An observation and a bit of a rant: The topic for today is Storage Spaces


hsehestedt

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I love Windows. I really do. But there are some things that I just simply do not understand about Microsoft's implementation of new features. For example, they seem to have a hard time ever finishing what they start.

One example would be dark mode. It has been several years, and they STILL have not fully transitioned everything.

But my rant today involves Storage Spaces in particular because it is such a good example of this.

First, let's note that anything involving the storage of your data, especially the protection of your data by creating a mirror, parity, double-parity, etc. storage space should be considered ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL because getting this wrong can cause data loss.

With that said, I thought that I would take a new look at Storage Spaces in Windows 11 Pro 23H2 to see what has changed in the past couple of years since I last played with it. To start, I took a look at the new GUI implementation for Storage Spaces in the settings app. Note that you can now setup Storage Spaces in either the Settings app or in Control Panel.

So, I select a bunch of disks to create a storage space. These are brand new, unformatted disks. I try to create a new storage pool using the new app in Settings. I get some bizarre error indicating that there is not enough storage space. What? These are blank disks. So, I move to the Control Panel app and perform the same operation and it works with no problem.

Now that I have a storage pool, I decide that I want to actually create a storage space within that pool of disks. Interestingly, the Control Panel app has no option to create a double-parity storage space, but the app in Settings does. Also, in the past it used to be that in order to create a double-parity storage space, you had to have a minimum of 7 disks, but now you can do this using only 5 disks, although if I recall correctly double-parity may have only been available on server versions of Windows. However, if you go to Windows help on this topic, specifically for Windows 11, the help topics still tell you that you need a minimum of 7 disks.

I also wanted to test the effects of removing a disk from the pool. The new app in Windows settings would not allow me to do this, but the Control Panel app did allow it.

So, the bottom line is that some things work in both the settings app, some in Control Panel, some in both. Even the online help has blatantly wrong information.

Remember - if you are using this, you are trying to organize and PROTECT your data. But who in their right mind is going to use this when even the most basic of operations and information available from Microsoft are so deeply flawed?

Note that I tried all of these tasks on 3 different machines just to make sure I was not encountering a one-off oddity. The behavior was the same on all of these systems. So at least we have consistent mediocrity :-).

It is this half-baked approach that really annoys me in Windows at time. Microsoft seems to love starting things and never finishing them, releasing half-baked features, only to often abandon then entirely at a later time. Storage spaces is only one example. The transition from Control Panel to the new settings app has been ongoing for years and we are still nowhere near any level of consistency. How about another major feature - an actual Windows filesystem (REFS). How many years will it take to make any forward progress on this?

- End Rant -
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built
    CPU
    Intel i7 11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
    Memory
    64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.

    Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Microsoft's Modus Operandi (method of operation)...

1. Come up with a new idea.
2. Start writing the code to make it happen.
3. MS realizes new code is hard and expensive.
4. Project gets moved to back burner.
5. Two or three years pass...
6. Unfinished project gets added to the deprecation list.

1. Come up with a new idea.
2. Start writing the code to make it happen.
3. MS realizes new code is hard and expensive.
4. Project gets moved to back burner.
5. Two or three years pass...
6. Unfinished project gets added to the deprecation list.


Etc., etc., etc...
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.3194 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
I agree @Ghot they never get around to actually finishing any feature, new or old.

@hsehestedt
Personally, I would not even consider creating a RAID array (Storage Pool) in Windows. There are too many gotchas when things don't go to plan when using Windows to manage things, their solution is half baked, as you rightly pointed out.

A dedicated NAS is a much better solution IMHO, although it can be an expensive route to take.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    G-Skill RipjawsV F4-3600C18 (16GB x 2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RX 5700 XT Gaming OC
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VE278 (x 2)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB
    Samsung 970 Pro NVMe 512GB (x 2)
    ST10000VN0004 10TB (x 2)
    ST10000VN0008 10TB (x 2)
    ST4000VN000 4TB (x 2)
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 400R
    Cooling
    AMD Wraith Prism (Stock)
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213
    Mouse
    Logitech G502
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps down / 40Mbps up
    Browser
    Firefox - Chrome - Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender - Clamwin
To me, Storage Spaces has only been a UI way of setting up a software RAID via dynamic volume instead of a true hardware RAID. This renamed dynamic volume RAID is just too unstable for my tastes. One glitch, and bye bye data.

