What is NAS data recovery?

A user always needs more and more space to store data – whether it is at home or at a workplace. Many users neglect unnecessary files deletion because it takes time, and have a doubt – what if I need this or that file in the future. That is why traditional hard drives are replaced by multi-disk storage devices like NAS (Network Attached Storage). Such devices are relatively inexpensive, and even a non-tech savvy user can figure out how to operate them.

All modern NAS devices use the RAID technology to combine several hard disks into a single storage. Usually it is RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 or RAID 6. When users set up the NAS for the first time, it is quite possible that they superficially know the differences between the array types. But when it comes to a NAS failure, it is difficult to find out what to do to get back access to the data on the NAS.

NAS data recovery is a process consisting of several steps:

  1. Pull the disks out of a NAS device.
  2. Connect the disks to a Windows PC separately.
  3. Use a special NAS recovery software.
  4. Save the recovered data to another storage.

Let's look at each step in more detail.

Pull the disks out of a NAS device

Many people dealing with a NAS data recovery situation are not happy about the fact of pulling the NAS disks out. They ask – why can't I just run a data recovery software on a NAS itself? The fact is that NAS provdes access to files and folders at the filesystem level, while a data recovery program works with sectors and clusters at the physical disk level. That's why, even if the disks are not damaged and you just need to recover a deleted file, you have to pull all the disks out of the NAS anyway.

So, to pull the disks out of the NAS device usually you need to open the front or back panel and pull the disks. It's strongly recommended mark the disks according to their original bay numbers in the NAS device.

Connect the disks to a Windows PC separately

For data recovery process, it is recommended connect the disks directly to a motherboard using SATA ports. Check how many free SATA ports your PC motherborad has and how many free power cables you have. If it is enough, connect the disks directly.

If you do not have enough free ports, you can connect the NAS disks to a PC via USB-to-SATA adapters.

USB-to-SATA adapter

Use a special software

  1. Download, install and run ReclaiMe File Recovery Software.
  2. Select a NAS volume in the device list of the software. Most likeyl, you find your volume under the Linux LVM or Linux md-raid or BTRFS section. It depends on a NAS model. Netgear and Synology are usually under the BTRFS section; QNAP is under the QNAP volumes; Buffalo and Asustor are under the Linux md-raid.
    3. NAS Recovery
  3. Wait till a message that the initial scan is completed shows up. Then check the data in the Preview window. If you see that the recovered data size ia about the original size of the data stored on the NAS and the files look good in preview, you can stop scanning and start copying the data. To save the data you need to purchase the Ultimate license key.

Important note. If you do not see a NAS volume in the software window or the recovered data is corrupted, most likely RAID configuration was destroyed and before starting the file recovery process you need to reconstruct the RAID array parameters. You can do that with a free software – ReclaiMe Free RAID Recovery. You can get more information at www.FreeRAIDRecovery.com

Save the recovered data to another storage

You can save the recovered data to an external hard drive or to another network storage device. How to copy the data to a network storage – read here.