If your NAS has failed, switch it off and leave the drives in place. Don't reset it, reinstall its software or let it rebuild onto a new drive, and don't format its drives if a PC or Mac offers to.
Signs your NAS needs data recovery
- The NAS will not start or is not found on the network
- Shared folders have disappeared
- The NAS reports a crashed or degraded volume
- A drive failed and the rebuild did not finish
- The NAS was reset or updated and the data is missing
- Ransomware has encrypted the shares
What goes wrong with a NAS?
A NAS is a small computer with one or more drives, usually set up as a RAID array. When it fails, the problem is in one of three places.
The NAS itself. A failed power supply, a faulty board or an update that did not finish can stop the unit starting. The drives and your files are often untouched.
One or more drives. NAS drives run all day and tend to be the same age, so a second can fail soon after the first.
The RAID volume. A power cut, an interrupted rebuild or a reset can damage the volume that ties the drives together, so the shared folders vanish even though every drive still works.
How do we recover data from a NAS?
We take the drives out, image them, repair any failed drives and rebuild the volume, so your files can be copied to a new drive.
Most NAS units run Linux and keep your files in Linux file systems such as ext4 or Btrfs. That is why a NAS drive plugged straight into a Windows PC or a Mac shows as unreadable or unformatted, even when the files are all there.
Which NAS devices do we recover?
- QNAP NAS units
- Synology NAS units
- WD My Cloud, Buffalo, Netgear and other NAS devices
- Single-drive and two-drive NAS (for example 1TB + 1TB)
- RAID 5 NAS units
What to do before you bring a NAS in
- Do not reset the NAS, reinstall its software or let it rebuild onto a new drive
- Switch it off and bring the whole unit with all its drives
- If the drives are already out, label each one with its bay number
- After ransomware, unplug the NAS from the network
How much does NAS data recovery cost?
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Initial consultationWe check the NAS and its drives | Free |
| 2TB NAS (1TB + 1TB) with one drive to repair | £450 + VAT |
| QNAP or Synology RAID 5 NAS | £650 + VAT |
Prices exclude VAT. We confirm your price before any recovery work starts. See the full data recovery price list.
NAS recovery questions
Do you need the whole NAS or just the drives?
Bring the whole unit if you can, with all its drives in place, so we can see exactly how it was set up.
Can you recover files after ransomware?
Sometimes. It depends on the ransomware and whether earlier copies or snapshots survive. We will assess it and tell you honestly.
Can I put the drives into a new NAS of the same model?
Only if you are sure the NAS itself was all that failed and every drive is healthy. If a drive or the volume is damaged, a new unit may offer to set the drives up from scratch, which erases them.
Can you help set up backups afterwards?
Yes. A NAS on its own is not a backup, and we can help you add an off-site or cloud copy.