I agree. Using either an external drive enclosure or NAS setup with hardware RAID is much safer for backups.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self build
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING (11GB GDDR5X)
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G75 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3 wall mounted
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gbps Download and 35 Mbps Upload
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Defender and Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Surface Laptop 7 Copilot+ PC
    CPU
    Snapdragon X Elite (12 core) 3.42 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB LPDDR5x-7467 MHz
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15" HDR
    Screen Resolution
    2496 x 1664
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD
    Internet Speed
    Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
I agree with everyone's comments. I was merely looking into it to educate myself on what may have changed. I'm actually using a third-party utility called "DrivePool" by StableBit. Absolutely brilliant product. It creates storage pools but all data is left in 100% native NTFS filesystem format. So, even if something went horribly wrong, the data on each individual drive can still be read in any standard Windows machine with no special RAID software or hardware needed at all.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built
    CPU
    Intel i7 11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
    Memory
    64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.

    Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Microsoft's Modus Operandi (method of operation)...

1. Come up with a new idea.
2. Start writing the code to make it happen.
3. MS realizes new code is hard and expensive.
4. Project gets moved to back burner.
5. Two or three years pass...
6. Unfinished project gets added to the deprecation list.

1. Come up with a new idea.
2. Start writing the code to make it happen.
3. MS realizes new code is hard and expensive.
4. Project gets moved to back burner.
5. Two or three years pass...
6. Unfinished project gets added to the deprecation list.


Etc., etc., etc...
Then there's their plan to move everything from Control Panel. I wonder how many years or should I say decades is it going to take.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
Then there's their plan to move everything from Control Panel. I wonder how many years or should I say decades is it going to take.


They should probably just create a new Windows, from scratch. Like when they switched to Windows NT back in the day.
There's enough broken stuff floating around in the bowels of Windows as it is.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.3194 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
@Ghot
I agree 100%. They are still building on the Win95 base. At the very least they should go back to that base and start over, making the proper updates from the get go instead of patching patches over patches over patches.

I am hoping that is what they are doing with Win12, but that is likely to be subscription based, so the code base may be very different.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    G-Skill RipjawsV F4-3600C18 (16GB x 2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RX 5700 XT Gaming OC
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VE278 (x 2)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB
    Samsung 970 Pro NVMe 512GB (x 2)
    ST10000VN0004 10TB (x 2)
    ST10000VN0008 10TB (x 2)
    ST4000VN000 4TB (x 2)
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 400R
    Cooling
    AMD Wraith Prism (Stock)
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213
    Mouse
    Logitech G502
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps down / 40Mbps up
    Browser
    Firefox - Chrome - Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender - Clamwin
@Ghot
I agree 100%. They are still building on the Win95 base. At the very least they should go back to that base and start over, making the proper updates from the get go instead of patching patches over patches over patches.

I am hoping that is what they are doing with Win12, but that is likely to be subscription based, so the code base may be very different.
There are speculations that the Insider Canary build is the start of what is going to be the next Windows release. I don't know how true it is.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec B746
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-10700K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z490 Phantom Gaming 4/ax
    Memory
    16GB (8GB PC4-19200 DDR4 SDRAM x2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 TI
    Sound Card
    Realtek Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SAM0A87 Samsung SAM0D32
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    NVMe WDC WDS100T2B0C-00PXH0 1TB
    Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB
    PSU
    750 Watts (62.5A)
    Case
    PowerSpec/Lian Li ATX 205
    Keyboard
    Logitech K270
    Mouse
    Logitech M185
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge and Firefox
    Antivirus
    ESET Internet Security
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Canary Channel
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    PowerSpec G156
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz
    Motherboard
    AsusTeK Prime B360M-S
    Memory
    16 MB DDR 4-2666
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Speptre HDMI 75Hz
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 970 EVO 500GB NVMe
    Mouse
    Logitek M185
    Keyboard
    Logitek K270
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge and Edge Canary
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
It would not surprise me if Microsoft simply continue building on what they have now, but it sure would be nice if they started over and did things the right way from the start, instead of patching over everything.

It must be hell working as a programmer for Microsoft, trying to change things that someone else programmed decade/s ago and left no documentation for.

