Synology Recovery

Sheffield Data Recovery – The UK’s Leading Synology NAS & RAID Recovery Specialists

Meta Title: Synology NAS and Raid systems Data Recovery Services UK | 25+ Years Expert
Meta Description: Sheffield Data Recovery: The No1 specialist for Synology NAS and Raid systems data recovery services UK. 25 years of expert service recovering from all Synology DiskStation faults. Free diagnostics.

Page Title: Expert Synology NAS & RAID System Data Recovery in Sheffield

For over 25 years, Sheffield Data Recovery has been the trusted name for professional Synology NAS and Raid systems data recovery services UK. We possess deep, specialised expertise in recovering data from the entire range of Synology DiskStation and RackStation models. When your critical shared data is compromised by complex RAID failure, volume collapse, or logical corruption on your Synology device, our expert engineers utilise state-of-the-art technology and proprietary techniques to retrieve your valuable information from these sophisticated network storage systems.

Our Synology NAS Data Recovery Services

We provide comprehensive data recovery solutions for every type of Synology device and failure scenario.

• Synology RAID Volume Recovery: Specialist reconstruction from failed SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), RAID 5, RAID 6, and RAID 10 arrays, handling multiple drive failures and rebuild errors.

• Btrfs File System Corruption Recovery: Advanced repair of corrupted Btrfs file systems, including recovery from snapshot issues and metadata corruption.

• Multi-Drive Simultaneous Failure Recovery: Data extraction from scenarios where more than one drive has failed concurrently, exceeding the array’s redundancy.

• Logical Volume Manager (LVM) Corruption Recovery: Repair of corrupted LVM structures that manage the storage pools on your Synology NAS.

• Emergency NAS Recovery: A priority service for business-critical Synology systems, offering expedited diagnostics and recovery processes.

Top 20 Synology NAS & RAID System Faults We Recover From

Our engineers successfully recover data from a vast range of Synology-specific and complex storage faults. Here are twenty of the most common, with a detailed explanation of the fault and our professional recovery process.

1. SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID) Volume Collapse

   • Fault Details: The proprietary Synology Hybrid RAID volume becomes inaccessible due to multiple drive failures, partition table corruption on member drives, or a failed expansion process.

   • Recovery Process: We create full sector-by-sector images of each member drive. We then analyse the unique SHR structure, which often uses Linux LVM and mdadm layers, to virtually reassemble the RAID geometry and storage pool before extracting the data.

2. Btrfs File System Metadata Corruption

   • Fault Details: The Btrfs file system’s critical metadata structures (superblocks, chunk trees, device trees) become corrupted, often by power interruptions or failing drives, rendering data inaccessible even if the RAID is healthy.

   • Recovery Process: We use specialised tools to repair the Btrfs structures, utilising the file system’s built-in redundancy and backup superblocks. If the primary structures are damaged, we rebuild the metadata from journaling information and data checksums.

3. Failed RAID Rebuild Process

   • Fault Details: The NAS automatically or manually initiates a rebuild onto a replacement drive, but the process fails or corrupts the volume due to an underlying URE (Unrecoverable Read Error) on another member drive.

   • Recovery Process: We analyse the drives to determine the state of the array before the failed rebuild. We then use this pre-failure state to reconstruct the data, effectively rolling back the damaging rebuild process.

4. Multiple Concurrent Drive Failures

   • Fault Details: More than one drive in a redundant array fails simultaneously or in quick succession, exceeding the fault tolerance of the RAID level (e.g., two drives in a RAID 5).

   • Recovery Process: We image all drives, including the failed ones. Using advanced data stitching techniques and parity analysis, we create a composite image of the degraded array from the best available data segments across all drives.

5. Storage Pool Crashed or Degraded

   • Fault Details: The Synology Storage Manager reports the storage pool as “Crashed” or “Degraded,” often due to a critical error in the underlying LVM configuration or a failed drive that wasn’t replaced in time.

