A single disk failure can drop a RAID 0, but dropped does not mean lost. As long as we have the complete set of members, we create an exact copy (image) of each member, determine how they are striped and rebuild your files into usable form using software.
Each RAID recovery project starts with a free diagnostic. The cost of the recovery itself is based on the number of drives included in the RAID (per drive), from £500 + VAT. A written quote will be provided prior to commencement of any work. On logical recoveries, in most cases you only pay if we recover your data.
A RAID 0 configuration uses each hard drive to store pieces of every file. This means that the volume is only ever as healthy as the weakest hard drive in it.
Because files are fragmented into parts stored on different drives, losing one hard drive can lose your entire collection of files. Recovery means creating an image of the entire group of hard drives and then reconstructing the scattered files.
Since there is no parity and no duplicate copy of the data (that was the trade for speed), when you lose part of your RAID 0 configuration (i.e. one or more hard drives), the RAID cannot replace what is lost, which is why disciplined imaging is the only safe route back.
Often when the controller/bridge or other enclosures fail, the individual hard drive(s) may still be working. Therefore, we need to determine the stripe geometry to allow us to reassemble the volume from images of each of the drives.
The striping information such as the block size, stripe order and stripe offsets for the striping configuration can be either written over by re-creating the array or wiped out by a firmware hiccup. If this information is used incorrectly during the reconstruction process, all you will see is random noise. We therefore extract the true values from the images themselves.
A patch of bad sectors on one member creates damage in many pieces of multiple files at once. A hardware imaging tool will pull all readable data around the damaged area to minimise loss of information.
Running an "initialise" or "format" or "repair" command on a stripe that has stopped working will destroy the metadata used for recovery of the stripe. Stop here and turn the unit off immediately if you have already done it.
In the absence of redundancy, each and every member matters equally. Each of the disks is cloned to a stable image on hardware imagers, and prior to that any physically failing drive is put through the bench first. Then using the images, the ordering of the disks within the stripe, the block size used when creating the stripe, and the block offset (where on each disk) are determined. The data is then re-striped in software, the file system rebuilt, and your files extracted. No information at all is ever written to the original disks.
A striped array can't repair itself, and each time you do a spin up, the failing disk will deteriorate slightly more. It's time for the boring solution: shut the system down. Do not use your initialise or repair tools. They will write over the metadata that defines the stripe. Get a quote from us first, then send us all disks at once and intact.
Work stations for editing, gaming computers, small servers and high end NAS devices: striped sets are sent to us from homes and businesses in Swansea, Llanelli, Bridgend and surrounding areas. Get a quote first, then send all members to our Bristol location, each labelled by the bay it was removed from, posted tracked and insured, or alternatively you can simply drop off the set at our Bristol location, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, with no appointment needed. Our RAID recovery and NAS recovery pages cover the wider service, and pricing details are provided on our data recovery cost page.
We will create images of each individual disk within the stripe and work out the original geometry to re-construct your files, and we will perform a free diagnostic and give a fixed quote in writing prior to starting.
First get a quote over the telephone or use our free on-line diagnostic. The majority of customers then have their media sent to us via post, this is tracked and insured.
Do you want to send a drive from your computer, laptop, MacBook, iMac, CCTV / DVR or server? Please do not send the complete unit of computer or device with a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) inside. Please remove it and only send the drive itself. For a server, please remove all disks and label them by their bay. We will also not perform removal of internal drives from devices in order to access data. Also, we will not extract data from devices where storage is soldered onto the motherboard (such as T2 and Apple Silicon Macs and some thin laptops). Additionally, we do not recover data from phones and tablets, only drives that can be removed and sent to us. If you're not sure which kind you have, ring us first.
↓ Print the booking-in & shipping form (PDF)
Clearly mark the parcel with the name Bristol Data Recovery, and when your media has been diagnosed we will call you immediately.
If unsure about what to post, please call us first on 0800 689 0668 (the free phone number), or complete a free online diagnostic.