RAID 5 Array Recovery

Can I use Windows Data Recovery Software to recover data from a lost partition from my RAID 5 array?

RAID 5 is a redundant hard drive array that uses at least 3 hard drives to securely duplicate and manage your data. If a partition has been lost, it is possible to restore the data using Windows Data Recovery Software from the redundant drives in the array. Let’s take a look at how Windows Data Recovery would do that.

Just as a matter of clarity, let’s call the RAID array, machine A. You’ll want to install Windows Data Recovery on a different PC with a safe Windows build. We’ll call that PC machine B. Then, attach machine A, the RAID array, to machine B. Make sure that the drives in the raid are attached in the same order they were when the partition was lost. Use Windows Data Recovery on machine B to scan for lost partitions on machine A. It will thoroughly scan the array and present you with a view of the partition and respective files and folders in a data tree view.

Make sure you use Windows Data Recovery to search for your lost partition and not your original installation disks (System Recovery CD / DVD, which generally is shipped with your hardware). Those disks will only restore systems to their initial configuration. This can cause more problems than it will solve. Please note, Windows Data Recovery CAN be used to recover data from a drive that has been reformatted or modified with new partitions.