Identifying and Recovering Data from NAS QNAP NVR-1012 RAID Arrays: Mechanical and Logical Failures

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS QNAP NVR-1012
• 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 QNAP 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 data fragmentation impact the read and write speeds, and potential data loss on NAS QNAP NVR-1012 devices?

Data fragmentation can have several impacts on the read and write speeds, as well as potential data loss, on NAS QNAP NVR-1012 devices. Here are a few ways it can affect them:

1. Read and Write Speeds: Data fragmentation refers to the scattering of data across multiple locations on the storage medium. When data is fragmented, the NAS device needs to perform additional seek operations to retrieve all the scattered pieces, resulting in slower read and write speeds. This is because the device needs to access different physical locations on the storage media to retrieve or write data, which increases the latency and decreases the overall performance.
2. Disk Fragmentation: Fragmentation can cause the disk to become fragmented, where files are divided into numerous fragments scattered across the disk. This can lead to longer seek times as the disk head needs to move to different locations to read or write the fragmented files. Consequently, it can slow down the read and write speeds on the NAS device.
3. Data Loss: Fragmentation can also increase the risk of data loss on NAS devices. If the file system becomes heavily fragmented, it becomes more susceptible to errors and corruption. For example, if a file is spread across multiple fragments and one of those fragments becomes corrupted or lost, the entire file may become inaccessible or corrupted. This can result in data loss, especially if there is no proper backup or redundancy mechanism in place.

To mitigate these issues, it is recommended to regularly defragment the storage media on the NAS device. This process rearranges the fragmented data and improves read and write speeds. Additionally, maintaining regular backups and implementing RAID or other redundancy mechanisms can help safeguard against potential data loss.

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

Although the NAS NVR-1012 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 QNAP NVR-1012. 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 QNAP

NVR-1012 has 1 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• Q-RAID 1;

NAS supports:

• FAT32 (External Disk Only);
• NTFS (External Disk Only);
• HFS+ (External Disk Read Only);

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 QNAP NVR-1012 network-attached storage keeps QTS (QuTS hero) 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