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Duo will not boot; hard drives work in Windows only
I had a ReadyNAS Duo that was unable to boot--it was stuck on the blinking blue light, and it sounded like the drives were clicking and attempting to boot up but could not boot fully. I tried performing a factory reset with three different drives (the two 1TB from the Duo and one 500GB). The factory reset worked only once, with the 500GB drive, but then I added one of the 1TB drives in as a second drive, and the Duo would not boot again, even if I removed the 1TB drive.
The 1TB drives work properly when connected via USB in Windows; I was able to copy all of my data from the drives.
I RMA'd the Duo and got a replacement. I again tried performing two factory resets (one with each of the 1TB drives), but the Duo would not boot. However, I was able to perform a factory reset with the 500GB drive, and the Duo seems to be working with only the 500GB drive. I haven't tried adding one of the 1TB drives yet as a second drive.
My questions:
1.Why would the drives work properly in Windows connected via USB but not work in a ReadyNAS?
2. Probably a longshot, but could there be a problem with the power cable--for example, it's not providing enough power for two drives?
Thanks.
The 1TB drives work properly when connected via USB in Windows; I was able to copy all of my data from the drives.
I RMA'd the Duo and got a replacement. I again tried performing two factory resets (one with each of the 1TB drives), but the Duo would not boot. However, I was able to perform a factory reset with the 500GB drive, and the Duo seems to be working with only the 500GB drive. I haven't tried adding one of the 1TB drives yet as a second drive.
My questions:
1.Why would the drives work properly in Windows connected via USB but not work in a ReadyNAS?
2. Probably a longshot, but could there be a problem with the power cable--for example, it's not providing enough power for two drives?
Thanks.
15 Replies
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- Are the 1TB disks on the Hardware Compatibility List?
chirpa wrote: Are the 1TB disks on the Hardware Compatibility List?
Yes. They are both Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS.
The Duo worked with these disks for almost four years. Also, I had updated the firmware on both disks, since there was a firmware problem with that model.- Based on the symptoms, it sounds like a failing drive.
Try seatools on the PC, and and see if the drives pass. While there, take a look at the SMART stats.
Also, you could look at the RAIDar status with the 1 TB drive in the NAS. StephenB wrote: Based on the symptoms, it sounds like a failing drive.
Try seatools on the PC, and and see if the drives pass. While there, take a look at the SMART stats.
Also, you could look at the RAIDar status with the 1 TB drive in the NAS.
Do I have to attach the drive internally (via SATA) to run Seatools, or can I run it via USB?
Regarding the SMART stats, I know that one of the disks had a reallocated sector count around 50--I received an email alert a few years ago--but it hasn't gone up since then.
The RAIDar does not detect the NAS when either of the 1 TB drives is in.- I attached the drives internally and ran Seatools. Both drives passed the SMART test and the long generic test.
- Ok. So the drives used to work in a duo. Now a different duo locks up with either drive installed (so RAIDar can't see it). Both drives pass Seatools. And a 500GB drive works ok in the duo.
Is that the right summary?
Does anything change if you delete the partitions on the hard drives? You can do this with Windows. Of course this would mean that you'd have to rebuild the NAS from your backup. StephenB wrote: Ok. So the drives used to work in a duo. Now a different duo locks up with either drive installed (so RAIDar can't see it). Both drives pass Seatools. And a 500GB drive works ok in the duo.
Is that the right summary?
Yes, that is correct.StephenB wrote:
Does anything change if you delete the partitions on the hard drives? You can do this with Windows. Of course this would mean that you'd have to rebuild the NAS from your backup.
I already had deleted the partitions on one of the 1TB drives, but the Duo still didn't boot up with just that drive inside.- Ok. So its not the content on the drives, and they failed in 2 duos, but pass Seatools and seem to work ok in Windows.
The quickest option is to get 2 new drives, and re-purpose the older ones. Though it is annoying to have to do this with no theory/explanation.
What firmware is running in the Duo? You could potentially try reinstalling the firmware (and perhaps the bios) with the 500 GB drive in place, and give it one more try.
Maybe also check on the seagate site for firmware updates on the drives themselves. StephenB wrote: Ok. So its not the content on the drives, and they failed in 2 duos, but pass Seatools and seem to work ok in Windows.
The quickest option is to get 2 new drives, and re-purpose the older ones. Though it is annoying to have to do this with no theory/explanation.
What firmware is running in the Duo? You could potentially try reinstalling the firmware (and perhaps the bios) with the 500 GB drive in place, and give it one more try.
Maybe also check on the seagate site for firmware updates on the drives themselves.
The first Duo (which I've since had to return to Netgear) was running 4.1.10 (the most recent version). The second Duo came with 4.1.7, and I haven't upgraded it yet. I can try upgrading to 4.1.10 with the 500 GB drive, then trying it with the 1TB drive.
I think I'm on the most recent firmware (SD1A), but I can check if there's a more recent version.
How do I reinstall the bios? I don't know if this is related, but with the old Duo, I tried a number of things, none of which worked: OS reinstall, factory reset, and USB recovery.
That is good practice when switching to a new unit, though I'd be surprised if it helps. Given that the symptoms don't make any logical sense, maybe give it a go.rob_nelson wrote: The first Duo (which I've since had to return to Netgear) was running 4.1.10 (the most recent version). The second Duo came with 4.1.7, and I haven't upgraded it yet. I can try upgrading to 4.1.10 with the 500 GB drive, then trying it with the 1TB drive.
There are several bios update links for the x86, but I am not seeing one for the duo. Maybe someone from Netgear (or Chirpa) can comment.rob_nelson wrote: How do I reinstall the bios? I don't know if this is related, but with the old Duo, I tried a number of things, none of which worked: OS reinstall, factory reset, and USB recovery. I have the same issue. The device will not boot up when the drives are in. When I boot up without the drives, the device pulls an IP address but it will not allow me to connect with the browser to do any administration. I have 2 brand new WD RED drives. I have a ticket open for several days but no one will contact me for support! what's the deal - this may force me to go to Synology if this continues.
What are the options now? I already went through first tier support and they passed it up...still no support!
kelloggfan05 wrote:
I have the same issue. The device will not boot up when the drives are in. When I boot up without the drives, the device pulls an IP address but it will not allow me to connect with the browser to do any administration. I have 2 brand new WD RED drives. I have a ticket open for several days but no one will contact me for support! what's the deal - this may force me to go to Synology if this continues.
What are the options now? I already went through first tier support and they passed it up...still no support!
It can't boot up all the way w/o disks - the operating system is on the disks.
What model Red drives did you purchase? Did you format them?
Do you have a duo v1 or a duo v2? (read this BEFORE replying: http://www.rnasguide.com/2012/01/09/how-to-tell-whether-i-have-a-duo-v1-or-duo-v2-or-nv-v1-or-nv-v2/).
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