Coventry Data Recovery – No.1 Dell RAID 5 Recovery Specialists in the UK

25 Years of RAID Data Recovery Experience
SEO Keyword: raid 5 recovery

Accidentally rebuilding a Dell RAID 5 array with the wrong drive is one of the most serious and common issues we encounter in enterprise and small business environments. When this occurs, the RAID controller begins overwriting the array with a new configuration, effectively destroying the original parity structure and compromising the integrity of the data across the disks.

At Coventry Data Recovery, we have over two decades of technical experience reconstructing overwritten RAID 5 volumes caused by incorrect rebuilds or drive selection. Our specialists use non-destructive imaging and advanced forensic-level RAID reconstruction to safely recover your business-critical data.

⚠️ Common Symptoms of a Failed Rebuild on Dell RAID 5

  • Data corruption after an attempted rebuild
  • Inaccessible partitions or missing volumes
  • Consistent boot errors from virtualised systems
  • Unexpected “Foreign Configuration” detected in Dell OpenManage
  • Files open but contain incomplete or incorrect data

🛠️ Step-by-Step Dell RAID 5 Data Recovery Process

1. Drive Imaging and Write Protection

  • All 8 disks in the RAID array are individually imaged using hardware write blockers and forensic-grade duplicators (e.g., DeepSpar or Atola Insight).
  • This ensures the original drives are untouched, preserving the post-rebuild state for deep analysis.

2. RAID Parameter Identification

  • We analyse metadata and controller logs to determine:
    • Original disk order before the rebuild
    • Stripe size (commonly 64KB or 128KB on Dell PERC cards)
    • Parity rotation pattern (left-symmetric, left-asynchronous, etc.)
    • RAID start offset
  • This is done by scanning for RAID metadata sectors and comparing known system file headers across drives.

3. Virtual RAID Reconstruction (Pre-Rebuild State)

  • Using forensic RAID recovery tools such as R-Studio Technician, UFS Explorer RAID Recovery, or PC-3000 RAID Edition, we reconstruct a virtual RAID 5 volume using cloned drive images.
  • Sector-level analysis allows us to identify overwritten areas versus intact data blocks.

4. Data Carving and Extraction

  • Once the virtual volume is mounted, we run deep scans to:
    • Extract file systems (NTFS, EXT, VMFS, etc.)
    • Rebuild directory structures
    • Identify fragmented or partially overwritten files
  • Known file types are recovered via header-footprint carving and validated using CRC checksums.

5. Integrity Verification

  • Recovered files are validated against MD5/SHA-1 hashes if available, or through byte-level sampling.
  • Database or virtual machine images (VHD, VHDX, SQL, etc.) are test-mounted to verify operational integrity.

🧰 Supported Systems and Technologies

✅ Supported Dell RAID Controllers

  • Dell PERC H710, H730, H740P, H840
  • Dell PowerEdge Series (R720, R730, T440, etc.)
  • Dell EqualLogic SAN/NAS systems
  • Dell EMC storage platforms

✅ Supported Operating Systems

  • Windows Server 2008/2012/2016/2019
  • VMware ESXi (with VMFS volumes)
  • Linux (ext3/ext4, XFS, BTRFS)
  • Hyper-V (NTFS, ReFS)

💼 Why Choose Coventry Data Recovery?

  • 25 Years in RAID & Enterprise Data Recovery
  • Specialist knowledge of Dell RAID controller behaviour
  • Forensic-grade tools and secure labs
  • “No Fix, No Fee” policy on unrecoverable cases
  • Rapid response options for business-critical systems

📞 Contact Us for Urgent RAID 5 Recovery

If your Dell RAID 5 array has been rebuilt with the wrong drive, time is critical. The longer the system operates post-rebuild, the greater the risk of irreversible data loss. Do not attempt further rebuilds or repair utilities.

Contact Coventry Data Recovery today for immediate diagnostics and a professional recovery plan.