How to Access Files on a RAID Disk When NAS Instek NR5400-1U is Unavailable: Comprehensive Guide

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS Instek NR5400-1U
• 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 Instek 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 conducting regular backups on external storage devices mitigate data loss risks for NAS Instek NR5400-1U devices?

Conducting regular backups on external storage devices can mitigate data loss risks for NAS Instek NR5400-1U devices in the following ways:

1. Redundancy: By creating backups on external storage devices, you ensure that there is a duplicate copy of your data. This redundancy reduces the risk of data loss in case of hardware failures, such as hard drive crashes or system malfunctions.
2. Protection against physical damage: External storage devices can be stored in different physical locations, away from the primary NAS device. This safeguards your data against physical damage, such as fire, flood, or theft, which could otherwise result in complete data loss.
3. Protection against malware and ransomware: If your NAS device gets infected with malware or ransomware, your data can be compromised or encrypted, leading to potential loss. Regularly backing up your data on external storage devices ensures that you have clean copies of your data that can be restored in case of an attack.
4. Version control and data recovery: Regular backups allow you to maintain multiple versions of your data. In case of accidental deletion, file corruption, or data modification, you can restore a previous version from the backup, minimizing the impact of data loss.
5. Quick recovery: If data loss occurs on the NAS device, having backups on external storage devices enables faster recovery. Instead of starting from scratch, you can restore the data from the backups, reducing downtime and minimizing the impact on your operations.
6. Offline storage: External storage devices can be disconnected from the network after the backup process, providing an additional layer of security. This prevents data from being accessed or compromised by unauthorized users or external threats.

To maximize the effectiveness of backups, it is recommended to follow best practices such as maintaining multiple copies of backups, testing the restoration process periodically, and ensuring the external storage devices are properly maintained and protected.

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

Although the NAS NR5400-1U 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.

   Go to view

   

   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 Instek NR5400-1U. 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.

Go to view

How to recover data from a Instek

NR5400-1U has 2 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 Instek NR5400-1U 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