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asdfsd's avatar
asdfsd
Tutor
Jan 23, 2019
Solved

RN102 doesn't recognize external USB hard drive

Hello I have a ReadyNAS 102 running firmware 6.9.4 hotfix 1. I purchased an external drive bay and put a 3TB HGST drive in it to back up the RN102. The drive and bay are recognized by my PC over both USB and esata connections, and I partitioned and formatted the drive (FAT32).

 

Connecting the drive to my RN102 via either the USB2 port in the front, the USB 3 port in the back, or the esata port yeilds no response. Connecting various USB thumb drives works appropriately on all ports. I have rebooted the readyNAS with the drive attached and still no response.

 

What could be going on?

  • asdfsd's avatar
    asdfsd
    Jan 29, 2019

    The

    The issue is now resolved. I will put the steps I used below for others who may have the same problem. To recap:

    • Plugging a new HGST 3 GB hard drive in a Vantec NexStar 3 enclosure into either the ESATA or front or rear USB ports yielded no recognition of the drive by my RN102. Rebooting the RN102 with the drive attached made no difference.
    • Plugging the same drive / enclosure combination into one of my computers yielded recognition and partitioning / formatting ability via either the USB or ESATA ports.
    • In the interim I upgraded my RN102 to firmware 6.9.5 (for original firmware version see OP)
    • I then installed the original HGST 1 TB SATA II drive into the Vantec NexStar 3 enclosure, which was recognized by my ReadyNAS.
    • I then installed the HGST 3 TB SATA III drive into a new Vantec NexStar 6G enclosure which  led to the drive being recognized by the Win 8 PC, then the drive finally being recognized by the RN102 ESATA port. Since I always intended to interface the drive via ESATA, I have not tried USB, though I assume that would also work.

    Discussion:     The Vantec NexStar 3 enclosure is listed on the Vantec site as being SATA I/II compliant, but Amazon lists it as SATA III compliant as well. The drive is of course SATA III (also known as SATA 6Gb/sec). These are of course theoretical speeds. I asssumed since the drive worked in the enclosure on the PC the problem lay with either the ReadyNAS hardware or software. I now suspect but will not go to the trouble of proving that the problem lay with the drive / enclosure interface which for some reason didn't work with the ReadyNAS.

     

    In short, if you're installing a backup drive for your ReadyNAS, you'll avoid problems by ensuring that the enclosure meets the same standards as your drive.

10 Replies

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  • Retired_Member's avatar
    Retired_Member

    Hi asdfsd, I would remove any partition from the drive using your pc. So, make it blank. Then connect it to the nas again and format it using the admin page.

    Kind regards

    • asdfsd's avatar
      asdfsd
      Tutor

      Unfortunately, the admin page never shows it connected.

       

    • asdfsd's avatar
      asdfsd
      Tutor

      The admin page never shows this drive when you connect it. It does show USB thumb drives, but not this one.

      • StephenB's avatar
        StephenB
        Guru - Experienced User

        asdfsd wrote:

        The admin page never shows this drive when you connect it. It does show USB thumb drives, but not this one.


        So did you try reformatting as suggested above?

  • StephenB's avatar
    StephenB
    Guru - Experienced User

    I took the liberty of editing your title, in order to ensure that a mod or forum administrator didn't move your post into the router forum areas.  

     


    asdfsd wrote:

    I partitioned and formatted the drive (FAT32).

    FAT32 is a poor choice, as it can't handle large files.  You should format the drive as NTFS.  You can do that in the PC (with only one partition), or as Retired_Member suggests, you can do it in the ReadyNAS.  If you do it in the PC, make sure the drive only has one partition.

     


    asdfsd wrote:

     

    What could be going on?


    If the external drive bay is getting power from the USB port, then you should also power it independently (using a power adapter). It's possible that the RN102 isn't delivering enough power to the port.

    • asdfsd's avatar
      asdfsd
      Tutor

      Both enclosures I have tried this drive in have an external power supply, which I used.


      StephenB wrote:

      I took the liberty of editing your title, in order to ensure that a mod or forum administrator didn't move your post into the router forum areas.  

       


      asdfsd wrote:

      I partitioned and formatted the drive (FAT32).

      FAT32 is a poor choice, as it can't handle large files.  You should format the drive as NTFS.  You can do that in the PC (with only one partition), or as Retired_Member suggests, you can do it in the ReadyNAS.  If you do it in the PC, make sure the drive only has one partition.

       


      asdfsd wrote:

       

      What could be going on?


      If the external drive bay is getting power from the USB port, then you should also power it independently (using a power adapter). It's possible that the RN102 isn't delivering enough power to the port.


       

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