Can't turn on ReadyCloud OS 6

ReadyNAS Pro Pioneer running OS 6.9.2

 

Registered with mynetgear.com (see note below, though)

Merged with readycloud

 

When trying to turn ReadyCLOUD on, after entering the correct login info, i get a dialog box:

ReadyCLOUD

24002000011

and the Ok button

 

In case this is important ( s/n mismatch or something) - 

My other same model RNDP600E on OS 6.9.2 IS registered and connected to ReadyCLOUD (can see files in the iOS app, etc)

Whereas this one I couldn't for the life of me get to register.  the OS6 gave me the Serial number but mynetgear.com kept telling me the Serial number had already been registered.  By comparing the two I noticed that the "faulty" ReadyNAS GUI gave me the serial number with small letters, not caps.  Upon learning that the serial number should be 13 characters I noticed the one shown is only 12 (wish mynetgear would have told me THAT instead of "registered before")

By looking at the physical box I saw the rather prominent 12-char code sticker with all caps and a smaller paper sticker with barely legible symbols underneath the bar code with rather unhelpful little asterisks on each side.  Thirteen!  That got the device registered finally.

Yet as stated above, I still can't get it to connect to readycloud and the GUI is still showing the 12-char WRONG serial number (MAC address? Whatever) under Serial number:

 

A reboot did not help.

 

Thanks a lot,

 

PS I know the product is EOL and the upgrade to OS 6 on legacy devices is explicitly NOT supported, but the other same model box sitting right next to is happily connected to ReadyCLOUD, whereas this one can't, so I thought I'd ask anyway :)