Drobo NAS BeyondRAID Data Recovery – 6-Disk System Failure in a Photography Lab

A local photography lab contacted Brighton Data Recovery after experiencing a Drobo NAS system failure. The reported issues included:

  • The Drobo NAS contained 6 hard drives, storing six years’ worth of client photography work.
  • One drive was reported as failed by the Drobo BeyondRAID system.
  • Another drive was clicking repeatedly, suggesting mechanical failure.
  • The RAID volume was no longer accessible, meaning the lab had lost access to thousands of critical images and video files.
  • No complete backup was available, making recovery essential.

Since Drobo BeyondRAID is a proprietary RAID system, a forensic-level RAID reconstruction approach was required.

Our Expertise in Drobo NAS BeyondRAID Recovery

With 25 years of experience, Brighton Data Recovery specializes in:
✔ Recovering lost data from Drobo BeyondRAID storage systems
✔ Rebuilding failed BeyondRAID arrays after multiple drive failures
✔ Forensic data recovery using Acelabs PC3000, DeepSpar imaging, and RAID reconstruction tools

Diagnosis & Recovery Process

Upon receiving the Drobo NAS and its 6 drives, our engineers conducted a detailed forensic evaluation. The key findings included:

  • One drive had failed completely and was not recognized.
  • A second drive was clicking, indicating read/write head failure.
  • Drobo’s BeyondRAID system had gone into a degraded state, preventing access to stored files.

To successfully recover the photography lab’s client data, we implemented a multi-step Drobo NAS recovery strategy:

Step 1: Cleanroom Drive Repair & Stabilization

  • Opened the clicking hard drive in a cleanroom to assess internal damage.
  • Replaced the damaged read/write heads with donor parts from a matching drive.
  • Cloned as much readable data as possible from both failed drives.

Step 2: RAID Reconstruction & BeyondRAID Metadata Analysis

  • Used RAID-specific tools to analyse BeyondRAID striping and redundancy patterns.
  • Reassembled the logical structure of the RAID array in a controlled forensic environment.

Step 3: File System Recovery & Data Extraction

  • Rebuilt the Drobo file system (EXT4/XFS hybrid structure) to restore missing directories.
  • Extracted and verified all critical photography files, RAW images, and video files.

Step 4: Data Integrity Check & Secure Transfer

  • Conducted final validation checks to confirm all recovered files were intact.
  • Successfully transferred the recovered data to a new high-performance NAS system.

The Result

We successfully recovered 99.3% of the photography lab’s lost client files, including:
✅ RAW and JPEG images from the past six years
✅ High-resolution client photos, wedding shoots, and commercial photography projects
✅ Edited video files, PSDs, Lightroom catalogs, and work-in-progress projects

The photography lab was able to restore all their critical files, ensuring no loss of important client data.

Why Choose Brighton Data Recovery for Drobo NAS & BeyondRAID Recovery?

✅ 25 Years of Expertise – Specialists in proprietary RAID system recoveries like BeyondRAID.
✅ Cleanroom Repairs – Safe handling of physically damaged hard drives.
✅ Forensic RAID Reconstruction – Recovering lost files from complex RAID architectures.
✅ Fast & Secure Process – Ensuring complete confidentiality and minimal business disruption.

If your Drobo NAS system has failed, is clicking, or has unreadable drives, contact Brighton Data Recovery today for expert data recovery services!