I am sure they are capable people, but I would not wish that on anyone ... lol
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 3900X
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    G-Skill RipjawsV F4-3600C18 (16GB x 2)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Gigabyte RX 5700 XT Gaming OC
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS VE278 (x 2)
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung 850 Pro 256GB
    Samsung 970 Pro NVMe 512GB (x 2)
    ST10000VN0004 10TB (x 2)
    ST10000VN0008 10TB (x 2)
    ST4000VN000 4TB (x 2)
    PSU
    Corsair HX1000
    Case
    Corsair Carbide 400R
    Cooling
    AMD Wraith Prism (Stock)
    Keyboard
    Logitech G213
    Mouse
    Logitech G502
    Internet Speed
    100Mbps down / 40Mbps up
    Browser
    Firefox - Chrome - Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender - Clamwin
The night light is one example. It never did work right. However I set it I always have to manually turn it on. I don't know anything about writing code but I think this would be a simple program to get right.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 24H2 26100.2161
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell xps8910
    CPU
    Intel core I7 6700
    Motherboard
    OWPMFG Z170 Skylake
    Memory
    32gbytes DDR4 1066mhz dual
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia GT730
    Sound Card
    Nvidia GK 208
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell del40e8
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel M.2 512G NVME / Samsung SSD 850 250G / Toshiba 1TB / WD 1TB
    PSU
    450W
    Case
    Mid
    Cooling
    Standard
    Keyboard
    Wired Perixx
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless MX Master
    Internet Speed
    25 Mbits/s-Viasat
    Browser
    Firefox and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows defender
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 22H2 22621.2428
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Asus BR1100CKA
    CPU
    Intel Celeron N4500 @ 1.10 GHz
    Motherboard
    Asustek
    Memory
    4.00 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    On board
    Sound Card
    On board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    standard
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Crucial 500Gb NVME M.2 SSD / 58GB Factory SSD
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Heatsink
    Mouse
    Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Builtin
    Internet Speed
    25mbs/Viasat
    Browser
    Edge/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Windows
I have used Storage Spaces for years and I understand its weaknesses but I like the fact that if the PC dies, I can remove the pooled hard drives to another Windows PC and access all of my data. The issue I have with Storage Spaces is that it works right until it doesn't - which is usually when a disk fails. More often than not, the failed/failing drive cannot be cleanly removed from the pool and the entire pool becomes unstable after a single drive failure. I am looking for an alternate to it, such as StableBit DrivePool because the Micro$oft solution is tool flakey for me to depend upon, which is a shame...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    I9-13900k
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z790 ProArt Creator WiFi
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 5600
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060ti ASUS Strix
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung G9 49"
    Screen Resolution
    2048 x1440 x 2 (PBP)
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD (boot), 2 x 2TB SSD (games), 2 x 16TB HD (Stablebit DrivePool)
    PSU
    1200w Corsair Switch
    Case
    Corsair 7000D
    Cooling
    Arctic 360 AIO
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70
    Mouse
    Corsair M65
    Internet Speed
    980GB up/25GB down Coax (Wowway)
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Edifier S350DB speakers/subwoofer
I agree with everyone's comments. I was merely looking into it to educate myself on what may have changed. I'm actually using a third-party utility called "DrivePool" by StableBit. Absolutely brilliant product. It creates storage pools but all data is left in 100% native NTFS filesystem format. So, even if something went horribly wrong, the data on each individual drive can still be read in any standard Windows machine with no special RAID software or hardware needed at all.
I'm going to try this solution as soon as possible. Thanks!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    I9-13900k
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z790 ProArt Creator WiFi
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 5600
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060ti ASUS Strix
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung G9 49"
    Screen Resolution
    2048 x1440 x 2 (PBP)
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD (boot), 2 x 2TB SSD (games), 2 x 16TB HD (Stablebit DrivePool)
    PSU
    1200w Corsair Switch
    Case
    Corsair 7000D
    Cooling
    Arctic 360 AIO
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70
    Mouse
    Corsair M65
    Internet Speed
    980GB up/25GB down Coax (Wowway)
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Edifier S350DB speakers/subwoofer
I love Windows. I really do. But there are some things that I just simply do not understand about Microsoft's implementation of new features. For example, they seem to have a hard time ever finishing what they start.

One example would be dark mode. It has been several years, and they STILL have not fully transitioned everything.

But my rant today involves Storage Spaces in particular because it is such a good example of this.

First, let's note that anything involving the storage of your data, especially the protection of your data by creating a mirror, parity, double-parity, etc. storage space should be considered ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL because getting this wrong can cause data loss.

