What data-recovery tools can we use to recover the files on our RAID partition?
We have a RAID partition that will not mount on our Mac OS X server after the last system restart. Disk Utility says the volume has invalid links and needs to be repaired, but the built-in system tools cannot fix it. What data-recovery tools can we use to recover the files on the partition?
The first thing I would recommend trying is Alsoft’s DiskWarrior (www.alsoft.com), which often can recover damaged files, folders and volumes completely. DiskWarrior works by recreating a copy of the damaged directory information to repair the damaged volume in place.
Unfortunately, DiskWarrior does not work with Mac OS X case-sensitive, journaled RAID volumes. I don’t use case-sensitive file systems on Macs anymore unless it is absolutely required.
To recover the data from a damaged case-sensitive Mac OS, try Prosoft Engineering’s Data Rescue II (www.prosofteng.com). Data Rescue also can recover lost files, folders and volumes from other types of Mac file systems.
Data Rescue reads the damaged volume and lets you select what you want to recover using a file browser window. Data Rescue then copies the files from the damaged volume to free space on a separate disk. DiskWarrior and Data Rescue are reasonably priced and well worth the investment.
