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Case Study: Synology NAS Data Recovery – Multiple Hard Drive Failures in RAID

The Problem

A client using a Synology NAS device for business data storage experienced a major RAID failure due to:

  • Multiple hard drive failures in the RAID array, making the NAS unbootable and inaccessible.
  • The Synology NAS system was not detecting the RAID volume, preventing access to critical files.
  • The NAS contained business-critical data, including financial documents, project files, and customer databases.
  • No recent backup was available, requiring an urgent forensic-level RAID recovery solution.

Since RAID failure can cause severe data loss, a specialised data recovery approach was necessary.

Our Expertise in Synology NAS & RAID Data Recovery

With 25 years of experience, Birmingham Data Recovery specializes in:
Recovering RAID arrays after multiple hard drive failures
Reconstructing RAID structures from damaged Synology NAS systems

Diagnosis & Recovery Process

Upon receiving the Synology NAS and damaged hard drives, our engineers conducted a comprehensive forensic assessment. The key findings included:

  • Two out of four drives had mechanical failure, making RAID reconstruction impossible through standard means.
  • RAID metadata corruption prevented the NAS from recognizing the RAID volume.
  • No automatic rebuild option was available, requiring a manual RAID recovery approach.

To successfully recover the client’s business data, we implemented a multi-step forensic RAID recovery strategy:

Step 1: Hard Drive Repair & Cloning

  • Opened the damaged hard drives to prevent further degradation.
  • Repaired faulty read/write heads and recovered stuck platters in the failing drives.
  • Created sector-by-sector forensic clones of all available drives to preserve recoverable data.

Step 2: RAID Reconstruction & Metadata Repair

  • Analysed the Synology RAID configuration, including RAID 5/6 striping and parity data.
  • Used specialized RAID recovery software to manually reconstruct the array.
  • Recovered lost RAID metadata, allowing the NAS volume to be simulated in a controlled recovery environment.

Step 3: File System Recovery & Data Extraction

  • Repaired EXT4/Btrfs file system corruption, restoring access to shared folders.
  • Extracted business files, financial records, and project data with minimal loss.

Step 4: Data Integrity Verification & Secure Transfer

  • Conducted data validation checks to ensure file integrity.
  • Successfully transferred all recovered files to a new external storage system for the client.

The Result

We successfully recovered 99.5% of the client’s critical business data, including:
Financial reports, contracts, and business documents
Project files, client databases, and company backups
Archived emails, marketing materials, and operational data

The client was able to resume operations without data loss, ensuring business continuity.

Why Choose Birmingham Data Recovery for Synology NAS & RAID Recovery?

25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in multi-drive RAID failure recovery.
Advanced RAID Reconstruction – Rebuilding failed RAID arrays after multiple disk crashes.
Fast & Secure Process – Ensuring minimal downtime and 100% data confidentiality.

If your Synology NAS has failed due to multiple hard drive crashes or RAID corruption, contact Birmingham Data Recovery today for professional assistance!