Broken raid 1 array... please help a newbie fix it! 2 x 2tb

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TheDarkTao

Gawd
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Feb 5, 2005
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So I hope this is a really simple problem... heres hoping....


I had a horror story with a previous array so I am VERY cautious to rebuild... So here is how it happend....


So I had a perfectly fine raid 1 array with 2x2tb WD green drives. Recently I had a problem with a s3 resume (sleep issue common with gigabyte boards) and when I restarted it reset the bios.

When that happend I reset my overclock settings etc... but forgot to change raid configuration from normal back to raid. As the raid pros know (and this noobie from screwing it up before) if you start a former raid array once to windows, it brakes it for good...


I had this problem once before and the intel matrix program fixed it no problem. But this time as I try and fix it it states an error because (drive has failed, smart error, system data on drive etc...)

I can access all the data and no errors on the drive. Problem is that it has system data I think (since it was a raid 1 on primary)

So..... PLEASE help, how can I safely rebuild this array!!!!!!!


Help is O SO appreciated... after losing a primary before... I never NEVER EVER! want to go through that again :eek:
 
70 views and not one comment :( Cmon help a [H]ard brother out!


I know yall can, cmon you are hard gurus! :D
 
Do you have your data backed up or imaged? If not, I would do so now, rebuild the arrary from the bios and then restore from the backed up image.

This type of issue has happened to me and my clients numerous times and I find that all the "work arounds" and such don't really work as well as a straight backup/restore.
 
What if one does not have a backup drive with enough space :(


Thanks for the comments... someone said if I format one drive and then rebuild in windows it make work... would that make sense????
 
for future reference always keep your boot partition small enough to image, relying on raid1 alone is asking for trouble
 
If you have one fully functional drive and the RAID controller won't resync the array on the second drive, I'd reformat the 2nd drive and add it back to the array.

The controller should allow a rebuild of an array without formatting the 2nd drive though.
 
It keeps saying it cannot because it "contains system files or is the system HDD"


... in the past this happend once before and it let me as well....
 
Is this array built from the controller or from Windows (did you create the array from the controller BIOS or from drive manager in Windows? I'm assuming you built this from the controller.

I'd remove the 2nd drive. Boot up and verify that the controller recognizes the 1st drive installed as a degraded array. Boot into Windows to make sure everything works and your data is there. Then, I'd shut the system down, install the 2nd drive and verify that the controller sees both drives as members of the array and it should still be degraded. Boot into Windows and go into the RAID software and it should let you rebuild the array. If you still have the same problem, format the 2nd drive and stick it back in the system, resync the array and you should be good to go.
 
What if you take out the second drive and connect it to a different PC and wipe/delete the partition using disk management.

After that add it back to the array in Windows and it "should" work as there will be no system info and it will be a "blank" disk.
 
pacmantravis said:
What if you take out the second drive and connect it to a different PC and wipe/delete the partition using disk management.

After that add it back to the array in Windows and it "should" work as there will be no system info and it will be a "blank" disk.
Click to expand...

That's what I was trying to say in my own, roundabout, obscure sort of way. :p Sorry for the misunderstanding.
 
I have seen this error before. I had to rebuild my raid array and nuke the data to fix it (which I didnt mind cuz there was nothing important on it)

But I have heard if you put the broken disk into another machine with a WORKING raid array and then use the matrix manager to mark your disk as a spare (this option is hidden if a failed array exists in the system), then you can re-add it to the mirror in your main box.
 
As an IT pro who has fixed many downed arrays I can say the process others have suggested is what I would do. Pull one drive, boot up, verify everything is there, wipe the 2nd drive on another machine or external connection and then rebuild the array. I think we're all assuming this is built on an Intel matrix RAID controller?
 
Enlefo said:
As an IT pro who has fixed many downed arrays I can say the process others have suggested is what I would do. Pull one drive, boot up, verify everything is there, wipe the 2nd drive on another machine or external connection and then rebuild the array. I think we're all assuming this is built on an Intel matrix RAID controller?
Click to expand...

This
 
Wiping the drive (all zero's) still doesn't fix it. I think you need to erase the MBR as well, as the intel raid signature is what you need to erase, and that is not in a place accessible by LBA addresses... (IE it is not in sector 0-max, its in a diff spot..)

