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Assumptions

I'm starting with a Windows installed PC with two identical hard disks connected to a Promise RAID controller in a RAID0 configuration (so one disk is a mirror of the other) and I want to use RAID in Windows and Linux, so I also need to use Promise RAID for Linux.
If you just want to install Linux alone (no dual boot), you can better use Linux software RAID, which is much faster than Promise RAID anyway.

Steps involved

1. insert Mandrake boot CD
2. wait for screen coming up with press F1 for extra options and press F2 for install system
3. press F1
4. type expert noauto and press Enter
5. keep pressing Ctrl-Alt-F2 till you get a console
   
6. type in console (or simpler even, download this sh script to put on a floppy or CD and run in this console): sh_script local

   # you can select only needed node files, for example: /dev/ataraid/d0p3 is the third partition
   # on your first ataraid raid0 device, so you need /dev/ataraid/d0 and /dev/ataraid/d0p3
   
   mkdir -p /dev/ataraid
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0 b 144 0
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p1 b 144 1
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p2 b 144 2
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p3 b 144 3
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p4 b 144 4
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p5 b 144 5
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p6 b 144 6
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p7 b 144 7
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p8 b 144 8
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p9 b 144 9
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p10 b 144 10
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p11 b 114 11
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p12 b 114 12
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p13 b 114 13
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p14 b 114 14
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d0p15 b 114 15
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1 b 114 16
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p1 b 114 17
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p2 b 114 18
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p3 b 114 19
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p4 b 114 20
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p5 b 114 21
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p6 b 114 22
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p7 b 114 23
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p8 b 114 24
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p9 b 114 25
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p10 b 114 26
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p11 b 114 27
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p12 b 114 28
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p13 b 114 29
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p14 b 114 30
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d1p15 b 114 31
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2 b 114 32
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p1 b 114 33
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p2 b 114 34
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p3 b 114 35
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p4 b 114 36
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p5 b 114 37
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p6 b 114 38
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p7 b 114 39
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p8 b 114 40
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p9 b 114 41
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p10 b 114 42
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p11 b 114 43
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p12 b 114 44
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p13 b 114 45
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p14 b 114 46
   mknod /dev/ataraid/d2p15 b 114 47
         

7. type modprobe pdcraid and press Enter
   
8. then return to install screen and follow the options
9. until installation finds /dev/hdx
10. and gives the message : I can't read the partition table of device /dev/hdx ,it's too corrupted for me ...... etc ....etc...
    Do you agree to lose all the partitions?
    
11. check for N and press NEXT
12. repeat this step for all these messages
    NOTE: if you have an empty raid array with no partitions on it it could be that it will say the same message as above for
13. correct device (/dev/ataraid/dx, where x= 0 to 2 )
14. if all is well you can partition the /dev/ataraid/dx disk