How To Remove RAID Configuration From Hard Drive
Configuring a hard drive to work with RAID can be tricky. If you’re not careful, the configuration can be saved on your computer without you realizing it. This can be problematic because if you accidentally delete your RAID configuration or your computer crashes, the data will be lost forever. Here are some steps to remove the configuration from the hard drive.
Identify the RAID configuration on your hard drive
Before you do anything, you need to identify the RAID configuration on your hard drive. To do this, open up “Disk Management” and find the configured drives in RAID. Once you find them, right-click on one of the drives and select “Properties.”
Backup your data and partitions
One of the first steps of removing RAID configuration is to back up your data and partitions. The process can cause irreversible damage, so you must have backed up everything before proceeding.
If you don’t have a backup done yet, now is the time. You’ll need to back up all your critical data and partitions to eliminate any risk of losing them. You can take an ssd data recovery service from a reputable company.
Delete the registry keys
If you’re using Windows to configure your RAID, the registry keys are likely the culprit if your computer is still configured to use RAID. To delete these registry keys, open up the Registry Editor.
First, navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\raid. Next, it will show all of the different configurations. Look for one with an “expert” in front of the name. Double-click on it, showing a list of values for that configuration. Delete everything related to that configuration in this list, then close out the windows. A simpler way would be to delete all lines with “raid” in them from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services.*
Format the hard drive
The first step is to format the hard drive. The RAID configuration will still be there if you don’t do this. Formatting the hard drive will remove any data, so make sure you backup your files before formatting.
How do I remove the hard drive from RAID?
The RAID array can be removed by following these steps:
- Backup and securely store all data on the hard disk drives, as there is a risk of losing it during this procedure.
- Shut down your computer properly (click “Hibernate” or “Shut Down). If you don’t do this first, the next step will not work because Windows will lock up before
shutting down completely under normal circumstances.
- Turn off power to any external storage devices attached to the system but not part of an ARID array such as CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs.
- Pressing simultaneously Ctrl+Alt+Delete keys to bring up the Task Manager window with a list across the bottom showing processes running in the background—right-click each one and select End Process from the dropdown menu – then Close Window. This action should only have been necessary if the PC was being shut down improperly, so the task manager would have come up anyway after pressing ctrl alt del keys – ul>li>”End process”/li>/ul>b>(option enabled only when open)/b>. The next option below cannot be done until now without freezing pc for minutes while ending the process.
Conclusion
Once you’ve identified the RAID configuration on your hard drive and backed up your data, delete the registry keys and format the hard drive.
Call the manufacturer if you’re unsure how to identify the RAID configuration on your hard drive.