The first time I ever experienced a RAID failure, I thought my data was lost forever. Thankfully, I had a backup of my data, and it took less than an hour to get everything back in order. Still, it was scary. If you’re dealing with a RAID failure right now or know someone who is, then this guide will help you make sure that everything gets back up and running smoothly again.

Common RAID Failure Scenes 

If your computer’s operating system is accidentally deleted or formatted, or if you reinstall the operating system, you risk losing all of your data. RAID Data can be lost because of fire or flood damage, failed RAID rebuilds and controller failure, virus corruption and power surges.

Do Run the Hardware Diagnostics

  • Make sure the drives are compatible with your RAID controller.
  • Make sure you have the latest firmware installed on your hardware and OS, respectively, if applicable.
  • Verify that your OS is compatible with said RAID controller (for example, Windows 10 can’t use an old-school Intel Matrix Storage Manager [ISM] chipset).

Don’t Assume that a Failed RAID Means You have to Replace All the Drives

If you’re dealing with a RAID5 array and one drive fails, it’s not necessarily the end of your data. A single drive can fail and still be rebuilt, but if two drives fail at once then there won’t be enough parity information to rebuild your array. Depending on how many copies of your data are stored in each location, this could mean losing some files or even an entire volume–but it doesn’t necessarily mean that everything is lost forever!

Do Make Sure You have a Backup of Your Data

If you have a RAID array and are experiencing problems with the drives, the first thing to do is make sure that you have a backup of your data.

If not, you’ll need to replace all of the failed disks to rebuild your array. If this is the case, it’s best if you can replace them one by one so that each time there is no interruption in service or loss of data while waiting for replacements.

Don’t Panic if the RAID Controller is Reporting Errors on All Drives

If you’re seeing error reports on all drives from the RAID controller in your server but no actual errors on any of the drives, there’s no need to panic. It’s possible that the driver is faulty and providing inaccurate reports.

Is the Version Supported by Your OS (Windows/Linux)?

Before upgrading or replacing your RAID controller, you should first verify that it is compatible with your operating system (Windows/Linux). You can use the Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to check for updates if you’re running a Windows Server. If you’re running Linux, then Red Hat Network (RHN) can be used to check for updates.

Use these Tips to Diagnose and Repair Your RAID Array

If you have a RAID array, there are a few steps you can take to diagnose and repair the problem. First, check the status of your RAID controller (if it has one). The controller will usually provide some information about what’s going on with your drives. If this doesn’t work, try using OS diagnostics. If those don’t work either, then there’s nothing left but to restore from backup or rebuild your array if all drives are still working properly.

If one or more drives have failed completely (and even if they haven’t), replace them immediately before trying anything else!

How Can our RAID Data Recovery Experts Help You?

Our team of RAID data recovery experts can get your files back no matter what happens to your RAID.

We know how frustrating it is when your data goes missing. That’s why we work with you every step of the way, from initial diagnosis to final file recovery. We’ll help you understand exactly what’s happened to your RAID, and we’ll make sure that you’re comfortable with our recommendations for moving forward—including whether or not we should proceed with a complete data recovery.

Our state-of-the-art tools and techniques allow us to recover even the most severe cases of damage, so you can rest assured that we’ll be able to get your data back in its entirety.

Call: 1300 495 440