Does Windows 10 consider drive serial number?

[Mikey37]

My PC had boot failure, presumably due to M.2 drive failure. During debug, I disconnected the HDDs containing the StorageSpace volume witout documenting each of the 7 physical drive's serial number and their order.

Am I out of luck with regards to accessing the data stored in that StorageSpace?

[rproffitt]

I'll have to know a little more. That is, is this a form of RAID? Recovering RAID data is a huge discussion area. Recovery varies on what system the RAID used. Software RAIDs are typically the worst followed by failed RAID controllers. Recovery is usually so time consuming (costly!) that the owner often won't opt for the work to be done. Get quotes from data recovery companies in your country.

If the drive is not encrypted or some striped version of RAID I can often recover the files with RECUVA and a second drive to receive the files. Maybe it needs to be said:

1. Never write to the drive that has the last copy of files/data to be recovered.
2. We only lose what we backup. Often this means "No backup, no data."

[Dani]

Some quick research seems to indicate that Windows Storage Space is a form of software raid, managed by Windows. Since, from what I read, a big part of the functionality for Storage Spaces is that you can extend storage over time as you add drives, I suspect that the physical order of the drives isn't important since one would suspect drives would get reorganized when added or removed.

Unfortunately, I use hardware RAID (a separate RAID card that manages all this), so I don't have any experience with Microsoft's software RAID solution (basically emulating what a hardware RAID card is designed to do). However, it would be my guess that it's designed to keep track of the drives regardless of their physical order, just by the nature of the functionality in which they expect drives to be added/removed.

In the types of RAID situations I'm personally familiar with, my RAID card requires the drives to always be in the same physical order.

[rproffitt]

Storage Spaces is not a single option of software RAID. For example "Simple Storage Spaces or Mirror Storage Space" and other options mean those that run such must not only know what they are running but be aware that any data storage is never complete without full backups of what we can't lose. Sometimes it takes a total loss to move folk to review and implement backup systems.
Example about Storagespace recovery at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/workaround-and-recovery-steps-for-issue-with-some-parity-storage-spaces-after-updating-to-windows-10-version-2004-and-windows-server-version-2004-0337f14e-579e-4976-74d9-7acff8aab50e
But I can't tell if that applies as the details are absent here.

[Dani]

I think the OP's question is simply, how does Windows Storage Space recognize hdds in its array? E.g. if the drives were rearranged in how they were connected to the motherboard, will it still work because they're identified by serial # or some other attribute independent of how they were arranged?

[rproffitt]

As to Dani's question I have yet to find Microsoft Documentation for that. However my lessons over the years is to NEVER move RAID drive connections around or replace a drive in an array without full backups. Remember it all matters what sort of RAID it is but operations on a RAID such as drive swaps and movements are never done without full backups. Sometimes you encounter a new tech that thinks they can replace a drive in the usual RAID 5 array with impunity. The lesson follows.

If the OP did lose the Windows OS drive the situation can be dire since a fresh install of any Windows I've seen over the years has NEVER found and put the StorageSpace array back into service. Why this is has many reasons including a fresh install, accounts don't necessarily have the same SID (nod to https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20141128-00/?p=43513 and other documents.) So it's impossible in a Microsoft universe to fresh install and a software RAID to, as they say "it just works."

[rproffitt]

Maybe this needs to be added:

I can very easily cause data loss situations in every single configuration that I have tried where Storage Spaces should be able to recover.
https://www.tenforums.com/drivers-hardware/161012-windows-storage-spaces-replacing-failed-disk-two-way-mirror.html
Also:
Yes... an important caveat and warning. As Storage spaces works 'under' Windows, it lives/dies at the whim of Microsoft and its updates. [I was unable to create a Storage Space under 2020 update btw...] Wish it were more insulated from unwanted/unforced breakage as it has some nice features to include easy transport from Windows system to Windows system and ability to be 'seen' from a Repair disk. Appreciate you adding the info!

I can't know what hasn't been told by the OP but my view is Storage spaces are fragile and need to be treated as such.

[Reverend Jim]

I recall from an incident a few years back that Windows uses drive IDs (serial numbers) when allocating drive letters. In my scenario we were taking daily drive images of our online servers, and applying them to backup (offline) servers so that in the event of a catastrophic failure we could bring the offline servers online.

Unfortunately, when we tested the system it kept on assigning different drive letters. The solution I came up with was to use hexprobe (a disk editing program) to modify the drive IDs on the offline system to have the same drive IDs as the online system. After I did that, the offline servers rebooted with the correct drive letters.

So, short answer - Windows DOES consider drive serial numbers.

[rproffitt]

In regard to your comment, around our office we use USB drives for backups. Now with HDD prices in the dumpster such as 400USD for 18TB WD drive at https://www.newegg.com/red-pro-wd181kfgx-18tb/p/N82E16822234430 we rarely run into a client that has more in their desktop or laptop.

Data recovery is expensive and unreliable. Backups are cheap.

[rproffitt]

Regarding the comment about "software RAID..." As I wrote above that's not enough. Which RAID you implemented must be known as well. The most expensive recovery is when you have a client that doesn't know which RAID they implemented. You are left with the highest paid data recovery experts to dig in and figure it out.

[rproffitt]

Given the sparse details, you can see if https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/workaround-and-recovery-steps-for-issue-with-some-parity-storage-spaces-after-updating-to-windows-10-version-2004-and-windows-server-version-2004-0337f14e-579e-4976-74d9-7acff8aab50e works but remember that the CLEAN OS INSTALL means the Storage Space is no more. Windows in any version I've seen with software RAID of any version has never found an old array and put it back into service. I wrote one of the reasons above.

Has anyone warned you of this and the other issues we are discussing here?

[Mikey37]

Luck beat skill again. Thanks to rproffitt, dani, and Reverend Jim.

rproffitt, Windows reports the StorageSpace as OK and of type "parity".

I restored a 3 month old backup on a seperate RAID. I connected those HDD used for the StorageSpace in new order. After reboot, the StorageSpace appeared in File Explorer and I find no data issues. I therefore conclude Windows does include the hardware serial number is accounted for, so changing the SATA cable connections is not a problem in some cases.

I saved many hours of astrophotography data!
Thanks again folks.

[rproffitt]

Lucky. The clue here is you pulled from backups but it's unclear what that was or the exact steps were. Count this as a win and make sure you don't tempt fate again.

[Ethan_19]

hey,
thanks for the replies, i had the same issue.