I want to access some files stored at a Netgear ReadyNas Ultra Series (RNDU4000) that my dad had. He's got himself a new setup but some files never got transfered. The ReadyNAS has two disks and two empty slots. I'm not previously familiar with how this stuff works.
This is what I've managed to diagnose: - When turning on the unit, the little screen says "Booting", then "Awaiting RAIDar. Timeout in 10 min". After 10 min the error message comes. "ERR: Partitioning failed!" - If unplug the unit and remove disk number one, I instead get a different error message when I turn it on, saying that no disk is detected. - If I do the very same thing with disk number two however, it doesn't complain about not detecting disks but runs exactly like when both disks are inserted.
So it seems there's a detection issue with one disk, and another issue with this RAIDar thing that keeps me out of the other disk. What can I do to access the files?
This is what I've managed to diagnose: - When turning on the unit, the little screen says "Booting", then "Awaiting RAIDar. Timeout in 10 min". After 10 min the error message comes. "ERR: Partitioning failed!"
This sounds like the NAS is trying to do a factory install. If that is the case, it is unlikely that you will be able to get any data off of the NAS.
Do you know if the NAS always had two disks installed? Is it possible that it had more when it was in service?
As @StephenB said, your NAS is trying to re-initialize everything, so it's not detecting that the drives have a valid, or even invalid, data volume. The partitioning error is typically because it did recognize a drive exists, but the disk is bad. The only other case I know for it is when there is a reserved partition from another OS on it that it can't delete. But if there is one of those, it means the drive has been re-formatted in another machine and all the data is now gone.
Did your father think that all had been transferred and use the drives for some other purpose?
My father told me the NAS had frequent connection issues for some time, which is why he phased it out. He got his new setup and apparently did a file transfer when the NAS happened to have a good day so to speak. I found out not all files actually made it though. After this transfer he just let it sit, it's never had any other use, and there were never any more disks then the ones in it now.
I was assuming that there was something with the unit, since it seemed unlikely that both disks would mess up simultaneously, but as I understand here it's indeed the disks were the problem seems to lie?
I was assuming that there was something with the unit, since it seemed unlikely that both disks would mess up simultaneously, but as I understand here it's indeed the disks were the problem seems to lie?
The NAS will work with only disk, so it is quite possible that the two disks failed at different times.
That said, it is possible that the NAS chassis it failing (though I believe it is most likely the disks).
One path is to power down the NAS and then test the two disks in a Windows PC with vendor tools (WD's dashboard software for Western Digital, Seatools for Seagate). You'd need a way to connect the disks to the PC (for instand a USB/SATA adapter or dock).
