Hey Guys,
Been lurking
watching this thread.
dmdilks suggestion about trying a new SATA cable is where I also would start. Miester, while the array is working now, I would back up my data. Since it is RAID 0 with only two member disks any attempts to resolve this condition can result in failure. The missing disk error is more serious in this case since no spare or parity drive is present to take the place of the "problem disk". There is no "rebuild option" per se with this RAID level. The array can only be salvaged if a hot spare exists and if one of the member disks reports itself at risk. This are the steps I would take:
**Create a data back up <<
-Replace cable
-Open IRST windows and press the rescan option (Blue circular arrow) right side
-Verify Main BIOS settings - They are likely fine
-Verify configuration in the RAID Configuration Utility (Option ROM)
Its not usually possible to re-mark a disk as a RAID member once it has failed or is marked as missing in the Option ROM or IRST windows utility.
Safe option: add a spare drive to the option ROM, option 4 Recovery Volume Option. If a member disk has SMART errors and reports itself as at risk, the array might accept and transfer itself to the new drive. This may or may not work and is time consuming.
If you want to fly by the seat of your pants, and have a back up, you can delete then recreate the RAID set from scratch. Boot to windows, then use TestDisk (CGI Security) and try to recover your partition(s)
**You can attempt to re-mark the missing disk as a member, but there is no way of knowing the outcome. This is done in option 1 of the option ROM, but this often wipes the array.
Other things to check
How does Device Manager look?
>Expand disk drives
>Expand Storage Controllers
Any Exclamations or Triangles present?
Review the System Event Viewer for anything obvious. It might be helpful to expand Windows Logs: Review Application and System heading for controller or disk related events.
Next, you can try running a chkdsk /f on the volume. You shouldn't have to restart since this is not a boot volume. However, any changes may cause inconsistencies between the interleaved data and immediate failure. This might only be marginally effective. To ensure data integrity, the array should be broken and the drives tested independently.
The missing disk error typically ocurrs due to physical failure, but if the drive has developed enough bad blocks or problem with its partition structure, it can also cause it to be listed as missing or failed.
Often breaking the array, testing the problem disk (confirm health or replace) and restoring from back up is the quickest method to resolve.
Regardless of what you decide, getting your data backed up should be your first priority. Good luck.
