RAID1 issues

[tiemichael]

Hi,
when switching on my Windows 10 PC  2 days ago it did not boot.
Going to the Bios I found my RAID1 degraded, and only one of the two HDD was seen.
After some testing I confirmed one HDD as dead.
I am able to access the data on the 'good HDD' via Ubuntu, but I am unable to boot into Windows 10.

My 1. Question: is it normal that a PC with RAID1 does not boot if one of the two HDD is not working or removed? Or is this a sign of other issues like corrupted installation?

My defect HDD is under warranty, but replacement will  take 3-4 weeks !!!. What is now the best course of action for me...
I could  reset the existing HDD to non-Raid, but according to the 'CTRL-I System Console' this will result in complete data-loss. Although I have read in this forum that data will not be lost.

Question 2: does 'Resetting to NON-Raid' delete all data?

Question 3: In case I can keep my data, and  after I have Installed my 2nd HDD and converting  the system back to RAID1 - will my data be maintained, or does converting to RAID1 result in complete data-loss?

At the moment I am really puzzled on the best course of action, which would allow me to continue using my PC with existing data, and later convert back to RAID1.

(Windows 10, Asus Prime B460-Plus Motherboard, 2 X 2TB HDD in RAID1)

Thanks for your kind help!

[Steven_Intel]

Hello tiemichael,

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

You should be able to boot into Windows, since the data should be kept in the other disk, but I will research about that to confirm and I will let you know as soon as I have an update.

Regarding disabling RAID, please check the information in the following article https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000006188/technologies.html

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[tiemichael]

Thanks!
When can I have an answer to my first question " is it normal that a PC with RAID1 does not boot if one of the two HDD is not working or removed? Or is this a sign of other issues like corrupted installation?" ?

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for your response.

We are currently working to get an answer for that. As soon as I have an update, I will let you know.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Hello tiemichael,

In order to keep working on this case, please provide the following information:

• Are you completely sure you had RAID 1?
• Are you able to get into RST through the BIOS or the F7 method?
• Have you already rebuilt the RAID?
• Can you confirm the second drive is working properly?
• Were there any partitions on the disks?

Look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[tiemichael]

Hi Steven,

Thanks for your reply!

Yes, I am 100% sure I had a Raid 1.
The Raid was made up of 2 identical HDD with 2GB each, and only had 1 usable partition. (not sure about any recovery partitions or so)

As the ‘crash’ happened about 10 days ago, and I need my PC up and running I was not able to wait for the arrival of my replacement HDD and your answer. So yesterday I converted the remaining HDD back to normal, and have been re-installing Windows again …

Before taking the hassle to convert to RAID1 and re-install Windows again , I would really like to understand what to expect in case of a drive-failure:
Will I be able to use my PC with only one RAID 1 HDD connected, until my 2^nd HDD is available again? (this also my original question)

I also understand that the Intel RAID – systems only work on Intel-based Motherboards, and maybe even only with a specific controller configuration / version. So after replacing or upgrading  Motherboard I will not be able to use the existing RAID as well.

Is it possible to re-use an existing RAID system without re-installation if I replace my current MB to a newer one with INTEL chipset. What are the requirements?

Thanks,

Michael

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for the information tiemichael

We are going to keep working on the case. In order to do so, could you please confirm if you are able to access RST through BIOS or F7 method?

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[tiemichael]

Hi,

as mentioned in my earlier reply, 
I don't have RST installed at moment, as I am not sure if a RST Raid1 fulfils my requirements.

I will only be switching over to RST once I understand what's happening when 1 drive is failing and removed.

Honestly, I don't understand why it's so difficult to answer the simple question: Will I be able to use my PC with only one RAID 1 HDD connected, until my 2^nd HDD is available again? (this also my original question)

Thanks!

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for your response.

We are going to work on this issue, in order to answer your question. As soon as I have an update, I will let you know.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Hello tiemichael,

Since the main issue you are facing is the system not booting, the first thing to do is go to BIOS, select healthy drive directly from boot order and confirm if it is still bootable. If it's RAID 1 and only a single disk failed, it should still boot, but with degraded read performance. It is necessary to confirm boot order in BIOS in case the main drive was the failing one. If so, it would be necessary to rearrange boot order and replace the failing drive with an equivalent drive, moving the healthy/main boot drive to the top.

Q1: What would happen if you convert back to RAID1 in case of a drive failure?

A1: When a drive in RAID 1 fails, the RAID enters "rebuild mode". When the failed drive is replaced, it will automatically start cloning the data from the intact disk once it is replaced.

Q2: Would you be able to use the PC with only one RAID 1 HDD connected until the second HDD is available?

A2: No, PC should be operational with 1 RAID disk only. However, Windows 10 has the capability of re-scanning devices, that's why it is recommended to replace with the same exact drive/model and then perform the mirror in the new disk.

Q3: Can you re-use an existing RAID system without re-installation if you replace the current motherboard to a newer one with Intel chipset?

A3: The RAID 1 may or may not migrate to a new system without requiring a rebuild. It all depends on the controller in use. Intel's can often be moved in place without issue, but moving from one onboard RAID brand to another will likely result in a corrupted mirror. In this case, the motherboard has Intel® B460 Chipset and moving to an Intel Chipset might not require any additional rebuild.

Regarding converting the HDD back to normal and reinstall Windows:

In which hard drive was this done? When we reset Disks to Non-RAID, all data on the RAID drives is lost.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[tiemichael]

Hi Steven,

thanks for your detailed reply, which is highly appreciated.

There is one statement which puzzles me about the operation with a degraded RAID:  "rearrange boot order and replace the failing drive with an equivalent drive, moving the healthy/main boot drive to the top."

As I don't have a RAID installed at the moment, I am unable to check, but if I remember correctly when the RAID is installed I don't see the single disks under my boot-options.

The see the single disks I would have to remove the RAID - which might cause dataloss. And after installing the 2nd disk, I'd have to install the RAID, which definitely destroys my data.

Maybe you could clarify

Thank you

Michael

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for your response.

I will confirm that information. As soon as I have verified that, I will let you know.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Hello tiemichael,

The statement mentions that if the main drive was the failing one, you will need to replace it and the new one gets the system booting again, and you should be able to see the drive.

Let me know if you have any concern.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[tiemichael]

To be honest I am still puzzled...

It comes back to my very initial question: will I be able to boot and  run (with reduced performance) my Windows installation, until I have a second drive available?

So, let's close this topic ...

Thanks

Michael

[Steven_Intel]

Hello tiemichael,

You should be able to boot since you had RAID1, but you need to check if the drive and confirm if it is still bootable. It should be able to boot, but with degraded performance.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Steven_Intel]

Were you able to check the previous post?

Let us know if you still need assistance.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[tiemichael]

THanks,
I will get back to you when I need further help

[Steven_Intel]

Thank you for your response.

Since the thread is now solved, we will close it. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question, as this thread will no longer be monitored.  

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.