Windows triggers a Preparing Automatic Repair loop when the operating system fails to boot successfully and the built-in diagnostic utility cannot resolve the underlying error. It can indicate anything from storage media failure (which is where we usually get involved)...

Synology Hybrid RAID (SHR) is an automated RAID management system that allows users to create storage volumes with mismatched drive capacities. It’s flexible by design — and that flexibility has made it a popular choice for NAS users.  The tradeoff:...

Unraid is a proprietary operating system that stores complete files on individual disks; it doesn’t stripe them, as is typical with RAID arrays (hence the “un”). As a result, recovering data from an Unraid setup is generally more straightforward than...

A No Bootable Device Found error means your computer’s BIOS or UEFI — the firmware that starts your hardware — cannot locate an operating system to load.  Usually, you’ll see this error when you’ve changed your computer’s hardware in some...

Windows will issue a “checking file system” message when it encounters errors that prevents it from accessing your data; if you’re stuck on a screen that says Checking file system on C: (or another drive letter) for hours, the operating...

The “Semaphore timeout period has expired” error (System Error 121) occurs when your computer attempts to transfer data to or from an external drive or network location and fails to receive a response within a set timeframe. You’re most likely...

Error Code 0xc000000e is a Windows Boot Manager message indicating that the operating system cannot locate the files required to start the computer. Usually, the Boot Configuration Data (BCD) has become corrupted, is missing, or is pointing to a drive...

A device which does not exist was specified is a critical Windows error that occurs when the operating system loses its hardware connection to a storage device in the middle of a task.  When this message appears, the communication link...

“The parameter is incorrect” (Error 0x80070057) indicates that Windows can’t access a device, or that key system files are corrupt. Learn more.