You’ve read about it, heard about it, maybe you’ve even seen it happen to a friend. But it’s happening to YOU now: RAID drive failure. But not just a single drive, your server is reporting that you are dealing with multiple drive failures on the same array!
How are you supposed to perform RAID data recovery, gathering data from the hard drives that have broken down? First take a deep breath and realize that downloading RAID repair software is a fruitless effort. Think about it for a second – if your RAID drive is broken, running software is just going to decrease your chances for data recovery as it will overwrite the data.
Can Needing Recovery from RAID Even Be Possible?
Yes, it can be. Redundant array of independent disks can offer strong data availability, and they can work problem-free without any problems for many years. Unfortunately, your multiple disk system, no matter what the type of RAID array you have, has a fatal flaw: dependence on hard drive storage devices.
Although the hardware for RAID has come a long way over the years, storage space has expanded significantly. Although having more space for your operating system’s file system is very convenient, the large size can make hard drives even more likely to fail. As they generate more heat to power more storage, their chances of physically dying increase.
What to Do Know When Your RAID Hard Drives Fail
- No matter how experienced you are, if you aren’t a RAID data recovery engineer, you will find that RAID drive recovery is one of the hardest data recovery hurdles you’ll face. RAID arrays are comprised of more than just one hard drive, so you’ll need to employ the help of a RAID data recovery company to extract your data from your hard disks, and rebuild your RAID array.
- RAID failures aren’t always due to human error or common physical failure. RAID data recovery engineers see damage due to natural disasters like fire or floods. When this is the case, it’s probable that if one RAID hard disk drive has failed, others have died too.
- If you chose RAID as your backup solution, you had the best of intentions. After all the “redundant” in RAID stands for automatic backup, as well as parity information to piece it together in case of a failure.
- RAID drive failures can wreak havoc on your business when more than one disk dies at once. Although this isn’t a common situation, it does happen. In fact larger RAID arrays can run with one failed hard drive for months with the original drive loss going unnoticed.
- RAID controller failure might be another cause of your RAID configuration failure, but this isn’t common either. No matter what the chances for failure were though, if your RAID array has failed, it’s important to not perform any recovery actions on your own which could put your data in jeopardy if your data is critical.
- RAID configurations, no matter what the type, is a difficult storage solution to try to fix. Many people try to tinker with software first, seeing RAID recovery companies as a last resort. This is not the case, as using software can destroy your chances of recovering data permanently.
- A reputable RAID data recovery company will not use RAID repair software. They will get your hard drive up and running, clone the drive to a medium safe to work with, and extract the data from there.
- Many system admins panic when their RAID drives fail and scramble to fix a dead RAID array on their own, only to experience more data loss than when they started. Be analytical and call a RAID data recovery engineer. Remember, you’re putting your company data in jeopardy when you try RAID recovery on by yourself.
When You Have Multiple Drive Failures and Need to Recover Files
You will have to call a data recovery lab if you have multiple drive failures. No matter what the RAID level, if multiple hard disks have died, or your RAID controller has failed, recovering data with an experienced engineer is your best bet.
DataLab is an example of a reputable data recovery company that can fix all RAID systems, even RAID 5 with two failed drives. Located in Florida, they take shipments from across the country, and when you call them, you’ll be put in touch with an expert, not a salesman. The tech can give you advice and you can decide where to go from there.
If you decide to go with another company, make sure they have a “no data no money” guarantee. You don’t want to pay for services that don’t even wind up recovering any information for you. Do your research, call a few companies for quotes, then sit back and let an engineer do the heavy lifting.
