When a NAS drops a volume, refuses to boot, or loses more disks than its RAID can survive, it can take years of shared files, backups and photos with it. Most of the time the data is still recoverable — the array just needs rebuilding properly, off the box. We recover Synology, QNAP, WD My Cloud, NETGEAR and every other NAS for Belfast and Northern Ireland, in-house.
$ bdr diagnose /dev/nas → NAS: Synology DS1621+ · 6 × 8 TB · SHR-2 → Status: VOLUME CRASHED — disk dropped, Btrfs errors → Client: confidential · Belfast $ bdr engineer-working → Member disks: all 6 imaged read-only → SHR + LVM: reassembled off the box → Btrfs: repaired · volume mounted $ bdr verify → ✓ shares — 31 TB → ✓ photos + backups — restored → ✓ NAS recovered — data back
After a NAS failure the instinct is to rebuild, reset, or pop a disk into a Windows PC to ‘check’ it — and each of those can destroy recoverable data. A rebuild onto a failing disk, or Windows offering to initialise a NAS disk, is the most common cause of permanent loss we see. Power the NAS down, leave the disks as they are, and note the bay order.
NAS failures range from a simple dead box to a broken array or a bad rebuild. These are the situations we recover most.
We recover every make of NAS, on every RAID level and file system they use.
Synology, QNAP, WD My Cloud, NETGEAR, Buffalo, Asustor, TerraMaster and the rest — on SHR, Btrfs, ext4, JBOD and RAID 1, 5, 6 and 10, and formats built with mdadm and LVM — from two-bay units to large multi-bay arrays.
NAS recovery is really RAID recovery with a file system on top. We read each disk on its own, work out the array's true layout, and rebuild it virtually before recovering your files — nothing is ever written back to your original disks.
We check each disk's health, identify the RAID level and file system, and find out what failed and in what order — then send a written quote.
Any failing disk is repaired or imaged first — heads, board or firmware — so no disk is put under strain during recovery.
Each disk is imaged read-only, and from then on all work is done on the copies, so your original disks are never altered.
We work out the true disk order, block size and parity from the images and reassemble the RAID — SHR, Btrfs, ext4 or any level — virtually.
With the array rebuilt, we repair the file system and extract your shares, folders and files, organised and named.
Recovered data is checked to confirm it opens and is intact, and we can show you what's come back before anything is returned.
Your data comes back on a fresh drive sized to the recovery, or via secure transfer — whichever suits you.
From a dead Synology to a crashed QNAP volume, a failed SHR rebuild or a ransomware-hit box, we recover NAS units of every make — rebuilding the array from read-only images of the disks, never the originals under strain.
Give us a few details about what went wrong and an engineer will come back to you, usually inside one working day.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
A free diagnostic first, then a fixed written quote before any work begins. NAS recovery starts at £500 + VAT for a two-bay mirror, with a three-disk RAID 5 from £800 and larger arrays quoted per case, and no fix, no fee on most jobs — where disks need physical repair, a 50% deposit covers parts and bench time, with the balance only on success.
A representative selection of NAS units we've recovered across different makes and faults — configurations and outcomes shown, customer details kept private.
Two disks had dropped and the Btrfs volume unmounted. We imaged all six, rebuilt the SHR-2 array virtually, and recovered the shares in full.
A rebuild onto a weak disk had gone wrong. We imaged the healthy members, reconstructed the RAID 6 from the images, and recovered the data.
One disk had mechanical damage, the other bad sectors. We repaired and imaged both, then rebuilt the mirror and recovered the files.
The update left the box unbootable but the disks untouched. We imaged them, rebuilt the RAID 5 off the box, and recovered everything.
The unit had died but both mirrored disks were healthy. We read them directly, rebuilt the RAID 1, and recovered the household's data.
The pool had been recreated, but the old data survived beneath it. We rebuilt the original SHR layout and recovered the bulk of the files.
Post or drop in your device for a free diagnostic, with a note on what happened — an engineer reviews it and confirms your exact quote in writing before any work begins.
First step: get the device onto our Belfast bench. Wrap it well, tuck your contact details in the box, and post it over — the diagnostic costs nothing, and you’ll have a firm written price to approve before we touch a single sector.
Posting it? A tracked, insured service is best. Dropping it off instead? You’re welcome Monday–Friday, 9am–5:30pm — please still pack the device as above.
Not ready to send anything yet? Use the form to describe the fault in your own words and one of the engineers will come back with a quote tailored to your situation.
We will get back to you soon. If it is urgent, call 028 9002 0144.
The questions we're asked most about NAS recovery.
Usually not. A ‘volume crashed’ message means the array metadata or Btrfs file system is damaged, not that your files are wiped. We image every disk, rebuild the SHR or RAID array off the box, and repair the file system to recover the data. Don't let the NAS repair or recreate the volume first.
Yes, and it's often straightforward. When the box itself dies, the disks are usually fine — we read them outside the NAS, rebuild the array, and recover your files. You don't need the failed unit repaired to get the data back.
Please don't. NAS disks use Linux file systems and RAID formats Windows can't read, so Windows will offer to initialise or format them — and clicking yes can destroy the array. On a multi-disk NAS, no single disk holds complete files anyway. Leave the disks as they are and send them all.
Yes, please — all of them, kept in bay order if you can. On a RAID array the data is spread across every disk, so we need the whole set to rebuild it. You usually don't need to send the NAS box itself unless we ask for it.
NAS recovery starts at £500 + VAT for a two-bay mirror, with a three-disk RAID 5 from £800 and larger arrays quoted per case after the free diagnostic. There's no fix, no fee on most jobs; where disks need physical repair, a deposit covers parts and bench time, with the balance only on success.
On most jobs, yes — no recovery, no fee. Where individual disks need physical repair, a deposit covers those parts and the bench time; the balance is still only charged on success. We're clear about which applies before any work begins.
All of them — Synology, QNAP, WD My Cloud, NETGEAR, Buffalo, Asustor, TerraMaster and the rest — on SHR, Btrfs, ext4 and every RAID level, from two-bay units to large multi-bay arrays.
We can help, within honest limits. We recover snapshots, backups and any files the ransomware didn't reach, and we'll always look for those first. But files it has actually encrypted generally can't be decrypted without the key, and we'd never advise paying a ransom.
Yes — it's one of the most common NAS jobs we do. A rebuild that stalled or corrupted the array hasn't necessarily lost the data. We image the disks as they are and reconstruct the array from the copies, working around the damage the rebuild caused.
Most NAS recoveries take around 5 to 10 working days, depending on the number and size of the disks and whether any need physical repair. The diagnostic is usually finished within 48 hours, and urgent business cases can normally be prioritised.
Disks can come to Cromac Square in person (weekdays 9am–5:30pm) or by insured courier. Label each disk with its bay number, separate them so they can’t touch in transit, and enclose your contact details — we’ll log the set, run the free diagnostic and quote in writing.
A free diagnostic, fixed written pricing from £500 + VAT, and no fix no fee on most jobs — every make of NAS recovered in-house, right here in Belfast. Don't rebuild or reset — power it down and send the disks in.