RAID5 recovery

After about twenty years, I felt ZAR can no longer be updated to match the modern requirements, and I decided to retire it.

ZAR is replaced by Klennet Recovery, my new general-purpose DIY data recovery software.

If you are looking specifically for recovery of image files (like JPEG, CR2, and NEF), take a look at Klennet Carver, a separate video and photo recovery software.

RAID5 is a redundant array usually consisting of three disks. Due to redundancy, it is possible to recover RAID5 data even with one array member disk missing; however, if you deal with multiple disk failure, first you need to image/repair disk(s) until you get at least (N-1) disks available.

Note that ZAR RAID recovery software is capable of determining lack of the disks and add a missing disk automatically.

Download and install ZAR RAID recovery software just like you do with any regular program. When you run it, ZAR displays the window like the one below:

1. Click "RAID Recovery"

2. Select all the disks that were members of the RAID5. The order of disks is reconstructed automatically, you cannot specify it here.
3. Select the RAID 5 layout (also called "RAID level").
4. Click "Next" to start the RAID5 reconstruction.

This part is fully automatic. It is likely for a RAID 5 recovery to complete before the progress bar reaches 100%. In an extreme case, the RAID 5 recovery may be done in under 10 minutes. This is the expected behavior.

5. Select a RAID5 partition you need to recover. Use More functions... -> Scan for missing partitions to run a partition recovery if required.
6. Click "Next"

This part is fully automatic.

7. Mark files and folders to recover by clicking their corresponding checkboxes
8. Click "Next"

9. Enter the name of the folder for the recovered files
10. Click "Start copying" to start file retrieval