Hi,

I have one case:

F-7223:
Proraid Smart Family NAS HFR2-SU3S2 - 4 disks Running RAID1+0.
Client accidentally formatted the array using Windows Disk Management tool.

Methods we have tried are:
1) Rebuilding the RAID using UFS using auto-mode (no data retrieved)
2) Manually arranging the disk order for RAID0(MFT damaged, files corrupt; hex inspection shows repeating patterns or FF FF FF FF)
3) Attempted to manually align 2 disk RAID0, unable to find alignment point

How long this format operation was going? Several seconds? Few hours?

_________________
http://www.alfadatarecovery.com

The "known file" RAID recovery method may be worth a try in this case. I am working on an automated process that given a sample file known to have existed on the RAID it searches all RAID member drives for the first 256 bytes of the sample file. When it finds the location it calculates the chunk size. Then assembles the RAID using multiple configuration setting until it is able to carve from the assembled RAID an exact match to the sample file. So then you know the RAID is assembled correctly to the point where file system recovery can now be performed.

If you are interested in applying this method to your case shoot me a PM.

_________________
On-Line Data Recovery Consultant. RAID / NAS / Linux Specialist.
Serving clients worldwide since 2011
FreeDataRecovery.us

Commonly, RAID recovery goes by three types of analyses: using file structure, using data and using enthropy. So "known file" RAID recovery method is a data analyses. Of course, I don't reject a situation when a one of the mentioned above methods is enough, but all those methods have a weak sides, so better to use all of them in order to get the best result.

P.S. Despite to my opinion I'm respectful to people who creating (or make attempt to create) some new methods. Good luck!

_________________
http://www.alfadatarecovery.com

The first answer seems to be the most appropriate - depending on how long the format was going, you might be looking at an empty drives.

But if you won't get anything yourself and believe it's worth trying, I can connect and look into this RAID remotely.

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• Remote RAID, NAS, SAN, VMware, DVR (CCTV), flash and tape recovery. Data recovery support.

Hi Dmitri,

How shall we go about remote help? Perhaps we can discuss further and what I could prep to facilitate your remote login diagnosis.

Ah, I see, this is a DAS (direct attached storage) box, not a NAS. Was scratching my head trying to figure out how Windows disk manager could have formatted it.

The good thing is, the RAID config shouldn't have changed since it's a hardware RAID controller built into the box. So you don't need RAID recovery, just leave the drives in the enclosure and run some good data recovery software like R-Studio against it.

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Data Medics - Hard Drive, SSD, and RAID Data Recovery Service Company

+1 It is not a NAS, Proraid HFR2-SU3S2 doesn't have Network capabilities.
2nd, i wouldn't believe in original raid10 configuration. Customer could change raid type and format it under windows afterwards. Winhex, synchronsing mode should shed light on.

_________________
Angel Data Recovery

Please check your PM or feel free to send an email to the address from my profile.

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• Remote RAID, NAS, SAN, VMware, DVR (CCTV), flash and tape recovery. Data recovery support.

I definitely agree that you should thoroughly interrogate the customer to find out what exactly they did. If all they did was format, as the OP said, it should be an easy enough recovery without needing to reconstruct the RAID. But, you've got to determine that.

I've often found that once you get the full story you realize you're just spinning your wheels on a lost cause. Customers think that by not telling you they overwrote the whole thing with a disk image or something stupid like that, you'll wave your magic recovery wand and it'll magically go back to how it was before the screw-up.

_________________
Data Medics - Hard Drive, SSD, and RAID Data Recovery Service Company