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Restoring a Failed RAID 1 (mirror)

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I have 2 external e-SATA drives configured as a Mirrored RAID array.
Recently this failed with the controller reporting an invalid RAID drive 0.
Both drive were working correctly as stand alone drives.

I made an image of one of the drives to another external drive.
This backup was made after the raid had failed.

Acting on advice from the Manufacturer of the RAID controller I have reformatted the drives.
I have now re-created a mirrored RAID set on the drives and I now wish to restore the data.

My question is: Should I do a disk or a file restore?
If I do a disk restore will I end up with the same failed RAID?

Thank You,

Harman.

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Harman,

If your RAID contains the system:
Check out the documention of your RAID controller. It might be able to move seamlessly from a AHCI/SATA single disk set up to a RAID1 setup. If this is the case, just restore your image to one disk set up as single disk with AHCI, then swith to RAID1 and let the controller rebuild the array.

If this is not the case, it would be weird, since RAID1 is supposed to allow replacement of single disks, but anyway... If you cannot, then set up your RAID1 then restore your image on the RAID.

If the content of your disk is not a system, but only files, it is even simpler. Rebuild your RAID 1 and then copy the files back from the image.

Thanks for the reply. Yes, the disks are only for data (no operating system). I was concerned that if I restore the complete image I might restore some information that made the RAID faulty. (The drive image was made after the RAID failed). From what you have said it would seem safer to restore just the files back to the new (empty) RAID array.

Is this thinking correct?

Harman.