Title: Manual Steps for RAID 0 Recovery: Block Size and Data Order Determination

Introduction: Recovering RAID 0 configurations manually involves identifying crucial parameters such as data order on member disks and block size. This process can be carried out either manually or with the assistance of specialized RAID recovery software .

Determining Block Size

Block size, measured in either sectors or kilobytes, plays a pivotal role in RAID 0 recovery. To find the block size effectively:

  1. Utilize spare drives to create a new array and observe the default block size.
  2. Search online for similar RAID configurations and their associated block sizes.
  3. Manually inspect member disks for fragments of a known large file and analyze their locations to deduce block size.

Determining Data Order

To ascertain the data order on member disks and confirm the block size, follow these steps:

  1. Locate a copy of a sufficiently large file previously stored on the RAID.
  2. Utilize disk content viewing tools like ReclaiMe Disk Editor software.
  3. Choose a specific file for analysis, considering images, music, or videos.
  4. Search member disks for fragments of the chosen file, starting from the beginning.
  5. Analyze the fragments to determine the order of disks within the RAID array.

Searching for File Fragments

When searching for file fragments, consider the following:

  1. Launch a disk viewer tool and search for the file fragment on one member disk.
  2. Ensure that multiple instances of the file fragment are not discovered, indicating a successful search.
  3. If found, proceed to the next sector on another disk to continue the search for file fragments.
  4. Identify the continuation of the file on other disks to determine disk order within the RAID array.

Additional Notes:

  1. Choose a large enough file for the fragment search to enhance accuracy.
  2. Although fragmentation may complicate the process, the probability of encountering fragmented file parts is typically less than 1%.
  3. Be aware that NTFS compression can alter file data on the drive, making analysis more challenging.
  4. Recognize that manual RAID 0 recovery may require a considerable amount of time, with array recovery often taking up to a week.

By following these manual steps, you can effectively recover RAID 0 configurations and restore array functionality.