It can be frustrating when some problem is preventing you from accessing your essential files. When this happens to you, it is only natural to inspect your computer to find out what’s wrong. When you check the Disk Management utility, you might discover that you’ve lost a RAID volume. Moreover, you might only see an unformatted drive D:. You may even see a Failed status when you check the RAID’s CMOS setup via the BIOS settings.
You might be worried if all of your files are now gone. Well, we can still teach you how to fix a broken RAID 0 after a firmware update. There is still a way to resolve the problem without compromising the integrity of your data.
What are RAID 0 and RAID 1?
More popularly referred to as RAID, the Redundant Array of Independent Disks combines several drives into a single volume with a faster speed and a higher capacity rating. When a drive fails, the RAID is supposed to be a security measure that allows the user to still have access to their data. It is available in varying levels of quality, which are illustrated by the numbers used to label the product. It is typical to find RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 5 on the market. However, you may also find some shops selling RAID 10, RAID 6, or RAID 5+1.
Let us break the information down for you. The RAID is a device in your PC that helps your system distribute and extract data faster. Moreover, it functions as your data backup in the event of a hardware failure. It is worth noting that the RAID cannot be your fail-safe for data loss due to malware infection, natural disaster, or theft.
How to Recreate the RAID
The best way to fix this problem is to recreate the RAID. However, you must know that this solution will only work if the malfunctioning RAID is not your primary boot volume. Otherwise, you need to use a different solution for your system.
To begin, follow the steps below:
- The first thing you need to do is enter the BIOS settings. Keep in mind that the process for accessing them varies depending on the motherboard manufacturer. So, it is best that you consult your owner’s manual to know how to enter the BIOS setup.
- Once you’re inside the BIOS settings, use the arrow keys to make the proper selections. Follow this path: Advanced ->IDE Configuration ->Configure SATA as
- Inside the SATA Options menu, you need to create an Intel Matrix Raid. To do this, select RAID.
- Save the changes you made by pressing F10 on your keyboard.
- Exit the BIOS settings.
- Restart your PC.
- During the boot process, press Ctrl+I. Doing so will allow you to access the Intel Matrix Storage Manager Option ROM utility.
- You might see that the disks have a ‘Non-RAID Disk’ label. In your case, this is incorrect. So, you need to knowhow to repair an incorrectly reported ‘Broken/failed Intel RAID 0’.
- Select Option 3: Reset Disks to Non-Raid by using your arrow keys.
- Now, you need to select the other disk of the failed RAID group.
- Once you’ve made the selection, press Y and Enter on your keyboard.
- Once you have both disks have a ‘Non-RAID Disk’ label, you can begin recreating the RAID configuration. Do not worry about overwriting any data on the disks. This process will only touch the RAID configuration area, which you’ve emptied beforehand.
- Choose Option 1: Create Raid Volume.
- Select the right disks.
- Use the same settings as the original RAID you’re trying to recover to recreate the new RAID volume. Remember to keep the disks in the same order as before. Moreover, you must ensure the same strip size.
Note: Ideally, it is best to create RAID volumes that are a little bit smaller than the current disks’ actual capacity.
- Once you’ve filled in the right values, you can create the new RAID by pressing Y.
The RAID should now have a ‘Normal’ label. Moreover, you should now be able to boot into your operating system. However, there are still some extra steps you need to perform. You will see a prompt on the screen, asking you if you want to exit the setup utility. Press Y, then proceed to the steps below:
- Restart your computer normally.
- Now, press Windows Key+S on your keyboard.
- Inside the Search box, type “disk management” (no quotes).
- From the results, select the ‘Create and format hard disk partitions’ option.
Note: If you see the ‘Initialize Disk’ prompt, make sure you click Cancel.
- You should be able to see the RAID volume you restored. However, your system may believe that it is now empty and that it does not contain any partition information. Unfortunately, Windows does not have a built-in tool for recovering the ‘lost’ partition. So, for this example, we will use the TestDisk tool to complete the process. Download the utility, then run it.
- Once TestDisk starts, you will see the user interface. Use your arrow keys to select Create.
- Choose the appropriate volume. Note: It should be the one that contains the data you need to recover.
- The next thing you need to do is choose the partition table type which you previously created on your volume
- Once you’ve done that, you must select Analyse. Doing so will allow the tool to inspect the missing partition.
- Now, choose Quick Search.
- Wait for a couple of seconds to let the utility search for the partition. Choose the appropriate partition, then hit Enter.
- On the next screen, select Write. Performing this step will write the recovered partition back to the disk.
- To confirm the action, press Y.
- Now, press Enter to reboot your computer.
- Select Quit to exit the TestDisk utility.
- Once your PC restarts, check if you can open the files and other data you lost from your disk drive.
Pro Tip: To ensure that you will always be able to access your files on your hard drive, you must keep it in good condition. In this case, we recommend that you use Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro. It is also worth noting that the RAID can fail due to various reasons, including hard drive corruption and disk issues. To get your drives to work at maximum efficiency, we suggest that you optimize them, using Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro.
This tool allows you to defrag files that are inaccessible during system operation. What’s more, it optimizes file placement on your drive. In this way, you will be able to ensure the most efficient operation and faster access. You have the freedom to choose among multiple scheduling options, allowing you to maintain consistently high HDD speed.
The great thing about Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro is that it is available as a free trial version as well. You can download it and test some of its features at no cost. In this way, you can get a glimpse of what this powerful drive optimizer could do for your computer. Once you decide to purchase a license key, you can use the program on up to three PCs!
Do you need to clarify anything we discussed in this article?
Do not hesitate to ask your questions in the comments below!