Quote:

So the reason I bother with this RAID stuff is because I really worry about the 'normal' people who are going to lose their digital memories and I try to help out

And I was agreeing with your post until I read that. And it came right after an example of PEBKAC which always shows the true weakness of raid.

It doesn't matter how reliable your raid array is if you press the delete key.

I've said it before here. I've said it at work (though my boss doesn't really take it to heart). I've told family (who give me funny looks when I mention "parity"). Raid is not a backup solution. Raid is a high availability solution.

Reriping from original media is a backup plan, and perfectly viable. You can't do that with digital memories. If it's worth saving, it's worth saving twice.

I'll get off my soap box now. But I won't hesitate to get back on it if someone starts implying raid is a backup solution.

Matthew
PS: Perhaps I'm reading your post wrong, and you mean preserving memories is the reason you help other people with their RAID recovery. I still stand by my rant about backups, even if it doesn't apply to you.