Current Setup:
Drobo gen1 (2x2TB + 2x1.5T @ 70% full)
WinXP HTPC
Gigabit Ethernet home router connection to PC’s (4 pc’s in house)
I use beyondtv and have 2 link pc’s and i’m always moving hd movies from and to the drobo. It’s getting full and is always loud due to the fan it uses.
My first concern is upgrade my HTPC from winxp to win7. There are two reasons I’d like to get this done. First is winxp isn’t supported anymore and secondly, win7 allows volumes larger than 2TB.
What would I need to do in the upgrade process in order to make sure my data is safe. Anything? Currently, XP shows 2x2TB partitions and I’d like to get it down to one partition for the drobo.
My other thoughts are to upgrade my drobo itself. It is a 1st generation, and I could use better performance and a quieter drobo (if it exists). What is the process that costs the least $$$ to move my data from one drobo (gen1) to a newer drobo FS.
as for keeping your data safe - disconnect drobo from the PC whenever you upgrade the Operating system!
you can reconnect it once your new version of windows is all setup
and yes the newer drobos are much faster and quieter.
since you wnat to move away from your current 2x2tb setup, my personal advice woudl be for you to get a droboFS with some drives, and simply move everything from your V1 to your new Fs and then ebay the V1 (or keep it for a backup)
the increased cable length of the FS will mean you could put it in a different room so it wont ruin your HTPC experience (my drobo lives in a closet (VERY well ventiliated before people start on about that) down the hall)
and the additional speed of a much newer drobo should be noticeable too
i dont know about beyondtv but i use mediabrowser which runs as a plugin to MediaCenter for stroed tv/movies
i spent £100 on a 60GB OCZ Vertex 2 SSD as the system drive in HTPC and its a massive speed jump when browsing and opening lots of coverart etc etc (Since the cache is on the system drive), and then all the media itself lives on my drobopro (or it did until it died - i’m just waiting for my replacement drobopro - thank god for 2 year warranties.)
I am on a V2 Drobo. I found I had a big difference in fan noise and drive noise when I switched to the Western Digital Green drives. The lower drive speed means lower heat and less need for the fans. The performance bottlenecks are not in drive speed but in the connection to the computer.
I am on a Mac, so perhaps the situation is different (or I may just be wrong!), but doesn’t the set up with the Drobo dashboard control the partition size? Would not changing the volume size on the Drobo through the dashboard erase the drives?
