Synology DiskStation RAID 5 arrays are commonly used by pharmaceutical companies and enterprises for secure data storage and redundancy. However, when a hard drive starts making grinding or scraping sounds, it often indicates severe read/write head failure or physical platter damage, putting all stored data at risk.
This case study details how we successfully recovered critical pharmaceutical company data from a Synology DiskStation 5-bay RAID 5 array, after several drives developed mechanical failures and grinding noises.
As Oxford Data Recovery, with 25 years of forensic data recovery experience, we used cleanroom head replacement, platter stabilization, and RAID reconstruction techniques to restore lost business data.
The Challenge: Grinding Sounds in Synology RAID 5 Leading to Potential Data Loss
A pharmaceutical company contacted us after noticing unusual noises coming from their Synology DiskStation NAS. The reported issues included:
- Grinding or scraping sounds coming from multiple drives.
- The RAID 5 array was showing as degraded but still operational.
- Some files were becoming unreadable or showing corruption.
- Fears that further drive failures could result in total data loss.
Since grinding noises indicate severe mechanical damage, an immediate cleanroom recovery solution was required.
Diagnosis & Evaluation
When the Synology DiskStation RAID 5 (5-bay) with multiple failing drives arrived at our cleanroom facility, we conducted a full RAID and drive-level diagnostic. Our findings:
- Two drives had severe mechanical failures, causing head/platter scraping.
- RAID metadata was still partially intact, making recovery possible.
- Several sectors contained corrupted or unreadable data due to failed read/write heads.
Since continued operation of grinding drives could cause irreversible platter damage, we prioritized head replacement and forensic data extraction.
The Recovery Process
1. Cleanroom Hard Drive Repair & Head Replacement
Since two of the RAID 5 drives had severe head crashes, we:
- Opened the failed drives in our cleanroom.
- Replaced damaged read/write heads with donor parts from identical drives.
- Stabilized the platters to prevent further degradation.
2. Imaging & Cloning All RAID 5 Drives
Since the remaining drives were at risk of failure, we:
- Created sector-by-sector clones of all drives.
- Used advanced imaging tools to recover data from partially damaged platters.
3. Rebuilding the RAID 5 Array & Extracting Data
Since the RAID metadata was still partially intact, we:
- Manually reconstructed the RAID 5 configuration outside the Synology system.
- Recovered lost parity data to restore missing files.
4. Verifying & Restoring Pharmaceutical Business Data
Once the RAID array was rebuilt, we:
- Checked all recovered pharmaceutical research documents, reports, and project files.
- Repaired corrupted spreadsheets and database files.
- Transferred the fully restored data to a new secure RAID storage system.
The Results: 97% Data Recovery Success
Thanks to our cleanroom repairs and RAID 5 reconstruction techniques, we successfully recovered 97% of the pharmaceutical company’s lost data, including:
✅ Pharmaceutical research reports and experiment data
✅ Regulatory compliance documents and financial records
✅ Patient trial results, databases, and confidential medical files
The company was able to resume critical operations without losing essential data.
Why Choose Us?
With 25 years of experience and tens of thousands of successful RAID recoveries, we are the leading RAID 5 and Synology NAS data recovery specialists in Oxford and the UK. Our expertise includes:
✔ Grinding noise hard drive recovery & head replacement
✔ Cleanroom platter stabilization
✔ Synology RAID metadata reconstruction & data retrieval
✔ Secure & confidential recovery for pharmaceutical & healthcare industries
If your Synology RAID 5 system is making grinding noises, showing drive failures, or experiencing file corruption, stop using it immediately and contact us for expert RAID data recovery.