Drobo made external storage for homes and small businesses: direct attached (DAS) units that plug into one computer, network attached (NAS) units, and iSCSI SAN boxes for servers. Kensington Computer Repairs recovers data from all three kinds, for individuals and for businesses. The Drobo S, 5 and 8 series are the ones we are asked about most.
Why a Drobo is different: BeyondRAID
Most multi-disk storage uses a standard layout such as RAID 0 or RAID 5. Drobo units use their own system, BeyondRAID, which writes data to several locations at once across all of the drives and lets you mix drives of different sizes. It is designed to ride out a failed drive without fuss.
The trouble starts when more goes wrong than BeyondRAID can absorb, or when the Drobo unit itself dies. Because the data is scattered across the whole set in Drobo’s own format, no single drive holds a readable copy of anything, and the drives mean nothing to a PC, a Mac or ordinary RAID software. Getting files back means reconstructing the BeyondRAID structure from every drive in the pack, which is specialist work.
Keep the drives together and in their original order. Do not reset the Drobo, do not agree to format or erase anything, and do not keep restarting a unit that is clicking. Power it down and call us on 020 3026 0184.
The free diagnosis
We cannot give a hard price for a Drobo over the phone, because the cost depends on how likely we are to recover everything from the failed array. We need to see the drives. So the first stage costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.
- Find the failed driveWe identify which drive or drives in the array have failed, and how.
- Locate the dataWe find what is on the array and produce a confidential list of the files.
- Recommend a routeWe tell you the most effective way to retrieve your data and back it up afterwards.
- Fixed quoteYou get a diagnostic report and a fixed-charge quote, so you know what the job will cost before we go further.
A senior technician is on standby 24/7 for urgent data loss, and you will be talking to a person on a local number, not a robot.
Faults and arrays we recover
Our engineers retrieve data from Drobo units after any of the following:
- Single or multiple hard drive failure
- Clicking, noisy drives that still respond to sector scans
- Defective NAS controllers
- Server hardware failure
- Mechanical faults
- Overheating hard drives
- Power failure
- Software errors
- Human error, including deleted files and formatted drives
- A reformatted NAS volume
- Natural disasters
Besides BeyondRAID, we recover conventional arrays: RAID 0 from two or more drives, RAID 1, RAID 5 including its redundant disks, RAID 6, RAID 10, and broken arrays built with Windows RAID software. Our RAID data recovery page covers those, and single disks are handled as hard drive recoveries.
How long recovery takes
In most cases the job takes between three and five hours of work, from diagnosis to returning your data securely. The actual time depends on:
- The amount of data to be recovered
- The condition of the drives
- How long the fault takes to diagnose
- How quickly you give us the go-ahead after the diagnosis
- The age of the damaged media
- The type of drive: SCSI, NAS, SATA or IDE
Express service
If you need the files back urgently, ask for the express service. We guarantee to start work on your drives within half an hour of receiving them, and in the majority of cases the data is back with you within 24 hours.
What it costs
Drobo recoveries are charged as a single fee plus VAT per drive, for drives that can be read with our recovery equipment. The figure is confirmed in your fixed quote. For comparison, these are our guide prices for conventional arrays.
| Job | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Initial consultation | Free |
| RAID 0 | £650 + VAT |
| RAID 5, 6 and 10, depending on the number of drives | £850 + VAT to £1,500 + VAT |
If the data cannot be recovered there is no charge. The full list is on our data recovery prices page.
Getting your Drobo to us
Bring the whole unit, drives in place, to 68A North End Road in West Kensington, or ask for free collection and return anywhere in central and south London. Drives that need opening are worked on in our ISO Class 5 (Class 100) clean room, and the service is completely confidential. For other makes, see our NAS data recovery guide.
Drobo models we recover data from
We work on every Drobo DAS, NAS and SAN model. These are the ones that reach us most often.
Drobo DAS, NAS and SAN units
- Drobo 5C
- Drobo 5Dt
- Drobo B810n
- Drobo 5D
- Drobo 5N2
- Drobo B1200i
- Drobo 5D3
- Drobo B810i
- Drobo Mini
Drobo model numbers 14 listed
- Drobo Gen 1 : DR04DD10
- Drobo Gen 2 : DR04DD14
- Drobo Gen 3 : DDR3A21
- Drobo 5D : DRDR5A21
- Drobo 5N : DRDS4A21
- Drobo 5Dt : DRDR5A21-T
- Drobo 5D3 : DRDR6A21
- Drobo FS : DRDS2A21
- DroboPro : DRPR1A21
- DroboPro FS : DRDS3A21
- Drobo B800fs : DR-B800FS-4A21
- DroboElite : DREL1A21
- Drobo B800i : DR-B800I-2A21
- Drobo B1200i : DRB1200I1A21
Further model numbers
- Drobo 5C: DDR4A21, DDR4A31, DDR4A61 and DDR4A51
- Drobo S: DRDR3A21 and DRDR4A21
- Drobo 5N2: DRDS5A21, DRDS5A31, DRDS5A61 and DRDS5A51
- Drobo B810n: DR-B810n-5A21, DR-B810n-5A31, DR-B810n-5A61 and DR-B810n-5A51
- Drobo B810i: DR-B810i-3A21, DR-B810i-3A31, DR-B810i-3A61 and DR-B810i-3A51
Questions people ask
Can I put my Drobo drives in a PC to read them?
No. BeyondRAID spreads data across all the drives in Drobo’s own format, so no single drive holds readable files and a PC or Mac will see nothing it understands. Keep the drives together, in order, and do not let any computer format them.
How much will Drobo recovery cost?
We cannot price it until we have seen the drives, because the cost depends on what has failed. The diagnosis is free, and it ends with a fixed quote based on a single fee plus VAT per drive. There is no obligation to go ahead.
How long does it take?
In most cases the work takes three to five hours from diagnosis to returning your data. The amount of data, the condition and age of the drives and how quickly you approve the quote all affect that.
I need the data today. What can you do?
Ask for the express service. We guarantee to start work within half an hour of receiving your drives, and in the majority of cases the data is returned within 24 hours.
Will I see what can be recovered before I pay?
Yes. The free diagnosis produces a confidential list of the files we have found, along with the fixed quote, so you can decide with the facts in front of you.