Windows 10: How to recover a failed disk on a Windows 10 software RAID 1?

After searching the web for 2 days, not finding any relevant answer I'm posting the question here:


I have a HP Proliant server with 2 1TB sata disks, set up in RAID1, using Windows 10 software RAID. The RAID also contains the Windows OS.


I'm trying to find the procedure how to act when one drive fails. So far all is working fine, I just want to make sure that when anything fails I know how to act to replace one disk. Better test this now, while no data has been lost than later when disaster strikes.

I'm not looking for arguments why I should not use Windows 10 software RAID. There are more then enough discussions going on about thiat. I'm a medium-level user on a limited budget, so this is the best I can afford.
Moreover: Software RAID is included in Win 10 pro, so there is probably also a procedure available on how to restore the mirror is anything goes wrong. Why else would Microsoft offer it, if you can not restore from it?


So far I have tested to detach one of the disks and start up the machine. On startup Windows is asking me if I want to start Windows from the secondary plex, which I did. That worked fine.
Then I shut the machine down and re-installed the detached drive, but now the system gives 'unexpected error'.

I must be doing sofething wrong here, but what?

:)

 

Refresh Windows 10 OS without losing raid 1 (software) data

I have a Windows 10 64 bit computer with software raid 1 configured (Windows 10 built in raid 1) . Working fine for years. I need to do a complete refresh of Windows 10 and would prefer not to lose the data on the raid 1 disks. I always do a complete
refresh electing not to save any configuration, applications or documents. I want to know if there is a refresh Windows 10 and reconfigure the raid 1 disks w/o losing my data. (I plan to back up all the data on the raid 1 disks just to be safe but I would
prefer not to be forced to copy 1 TB of data back to the raid 1 disks.)

Is it possible?

 

Software RAID 1

The main word here is software.
So, if that is what you mean... here is some info.

Quote from PCWorld article:
Spoiler

Decent guide over at How-to Geek-->How to Create a Software RAID Array in Windows 7
Quote from the article:

 

Raid 0 or Raid 1? I'm puzzled, need advice

if i understand that right you mean how the array oder say the disks appear to the os...

that depends on how you create your array:

• 
  if you have a hardware-scsi-raid-controller then the os, and all other applications of course too, see this array as one scsi-disk with twice the size that the smallest of both disks have.

• if you have a standard (non-raid) scsi-controller und you use some kind of software raid (build in raid capability of windows for instance or third party software) than the os will see both disks individually and only the applications see this array as one disk.

note: if you create an array of disks using dynamic disks in windows then there is another method of creating one logical disk called JBOD which means that only the space is concatenated and there is no gain in performance because the blockwise datastream split which is done in raid-0 is not used here.

hope this helps a little in understanding raid arrays...

*Wink

--breit