3T Data Inaccessible in System Drive

gaiuskong

Honorable
Mar 8, 2013
2
0
10,510
Problem: OS accidentally put boot files into the RAID, which became a System (reserve) drive, hence making files inaccessible. Can't access the RAID drive both in Windows and in Ubuntu.

Description: Windows 7 install puts boot files on whichever disk it wanted to install itself on. My 4TB RAID came up at the top of the list because one of the HHD cords is put on the SATA0 Port. During Windows installation, the disk type of the RAID drive became System (same as System Reserve). How may I retrieve my data?

Symptoms:

1. In OS, the RAID drive does not show in My Computer, but appears in Disk Management.

2. Can't assign a Volume letter and make it appear in My Computer. Right clicking the RAID disk in Disk Management, only "Help" is available in the panel. Right clicking a normal disk (i.g. C: ), the panel has normal options: Open, Explore, Mark Partition as Active, Change Drive Letter and Paths, Shrink Volume, Properties, and Help.

3. In BIOS, the RAID is normal; data is not lost. In OS, Disk Management shows the RAID disk is 100% free.

Screenshots:


20130308_091131.jpg


20130308_230814.jpg


disk+management.PNG

 

sub mesa

Distinguished
Your 3.5TB RAID suddenly is seen as EFI System Partition. oops. No backup of your data? oops. This sucks mate, but is also the reason RAID is not a backup.

You can try data recovery applications, but I fear for your data. In particular, any action you perform now has the potential of permanently destroying your ability to recover data. If the data is truly important, let an expert look at it and disconnect all your disks for now.
 

gaiuskong

Honorable
Mar 8, 2013
2
0
10,510
Yes, it became a System drive, because during Linux/Windows installation, the OS randomly put boot files into the RAID, and that's why during later Windows installation (as you see in the picture), it becomes a System drive.

Can I have access to data on the System drive?