Dell raid options missing, can't install lastest rst software

[RFran33]

I know this is more of a dell question here but I have the question posted on their forums as well and I'm not getting any support. I have an Optiplex 7010 mini tower that I use to test stuff on. I am trying to test out using a SSD as read only cache to a storage spaces array. I need to set this pc to raid to do this (I believe). Documentation shows I should be able to change sata operation to raid in bios. However my options are Disabled, ATA, AHCI. no "raid on" option available. From the dell drivers and downloads for my service tag there is an rst driver version 13.0.0.1098 that has been installed on my windows 10 setup. I tried to update to the newest version but it errors out and says unsupported platform. Can anyone shed some light here? It looks like I'm going to have to buy or build another test piece here but I'm not really ready to do that. I have tried resetting bios to default, clearing cmos, downgrading bios the whole way down to A01. I am currently back at the latest bios revision now which is A29 (lots of revisions). This is a Q77 express chipset with an i5-3470 cpu.

Thanks,

Rob

[n_scott_pearson]

Well, I can tell you that the Q77 chipset supports Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST, SATA-based RAID) and Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT, which supports HDD acceleration using all or part of a SSD as a high-speed cache). RAID should be offered as an option for the SATA Mode parameter; I do not understand why it isn't (Dell may need to explain this). Maybe the RST OpROM is not included in the BIOS image? [I rather doubt it.] Do you have a password set on any drive? [Try removing if you do.] Do you have Secure Boot enabled? [If yes, try with it disabled.] Have you checked with UEFI Boot, Legacy Boot, both? Do you have the OpROM enabled (i.e. OROM Keyboard Access set to Enabled)?

Hope this helps,

...S

[n_scott_pearson]

Forgot to add: RST package will not install if RAID is not enabled in the BIOS.

...S

[RFran33]

So I have no drives that are password protected. I tried it with my boot drives installed, tried with no drives installed, and tried with 2 raw drives installed.safeboot on and off, legacy and uefi its not there. I recently found out that the dell 9010 has raid and it was excluded on the 7010 model. I guess this is the only real difference between the 2. Very aggravating because I have a dell latitude e6430s which has raid and basically this laptop in tower form does not. At any rate I will be buying a mother board for a dell precision t1650. It will do what I need it to do and It will go right in my case and I can transfer all parts including the cpu and memory.