How to identify it
- Brand
- Drobo
- Model
- Drobo 5C
- Also sold as
- Drobo 5C USB-C
- Released
- 2016
- Type
- 5-bay desktop RAID enclosure
- Drive bays
- 5
- Drives
- 3.5-inch SATA HDDs or SSDs (2.5-inch with carriers)
- File systems
- HFS+, NTFS
- RAID modes
- BeyondRAID
- Connection
- USB 3.0 (USB-C port, 5Gb/s)
The model name is printed on the front of the unit or on the label on its back or underside.
Recovery methods for this RAID
- Deleted files or a reset volumeLogical recovery from drives that still workYes
We image the drives, then search the volume for deleted files and for the volume as it was before a reset. Stop using the unit straight away: new writes overwrite deleted data.
- Failed drivesDrives that click, don't spin or have bad sectorsYes
Each failed drive is imaged on its own. Hard drives that have to be opened go into our clean room, with donor parts matched to the exact drive.
- RAID reconstructionRebuilding the array from its member drivesMain method
We work out the array layout from the drive images: drive order, stripe size, parity rotation and offsets. Then we rebuild it virtually and mount the volume read-only. That includes Drobo's BeyondRAID.
About this model
- Drobo no longer trades or supports these units, and the disks use its proprietary BeyondRAID layout instead of standard RAID.
What recovery costs
Recovery from a 5-bay RAID enclosure is priced as NAS and RAID recovery: £750 – £1,500+ plus VAT, depending on the number of drives and how many have failed. Inspection is free, and you get a fixed quote before any work starts.
Estimate the cost for your Drobo RAID
Answer three questions to see our standard price range. Inspection is free and you get a fixed quote before any work starts.
NAS and RAID recovery
The price depends on the number of drives and how many have failed. Bring every drive, labelled with its bay number. Standard turnaround is 5–7 working days.