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RAID help!!!

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  • NAS / RAID
  • Computer
  • Storage
Last response: in Storage
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May 14, 2007 12:43:55 PM

I installed a second SATA drive in my computer last night for additional storage. I installed it successfully and it showed up in Windows as the additional drive.

I don't know what I was thinking, but then I decided to reboot the computer and change the BIOS setting to enable RAID. Then I went through the RAID setup after exiting the BIOS and created a RAID volume consisting of the original drive and the newly added one. Now the computer will not boot.

All my data (not backed up, of course) is on the original hard drive. Is there any way to recover that data? I called Gateway and they suggested that I disconnect the original drive, and install Windows on the new drive, then hook up the old drive and use a software recovery program to get the info off the old drive.

Does this approach seem like it will work? Has anyone dealt with this problem before?

I admit that I did two stupid things (1. not backing up, 2. creating the RAID volume "on the fly") and I am panicking.

Please help--any and all thoughts are appreciated. :cry: 

More about : raid

May 14, 2007 1:31:10 PM

First of all, when you create a hardware raid, it usually wipes all drives involved, hence you not being able to boot.

I would back your personal files (my documents, email, favourites) and anything in your shared documents folder onto an external hard drive.

Then create your raid.

Then install windows. (Note: If you bought this PC you might not be able to do this. In that case, you cannot create a bootable raid legally.)

After windows is installed, then reinstall any programs that you installed yourself before and move your personal files back to their respective places.

WARNING: because most system manufactures do not supply an original install disk, you may not be able to reinstall windows. I found out the hard way with my Tiny. (I know you should never buy one now, what can I say, it was cheap.) Ask around if you can do it with your gateway, call customer support etc. If you cannot, do not create a raid.
May 14, 2007 1:33:01 PM

Quote:
I admit that I did two stupid things (1. not backing up, 2. creating the RAID volume "on the fly") and I am panicking.

Please help--any and all thoughts are appreciated. :cry: 


nah, you did many more stupid things than that. playing with raid when you didn't know what you were doing is high on the list. messing around and experimenting with your "main" machine is up there also, but the list goes on and on.

Valis
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May 14, 2007 1:42:07 PM

Quote:
First of all, when you create a hardware raid, it usually wipes all drives involved, hence you not being able to boot.


I don't think the original drive was wiped out. After I created the RAID volume, the computer instantly attempted to reboot. There was no time really for it to format the first original drive in seconds, which leads me to believe all the data is still there. The Gateway tech guessed that the RAID utility wiped out the boot sectors on the drives, which is why I cannot boot up the machine.
May 14, 2007 1:47:40 PM

You could do what is suggest i.e. install windows on the other drive and use recovery tools to get at the data on the other drive... you could possibly use ERD Commander to boot the pc without the need to install windows and try and get the data off..

Basically when you setup the RAID array the Master Boot Record was changed.. so the data is probably still there (if you havn't performed a format) but you won't be able to boot your original windows installation without some configuration..

You could also try restoring your original BIOS settings and running a repair install from the xp cd.. or going to the recovery console and running bootcfg..

Unfortunately you've learnt a very harsh lesson here.
May 14, 2007 1:54:11 PM

What happened when you did this is the boot.ini files were wiped. Most RAID controllers do not fully (i.e. zeros fill) format a drive unless you explicitly chose that when you form the RAID. Therefore it is likely that your data is still on the drive. What you will have to do first is undo or delete the RAID volume. Then you will have to use a third party data recovery program and cross your fingers that you can still get your data. I know that Acronis makes data recovery software and so do many many others. I cannot specifically recommend any to you as I have never run into this problem personally. I know a friend of a friend who recently ran into this problem and she used Seagate's data recovery utility and said it worked pretty well.

Yes it was very very dumb for you to mess with RAID without doing your homework first!! As a side note, you may be able to to create the RAID anyway and preserve your data IF you have one these newer Intel boards with the ICH 7 or 8 south bridges. Evidently, according to an article that was either here on on Anandtech, these controllers support doing exactly what you were trying to do, (RAID "on the fly") but what a crappy way to find out about it. I could be wrong with my analysis of what the article was saying, I don't have experience with Intel boards so much but it would be worth looking into. The article was posted last week so it should be easy to find. Maybe someone else can help you more with that.
May 14, 2007 2:08:21 PM

Do I have to delete the RAID volume first before fixing the master boot record? In the RAID utility, it gives a warning that if I delete the RAID volume or change the drives to "Non RAID status" then all data on the member drives will be lost. This looks to me like the drives would be formatted by taking this step.

Right now I have the BIOS setting switched to disable RAID. How can I work on restoring my original boot record?
May 14, 2007 2:17:34 PM

I would try removing the new HD and just keeping the one with all the data plugged in.. boot off windows cd.. goto recovery console and see if it picks up your windows install.. if it does you could run bootcfg /? to restore the boot.ini or run fixmbr to fix the Master Boot Record..