With that said, I thought that I would take a new look at Storage Spaces in Windows 11 Pro 23H2 to see what has changed in the past couple of years since I last played with it. To start, I took a look at the new GUI implementation for Storage Spaces in the settings app. Note that you can now setup Storage Spaces in either the Settings app or in Control Panel.

So, I select a bunch of disks to create a storage space. These are brand new, unformatted disks. I try to create a new storage pool using the new app in Settings. I get some bizarre error indicating that there is not enough storage space. What? These are blank disks. So, I move to the Control Panel app and perform the same operation and it works with no problem.

Now that I have a storage pool, I decide that I want to actually create a storage space within that pool of disks. Interestingly, the Control Panel app has no option to create a double-parity storage space, but the app in Settings does. Also, in the past it used to be that in order to create a double-parity storage space, you had to have a minimum of 7 disks, but now you can do this using only 5 disks, although if I recall correctly double-parity may have only been available on server versions of Windows. However, if you go to Windows help on this topic, specifically for Windows 11, the help topics still tell you that you need a minimum of 7 disks.

I also wanted to test the effects of removing a disk from the pool. The new app in Windows settings would not allow me to do this, but the Control Panel app did allow it.

So, the bottom line is that some things work in both the settings app, some in Control Panel, some in both. Even the online help has blatantly wrong information.

Remember - if you are using this, you are trying to organize and PROTECT your data. But who in their right mind is going to use this when even the most basic of operations and information available from Microsoft are so deeply flawed?

Note that I tried all of these tasks on 3 different machines just to make sure I was not encountering a one-off oddity. The behavior was the same on all of these systems. So at least we have consistent mediocrity :-).

It is this half-baked approach that really annoys me in Windows at time. Microsoft seems to love starting things and never finishing them, releasing half-baked features, only to often abandon then entirely at a later time. Storage spaces is only one example. The transition from Control Panel to the new settings app has been ongoing for years and we are still nowhere near any level of consistency. How about another major feature - an actual Windows filesystem (REFS). How many years will it take to make any forward progress on this?

- End Rant -
I believe that Storage Spaces is a "leftover" from Windows Home Server (remember that?) and it never worked well and caused data loss for many people. It works right up until it doesn;t and that's when you really need it - like when a drive fails.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    I9-13900k
    Motherboard
    ASUS Z790 ProArt Creator WiFi
    Memory
    64GB DDR5 5600
    Graphics Card(s)
    RTX 3060ti ASUS Strix
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung G9 49"
    Screen Resolution
    2048 x1440 x 2 (PBP)
    Hard Drives
    2TB SSD (boot), 2 x 2TB SSD (games), 2 x 16TB HD (Stablebit DrivePool)
    PSU
    1200w Corsair Switch
    Case
    Corsair 7000D
    Cooling
    Arctic 360 AIO
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70
    Mouse
    Corsair M65
    Internet Speed
    980GB up/25GB down Coax (Wowway)
    Browser
    Edge/Chrome
    Antivirus
    Malwarebytes Premium
    Other Info
    Edifier S350DB speakers/subwoofer
I believe that Storage Spaces is a "leftover" from Windows Home Server (remember that?) and it never worked well and caused data loss for many people. It works right up until it doesn;t and that's when you really need it - like when a drive fails.
Storage spaces is a half baked way that Windows tries to inplement a "Software RAID" type of implementation that Linux has had successfully for YEARS (mdadm). Storage spaces have proved relatively non robust and un-reliable especially when updating to newer builds or migrating between W7/W8/W8.1/W10 and W11.

Linux has had stable mdadm (Software RAID) since kernel 3.x donkeys years ago (current kernel now 6.9.x or even 6.10.x).

Screenshot_20240324_140308.png
and software RAID (mdadm here on md127 (/mnt/DV0 - 2x old HDD's aggregated into a single one /dev/sdc1 and dev/sdd1). Works perfectly and HDD's been running reliably for at least 3 years -- old HDD's !!!.

Screenshot_20240604_213812.png


Cheers
jimbo
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows XP,7,10,11 Linux Arch Linux
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    2 X Intel i7
I'm going to try this solution as soon as possible. Thanks!
I see from your Profile Post that you have tried out the StableBit software. I hope you have as good an experience with it as I have.

Just as an added note, I had a very specific feature request for the StableBit DrivePool software. I posted it as a wish to their Technical Support. Within mere hours they were engaged on my request, in a matter of days they had a BETA build out to me, and within a couple of weeks my request made it into a new version of the product.

