How to Restore Lost Files from NAS Seagate Black Armor STCU8000200 Devices

Contents

• Why Regular Data Recovery Tools Can’t Restore Files from RAID
• Key Information About the NAS Seagate Black Armor STCU8000200
• 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 Seagate 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 a NAS Seagate Black Armor STCU8000200 device's power management settings impact data availability and potential loss?

The power management settings of a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device like the Seagate Black Armor STCU8000200 can impact data availability and potential loss in the following ways:

1. Sleep Mode: NAS devices often have a sleep mode feature that automatically puts the device into a low-power state after a certain period of inactivity. While this can save energy, it may cause a delay in accessing data when the device wakes up from sleep. If the NAS is used for critical applications where instant data availability is important, this delay can impact productivity and potentially cause data loss if time-sensitive operations are interrupted.
2. Drive Spin Down: Some NAS devices allow you to configure the drives to spin down after a certain period of inactivity. This can reduce wear and tear on the drives and save power. However, if the drives take too long to spin up when accessed, it can result in delays in data availability. Additionally, frequent spin-up and spin-down cycles can increase the risk of drive failure, which can lead to data loss.
3. Power Interruptions: Power management settings that prioritize power savings may result in the NAS device shutting down during power interruptions or fluctuations. If the NAS is not properly configured to handle power failures, sudden shutdowns can lead to data corruption or loss. It is crucial to have appropriate backup power solutions, such as uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), to ensure continuous operation and protect against data loss.
4. Scheduled Power On/Off: Some NAS devices allow users to schedule automatic power on/off times. While this can be useful for saving energy during non-working hours, it can impact data availability if the NAS is powered off during critical times when data access is required. If important tasks or backups are scheduled during the NAS's off-time, data may not be available when needed, leading to potential loss.

To mitigate these risks, it is important to carefully configure the power management settings of a NAS device based on the specific requirements of data availability and potential loss. Regular backups to offsite or cloud storage, implementing redundancy (RAID), and having appropriate power backup solutions are essential measures to minimize the impact of power management settings on data availability and loss.

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

Although the NAS Black Armor STCU8000200 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 Seagate Black Armor STCU8000200. 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 Seagate

Black Armor STCU8000200 has 4 HDD slots, and it supports the following array types:

• RAID 0;
• RAID 1;
• RAID 5;
• RAID 6;
• 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 Seagate Black Armor STCU8000200 network-attached storage keeps Seagate NAS OS 4 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