Tag Archives: data recovery

When RAID-6 Goes 6 Under: A Six-Drive Recovery Success Story

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When an enterprise business, government-adjacent client recently contacted me about a completely failed RAID array, I initially expected another somewhat straightforward RAID-5 recovery. What I discovered instead was a RAID-6 configuration with multiple drive failures that would push both my equipment and expertise to their limits—and showcase exactly why professional data recovery equipment makes all the difference.

What Went Wrong?

The client had been running what they believed was a RAID-5 array (single drive redundancy) using six Seagate 3TB drives. However, upon inspection, I discovered this was actually a RAID-6 configuration—which theoretically offers two-drive failure tolerance. Unfortunately, theory and reality don’t always align when you’re dealing with multiple compromised drives and missing RAID parameters.

Here’s what I was facing:

  • Drive 4: Completely dead—wouldn’t ID, never read a single sector
  • Drive 5: Severely compromised and required intensive recovery procedures
  • Drive 6: Failing with critical RAID metadata corruption at the end sectors
  • Missing RAID Parameters: No documentation of stripe size, drive order, or configuration details

The situation was further complicated by the fact that even though RAID-6 can theoretically handle two drive failures, I had three drives with significant issues—and the two “good” recovered drives still weren’t perfect images.

The Recovery Process

Step 1: Professional Drive Imaging

Before attempting any reconstruction work, I removed all six drives from the enclosure and connected them individually to my DeepSpar Stabilizer 10Gb systems for diagnosis and forensic imaging. This is absolutely critical—you get exactly one chance to extract data from failing drives before they potentially die completely.

For drives 1, 2, 3, and 6, the process was relatively straightforward:

  • Connected each drive to DeepSpar Stabilizer 10Gb
  • Conducted Express Diagnostics
  • Disabled SMART and other heavy processes that could stress failing drives
  • Performed sector-by-sector forensic imaging from sector 0 to max LBA
  • Monitored progress and handled troubled areas strategically

Drive 6 presented complications with failing sectors at the end of the drive—exactly where critical RAID configuration data is typically stored. This explained the array’s initial failure symptoms.

Step 2: The Challenge of Drive 5

Drive 5 proved to be the most problematic, requiring escalation to my DeepSpar Disk Imager for intensive recovery work:

  • Built a complete heads map using firmware diagnostics
  • Performed media testing to isolate potential head failures
  • Connected terminal leads for low-level firmware manipulation
  • Manually cleared the G-List and SMART data via terminal commands
  • Regenerated the drive’s translator tables
  • Configured sophisticated multi-pass imaging algorithms using R-Studio Technician

This process required multiple iterations as the drive continued degrading. Each pass collected additional data using different recovery strategies—forward reading, backward reading, and various algorithmic approaches to coax data from failing sectors.

After roughly one week of intensive work, I successfully recovered over 96.5% of the data from this drive. For a drive that initially appeared completely unrecoverable, this was remarkable.

Step 3: RAID Reconstruction Challenges

With forensic images of five drives (Drive 4 remained completely unrecoverable), I began the complex process of RAID-6 reconstruction. This proved exceptionally challenging because:

  • The missing Drive 4 eliminated one level of redundancy
  • Drives 5 and 6 both had imperfect sectors in critical areas
  • RAID parameters were completely unknown
  • Partition data on Drive 6 was inconsistent with Drive 5

Step 4: Parameter Discovery and Final Recovery

Through methodical testing of different RAID configurations and extensive analysis of the available drive data, I eventually discovered the correct parameters. However, even with proper RAID reconstruction, approximately 10% of files showed corruption due to the multiple drive compromises.

At this point, I made a critical decision to investigate alternative RAID parameter configurations. During the client’s file transfer process, I discovered additional parameter adjustments that dramatically improved reconstruction quality.

The result? A near-100% successful recovery of all client data.

The Technical Reality: Why This Was So Complex

RAID-6 arrays use sophisticated mathematical algorithms (typically Reed-Solomon error correction) to calculate parity across multiple drives. When you lose the exact configuration parameters AND have multiple drives with read errors in critical areas, reconstruction becomes exponentially more difficult.

Key factors that made this recovery especially challenging:

  1. Triple Drive Compromise: While RAID-6 can handle two drive failures, having three problematic drives pushes beyond design limits
  2. Metadata Corruption: Critical RAID configuration data was compromised on multiple drives
  3. Parameter Discovery: Without known stripe size, drive order, and parity configuration, I had to test dozens of combinations
  4. Sector-Level Precision: Even small gaps in critical areas can render entire file sets unrecoverable

Prevention and Lessons Learned

This case reinforces several critical points about RAID storage:

  • Document Your RAID Configuration: Always maintain records of stripe size, drive order, and configuration details
  • Monitor Drive Health Proactively: Regular SMART diagnostics can identify failing drives before array failure
  • Backup Beyond RAID: RAID is NOT backup—maintain separate backup systems for critical data
  • Professional Recovery Equipment Matters: Consumer recovery software would have been completely useless in this scenario

The Bottom Line

Professional data recovery isn’t just about having the right software—it’s about having enterprise-grade hardware specifically designed for failing drive recovery, combined with the experience to navigate complex multi-drive failure scenarios.

In this case, the combination of DeepSpar professional recovery equipment, advanced RAID reconstruction software, and systematic parameter discovery made the difference between total data loss and successful recovery.

Facing a failed RAID array or critical data loss? Don’t attempt multiple recovery software programs or reinitialize drives—these actions can make professional recovery impossible. Contact a professional with the right equipment before it’s too late.

If you’re looking for computer help in the Louisville area, look no further. I’ve been successfully recovering data from failed RAID arrays since 2006—call me today and get it done right the first time!

The Case of the Vanishing 8TB: A RAID-0 Recovery Adventure

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When a client recently brought me a completely non-functional TRIPP-LITE RAID enclosure, I knew I was in for an interesting afternoon. What started as a routine data recovery job quickly turned into one of the more technically exotic cases this month—and a perfect example of why RAID-0 arrays can be both a blessing and a curse.

What Went Wrong?

The client had been using an external dual-drive RAID enclosure that suddenly stopped working. After some initial troubleshooting, they discovered they had two 4TB drives configured in RAID-0 (striped array), giving them 8TB of total capacity with improved performance—but zero redundancy.

Here’s where things got complicated:

  • Multiple Recovery Attempts: The client had already tried several recovery tools, including Stellar recovery software, which could only find file headers with no recoverable content
  • Accidental Initialization: In a moment of desperation, they accidentally initialized the array using macOS, effectively wiping critical RAID metadata from both the beginning and end of the drives
  • Missing Documentation: The RAID parameters for this particular enclosure model weren’t published anywhere—meaning I was working completely blind

The Recovery Process

Step 1: Forensic Imaging

Before touching the original drives, I removed them from the enclosure and connected each to professional DeepSpar disk imagers. This created bit-perfect forensic copies of both drives, ensuring that no additional data could be lost during any recovery attempts (it’s the first and most critical step leading into logical data recovery work in these scenarios). One of the drives was mechanically unstable, which explained why the array had begun experiencing issues to begin with. Some quick firmware modifications, disabling of SMART, and some other prep work rendered imaging with my world-class hardware and software tools relatively uneventful however.

Step 2: RAID Parameter Hunting

With the images safely stored, I began the painstaking process of determining the original RAID configuration. Using R-Studio Technician and UFS Explorer Professional Recovery software, I scanned the entire 8TB array trying to interpolate the stripe pattern.

I tested every conventional RAID-0 configuration:

  • Different stripe sizes (from standard 64KB down to uncommon smaller sizes)
  • Various drive orders
  • Different offset calculations

Step 3: The Breakthrough

After working through the weekend testing dozens of parameter combinations, I finally discovered the culprit: an extraordinarily rare 512-byte stripe size. Most RAID-0 arrays use stripe sizes of 64KB or larger—this tiny “hairline” stripe was so uncommon that my initial automated scans completely missed it.

Once configured correctly, the data structure suddenly became readable again.

Step 4: Data Extraction and Organization

The successful RAID reconstruction revealed approximately 5.83TB of recoverable data spanning nearly two decades (2005-2025).

The Technical Challenge: Why This Was So Difficult

RAID-0 arrays present unique recovery challenges because data is literally scattered across multiple drives in a very specific pattern. Without knowing the exact stripe size, drive order, and offset parameters, the data appears as complete gibberish.

In this case, several factors made recovery especially complex:

  1. Exotic Stripe Size: The 512-byte stripe size is virtually unheard of in modern RAID implementations.
  2. Metadata Destruction: The macOS initialization wiped the RAID configuration data that might have provided clues.
  3. Previous Recovery Attempts: Multiple scanning passes had created additional wear on the drives.

The Silver Lining

Despite the multiple complications, I achieved 100% data recovery with no apparent file corruption. The client’s years of digital memories, business files, and critical documents were completely intact.

Key lesson: While RAID-0 offers performance benefits, it doubles your failure risk compared to a single drive. For critical data, consider RAID-1 (mirroring) or a proper backup strategy instead.

Prevention Tips

If you’re using RAID-0 for performance:

  • Maintain regular backups to a separate, non-RAID storage system
  • Document your RAID parameters (stripe size, drive order) for future reference
  • Consider RAID-10 for both performance and redundancy
  • Monitor drive health regularly using SMART diagnostics

Bottom Line

This recovery demonstrates that even seemingly hopeless data loss situations can often be resolved with the right tools, expertise, and persistence. However, the best data recovery is the one you never need—proper backups and redundant storage remain your first line of defense.

If you’re dealing with a failed RAID array or other data loss emergency, don’t attempt multiple recovery tools or reinitialize drives. Professional recovery services can often salvage data that appears completely lost—but only if further damage is avoided.

Disk corruption, LPM, and the iaStor.sys factor

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Recently, I took delivery of a sick laptop where the customer had complained of instability and general slowness of operation, as well as system errors of various types. He was relatively tech-savvy and had attempted some repairs on his own.

Anyhow, after some serious chkdsking and system file repairs, I was left with a system that misbehaved rather curiously on a regular basis. Any time significant disk access was required, the system would hang for what seemed to be an indefinite period of time, prompting me to perform a hard reboot. It was very frustrating indeed.

Event Log errors pointed to a possible problem with iaStor.sys, the Intel disk driver.

This customer did not have Intel Matrix Storage Manager of any version installed, and Windows Update declared the drivers up to date. Intel’s automated driver update utility also cleared the system without any recommendations.

Intel Rapid Storage Technology

However, having noted the driver date of 2006, I decided in desperation to update the disk driver. The newest version of the driver is bundled with the new version of Matrix Storage Manager, which has been renamed to Intel Rapid Storage Technology [download here]. I first downloaded and installed this.

Next, I noted problems reported by users of the Intel drivers with older SATA drives, apparently related to Link Power Management. Although the new drivers reportedly correct this by disabling LPM on these drives, I don’t entirely trust Intel’s resolution, as the registry entries still indicate that it is enabled. There’s an easy fix for this also:

  1. Open Regedit.
  2. Navigate to HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\iaStor\Parameters\PortX
    (where X is any number representing the port of each installed drive)
  3. Change the Value of LPMDSTATE from 1 to 0 for each key.
  4. Reboot the PC.

Upon the completion of these steps, the problems were resolved, and disk access on the machine was much faster (not to mention reliable). A number of other repairs were still necessary following this thanks to the aftermath of the disk corruption (such as additional system file repairs, software install problems including .NET Framework issues, and deep-seated MS Office issues), but after all of the repairs were complete, the PC was working like new again.

If you’re looking for computer help in the Louisville area, look no further.  Call me today and get it done right!