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ReadyNAS 102: how to recover data from RAID-1 disks?
How do I recover the data from the 2 RAID-1 disks that used to be a ReadyNAS 102 (FW 6.5.0)? I have SATA-to-USB cradle/cable and run a Windows 10 PC.
Basically, after the upgrade to FW 6.5.0, the system became unstable: (1) it crashed every few hours; (2) rebooting would often hang with a blinking power button, and I couldn'tg reach my volume; (3) if it did boot all the way, and I could reach my volume, the power button would still keep blinking, and soon the volume would become unreachable.
So I pulled the 2 disks out (configured as RAID-1 and tried re-installing the OS through the boot menu. Now, nothing works. When I re-insert the same two disks, RAIDar is able to detect the chassis, but shows no disks. AND the power button perpetually blinks.
Thus, I've decided that I should give up trying to read the disks in the RN102 and just recover the data from the disks manually using my PC. At no point did I do a factory reset, so all the data should still be on my two disks. How do i recover the data from the 2 RAID-1 disks using my PC?
kblam wrote:
I've powered it down, and re-inserted the two disks, and powered it back up (I've done this before several time, actually), and RAIDar still sees the unit but indicates 'No disks detected.'
Sometimes I've found that actually disconnecting the system from power can help with bios device detection, so I thought it worth a try. Most modern electronics are never really off as long as they are powered. But it looks like the system is locking up after the boot. It could be the chassis hardware, something wrong with one of the disks that eventually crashes the SATA bus (or drivers), or something really wrong with the 6.5 upgrade.
You can also test the drives in a windows PC (perhaps with a USB adapter), with the vendor tools - seatools for seagate, and lifeguard for western digital.
kblam wrote:
Question on the customer support: if I go all the way to a data recovery contract, if I expect that my disks are in perfectly good shape, would the data recovery services produce an image of my disks on a third disk with my file structure and file names fully intact? Or would the recovery be just a dump of all the files w/o any file structure and files named by some some arbitrary recovery sequence? I have some 20k files on these two 4-TB drives, so such a dump of a recovery would be rather useless.
There are several scenarios here. Tracing one path...
If the chassis has failed (possibility but not a given) then you first would get a replacement RN102 under warranty.
At that point you reinsert the original disks and power up. Perhaps the system boots, and the original lockup still occurs.
Then you use support again to resolve the lockup problem. Perhaps at that point all your data is intact and mounted, but if the volume were corrupted, you would need a separate data recovery contract.
Netgear's data recovery team works remotely, and you would be able to discuss with support the odds of success and what they could provide before you execute that contract.
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Hello kblam,
Recovering data from a RAID volume on a PC is not simple. You must remember that the disks are using a Linux file system format.
Have you tried support center? They can help checking as it possible that this can be fixed from the backend.
This discussion may also help you understand how recovering data is done: Recover HDD data from broken ReadyNAS
Regards,
Regarding customer support: It's not easy finding a phone number to call, besides the fact that my RN102 is from 2014 and is out of the 90-day window for support.
Regarding the link "Recover HDD data from broken ReadyNAS," it doesn't specify the Windows tools that I might be able to use. I've seen Linux Reader/DistkInternals and R-Linux to referred to elsewhere in these NETGEAR forums. But no guidance on how to use them. I've got on HDD now hooked up to my Windows 10 machine now, and R-Linux is running a scan of it (about 7 hours into that scan). And waiting.
Bottom line:
(1) What Windows tools can I use for read or recover the data (I don't care if it's a paid tool).
(2) Whom do I call at NETGEAR to get some paid support to recover my data and/or 'fix' my RN102 so it can read the two HDDs again?
Hello kblam,
They do not give out contact number as all customers are required go through this link: http://www.netgear.com/support/contact.aspx?cid=gwmng to see what support channel they are entitled to get.
Data recovery service can also be availed from Netgear support. For Windows tools, or software you can use, manufacturer of HDDs have this, you might want to check at manufacturer's official site.
Regards,
- Well, there you go. I'll pop the disks back in and try reinstalling OS and report back. I just did not want any opportunity for my disks to get wiped in the OS reinstall process.
StephenB JennC: I've re-inserted by two disks back into the RN102, selected 'Reinstall OS' from the boot menu (being very careful to select Reinstall OS and not default reset), waited 3.5 hours, and power button never stop stopped blinking. Double pressing power didn't shut it down, so I unplugged the AC adapter to power it down. I plugged it back in, and it entered the boot up sequence. RAIDar is able to see that it's in boot up, and then RAIDar says no disks are detected, and it's been this way for 3 hours now.
What now?
As far as I can tell both disks should still be good and not corrupted, because before I originally pulled the disks out, I was able to read the volume from Windows Explorer for a minute or two before the RN102 crashed (see original problem up top).
Have you looked at the status with RAIDar?
Also, you could try booting the RN102 in read-only mode (also described in the hardware manual).
- Haha cheers.. i guess.. no cost is too big for essential data and having recovered is the biggest success... so congratulations . .. may i know roughly what were the charges by netgear for data recovery ?
khushalvyas: I'm not sure whether the moderators will let me post this. The Netgear extended customer support was $80 for a year. Restoring 3 TB of data from Amazon Glacier would have cost ~$300. No no-brainer there.
My lesson that I re-learned here is to ensure I have an up-to-date local backup--I hadn't yet bought more HDDs after my 3 TB backup HDD filled up a couple of months ago :)
khushalvyas wrote:
may i know roughly what were the charges by netgear for data recovery ?Their prices do vary by geography. Last I heard US price for data recovery starts at $200.
Though some cases don't need recovery (which is done by a specialized support team), and the normal per-incident support is enough.
- Thankyou for that input kblam. My lesson ... to keep hdd below 80 % filled capacity. There are possible issues after that. Thanks for the heads up on recovery optiins.
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