Check out my earlier post, this is really the only way to fix it unless you nuke and rebuild the array. Yes it is very very dumb that it works this way, but it does.)

extide said:
I have seen this error before. I had to rebuild my raid array and nuke the data to fix it (which I didnt mind cuz there was nothing important on it)

But I have heard if you put the broken disk into another machine with a WORKING raid array and then use the matrix manager to mark your disk as a spare (this option is hidden if a failed array exists in the system), then you can re-add it to the mirror in your main box.
Click to expand...
 
TheDarkTao said:
hmmmm after formatting the drive I get the same error....
Click to expand...

So let's make sure we're on the same page. You wiped the drive, reinserted it into the machine, rebooted, both drives were detected under the RAID BIOS ans the array marked as degraded, you boot into windows open the matrix utility and when you tell it to rebuild it gives you the error "contains system files or is the system HDD"
Is that correct?
 
The error also lists other potential errors, such as smart and faild disk. The disk is completely healthy. So I know it must be system data. I did not take it out of the rig though. I left it in and formatted it. Changed drive letter and quick, as well as normal formated.


So if I am correct, I need to remove the HDD to another rig? Someone send if I set it up as a USB drive that may work.

Could that MBR data be the problem????
 
So if I understand this right, once the drive is completely clean, it should be able to be rebuilt into raid?
 
TheDarkTao said:
Here is a copy of the error...

Click to expand...

Looks to me like the drive is either not plugged in or not initialized. Have you reinitialized it in disk manager? Are you sure this disk isn't bad? Have you successfully written data to it post format? Have you run a disk check?
 
Yes on data, but I dont know what re-initialization means.


BTW it was the SAME error before the format....


So what do I do to initialize the disk???


BTW thanks allot for all the help! it is very much appreciated... if you are familiar with HDDs you know how much of a pain it is when they don't work, and all the help makes things sooo much easier...

Thanks [H]ard community... you have saved my arse oh so many times :)
 
If you can write data to it the disk is initialized. I think I'm gonna have to go with what Rakinos advised, use a data formatting tool like dban to nuke the MBR.... and do yourself a favor and unplug your good drive as he suggested.
I did NOT unplug the good drive out of an array once and started a low level format on that drive by mistake. Thank goodness for data recovery tools.
 
Nuke the MBR and you are good. Remember that is before 'sector 0'. Please read my posts in here.
 
Is there a way to erase the MBR within windows?

Or a utility that will JUST erase the MBR?

Reason being it takes well over a day to formay a 2tb drive :eek: And I already did that..... :(
 
Sorry for the delay, I just ran DBAN for like 20 minutes to clear the MBR, this is due to the MBR being located at the beginning of the drive. You can just power the computer down after running it for a bit and should be good.
 
I cleared out the MBR and formatted... it still says SAME error....



OK guys... wtf.... I am at a total loss!
 
Are you sure that there's nothing wrong with the drive? Download & burn the WD diagnostics CD from the Western Digital website, and put the drive through the extended test.
 
For some reason, it is not seeing one drive in the diagnostics....

I can write and read data... why would I not be able to access the drive in WD diagnostics?

HMMM I just was checking on it again, and low and behold! It has a smart error, it failed the cable test...


A read diagnostic sector error...

Does this mean its a failed drive???


***MAJOR EDIT!****

It looks as though the second drive has the SAME SERIAL NUMBER in the diagnostic tool... meaning its seeing the drive twice I believe, and not seeing the other 2tb drive....

This is getting weirder and weirder....

Is there a way to brake the array without losing data, and just starting from scratch????
 
Last edited:
WTF, how would the drive have the same serial number? Check the physical drive labels just to be sure. That's pretty fishy, unless you're mistaking the drive model as the serial number.

If it's the same, then there's something up and I'd call the reseller you bought it from, or possibly contact Western Digital.
 
No I am QUITE sure its the serial number... something is fishey... and it keeps happening, later it identified a 2.199 TB drive... Its calling it an IDE drive... and now randomly it switches it to weird looking half japanese half english script (I do read japanese, and its litterally half japanese half english)


I dunno wtf is going on at this point.... :confused: Is there a way to disable raid and start over, without formatting the info on the drive?

O and something else weird, both drives DO work completely fine.... :eek:
 
Hmmm that's wiggity whack. A firmware update for your raid controller might be in order. Should come along with a bios update on most boards. Also, if it says there is a smart cable error you might wanna try a different cable.
 
Happen to know where I could find the firmware? Is a gigabye ga-p45-ds3r... I think that is a intel ich10r
 
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