How to Fix a NAS Buffalo Drive Station HD-LB1.0TU2 RAID Array with Multiple Disk Issues

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS Buffalo Drive Station HD-LB1.0TU2
• How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC
  • Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery
  • How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images
  • Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?
  • RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison

Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID

Conventional hard drives store user data by writing it sequentially across the disk surface, which means an entire file is typically located on a single drive. In contrast, when data is written to a RAID array, each file is split into multiple fragments. These fragments are then distributed and written in sequence across all the drives in the array. Depending on the configuration, fragment sizes can range from 2 KB to 2 MB, so every file is physically stored across several disks at once.

This approach significantly increases read and write performance — after all, writing two halves of a 1 GB file to two drives simultaneously is much faster than writing the full 1 GB to a single disk. However, this same mechanism makes file recovery far more complex.

Different RAID levels use different methods to distribute and protect data. On top of that, manufacturers like Buffalo often add their own proprietary structures and variations. As a result, data can be written to disks in many different formats, and each requires a specific approach during recovery.

How can the NAS Buffalo Drive Station HD-LB1.0TU2 device's CPU or processing power affect data transfer and potential loss?

The NAS Buffalo DriveStation HD-LB1.0TU2 is a network-attached storage device that allows users to store and access data over a network. The device's CPU or processing power can affect data transfer and potential loss in the following ways:

1. Data Transfer Speed: The CPU of the NAS device plays a crucial role in handling data transfer requests. A more powerful CPU can process these requests faster, resulting in higher data transfer speeds. Conversely, a slower CPU might struggle to handle multiple simultaneous requests, leading to slower transfer speeds.
2. RAID Performance: The NAS Buffalo DriveStation HD-LB1.0TU2 supports RAID configurations for data redundancy and performance improvement. The CPU's processing power affects the performance of RAID calculations, such as parity calculations in RAID 5 or RAID 6. A more powerful CPU can handle these calculations more efficiently, resulting in better RAID performance and faster data transfer speeds.
3. Data Loss Prevention: The CPU also plays a role in ensuring data integrity and preventing data loss. The CPU is responsible for handling error-checking mechanisms, such as checksum calculations, during data transfer. A more powerful CPU can perform these calculations quickly and accurately, reducing the chances of data corruption or loss during transfer.
4. Network Protocol Support: The CPU's processing power can also affect the NAS device's ability to support different network protocols. Some protocols, such as encryption-heavy protocols like SSL/TLS, require more CPU power to handle the encryption/decryption process. If the CPU is not powerful enough, it may struggle to handle these protocols efficiently, potentially affecting data transfer speeds and security.

It's important to note that while the CPU's processing power can impact data transfer and potential loss, it is not the sole factor. Other factors like network bandwidth, storage medium speed, network congestion, and user configuration also play significant roles in overall performance and data integrity.

How to Remove Hard Disks from Your NAS and Connect Them to a PC

Although the NAS Drive Station HD-LB1.0TU2 can be accessed over the network, you still need to remove its hard disks and connect them directly to a Windows PC. Only then can the recovery software properly scan and analyze the drives. Follow these steps:

1. Power off the NAS and disconnect it from the power source.

   WARNING! Before removing any drives, carefully read the device manual. Improper actions may damage both the NAS enclosure and the hard disks in the RAID array.

2. Remove the hard disks one by one, gently sliding each drive out of its slot. Remember that hard disks are highly sensitive: any impact or drop can cause serious physical damage.

3. Label each hard disk according to its position inside the NAS. The order of the drives is crucial for correct RAID reconstruction.

4. Connect the drives to your computer. In this video, we explain which ports you can use to connect hard disks and what to do if your PC does not have enough free connectors.

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   How to Order Remote Data Recovery

Step-by-Step Data Recovery with Hetman RAID Recovery

This program restores data from damaged RAID arrays and is fully compatible with Buffalo Drive Station HD-LB1.0TU2. Each hard disk in the array contains technical metadata describing how files were written. When launched, Hetman RAID Recovery analyzes this metadata, automatically reconstructs the damaged array, and provides access to its contents. After that, you can browse the recovered disk and save your files. The program can also restore files that were accidentally deleted from the network drive.

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How to recover data from a Buffalo

Drive Station HD-LB1.0TU2 has 1 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• JBOD;

NAS supports:

• exFAT, VFAT, FAT 12 / 16 / 32;
• NTFS / ReFS;
• APFS / HFS+;
• Ext2 / 3 / 4 / ReiserFS / XFS / UFS / ZFS / Btrfs;
• VMFS / HikvisionFS;

How to Safely Recover Data from Disk Images

This utility allows you to create a complete copy of a disk and work with the disk image instead of the physical drive. This approach helps protect your data from:

• Overwriting during the recovery process;
• Additional data loss caused by bad sectors;
• User errors.

To create a disk image, follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have enough free space to store the image. Its size will typically match the size of the original disk.

2. In the main window, select the target disk and choose Tools - Save Disk. You can also select multiple disks if needed.

3. When the Image Creation Wizard opens, select whether you want to save the entire disk or only a specific region. Adjust the settings and click Next.

   

4. Choose the directory where the image will be saved. You may select any available disk connected to your PC or upload the image via FTP.

   

Where Are the User’s Files Actually Stored?

The Buffalo Drive Station HD-LB1.0TU2 network-attached storage keeps OS Linux operating system files on a separate RAID 1 (mirrored) array. Usually, all NAS systems create several volumes on every hard disk, and the first of them takes up to 2 Gb of space. This is where operating system files are stored. Other volumes are united into a RAID array where user’s data is written.

RAID Recovery Software: Detailed Comparison