A shared folder on an Iomega StorCenter was deleted by mistake and, being network storage, went straight past any desktop recycle bin. The disk was healthy, so the data was still there. We imaged it and rebuilt the deleted files from the NAS's Linux file system.
A whole shared folder of project files was deleted from an Iomega StorCenter during some housekeeping. Because a NAS deletes over the network, there was no recycle bin to fall back on — the share simply disappeared. The unit itself was working perfectly, which meant the data was almost certainly still on the disk, so the sensible move was to stop writing to the NAS and bring the drive in rather than keep using it and risk overwriting the freed space.
A NAS stores its data on Linux file systems — typically ext4 or XFS — and, just like a desktop, deleting a file there removes the reference to it rather than the data. The freed blocks stay untouched until something new is written over them. The difference on a NAS is that there's no user-visible bin, and the box keeps running and writing in the background, so the window to recover cleanly is shorter. Getting the disk out of service quickly is what preserves the deleted data.
The drive was removed and cloned sector by sector through a write blocker; it read cleanly, confirming the fault was purely logical. Everything that followed was done on the image, keeping the original disk frozen exactly as it left the NAS.
From the image, the file system was mined for the deletion. On ext file systems the journal and residual metadata often still describe recently deleted files — their names, sizes and the blocks they used — which allowed many to be rebuilt complete and correctly named. For files whose metadata had already been recycled, signature carving reassembled them directly from their contents. Together the two approaches brought back the great majority of the deleted share with its structure largely intact.
Files were opened across the recovered folder to confirm they were whole, then returned on fresh media. We reminded the owner that network storage is not the same as a backup — a second, separate copy is what makes an accidental deletion survivable — and that the quicker a NAS is taken out of use after a mistake, the more complete the recovery.
Hardware imager with write blocker · ext/XFS deleted-file recovery from journal and residual metadata · signature carving. Read-only imaging, all work in-house in Belfast.
Send it to us for a free, no-obligation diagnostic. We’ll tell you what can be recovered and put a fixed price in writing before any work starts — and on most jobs, if we can’t get your data back, there’s nothing to pay. Post your device in, or drop it to us by appointment.
Often, yes. NAS boxes use Linux file systems where deletion removes the reference, not the data, so until the space is reused the files can be rebuilt — frequently with their names. There's no recycle bin on a NAS, so stop using it and send the disk in promptly.
Just the disk (or disks) is usually enough, labelled with the bay order. There's no need to send the enclosure unless you'd prefer to.
As soon as possible. A NAS keeps running and writing, so the sooner it's taken out of service the more of the deleted data survives untouched.