   • Recovery Process: We work directly with the raw data on the physical drives, bypassing the crashed storage pool. We reconstruct the LVM metadata and mdadm arrays to regain access to the logical volume and file system.

6. Configuration Database Corruption

   • Fault Details: The Synology NAS’s internal configuration database, which stores system and volume settings, becomes corrupted. This can prevent the NAS from booting properly or recognising its own volumes.

   • Recovery Process: The drives are removed from the NAS. We then analyse the partition layout to locate the data volumes and manually reconstruct the necessary configuration to access the Btrfs or ext4 file system directly.

7. File System Check (scrub) Failure

   • Fault Details: A scheduled or manual data scrub encounters uncorrectable errors and fails, sometimes resulting in a unmountable volume.

   • Recovery Process: We interrupt the scrub process and work with a disk image to prevent further damage. We then manually correct the file system inconsistencies that caused the scrub to fail.

8. Volume Encryption Lockout

   • Fault Details: Access to an encrypted shared folder or entire volume is lost due to a forgotten password, corrupted encryption key, or reinstallation of DSM.

   • Recovery Process: We attempt to repair the encryption metadata. If the master key is intact but the access mechanism is corrupted, we can sometimes reconstruct the access credentials to decrypt the data.

9. Bad Sector Propagation on Multiple Drives

   • Fault Details: Media degradation causes unreadable sectors to develop on more than one drive in the array, preventing the RAID from synchronising or rebuilding.

   • Recovery Process: We use imaging hardware with advanced error correction to read as much data as possible from each drive. The redundant nature of RAID is then used to fill in the gaps from unreadable sectors.

10. Power Supply Unit (PSU) Failure

    • Fault Details: A faulty NAS power supply causes inconsistent power to multiple drives simultaneously, leading to PCB damage or firmware corruption across the array.

    • Recovery Process: We diagnose and address the damage on a per-drive basis, which may involve PCB repair and firmware recovery on multiple devices before the array can be reconstructed.

11. Failed DSM Update or Rollback

    • Fault Details: An interrupted or corrupted DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system update bricks the NAS device or corrupts system partitions.

    • Recovery Process: The data drives are removed from the bricked unit. As user data is stored on separate partitions from the DSM system, we can directly access the data volumes by virtualising the storage pool configuration.

12. Backplane Communication Failure

    • Fault Details: The NAS’s drive backplane fails, preventing communication with all or a group of drives, even though the drives themselves are healthy.

    • Recovery Process: We remove the drives and connect them directly to our recovery hardware. The drives are then imaged individually, and the complex RAID structure is virtually reconstructed.

13. Accidental Deletion or Formatting on NAS

    • Fault Details: Files, shared folders, or entire volumes are accidentally deleted or formatted through the DSM interface.

    • Recovery Process: We perform a deep, raw scan of the reconstructed RAID volume, searching for residual Btrfs or ext4 file system structures and file signatures to rebuild the directory and recover the lost data.

14. Virus & Ransomware Infection on Network Share

    • Fault Details: Malware encrypts or corrupts files stored on the NAS network shares.

    • Recovery Process: We create a forensic image of the entire volume. We then use Btrfs-specific data carving techniques and, if available, snapshots to recover pre-infection file versions.

15. S.M.A.R.T. Errors & Predictive Failure

    • Fault Details: The NAS alerts you to imminent drive failure based on S.M.A.R.T. data, but the drive fails before it can be replaced proactively.

    • Recovery Process: We immediately create sector-by-sector clones of all drives in the array, prioritising the failing one, to secure the data before attempting reconstruction.

16. Controller Board Failure on Individual Drive

    • Fault Details: The PCB on one of the hard drives inside the NAS fails.

    • Recovery Process: We diagnose the fault and perform a PCB swap, transferring the unique adaptive data from the patient PCB to a compatible donor PCB to allow imaging of that specific drive.