Or if you can get hold of ERD Commander boot cd, which is like an o/s in itself that runs off cd.. from there you could hopefully see your data.
May 14, 2007 2:51:30 PM

No, it won't delete your data. It tells you that because when you disassociate two RAID disks, which had an OS properly installed, then you really will loose all of your data. The partition tables is all that is changed but still, it is very hard to reconstruct a RAID 0 array afterwards because half the data is on one disk and half the data on the other disk. In your case that is not true. You might be able to boot off of a linux disk like Ubuntu or Knopsis and read the disk AFTER you have disassociated the RAID o array. Hey, you could do a sector by sector copy of your drive using something like seatools or migrate easy. This would allow you to experiment a bit and lower the risk of data loss considerably.

Good luck and let us know what you end up doing and if it works please
May 14, 2007 3:14:57 PM

Quote:
No, it won't delete your data. It tells you that because when you disassociate two RAID disks, which had an OS properly installed, then you really will loose all of your data.


O.K. Just so I am clear because I don't want to dig myself any deeper--if I recall, the RAID utility says that I can either delete a RAID volume or change the disks to "Non RAID status." Both options gave em the warning that I would lose data on the member drives. Should I choose one over the other?
May 14, 2007 7:46:11 PM

Does anyone suggest using GetBackData? Gateway was trying to sell me a copy of Search and Recover, but the few reviews I found were not favorable. Or do people have other recommendations for a third-party software recovery program?
May 14, 2007 10:34:29 PM

Yes, use GetDataBack for NTFS and use the procedure Gateway suggested.

1. Remove old hard drive that contains your (currently inaccessible) data.
2. Install the new hard drive by itself in the computer, install it as a single drive (no RAID).
3. Format and install Windows on the new hard drive.
4. Download GetDataBack, install it on the new hard drive under the new Windows installation.
5. Shut down computer, hook up old drive as a second drive.
6. Boot up computer on the new hard drive/new Windows installation.
7. Run GetDataBack, scan old hard drive, recover files to new hard drive.
May 17, 2007 12:50:51 PM

In my attempt to recover data from the original hard drive, I:

1. Entered the RAID utility and deleted the RAID volume;

2. Rebooted and hoped that I could fix the original drive now that RAID was deleted--no luck;

3. I disconnected the old drive and hooked up the new one and proceeded with the Windows install.

4. I successfully installed Windows, but here's the problem--my new 500GB hard drive was showing up as having only 137 GB total available space. Did RAID do something to this drive?

5. I ran the Recovery console and formatted the new drive using the FORMAT C: command. After the format, I ran the WIndows Install disk, but it still showed that it had 137GB total available space.

Did RAID do something to the drive space? How can I wipe it out completely?

Thanks again for all your help.
May 17, 2007 3:20:44 PM

The 137GB limit is a problem with the Windows installation, not the hard drive.

You're installing Windows from an original Windows XP RTM (Release to Manufacturing) CD, in other words, with no service packs. Windows XP RTM cannot see IDE/PATA/SATA drives larger than 137GB.

You have 3 choices:

1. Create a slipstreamed Windows XP CD that has SP1 or SP2 already integrated, and install Windows from that CD. This will allow you to make one large C: partition.

2. Create a small Windows partition during Windows installation (say, 50GB), and then when Windows is up and running, install SP1 or SP2. Then use the Disk Management console to create a 450GB partition for a D: drive.

3. Create a 137GB partition during Windows installation, and then when Windows is up and running, install service pack 1 or 2. Then use a 3rd-party partition tool (Partition Magic, GParted, etc.) to resize the C: drive to the full 500GB.
May 21, 2007 1:48:01 PM

Many thanks to SomeJoe7777 for the advice on installing Windows and recognizing the full amount of space on the drive. I found that the most difficult step in recovering my hard drive was slipstreaming WindowsXP with SP2. After checking out tips on a few different sites, I was able to slipstream and install Windows.

I then installed GetBackData and recovered most, if not all, of the old hard drive. I am going through the hassle of installing all my programs, but at least all my underlying data is still there. Thanks again to all for their advice and support.

Now--so I don't ever have to go through this again, I plan to purchase an external HD and do a regular backup. Can anyone recommend a drive? I was looking at Maxtor's Fusion or Shared Storage II drives (not really sure of the difference). I want something to attach to my router so I can automatically back up all the computers in the house.

Thanks again!
May 28, 2007 4:48:49 PM

GetDataBack is quite a useful bit of kit... used it myself in a panic situation of my own!
May 28, 2007 5:16:57 PM

In all honesty, that actually sounds like a not-so-bad idea from Gateway. Hm... you enabled RAID... um... you do realize that you enabled the onboard RAID and not the RAID controller itself, thus that was the problem, it's trying to boot off of the onboard controller. Try what Gateway tells you, that's actually something I had to do once and it worked.
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