Welcome to Cardiff Data Recovery, Wales’s No.1 data recovery experts with over 25 years of experience in RAID recovery and specialist storage systems. If your Lacie Big Disk has become corrupt after a failed RAID 0 expansion or migration, we can help recover your critical data.
Our professional data recovery engineers specialise in complex RAID structures and are equipped to handle cases where disk addition or RAID management has gone wrong — especially in striped setups like RAID 0, where redundancy is absent.
⚠️ What Happened – Lacie RAID 0 Expansion Failure
In this case, the client attempted to add a new drive to an existing 3-disk RAID 0 array within a Lacie Big Disk enclosure. During the expansion process, the system failed or rebooted unexpectedly, and the RAID was left in a corrupted state. As a result:
- The RAID array is no longer accessible
- The original volume cannot be mounted
- Files and directories appear missing or unreadable
- Operating system or disk utility shows “Unallocated” or “Unknown” volume
Since RAID 0 offers no redundancy, even a minor misalignment or data structure change during expansion can result in total data loss.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Technical Recovery Process
Step 1: Physical Disk Imaging
Each disk from the Lacie RAID 0 array is write-protected and imaged using specialised forensic equipment to ensure no further damage occurs. We never work directly on the original drives.
Step 2: RAID Parameter Discovery
Our engineers examine the disk structure to determine:
- Original disk order
- Stripe/block size
- RAID offset
- RAID controller metadata patterns (if any)
This is essential, as a failed expansion may cause a shift in metadata or overwrite parts of the original RAID structure.
Step 3: RAID Reconstruction in Virtual Environment
Using the recovered parameters, we create a virtual RAID 0 array, emulating the original configuration before the failed disk addition. This step may involve:
- Reversing faulty migration metadata
- Manually removing newly added disk logic
- Rebuilding the file structure from RAID stripes
Step 4: File System Recovery
Once the virtual RAID is mounted, we examine the file system for corruption or inconsistencies. If the file system is damaged:
- File carving is performed to extract usable data based on known file signatures
- Rebuilds are attempted from journal entries and file allocation tables
Step 5: Data Verification and Extraction
Recovered data is transferred to a secure destination and verified for integrity. Folder structures and file metadata (names, dates, hierarchy) are preserved wherever possible.
💽 Supported Systems & File Systems
- Lacie Big Disk Extreme, Big Disk Thunderbolt, Big Disk USB 3.0
- Supports macOS, Windows, Linux, and hybrid formats
- File systems: HFS+, APFS, NTFS, exFAT, FAT32, EXT3/4
✅ Why Choose Cardiff Data Recovery?
- 25+ years’ experience recovering complex RAID 0 failures
- Specialised in Lacie disk recovery, including expansion and migration issues
- GDPR-compliant data handling for business-critical and private information
- Optional 48-hour emergency recovery service
- Free initial diagnostics with no obligation
We’ve successfully recovered Lacie RAID systems for creatives, media houses, engineers, legal teams, and finance professionals across Wales and the UK.
📞 Contact Cardiff Data Recovery Today
If your Lacie Big Disk RAID 0 has failed during a RAID expansion, time is critical. Do not attempt further rebuilds or software repairs.
Contact Cardiff Data Recovery today for a free diagnostic. Our engineers are experts in lacie disk recovery, providing fast, secure, and professional RAID recovery services tailored to your needs.