Remove or repair RAID 5 without deleting data.

[HPatt]

I inherited an older Dell running Windows 7 Ultimate with a 2 disk RAID 5 array. The mirrored drive continually degrades and needs to be rebuilt.

The drive has been replaced, but the problem persists so I have to assume that the problem is with the RST itself. Unfortunately, all of the diagnostics say everything is fine once the drive starts to rebuild, which completely bogs down the system.

Attempting to remove RAID at the BIOS warns that all data will be lost.

If the RST cannot be repaired, is there a way to remove it without destroying my disk?

[David_V_Intel]

Hello HPatt, Thank you for posting on the Intel ® communities. According to what you have mentioned, you have been working with a RAID 5 with only 2 disks, the RAID 5 needs a minimum of 3 disks to operate properly which could be a reason why it keeps getting degraded. If possible, insert a new disk and then rebuild the RAID 5 when the 3 disks are inserted to see if the issue persists. Removing the RAID could or will potentially delete data from the current build array so please, before doing anything related to a deletion of an array, backup your important data to avoid losing important information. I hope this helps. Regards, David V Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[HPatt]

Thank you. This was an old work computer that was working well for years (it started out as the office server). In fact it was originally configured by Dell with only two disks.

Fortunately, I still have the disk that we originally swapped out. Right now it is running fine with only one disk connected, but it would be nice to have it running properly.

[n_scott_pearson]

Let me repeat: Backup your array contents to some other medium before breaking the array.

...S

[David_V_Intel]

Hello HPatt, Thank you for your response. If it was done with only 2 disks then it should've been configured in either RAID 1 or RAID 0. RAID 5 needs a minimum of 3 disks to be configured. Since this was configured by Dell* directly then it is recommended to contact them and see if there is away to remove or repair said RAID. This is because, as mentioned, the procedure could potentially delete data, that is why we recommended backing up the data if it is accessible. Regards, David V Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[David_V_Intel]

Hello HPatt, Were you able to check my post? Let me know if you were able to get in contact with Dell* or if you require more assistance. Regards, David V Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[David_V_Intel]

Hello HPatt, Please contact us if you have any additional questions. Regards, David V Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation