Accessing RAID drives

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I had posted another thread about my computer that wouldn't boot, but I decided to get a new computer, but the problem now is that I need to get the data off my old hard drives. I have 2 160GB SATA2 HD's that were set up in a RAID 0 on my old computer, but I am not sure how to access them now, since I am not sure what to do with the RAID. Thanks in advance for the help guys.
 
If that system hosting the RAID 0 used a hardware controller, you're pretty much out of luck without paying big bucks. If the system is still in working order, and you can load the OS on it, then it's possible to recover the data.

Never EVER put important information on a RAID 0 array, EVER. RAID 0 is for performance, not data integrity. RAID 1 is much better for data reliability on the low end (when it comes to consumer PCs and users who are paranoid about their data).

If the system used a hardware based RAID controller (i.e. based on the motherboard) then the only way to get that array up and working again, though it isn't guaranteed, is to buy another board of the exact same type and setting up the RAID array again (usually the good controllers have a "recovery" option to rebuild arrays from busted controllers or an OS problem).
 
on that note how would you set up RAID 1. that would work perfect for my mom, but if you do is it posible to split them agin with out loosing data or having it get scrabled between the two?
 
Same way as if you were to set up RAID 0. As long as the motherboard supports it, but I tend to shy away from RAID solutions in hardware for consumer level equipment. Windows 7 has a built in ability to do RAID 1, so it's easiest to do it that way. If memory serves me right, you can't do software RAID 1 on the boot drive, just data drives. There are easier ways to do data backup for a parents computer.

RAID 1 mirrors the contents between two drives so that if one fails, you still have access to your data long enough to replace the failed drive. If both drives fail though, there's no way to get the data.
 
ok was wondering since my moms computer died so i put her hardrive in a diff computer so it now has 2 but it wont open like word docs from the computer that died enles you move the files over to the external hdd or the other hdd.
 
If that system hosting the RAID 0 used a hardware controller, you're pretty much out of luck without paying big bucks. If the system is still in working order, and you can load the OS on it, then it's possible to recover the data.

Never EVER put important information on a RAID 0 array, EVER. RAID 0 is for performance, not data integrity. RAID 1 is much better for data reliability on the low end (when it comes to consumer PCs and users who are paranoid about their data).

If the system used a hardware based RAID controller (i.e. based on the motherboard) then the only way to get that array up and working again, though it isn't guaranteed, is to buy another board of the exact same type and setting up the RAID array again (usually the good controllers have a "recovery" option to rebuild arrays from busted controllers or an OS problem).

I don't really have anything that important that isn't backed up, but I'd still like to be able to set up the array again to pull off some stuff that I'd like to have. I looked around online and apparently it is possible to find out what RAID controller a motherboard uses and buy that alone to recreate the RAID array on another computer. Does anyone know if this works?
 
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