Data Recovery Case File · NAS & Network Storage · Do Not Complete the Wizard
It Is Offering to Create a New Pool Over the One You Already Have
His enquiry describes a routine action with an unfamiliar result. Resetting the configuration on a multi-bay network unit — "something I have done a few times — but this time it restarted and presented me with the initial" setup screen. The unit no longer recognises its own storage pool, and the screen in front of him is about to offer the one operation that would make that permanent.
| Media | Multi-bay network storage unit — configuration reset performed; unit presenting initial setup rather than recognising the existing pool; member disks unaltered |
| Reported situation | Configuration reset performed on a multi-bay network unit · procedure previously performed without difficulty · unit restarting and presenting the initial setup sequence · existing storage pool not recognised · setup not completed · contents required |
| Fault class | Configuration state lost with pool metadata intact on members — reimport viable; pool creation during setup would overwrite |
| Equipment used | Setup sequence halted before any pool creation · member disks removed and imaged individually write-blocked · pool metadata read from the members themselves · array assembled offline from images · filesystem structures verified before any reimport was attempted |
The decode: what a reset clears, and the button that must not be pressed
The instruction that matters before anything else: do not complete the setup. An initial setup sequence exists to prepare new hardware, and preparing storage means creating a pool — which writes fresh structures across the disks. Everything else here is recoverable; that is not.
Why the unit is asking: a configuration reset clears the unit's own settings — accounts, shares, network configuration, services. On most units it is expressly designed to leave the storage pool alone, which is why he has done it before without consequence.
What appears to have happened this time: the unit came back without knowing its pool exists. That is a difference between what the reset cleared and what it should have cleared — either a deeper reset level was applied, or the pool configuration lived somewhere the reset reached.
Why most units offer more than one reset: commonly a short press to clear settings and a longer one to clear settings and reinitialise storage. They are physically the same action performed for a different duration, distinguished by a beep or a light, and the difference between them is the difference between an inconvenience and a loss.
Why the position is nevertheless good: the disks have not been written to. Array configuration is recorded on the member disks themselves — deliberately, so that a pool survives its controller being replaced — which means the arrangement is still described where it matters even though the unit is not reading it.
What that makes possible: the pool is assembled from the disks rather than recreated by the unit. The members are imaged individually, the array is reconstructed offline from the metadata they carry, and the filesystem is verified before anything is written anywhere.
Why many units also offer to reimport a pool they find: that option exists precisely for this situation and it is the correct one. The difficulty is that it sits alongside the option to create a new pool, and the setup flow leads toward the latter.
What must not happen meanwhile: no further resets, no removing and reinserting disks in different bays, and nothing that lets the unit conclude the disks are new. Bay order can matter, so if disks are removed they should be labelled.
On the bench
The setup sequence was halted before any pool creation — an initial setup existing to prepare new hardware, which entails writing fresh pool structures across the members. Disks were removed and imaged individually write-blocked, with pool metadata read from the members themselves, array configuration being recorded on member disks deliberately so a pool survives controller replacement. Filesystem structures were verified before any reimport was attempted.
The outcome
Setup halted before any pool creation, members imaged individually, and the array reconstructed offline from the metadata the disks carry. Free assessment, one fixed written figure including VAT; where a drive has to be opened, 50% of parts and labour is payable upfront with the balance only on success — otherwise no recovery, no fee. The decode: do not finish that setup. It exists to prepare new hardware, and preparing storage means creating a pool over the one you have. The disks still carry the arrangement, which is why it can be assembled rather than recreated.
Network unit asking to be set up from scratch
Stop at the setup screen and don't complete it — that sequence exists to prepare new hardware, and preparing storage means writing fresh pool structures across your disks. Everything else here is recoverable and that isn't. Your position is good otherwise: array configuration is written onto the member disks deliberately, so a pool survives its controller being replaced, which means the arrangement is still recorded even though the unit isn't reading it. Look for an option to import or recover an existing pool rather than create one — it usually exists alongside. And label the disks if you remove them, since bay order can matter.
Don't complete it — call Oxford Data Recovery on 01865 593000; setup halted before any pool creation, members imaged individually, array reconstructed offline from the metadata the disks carry.
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Our case files are drawn from genuine enquiries received by our laboratory over the past ten years, anonymised to protect client confidentiality. Each one describes the diagnostic and recovery procedure our engineers apply to that fault, using the equipment listed.