install, the most robust approach is to define the volume in BIOS/UEFI and then install Windows on it.

Classic Software RAID: Disk Management and DiskPart

In previous versions of Windows it was common to create RAID 0/1/5 with dynamic disks from Disk Management. In Windows 11, this path may be limited (the "New Mirrored Volume" option doesn't appear on all computers). If it appears and you want to use it, the process is as follows:

1. Open Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc).
2. Right click on unallocated space → New mirrored volume (RAID 1) or New sectioned/striped volume (RAID 0), as the case may be.
3. Follow the wizard: select disks, letter, NTFS format, confirm conversion to dynamic disks and finish.

With line of commands (administrator) through Diskpart on dynamic volumes: for RAID 0 use create volume stripe size=n disk=1,2,...; for RAID 1 create volume mirror disk=1,2; and for RAID 5 (Server editions only) create volume raid disk=1,2,3. After, formats and assigns letter with format fs=ntfs label=Nombre y assign letter=F.

Although it is possible, the method recommended today by Microsoft at the customer level is Storage Spaces, which offers management and recovery simpler, plus the option of parity and dual parity from the modern interface.

RAID 0 vs RAID 1: What to Expect and Who to Use It For

	RAID 0 (striped)	RAID 1 (mirroring)
Description	Combine discs to speed up reads/writes without fault tolerance.	Duplicates data across two disks to protect against the fall of a unit.
Visible capacity	Sum of the capacities (e.g., 2 × 320 GB = 640 GB).	The smallest disk (e.g., 320 GB if the disks are 320 GB).
How it works	The controller distributes blocks between both units in parallel.	The controller writes the same data in both units.
For whom	Users who prioritize performance: video/audio editing, graphics, games.	Those who need data integrity: critical documents, records, projects.
Risk	If a disk fails, the data on the volume is lost.	If a disk fails, the data is still available on the healthy disk.

Keep in mind that RAID 1 is not a Backup: Protects against hardware failure, not accidental deletion or ransomware. For that, you need external backups.

Hardware Tips: Choosing Drives and Planning Upgrades

If you are looking for maximum capacity at a reasonable price, HDDs are still unbeatable in €/TB, operating at moderate temperatures and fit well in mirrors or parity. For pure performance, SSD SATA or NVMe are your options; if you choose SSD, it's good to know How to update the firmware of an SSD. To create RAID with several M.2 drives there are expansion cards that allow you to mount more NVMe SSDs in PCIe slots. Be careful with the PCIe topology (you can sacrifice the GPU's x16) and with the motherboard limitations if you want boot from that RAID.

About drive size: mixing drives of different capacities works, but the usable capacity is adjusted to that of the smaller in RAID 1 and similar. Whenever possible, use twin models to avoid waste.

Software or hardware RAID? Practical considerations

A software RAID depends on the operating system. If you're going to reinstall frequently or are worried about system drive issues, consider an array. Motherboard RAID or an external NAS/DAS with a dedicated controller. The latter don't depend on Windows and are more portable between computers.

In Windows 10/11, you cannot mount a software RAID using the boot drive already installed. If you want the OS to reside on a RAID volume, you must create the RAID before installing Windows (in BIOS/UEFI or with the manufacturer's utility) and then install on that volume.

Good practices to avoid errors and losses

Always back up before creating or migrating arrays. Any RAID wizard, whether in BIOS or in Windows, erase the disks involved. Check cables, ports, and the SMART status of the drives.

If you encounter creation errors due to metadata or remnants of previous configurations, apply the PowerShell reset shown above. And in specific cases of sector incompatibilities (512e vs. 4Kn), try standardizing your disks or, if the tool and manufacturer support it, homogenizes to 4K with guarantees.

Quick Reference Steps: RAID 1 with Storage Spaces

There is a step by step tutorial Long, but for quick reference: Control Panel → Storage spaces → Create pool → select unallocated disks → create space with Two-Way Mirror → name, assign letter and format NTFS → Create space. Check Disk Management and perform a basic read/write test.

Brands and compatibility

Motherboards and desktop computers from Dell, HP, LenovoASUS, MSI, Gigabyte and others often offer RAID 0/1 and on specific chipsets, RAID 5 via Intel RST. In the Dell ecosystem, many OptiPlex, Vostro, XPS, Alienware, and workstation models support basic RAID; always check your Service Tag and the Drivers and downloads to confirm the compatible storage package.

If your computer's BIOS doesn't show RAID mode, you probably need additional hardware or stick with Storage Spaces in Windows. Both paths are valid; choose the one that best suits your needs. case of use and your hardware.

All of the above leaves you with a clear picture: with Windows 11, you have powerful native tools (Classic Storage Spaces and WinUI) and, if your motherboard allows it, the path of firmware RAID. With prepared disks, backups, and a sensible choice of level (performance, security, or balance), implementing RAID 1, 0, or parity on your PC is affordable, and, if well managed, reliable in everyday life.