Old NAS and server recovery

Network storage and small-business servers that have been retired, failed or simply forgotten.

Ask about data recovery Call 020 7237 6805

About these devices

Early NAS units from the 2000s and early 2010s are still found running in offices, and more often found switched off in a cupboard with the company's old records on them. Their makers have long stopped supporting them, and a replacement unit of the same model will not necessarily read the disks.

The disks are what matter. Almost all of these units store data in Linux formats, and once every disk has been copied the volume can be rebuilt without the original box.

What makes them awkward

Proprietary layouts

Some makers used their own way of combining disks, which standard tools do not understand.

Unusual file systems

XFS, ext3 and others, sometimes modified by the manufacturer.

Dead chassis, healthy disks

Power supplies and mainboards fail with age. The data is still on the disks.

Several failed disks

Disks of the same age fail close together, particularly when the unit is powered up after years.

Label each disk with its slot number before removing it, and send them all. See RAID and NAS recovery for the method.

Sending older storage

Do not power it up "to see if it still works". Old drives often have one start left in them.
Send any cables, power supplies, enclosures or cartridges that belong with it.
Tell us what computer and system it was used with: Windows 98, Mac OS 9, a server, a camera.
If there are several disks or drives, number them and keep them in order.

Recovery starts with a professional evaluation, charged at £94.80. It tells you what has failed and what can be recovered, and you then receive a fixed price for the recovery itself.

We collect drives and devices by insured courier from anywhere in the UK, or you can post yours tracked and insured, or bring it to the workshop in London SE1. See how to send a drive safely.

Common questions

The manufacturer no longer exists. Does that matter?

No. Recovery works from the disks, not from the manufacturer's software.

We do not know the admin password for the old NAS. Is that a problem?

Not for recovery. The data is read from the disks directly, unless the volume itself was encrypted.

Get a price from a technician

Tell us the make, the model and what has gone wrong. A technician replies with a price and the quickest way to get your laptop to us – normally the same working day.

020 7237 6805

Creative IT workshop
Unit 1, 80 Willow Walk, London SE1 5SY
Monday to Saturday, 9am–6pm