What does NAS data recovery mean?

The world is rapidly evolving and users need more and more disk space to store their data. This is where NAS devices (Network Attached Storage) come to the rescue. NAS is a multi-disk device for storing terabytes of files: photos, movies, videos, presentations, theses, small business databases, etc.

Modern NAS devices use RAID technology, which allows you to combine multiple drives in one storage: RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6 and so on. Users who are not tech-savvy rarely understand the difference between the types of RAID arrays. This gives rise to difficulties when something breaks in the NAS device and you can no longer access the data stored on the NAS. Learn more about RAID level differencies on this page.

Before attempting DIY data recovery on your NAS, listen carefully for any clicks or repeated up and down sounds that the drives make. This may be a sign that the disks are mechanically damaged. If you have a RAID 5 array with only one bad drive, you can exclude it from the data recovery process. ReclaiMe File Recovery can help you recover data even if one disk is missing. But if two or more disks are damaged, you need to contact the data recovery service because any further use of the disks can lead to the permanent loss of your files.

The DIY data recovery process usually consists of several stages:

  1. Pull all the disks out of your NAS. It's recommended label the disks according to their bays.
  2. Connect all disks to the PC at the same time. Disks are best connected directly to the PC motherboard via SATA cables. If your motherboard does not have enough SATA ports, use USB-to-SATA adapters.
  3. Download and run NAS recovery software - ReclaiMe File Recovery. It's very simple to use. Just download it, install, start the scan on the NAS volume and check the recovery result (more information about the recovery process using the software you can find on this page).

Important note. If your NAS volume is not displayed in the list of the available devices of the ReclaiMe window or the recovered files are bad, most likely the RAID configuration is damaged and you need to recover the RAID parameters. For this, you need to use ReclaiMe Free RAID Recovery software. For the detailed manual on how to recover RAID configuration, refer to the how to recover RAID page.

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