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Raid 1 Repair

QNAP TURBO 859 RAID 1:

I have been using a NTFS system to make a false RAID 1 on my QNAP Turbo server. The RAID 1 I created was mirroring several different drives across a single partition, and I had been working this way for several months. A lot of data was recorded on these drives, but I have suddenly discovered that one of the drives has failed. I have attempted a rebuild by inserting a new drive into the Turbo and removing the failed one, but I could not get the system to rebuild. The process started, but suggested that it would take 60 hours to complete. I waited for a few hours, and looked at how the rebuild was going. The new drive was reporting itself as RAW, and when I tried to view the partition using a Test program, I was not able to extract files. I did a recovery, and found a few files that are now on a USB drive. A lot more are missing. I have not been able to recover error logs to show when the fail occurred, and so I don’t know how much data I have lost from the array.

WD DRIVES RAID 1:

I have a pair of WD drives which each contain 1TB of storage. I had originally had them installed in a three-partition system, and one was the reserved disk for the OS, and the others were also running different systems for the computer. I realised that I was not doing a proper backup for my data, so created a mirror in the drives to hold and store my information. I removed one of the drives, and then replaced it, so that the array was supposed to be settling back into place to build the new array. However, when I plugged in the second drive, I instead got a warning that the disks were out of position, and the array is now not responding at all. I can’t replace the second drive into the system without getting this warning. I have data on the first OS drive which is needed to run the computer and some of the other programs on that OS, and without it I have no PC at all.

Raid 1 Repair

With a Raid 1 configuration in operation every time you write information to one drive the exact same information is then mirrored to another drive, as though you were copying it directly there without physically doing it yourself.

This setup, without mirroring or parity, is a good way of producing a second backup if you will without having to go to the trouble of producing it to a set timescale.

Another good aspect to this process is that should you update information on one copy it will automatically be updated to the other; rather like having a spare user to help you out.

But although this all sounds well and good there are problems that can be encountered when using the Raid 1 configuration and it is again important to have a brief understanding of the sorts of errors than can occur whilst running such a setup.

One of the most common problems facing this kind of setup – and it is a problem that faces many hard drives – is degradation. With constant use and the constant writing and rewriting of information back and forth the disks can eventually wear down or become sluggish.

With this in mind if you receive a critical error warning on your Raid 1 configuration it is best to shut the system down and call for professional assistance.

If there has been degradation caused to either one of the disks then any information you try and commit to them may either be corrupt or may not be saved at all. In this instance the whole idea of continuing to use the array is pointless, as you will have only a limited amount of information to fall back on if it can be recovered.

If you have received a critical error on your Raid 1 configuration it is best to contact us here at www.plymouthdatarecovery.co.uk.

We have over a decade’s experience in working with Raid configurations and arrays and are on hand to help you make the transition back to a working system in as short a time as possible with the most information retrieved.

We may also be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to operating a more secure and reliable Raid configuration should it prove necessary.