Troubleshooting DVR systems equipped with an Internal RAID adapter.
Warning: Under normal operating conditions there is no reason to modify a RAID system on your DVR, modifying a RAID incorrectly may result in complete data loss, proceed with caution and call Tech support should you feel uncomfortable in working with a RAID system.
There are 2 main internal RAID controllers employed by the DVR system (this also includes in some cases the Hybrid and Network type Video recorders). One is built onboard on the Intel D945GNTLKR series Motherboard (www.intel.com), a second type is an add-in card made by the 3ware Company (www.3ware.com). To work with either of these RAID controller cards it is important first to identify which series you have. This can be identified either on boot-up of the system, or in the Device manager of Windows the following ways…
3ware:
1. On boot-up the 3 Ware card will identify itself with a message: “3ware ATA RAID Controller”, or
2. In the Windows Device Manager look for the following under “SCSI and RAID” controllers: 
Intel:
1. On boot-up the Intel D945GNTLKR will identify itself with a message: “Intel Matrix Storage Manager”, or
2. In the Windows Device Manager look for the following under “SCSI and RAID” controllers:
Once it has been determined which RAID controller in use we can move to Configuration and trouble shooting of the RAID.
Note: There are different RAID types that can be setup with-in a RAID controllers Menu, there is a RAID 0 (Stripe), RAID 1 (Mirror), RAID 5, RAID 10 (Mirror + Stripe), and JBOD. A RAID 5 is what is used in the DVR systems and requires a minimum of 3 drives to create, a 4 Drive RAID 5 is the more commonly in use on a DVR that comes pre-configured with a RAID system. A RAID 5 is the only type of RAID configuration approved for use with your system.
The purpose behind a RAID 5 is data protection and performance, primarily to protect you from data loss if a hard drive fails. In a RAID 5 setup, the member drives will have parity distributed across them all, and one of the drives will not appear to be available for data storage. For example, with 4 250GB drives you will have approximately 750GB of storage available, not 1.0 Terabyte. Should any one of the member drives fail, the RAID controller will give you a warning message indicating the RAID Array is operating in a “Degraded” mode. Immediate action is required if you should see this type of message from the RAID controller.
3ware:
1. If you have a “Degraded” state on your 3ware RAID system, enter the RAID’s BIOS by using the key combination of “ALT + 3” on boot-up of the system when prompted by the message: “Press <Alt-3> to access 3ware BIOS Manager”.
2. You will be greeted by a warning message, hit any key to proceed after reading the warning message.
3. Check to see which port number (SATA-0 through SATA-3) the effected or missing drive is at, and replace the effected or missing drive. Note: power down system before replacing drive.
4. After replacing the Drive, enter the RAID BIOS again with “ALT + F3” and select the RAID Unit(s), then select the replacement drive using your “arrow” keys on your keyboard and hit “Enter” to select the replacement drive, there should be a “*” symbol shown next to the replacement drive indicating you have selected it.
5. Enter into the “Rebuild” option (ALT + R then “Enter”). If done correctly the 3ware RAID card will show a message “Rebuilding” upon rebooting system. Follow this link for more detailed info on using a 3ware adapter… http://www.3ware.com/support/UserDocs/3ware9500SUsrGuide.pdf
6. Optional: All DVRs have 3ware’s “3DM 2” software installed, which will allow you to view the status of your 3ware RAID from within Windows.
a. Double-click the “Connect to 3DM 2” icon on your desktop.
b. Log onto 3DM 2 software with the following credentials: Login- Administrator Password- DVR4321
c. Go to Information -> Unit Information or Drive Information to check RAID and Drive status…
Example of Degraded RAID 5 with a Drive not present under 3ware 3DM 2.
Example of a RAID5 in the Rebuilding process.
Intel:
1. If you have a “Degraded” state on your Intel RAID system enter the RAID’s BIOS by using the Key combination of “CTRL + I” on boot-up of system when prompted.
2. Check to see which port number (Port 0 through Port 3) the effected or missing drive is at, and replaces the effected or missing drive. Note: power down system before replacing drive.
3. After replacing drive, enter into the RAID BIOS again with “CTRL + I”. The Intel RAID should show message indicating status “Rebuild” in the BIOS and also this same message should be displayed upon boot-up. Follow this link for more detailed info on using a Intel on-board RAID… http://download.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/manual70.pdf
4. Optional: If you have Intel’s Matrix Storage Manager Software installed (Downloadable at www.intel.com ), you can view the status of your Intel RAID from within Windows, check for “Status”… 
Example of Intel Matrix Storage Manager rebuilding array after replacement of missing drive