I built my PC back in 2017 with two 2TB HDDs arranged in RAID 1 for storage. Fast forward to late 2024, I rebuilt my PC but kept the old drives (designated F:\Old Data Drive) while adding a new pair of 8TB HDDs in RAID 1 (D:\Storage Drive) and two 2TB M.2 drives for booting and work. Everything worked well, despite some permission issues with the old RAID. I had trouble upgrading from Windows 10 to 11, so I stuck with 10. Recently, my computer started crashing with BSOD errors, but I managed to recover. After I installed a new boot M.2 and reinstalled Windows 10, I could access both RAIDs. However, upon finally upgrading to Windows 11, my F:\Old Data Drive suddenly became inaccessible, now showing as Local Disk. It's visible in Disk Management and Storage Spaces, and I'm running Disk Drill to recover files. I'm considering formatting the drives after recovery.
My main questions are: 1) What could have caused this issue and how can I prevent it in the future? 2) Is there anything else I should be doing aside from recovering files and formatting the drives?
4 Answers
It's a bummer that your RAID setup is acting up! Sometimes, changes in BIOS settings or the disk configuration can mess with data access. Always ensure your backups are solid before making any significant changes to your system. It's a good idea to refer to FAQs on this kind of issue too, as they might give you more insights on keeping things safe during upgrades.
You might want to check for any dump files from the BSOD. If you can access Windows normally or through Safe Mode, navigate to C:WindowsMinidump. These files are critical for diagnosing what went wrong. Once you have them, zip the folder and upload it to a file-sharing service for analysis. It's always helpful to have multiple dump files for a thorough examination.
When you install a new OS, it's usually a good idea to disconnect your other drives. It helps prevent the system from interfering with your RAID setup. It’s a good practice to ensure that Windows doesn’t accidentally use those drives for anything like system files during installation.
Consider checking the health of your drives using CrystalDiskInfo. If it shows "Caution" or "Bad," that indicates an issue with the drives. I've noticed that Windows Storage Spaces can cause problems like this; it’s not as reliable as other storage solutions, like ZFS on NAS. If your data is crucial, having a backup strategy is essential—RAID 1 provides some redundancy, but it isn't foolproof.
Thanks for the tip! I checked with CrystalDiskInfo, and both drives are showing good health, so I don't think it's a drive failure causing this. I'm guessing the upgrade to Win11 might be the culprit, but I'm still puzzled about why it happened.
Yeah, drive failures can be sneaky! It's definitely possible the upgrade messed with the RAID setup. Just make sure you're backing up your essential files moving forward!
You're right—I totally should have done that. Lesson learned!