Solved: Windows 8 won't boot after changing SATA controller to RAID

I've been spending a lot of time fooling around with RAID configurations lately. I happened across some old computers and decided to beat them up a little. After some testing, I decided to add a RAID1 to my existing setup. I always wanted my personal files and programs (kept separately from my OS) to have some redundancy in case of failure...

So like a first class newb, I booted into my BIOS without thinking and changed the SATA controller from AHCI to RAID. I rebooted and Windows came up with a startup repair dialogue. It couldn't repair, nor could it figure out why. Not only that, but my Windows-8-made recovery disc didn't work. I was facing a full reinstall via DVD when I decided to check the command prompt in the recovery environment.

The log file located at C:\windows\system32\logfiles\srt\SrtTrail.txt yielded no information. It showed all tests were passed, even thought Windows wasn't booting. So I got the idea to fix the MBR. Running bootrec, I chose bootrec /fixboot and then bootrec /fixmbr. That got me up and running again without rolling back or completely reinstalling.

If you aren't yet competent in RAID, heed this warning: Do not run a hardware RAID with an existing installation of Windows. It has been known to be done, but is hazardous. Instead, plan to do it upon clean installation or let Windows handle a RAID via software.