When you are using a product like this to manage your data, you want to know that the company will be responsive to any concerns you may have, but considering that this was not even a problem, just a request, this was just on a whole new level of support.

I can highly recommend this!
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built
    CPU
    Intel i7 11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
    Memory
    64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.

    Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
Storage Spaces is a dangerous piece of Windows OS and should be removed from Windows altogether! I had a parity Storage Pool using Windows 10 Pro made up of 4 new Seagate 10TB drives. After using it purely to backup files it suddenly became RAW for some unknown reason. The pool and the drives showed up in Storage Spaces, but could not be accessed by Windows. I had to use recovery software to copy all the data off the drives. I scanned all the drives for hardware issues and there were none. I upgraded to Windows 11 Pro thinking perhaps Microsoft would have fixed it's instability issues. This time I create a new pool as a duplicate Storage Pool. I copied all the data back into my new Pool. Within a few months the whole pool became RAW again! Again I had to recover the data. Checked all the drives and they were fine. I decided to switch to using StableBit DrivePool. So far it has been 8 months and it is working fine. Crossing my fingers, but I think DrivePool is much much much better than Storage Spaces.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom Build
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte AORUS Elite v2
    Memory
    Corsair Vengeance 64GB DDR4 3200 PC4 25600
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060ti OC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Idea Display 34" ultra-wide
    Screen Resolution
    2K Curved 3440x1440
    Hard Drives
    Crucial T700 2TB Gen5 NVMe M.2
    Seagate Exos X20 18TB
    PSU
    Corsair SF750 80+ Platinum Full Modular
    Case
    Jonsbo C6 mesh mATX
    Cooling
    Cryorig C1 6-Heat Pipe 140mm CPU cooler / be quiet! Silent Wings 4 140mm Case Fan
I decided to switch to using StableBit DrivePool. So far it has been 8 months and it is working fine. Crossing my fingers, but I think DrivePool is much much much better than Storage Spaces.
First of all, welcome to ElevenForum!

I did precisely the same thing. I switched to DrivePool and have never looked back. The fundamental design of DrivePool is just so brilliant. You can take those disks to any Widows system and even without their software you would have full access to the data. I wish that MS had designed their software like this.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win11 Pro 24H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Self-built
    CPU
    Intel i7 11700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS Prime Z590-A MB
    Memory
    64GB (Waiting for warranty replacement of another 64GB for 128GB total)
    Graphics Card(s)
    No GPU - Built-in Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP Envy 32
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1440
    Hard Drives
    1 x 1TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 2TB NVMe SSD
    1 x 4TB NVMe SSD
    3 x 512GB 2.5" SSD
    1 x 4TB 2.5" SSD
    5 x 8TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
    PSU
    Corsair HX850i
    Case
    Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case
    Cooling
    Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Home Computer Specifications, Configuration, and Usage Notes General Specifications ASUS Prime Z590-A motherboard, serial number M1M0KC222467ARP Intel Core i7-11700K CPU (11th Gen Rocket Lake / LGA 1200 Socket) 128GB Crucial Ballistix RGB DDR4 3200 MHz DRAM (4 x 32GB) Corsair iCUE RGB 5000X mid tower case Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black CPU cooler Noctua NF-S12A chromax.black.swap case fans (Qty. 7) & Corsair LL-120 RGB Fans (Qty. 3)
    Keyboard
    Corsair K70 Max RGB Magnetic Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1 Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    The five 8TB drives and three 512GB SSDs are part of a DrivePool using StableBit DrivePool software. The three SSDs are devoted purely to caching for the 8TB drives. All of the important data is stored in triplicate so that I can withstand simultaneous failure of 2 disks.

    Networking: 2.5Gbps Ethernet and WiFi 6e
  • Operating System
    Win11 Pro 23H2
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkBook 13x Gen 2
    CPU
    Intel i7-1255U
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Iris Xe Graphics
    Sound Card
    Realtek® ALC3306-CG codec
    Monitor(s) Displays
    13.3-inch IPS Display
    Screen Resolution
    WQXGA (2560 x 1600)
    Hard Drives
    2 TB 4 x 4 NVMe SSD
    PSU
    USB-C / Thunderbolt 4 Power / Charging
    Mouse
    Buttonless Glass Precision Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, spill resistant keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1Gb Up / 1Gb Down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    WiFi 6e / Bluetooth 5.1 / Facial Recognition / Fingerprint Sensor / ToF (Time of Flight) Human Presence Sensor
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