Data recovery from a RAID server
Degraded array, failed rebuild, dead controller, lost configuration. When a server goes down, every hour costs. We virtually rebuild your array — RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60 — without ever writing to the original disks, with a dedicated enterprise emergency desk.
Does your server show one of these signs?
Beyond the RAID level's tolerance, the array goes offline. Often, not every disk is actually dead.
60–75% with 2+ disks affectedA rebuild launched on a failing disk can overwrite the other members. Stop everything immediately.
array often recoverableAfter a controller reset or board swap, disks show as "Foreign" and the array refuses to mount.
95–98% if platters intactCorrupt or missing virtual machines (VMDK, VHDX, QCOW2) on top of a degraded RAID.
VM extraction after rebuildWhat the laboratory actually does.
We never touch the original disks
Each member disk is cloned sector by sector before any analysis, using parallel imagers (8+ ports) and write blockers. All reconstruction then happens on the copies — the physical array stays intact for any later attempts.
Hex analysis of the array
Without trusting the controller, we determine the array's real parameters by analyzing the entropy of the data: stripe size, exact disk order, parity rotation scheme and initial offset. RAID 5/6 parity is recomputed via an XOR operation, letting us virtually reconstruct the missing block of any disk.
Repair of failed members
Some disks need work before they can be read: head transplant in an ISO 5 cleanroom, PCB swap with ROM transfer, Service Area access. We hold over 20,000 spare parts in stock to speed the operation.
Virtual-machine extraction
Once the volume is rebuilt, we mount the file systems (VMFS, ZFS, ReFS) and extract the virtual machines — VMDK for VMware, VHDX for Hyper-V, QCOW2 for Proxmox — along with SQL databases (Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL).
Enterprise emergency 24-48h
Diagnosis and recovery run around the clock, a dedicated contact from diagnosis to return, NDA on request, processing on an air-gapped network. Return on a new encrypted device.
RAID success rates across 120,000+ cases.
Averages observed since 2004. RAID is about 30% of our enterprise activity.
All controllers, all levels.
RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, 50, 60 levels, hardware and software. VMware ESXi, Hyper-V, Proxmox virtualization. VMFS, ZFS, ReFS, EXT4, XFS, NTFS, Btrfs file systems.
What you must never do to a failing RAID server
- Launch an automatic rebuild — a rebuild on an unstable disk massively overwrites the other members.
- Swap the disk order around — order is critical array data; losing it badly complicates reconstruction.
- Reset the controller — the configuration (stripe, parity, offset) can be erased.
- Replace a disk "to see" — any write to the array lowers the odds.
- Force the volume to remount — a file system mounted read-write on an inconsistent array worsens the corruption.
The golden rule: power the server off, note the bay order if possible, and send the whole unit — disks and controller — to the lab.
Specialist answers on RAID.
How do you recover data from a RAID 5?+
The rebuild failed — how do I limit the damage?+
Is a disk shown as "Foreign" lost?+
Do you recover virtual machines?+
How much does RAID recovery cost?+
Understand RAID reconstruction.
This page describes the service. For the methodology and a real, numbered case, two resources complement this device.
Step-by-step RAID methodology
XOR de-striping, parity-rotation identification, disk order, virtual reconstruction, VM extraction: the full approach.
Read the Guide chapter →22 TB recovered in 48h
3 "Foreign" disks after a surge, virtual reconstruction, accounting back up. The full technical detail.
Read the case study →RAID server down? Act right.
Power the server off, launch no rebuild, don't swap the disks. Request priority handling — free diagnosis, enterprise emergency 24-48h.