RAID 1 arrays are designed to provide data redundancy by mirroring one drive onto another. However, when a disk in a RAID 1 setup fails, the system should automatically rebuild the array once a new or functioning disk is inserted. If the RAID 1 fails to rebuild automatically, businesses can face data inaccessibility and potential loss.
This case study details how we successfully recovered business-critical data for a local café from a RAID 1 array containing two Seagate 4TB SATA hard drives, after one disk failed and the RAID system did not rebuild properly.
As Oxford Data Recovery, with 25 years of forensic data recovery experience, we used RAID metadata reconstruction, disk imaging, and advanced file system repair techniques to restore lost data.
The Challenge: RAID 1 Array Not Rebuilding After Disk Failure
A café owner contacted us after their RAID 1 system became inaccessible. The reported issues included:
- One of the two 4TB Seagate SATA drives had failed.
- RAID controller did not automatically rebuild the array after disk failure.
- The remaining disk was not accessible, despite being intact.
- Business-critical data, including financial records, employee schedules, and supplier details, was at risk.
Since RAID rebuild failures can lead to accidental data overwrites, an immediate professional recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the RAID 1 array arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full diagnostic assessment. Our findings:
- One drive had mechanical failure – The failed drive suffered from read/write head damage, making it unreadable.
- The second drive contained RAID metadata corruption – Preventing the RAID system from recognizing it as a valid standalone disk.
- The RAID controller failed to rebuild properly – Possibly due to firmware errors or unexpected power loss.
Since RAID 1 is a mirrored setup, we focused on recovering the data from the second, still-functional disk without relying on the failed drive.
The Recovery Process
1. Cloning & Imaging the Working RAID 1 Drive
To prevent further corruption, we:
- Created a sector-by-sector image of the remaining functional drive.
- Used forensic recovery tools to bypass RAID metadata corruption.
2. Extracting & Rebuilding Business Data
Since the RAID metadata was preventing direct file access, we:
- Manually reconstructed the RAID 1 volume outside of the RAID controller.
- Repaired the corrupted file system, making data accessible again.
- Extracted all business-critical files from the rebuilt array.
3. Verifying & Restoring Café Business Data
Once the data extraction was complete, we:
- Checked all financial records, employee schedules, and supplier invoices.
- Ensured all recovered data was intact and uncorrupted.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a new external RAID-ready storage device.
The Results: 100% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our RAID 1 metadata reconstruction and file system repair techniques, we successfully recovered 100% of the café’s business data, including:
✅ Financial transaction records and accounting files
✅ Employee schedules and payroll data
✅ Supplier orders, inventory lists, and customer databases
The café owner was relieved to have all essential data restored, allowing business operations to continue smoothly.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful recoveries, we are the leading RAID data recovery specialists in Oxford and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ RAID 1 array recovery & rebuild failure fixes
✔ RAID metadata corruption repair
✔ RAID controller failure data extraction
✔ Secure & confidential business data retrieval
If your RAID 1 system is failing to rebuild, experiencing disk failure, or making data inaccessible, stop further recovery attempts and contact us immediately for professional data recovery.