Wrong disk rebuilt by intel RST after format

[LGran5]

Hello there,

I have a problem and I hope you guys can help.

I have a Raid 1 array with two 2 TB hard drives and one SSD as my system drive (only windows 7 and programs).

Yesterday I unplugged one of the Raid 1 drives from the system and while in windows, I did a quick format to the remaining Raid 1 drive. I then turned off the computer, plugged the other drive back in and power on the computer. After the Windows 7 start up, Intel Rapid Storage technology started to show me messages of degraded drive. It started automatically to rebuild the Raid 1 array. Today when I come to check on the system I realize that both drives have nothing in it. 100% space available. I have lost all my data. My guess is that the Intel RST rebuilt the wrong disk.

Is this possible?

Even though the drives said 100% space available, the drives show me the folder list in the root directory in Windows explorer but when I tried to open any folder I get an error of corrupted data.

Can you guys help me?

Thanks in advance

[Kevin_M_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello mr_vodoo,

Based on the description you provided, the result of the process you did is an expected behavior from Intel® Rapid Storage Technology.

This is because at the time that you formatted the HDD, it was still under the Array volume. Intel® Rapid Storage Technology will start rebuilding the Array from the existing HDD in the system. This process is to copy another exact image that is in the Hard Disk Drive into the new added Hard Disk Drive and since the first one was formatted, the new one will have the same data based on the RAID 1 configuration.

[LGran5]

Dear kevin_intel,

Thanks for the answer. But one question, shouldn't the Intel RST copy the data to the new formatted drive and not the other way around? Why did the program copied the data from the empty drive (the formatted drive) to the drive with all the data (the drive overwritten)? I took out one drive and once I formatted it, then I put it back in the same place. Was the Intel RST bad configured? Maybe I had to tell Intel RST which drive should it take the data from.

Thanks

[Kevin_M_Intel]

Hello mr_vodoo,

The Intel® Rapid Storage Technology will start rebuilding the Volume from the HDD that is connected to the system at that moment.

This is the reason why it deleted everything. The HDD that was formatted was still configured as a RAID so the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology automatically will start copying the information in the Hard Disk Drive to the new Driver that has been connected.

[heq99]

Hi Kevin_M_Intel,

I had the other way around.

I had 2 disks in the RAID1 cluster. One of them was failed. I removed it from RAID1, formatted it. Then added it back to RAID1. Then the rebuilding started. In my previous experience, I should still be able to access my data while it is rebuilding. I did so, but found an empty disk in Windows Explorer. I immediately shut down Windows, and removed the formatted disk from RAID1. After I reboot, I still see an empty disk. How could this happen? 

Since the rebuilding just started before I shutdown Windows in less then 1 min. Is it still possible to restore most of my data? 

Thanks