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MHDR / Specialist cases / RAID 0 data recovery

Specialist · RAID 0 stripe recovery

RAID 0 data recovery in Maidenhead. A stripe keeps no second copy, so every member travels to the bench.

RAID 0 creates one huge fast volume by taking all of your files and breaking them down into little pieces called blocks, and then placing each piece on a different disk in order, holding nothing back. They are seen around Maidenhead (and possibly elsewhere) as two-bay units in a configuration like this for volume space. Editing scratch volumes are typically used in a throughput manner. Older systems also would have had their boards include RAID functionality which included a RAID 0 option. If any part of the RAID 0 set were to fail (i.e., any of the individual disks), the entire RAID 0 set would fail with it. Thus, every disk sent in from Maidenhead is imaged in its entirety first, the layout is worked out using those images, and the original RAID 0 set is recreated in software instead of in the hardware controller that failed.

Only pay if we recover your data, on most jobs Diagnosis free, then a fixed quote Get a quote, then post it in from Windsor, Slough or anywhere else

Describe the fault to an engineer
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What each RAID 0 symptom is telling you.

None of these? Run the triage →
The symptomThe likely causeStart here
One of the disks in the set failed and the entire RAID 0 volume was goneIn a striped configuration (like RAID 0), nothing is duplicated, so once one disk goes bad, the entire RAID 0 set fails as wellTurn off power, keep all disks
After a motherboard swap, the array is missing from the BIOSThe definitions remain with the old controllers but the data does notDo not allow it to build another RAID set
A two-disk NAS running RAID 0 is unable to mount the volumeThe volume takes up the full span of both disks in a format that Windows can't readGet a quote before sending both disks separately (with labels indicating bay number), or the entire system if they will not come out
The RAID tool is wanting to rebuild itThere is nothing to rebuild from; it's building new information about the disk (metadata)Reject it and shut down
Files that were large videos will now appear as being corruptedThe wrong order or block width was used when assembling the arrayStop working; your layout needs to be proved first
The scratch drive failed during the projectOne device is failing, therefore no file will be able to complete without using this deviceShut down the process, take an image of all devices
Where to send it: first get a quote, by phone or with the form, then send it using a tracked, insured service to the Guildford intake laboratory, or drop it off there yourself (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, no appointment needed). We will cover the cost of the postage back to you. From a laptop, PC or Mac, we just require the drive out of your computer; storage soldered to the board (T2 and Apple silicon Macs, soldered laptop flash) is not taken on, and if you're unsure as to type, call us first. From a server or RAID set, just send the individual drives, all clearly labelled by bay. From a NAS, send the disks, each labelled by bay, if they come out; otherwise, send the entire NAS unit. A single external drive comes whole, with its cable and power supply. If you wish to review your packaging before posting, contact an engineer who will walk you through the process over the phone. All steps involved with the postage process are listed on the postage page.

RAID 0: two disks or more, and not one spare copy.

How a striped set worksAll files are split up into predefined blocks and assigned to individual drives one by one, allowing for both drives to be read simultaneously and increasing the total capacity of the two. No data is ever duplicated and no history of previous data is stored.
Why one failure ends itWith no parity and no mirrored half to rely on there is only the least healthy (or most under stress) disk to determine how long the RAID will survive. Adding a third drive adds a third potential failure point with the entire array being lost.
Before a single file appearsFirst, three pieces of information need to be established: what disk the blocks originated from, how many bytes per block, and where within the disk the data starts. All of this information may be found through analysing disk image(s), filesystem structure, etc., in addition to any description the RAID array left behind. Then it is tested against known good files.
NAS boxes striped for spaceIf you have a single RAID 0 setup on a two-bay enclosure, it is typically a small Linux server presenting a single volume across both drives using ext4 or Btrfs over an mdadm striped volume. When presented alone, each member contains blocks alternated between members, thus when Windows presents it as an unformatted disk, you should decline any assistance offered, obtain a quote for recovery services first, then post both drives labelled by their respective bay positions.

What happens between arrival and return.

01

Booked in, then assessed at no cost Free

Nothing is chargeable until you say yes. Every item gets a case number of its own immediately upon receipt, an engineer determines what has failed, and you get a clear picture of which files have a real possibility of being recovered. The single quote that follows is fixed, written down and does not cost anything.

Diagnosis at no costOne fixed quote, in writingNothing signed
02

Image every member, alter nothing

Each member is copied read only, the weakest member of the group on hardware capable of slowing greatly and instructed to bypass areas it cannot read. Never will your original disks be written to.

Every member imaged read-onlyOriginals never written to
03

Prove the stripe geometry

Order, block width and initial position are determined based upon the copies of your filesystems: partition tables & boot records, directory lists & sequential listings of files (where a very large file breaks apart and resumes in another location). Candidates are verified not guessed.

Stripe width establishedOrder and offset proved first
04

Assemble it in software, then open files

The images are interleaved back into a single volume (the file system "restored" where it is torn), then files are opened (e.g., a large video, a database, a drawing), since a tidy listing gives no assurance that all files were laid out correctly.

Volume assembled in softwareFiles opened, not listed
05

Opened, verified, and sent home

You don't get charged anything until you've confirmed and authorised that everything is fine after seeing the entire list of what was recovered. Any recovered items are returned via brand-new storage media and the postage costs for these are covered by us. We do not consider a project complete here until we receive confirmation that you have been able to successfully access and review every item you received back.

You approve the list firstReturned on fresh mediaThe return post is ours

What tends to show up first

  • Any data structure wider than a stripe is scattered: when a file is greater than a stripe's width, then fragments of it exist on each disk within the group, therefore any disk member that does not read leaves regular holes in most files written across the group.
  • A striped volume is not spanned: a spanned volume uses one disk completely before moving to the next; if a member dies, you lose whatever was on that member. If a member of a striped volume dies, it takes part of nearly every file with it. They reside directly adjacent to each other in the NAS menu.
  • Nothing exists to rebuild: no parity, no redundancy, no controller has anything to use to rebuild or restore a striped set. Any utility claiming to be able to restore or rebuild a striped set is actually going to rewrite an entire new array over your existing array.
  • Files do not show up until the layout works: even with a perfect image of all members, nothing recognisable will be shown until the correct sequence (e.g. order), stripe width and start point have been determined by the software from the data.

What we can and cannot promise: provided that every member can still read, a striped set typically returns as complete after imaging (e.g., confirmed geometry, assembly of volume, opening files, and checking them). However, if a physical failure occurs with one disk, recovery depends upon how much of the failed disk an imager can recover since any missing information from that disk will appear as gaps in all files that extended across it. Files smaller than a stripe that existed entirely within a single block may still exist. We provide you with a list of which ones are which along with a free diagnosis as to where that line of demarcation lies.

From the casebook, lately.

MH · MHD-2026-6846ON RECORD ✓

The two-bay NAS that had been striped for capacity, not safety

This was a small practice, where they had run their two-bay NAS as a stripe (one large volume) since installation. After a power outage the box would no longer appear on the network. For months one disk had been running slower than the other. Each was imaged; the slower one took two days to image at lower speeds, and the layout was proved from the ext4 file system structures before use. All current drawings were recovered in good condition; however, the same could not be said for the three older archive files. They all recovered with gaps, but were identified by name.

Both members copied first3 days from arrival

Before the RAID 0 disks come to the lab.

Do these now

  • Turn off the power to the unit or the computer
  • Mark the bay number on each drive prior to removing it
  • Get a price quote prior to sending all the disks, even the ones that do not spin
  • Tell us what generated the array and approximately when it was built

Things best not done

  • Asking the utility to rebuild the set
  • Creating an array so you can see it again
  • Having Windows initialise or format some part of it
  • Scanning one of your hard drives alone for files

The questions that arise most often.

One disk in the striped set has failed. What is left?

A striped array does not contain duplicate copies. What you get back depends upon the condition of the failing unit. If an imager is able to recover all but a few bad sectors from the failing unit, the reconstructed volume should be close to complete. However, if the failing unit gives up nothing to the imager, all files that could fit into one block on a good disk will return without loss, while files larger than one block will return with gaps at regular intervals. Which of these applies is determined at the free diagnosis, prior to charging for any services. Therefore, we are always completely honest regarding the potential outcome of recovering your striped array.

Do you need all the drives, or only the one that failed?

All of them, including the stopped one. A stripe is composed of its members, which means that an individual disk on its own contains blocks that cannot be converted back into files by any software. Get a quote first, either via telephone or using the form, then send them as they are: unformatted, unscanned, without making any other attempt to access them within the enclosure, and each disk clearly identified with the bay in which it was located, posted tracked and insured to the Guildford intake laboratory or personally delivered there (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, no appointment needed). If the disks will not exit their bays then a two-bay NAS unit can be sent entire. Most bench equipment will read a disk that the device has internally written off, and the quantity recovered determines the extent of the rebuild that can occur.

How do you work out the stripe size and the disk order?

Never from the source data on your disks but from the images of the data. Blocks rotate so when a long file's contents are split across multiple members, you will see the same sequence reflected in where they were broken-off and resumed. Partition tables, boot records and directory structures provide the same information about how to assemble candidate configurations, and many RAID implementations leave descriptions of the configuration at the end of each member. Candidate configurations are built and tested against files for which the content is already known since an incorrect block width generates volumes that appear mountable and reasonable but ruin every large file contained in such volumes.

Our array was built by the motherboard's Intel RAID. Does that matter?

It changes where the RAID set is described, but does not affect what was originally written. The Intel RST retains its configuration in an extremely small space near the end of every member as well as within the driver; therefore, changing boards, clearing BIOS or switching to AHCI may cause the volume to become invisible while the data remains on the same physical locations as when the RAID was defined. What is important is that you do not allow the utility to recreate the array. We require a quote prior to posting, either through our website using the form or via telephone. Please then send all disks (tracked, insured & labelled for their respective bays) to our intake laboratory in Guildford, or hand-deliver them there if you wish (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, no appointment needed). Either way, they will be read and your layout established.

More of the jobs we've closed.

Data off servers → SQL & mailboxes → Servers & RAID sets → Media we work with →

Switched off, it keeps every chance it has.

Every additional power-up asks for even more of a drive that is already starting to fail. First open a case with us, and let the free diagnosis tell you how much remains.

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Ask for a free diagnosis Posting it to us