How to Restore Deleted Files from Network Attached Storage

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS LaCie 12big Thunderbolt 3 (STFJ48000400 / STFJ72000400 / STFJ96000400 / STFJ120000400 / STFJ168000400)
• 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 LaCie 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.

Can the use of specific data compression or deduplication techniques impact the performance and data integrity on NAS LaCie 12big Thunderbolt 3 (STFJ48000400 / STFJ72000400 / STFJ96000400 / STFJ120000400 / STFJ168000400) devices?

The use of specific data compression or deduplication techniques can potentially impact the performance and data integrity on NAS LaCie 12big Thunderbolt 3 devices.

Data compression techniques aim to reduce the size of data by encoding it in a more efficient way. While this can save storage space, it can also introduce additional processing overhead when compressing and decompressing the data. This overhead can potentially impact the performance of the NAS device, especially during read and write operations.

Deduplication techniques, on the other hand, identify and eliminate duplicate copies of data, saving storage space by storing only unique data blocks. While deduplication can be beneficial in terms of storage efficiency, it can also introduce additional processing overhead when determining and managing duplicate data blocks. This overhead can impact the performance of the NAS device, particularly during write operations.

Additionally, it's important to consider the specific implementation and capabilities of the NAS device itself. Some NAS devices have built-in hardware acceleration for compression or deduplication, which can minimize the impact on performance. However, if the NAS device does not have dedicated hardware for these tasks, the performance impact may be more noticeable.

Regarding data integrity, it's crucial to ensure that the compression or deduplication techniques used are reliable and do not introduce any data corruption or loss. Implementations with poor error handling or inadequate redundancy can potentially compromise data integrity.

Therefore, it is recommended to carefully evaluate the specific compression or deduplication techniques, consider the performance impact, and ensure data integrity measures are in place before implementing them on NAS LaCie 12big Thunderbolt 3 devices.

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

Although the NAS 12big Thunderbolt 3 (STFJ48000400 / STFJ72000400 / STFJ96000400 / STFJ120000400 / STFJ168000400) 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 LaCie 12big Thunderbolt 3 (STFJ48000400 / STFJ72000400 / STFJ96000400 / STFJ120000400 / STFJ168000400). 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 LaCie

12big Thunderbolt 3 (STFJ48000400 / STFJ72000400 / STFJ96000400 / STFJ120000400 / STFJ168000400) has 12 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• RAID 50;
• RAID 60;
• 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 LaCie 12big Thunderbolt 3 (STFJ48000400 / STFJ72000400 / STFJ96000400 / STFJ120000400 / STFJ168000400) network-attached storage keeps LaCie NAS OS 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