Synology File Recovery – RAID 0 Reinitialisation Specialists

At Cardiff Data Recovery, we are Wales’s trusted experts in synology file recovery. If you’ve accidentally initialised your Synology RAID 0 array, you may have noticed your volumes disappear and shared folders become inaccessible. Although this can be a frightening scenario, full data recovery is possible — provided the drives have not been overwritten.

Our team recently helped a client whose 4-bay Synology DiskStation, configured in RAID 0, was accidentally reinitialised via the DSM interface. Synology reinitialisation resets the volume, effectively destroying the array’s configuration metadata — but does not immediately erase the actual data blocks on disk.

Below, we explain how our engineers recovered the client’s lost files step by step.

🔧 What Happens During Synology RAID Initialisation?

Synology’s DSM operating system allows users to initialise RAID arrays from the Storage Manager. When this happens on a RAID 0 array, the system:

  • Erases the array configuration
  • Deletes the volume metadata (partition table, LVM, and file system mappings)
  • Replaces it with a new, empty array configuration
  • Leaves data on disk untouched until new files are written

This makes prompt action critical: any use of the NAS after initialisation increases the risk of permanent data loss.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Synology File Recovery Process

1. Drive Identification and Write Protection

  • All four RAID member drives were removed from the Synology DiskStation
  • Drives were labelled in sequence to preserve order (important for RAID 0)
  • Each drive was connected via write-blocker to prevent any further changes
  • Sector-by-sector clones were created using forensic-grade imaging tools (e.g. PC-3000, DeepSpar)

We do not work on the original drives – we perform recovery operations only on cloned copies.

2. RAID 0 Structure Analysis

RAID 0 uses a striping method with no redundancy. To reconstruct the original array, we determined:

  • Drive order (disk sequence in the array)
  • Stripe size (usually 64KB or 128KB, but user-configurable)
  • Block alignment and offset
  • Volume start and partition layout (LVM headers and Synology’s Linux-based volume group structure)

This was achieved by scanning disk signatures, file headers, and residual LVM metadata on the cloned drives.

3. RAID Virtual Reconstruction

Once the RAID structure was rebuilt:

  • We emulated the RAID 0 array virtually using specialist tools like R-Studio, UFS Explorer, or internal RAID emulators
  • The LVM was reassembled from the virtual array
  • The Synology Btrfs file system (or EXT4, depending on DSM version) was mounted in a Linux environment
  • File system integrity was checked for errors and incomplete transactions

4. File Recovery and Validation

With the file system restored:

  • Shared folders, user files, and media libraries were extracted to a secure recovery volume
  • Priority data types (e.g. documents, photos, video archives, business files) were tested for integrity
  • Folder structure and filenames were preserved where possible
  • All recovered files were verified against original metadata and client-provided checksums (where available)

💽 Supported Synology Devices & Configurations

We recover data from:

  • Synology DiskStation, RackStation, FlashStation models
  • 2-bay, 4-bay, 8-bay and enterprise-grade Synology systems
  • RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), JBOD
  • File systems including Btrfs, EXT4, and XFS
  • LVM and mdadm-based Linux volume management systems
  • NAS drives with failed DSM firmware or corrupted OS

✅ Why Choose Cardiff Data Recovery?

  • 25+ Years of Experience in NAS and RAID data recovery
  • Specialist Synology Recovery Tools and Expertise
  • Forensic Imaging Facilities
  • RAID Reassembly and File System Repair without Data Loss
  • Free Diagnostic Assessment and Transparent Recovery Reporting
  • Emergency 48-Hour RAID Recovery Available
  • Strict Data Security & Confidentiality Protocols

We are Wales’s trusted name in synology file recovery, relied on by individuals, creative professionals, small businesses, and IT teams across the UK.

📞 Contact Cardiff Data Recovery Today

If your Synology NAS has been accidentally initialised, do not create a new volume or save new data to the drives. This can permanently overwrite the recoverable information.

Contact Cardiff Data Recovery today for a free diagnostics and let our RAID recovery engineers rebuild your array and recover your lost files professionally and securely.

We’re here to recover what matters most — fast, safely, and with the expertise you can rely on.

 

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