NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 RAID Controller Failure: Causes, Recovery Strategies, and Data Loss

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201
• 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 conducting regular backups on external storage devices mitigate data loss risks for NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 devices?

Conducting regular backups on external storage devices can mitigate data loss risks for NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 devices in the following ways:

1. Redundancy: By regularly backing up your data on external storage devices, you create a redundant copy of your important files. In case of any data loss or failure on the NAS device, you can restore your data from the external backup, ensuring minimal or no data loss.
2. Protection against hardware failures: NAS devices can experience hardware failures, such as hard drive crashes or power supply issues. By keeping regular backups on external storage devices, you can safeguard your data from these hardware failures. If any component of the NAS device fails, you can easily restore your data from the external backup.
3. Protection against accidental deletions or file corruptions: Accidental deletions or file corruptions can occur due to human errors or software glitches. By maintaining regular backups, you can restore the lost or corrupted files from the external storage devices, ensuring that your data remains intact.
4. Protection against malware attacks: Malware attacks, such as ransomware, can encrypt or delete your data, making it inaccessible. By having backups on external storage devices, you can restore your data without paying the ransom or losing your files permanently.
5. Off-site backup: Storing backups on external storage devices allows you to keep a copy of your data off-site. In case of disasters like fire, flood, or theft, your data remains safe and can be easily restored from the external backup.

To ensure effective backup practices, follow these recommendations:

a. Schedule regular backups: Set up a backup schedule that suits your needs, whether it's daily, weekly, or monthly. Automating the backup process ensures that you don't forget to back up your data regularly.

b. Use reliable external storage devices: Invest in high-quality external storage devices that offer sufficient capacity and reliability. Consider using multiple external drives and rotating them periodically to mitigate the risk of a single point of failure.

c. Test your backups: Regularly verify the integrity of your backups by restoring a subset of files or performing test restores. This ensures that your backups are working correctly and your data can be restored when needed.

d. Store backups securely: Keep your external storage devices in a secure location, preferably off-site, to protect them from physical damage, theft, or natural disasters. Consider using encryption to protect the data stored on the external backups.

e. Consider cloud backups: Supplement your external storage backups with cloud-based backup solutions. Cloud backups provide an additional layer of protection and ensure your data is accessible from anywhere.

By following these practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of data loss and ensure the safety and availability of your data on NAS QNAP Turbo Station TS-201 devices.

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

Although the NAS Turbo Station TS-201 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 Turbo Station TS-201. 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

Turbo Station TS-201 has 2 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• JBOD;

NAS supports:

• EXT4;
• EXT3;
• 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 Turbo Station TS-201 network-attached storage keeps QTS 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