17. Read/Write Head Assembly Failure on Member Drive

    • Fault Details: The read/write heads in one or more drives become damaged, producing clicking sounds and preventing data access.

    • Recovery Process: This requires a physical intervention on each affected drive. We source identical donor drives and perform precise head stack exchanges to enable imaging.

18. LVM Metadata Corruption

    • Fault Details: The metadata governing the Linux Logical Volume Manager is damaged, making the logical volumes within a storage pool inaccessible.

    • Recovery Process: We repair the LVM metadata by locating backup copies in the volume group or manually reconstructing the physical volume, volume group, and logical volume mappings.

19. Partition Table Corruption on NAS Drives

    • Fault Details: The GPT (GUID Partition Table) on one or more drives within the array is damaged, confusing the NAS controller.

    • Recovery Process: We manually repair or recreate the partition tables on the individual drive images, ensuring the array virtualisation software can correctly interpret the data segments.

20. Unsupported File System Modifications

    • Fault Details: A user attempts to modify or repair the drives from the NAS using a standard PC OS, which can damage the proprietary volume structure.

    • Recovery Process: We ignore the incorrect modifications made by the PC OS and work with the raw underlying data structure to reconstruct the original NAS volume.

Comprehensive List of 40+ Hard Drive and SSD Faults We Recover From

In addition to the top 20 detailed above, our expertise covers a comprehensive range of over 40 faults, including:
Accidental Deletion, Accidental Formatting, File System Corruption, Physical Damage, Read/Write Head Failure, Spindle Motor Failure, PCB/Controller Failure, Firmware Corruption, Bad Sectors, Virus/Malware Infection, RAID Controller Failure, Partition Loss, Water Damage, Impact Damage, Power Surge Damage, SSD Controller Failure, NAND Flash Failure, Wear Levelling Algorithm Failure, TRIM Command Data Loss, Logical Bad Blocks, Physical Bad Blocks, Platter Scratch, Head Stack Stiction, Preamp Failure, Adaptives Corruption, Service Area Corruption, Translator Corruption, Password Lock, Formatting in an Unsupported Device, Overwritten Data, Bent or Broken Pins, Manufacturing Defects, Controller Chip Degradation, Motor Driver IC Failure, and Failed Firmware Updates.

Top 15 Synology NAS Models We Support

We have extensive experience recovering data from the full range of Synology desktop and rack-mount models, including:

• Plus Series: DS1522+, DS1821+, DS1621+, DS920+, DS720+, DS420+

• Value Series: DS423, DS223, DS223j, DS118

• J Series: DS223j, DS218j, DS119j

• RackStation Series: RS2421+, RS1221+, RS822+, RS822RP+

• FS Series: FS3400, FS2500

• Other Models: DS1819+, DS1618+, DS415+

Why Choose Sheffield Data Recovery for Your Synology NAS?

• 25 Years of Enterprise Expertise: We have been resolving complex data loss scenarios on network storage devices for a quarter of a century.

• Proprietary Tools & Techniques: We invest in the latest recovery technology combined with our own developed methodologies for dealing with Synology’s SHR, Btrfs, and LVM configurations.

• Free Diagnostics: We provide a full evaluation and detailed report on the fault and recovery solution at no cost.

• No Data, No Fee Guarantee: You only pay if we are successful in recovering your specified data.

• Strict Confidentiality: Your business data’s privacy and security are our utmost priority.

• Multi-Drive RAID Specialists: We have particular expertise in complex multi-drive Synology NAS systems and failed RAID scenarios.

Contact Sheffield Data Recovery for a Free Diagnostics Today

Don’t risk permanent data loss from your Synology NAS device. Trust the specialists. Our engineers are ready to provide a free, no-obligation evaluation and guide you through the recovery process.

Sheffield Data Recovery – Your Trusted Partner for Synology NAS and Raid systems Data Recovery Services UK.