I connected to the NAS both through the web interface to check the backup jobs. They seem to have been failing for several months with unknown error. I could see the files via CIFS. As I looked through the web interface all of a sudden it just froze. I'm not sure if its an A or B, but I seem to recall one loads the disks from the top, the other from the front. This one loads from the front.The machine boots, fast flash on the blue led, and the disk access lights flash for a long time like normal. Eventually the disk activity stops and the blue LED slow flashes to eternity. Memory checks out OK. I suspect now that I need to test the drives using the drive manufacturer tools, but I wanted to check first to see if you can use a windows based test program with the drives, or if you need a bootable CD. I seem to remember that windows overwrites the MBR on any drive connected. This wreaks havoc on Tivo drives, so I wanted to check to see if attaching the drives to a windows based system will trash them. I know I need to make note of which drive is in which slot. Thanks.

That would be a Rev A Revision A has drives which load from the front of the unit, and connect to the system via SATA cables. It also uses a Compact Flash card to store the firmware. Revision B loads drives from the top (often called 600-TL). The drives directly connect to the system board. This model also has no Compact Flash card, and instead stores the firmware directly on the system board via NAND Flash. Do you see any of these LED patterns? You can use SeaTools to test SeaGate disks or WD Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for WD disks. It's important not to get the PC to make changes to the disks. The PC may want to format them, but don't let it.

I already referred to the LED patterns when testing the memory, which resulted in 4 green lights after a while. Under normal boot the ultimate result is no disk lights on, and a slow flashing blue power light. I certainly know not to format the disks in windows, my question was is it safe to merely connect the disks to a machine running windows to run the manufacturer diagnostics under windows. As I mentioned, merely connecting a tivo disk to a windows machine will trash the disk. No formatting required. I just want to make sure that isn't the case with readynas disks. Windows apparently loves to overwrite the master boot record when a disk is connected. I want to verify that isn't a problem with the readynas disks. Thanks.

GRS1 wrote: my question was is it safe to merely connect the disks to a machine running windows to run the manufacturer diagnostics under windows. Yes. Windows won't recognize the format, so it will not attempt to mount them. You will see them show up in the windows disk manager, and the vendor diagnostic should detect them. As long as you don't format or modify partitions you will be ok.

OK, all drives have been tested, 3 Hitachi and one WD, Hitachi now a WD sub. I tested the Hitachi drives using the legacy HGST application, as well as the WD Drive lifeguard. All tests were run multiple times. HGST includes an extended smart test as well as a surface scan. I did both, multiple times. I tested all the drives with WD lifeguard multiple times. No errors anywhere. I put the drives back in and rebooted the NAS, and left it for a couple of days. The blue light continues to slow flash, and periodically over the 2 days the drive access lights flash like everything is normal. There is no distinguishable pattern. They don't always flash all at once, sometimes one or two, but perhaps every 10 minutes it looks like something is being accessed. Raidar continues to show file system check 100%, but no access to SMB or HTTP. I can ping the unit. The ethernet led flashes periodically, seemingly indicating traffic. Probably Raidar? What to try next?

Was the last post missed, or is the silence an indication of a boat anchor? I can thiink of some things to try, but would rather go with the guidance of someone who better understands the architecture. It looks like the backup drive is bad. I have another, but its rather old. I would certainly prefer to recover from the nas.

readynas 600 won't boot slow flashing blue light

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mdgm-ntgr
NETGEAR Employee Retired
Aug 27, 2017
That would be a Rev A

Revision A has drives which load from the front of the unit, and connect to the system via SATA cables. It also uses a Compact Flash card to store the firmware.

Revision B loads drives from the top (often called 600-TL). The drives directly connect to the system board. This model also has no Compact Flash card, and instead stores the firmware directly on the system board via NAND Flash.

Do you see any of these LED patterns?

You can use SeaTools to test SeaGate disks or WD Data LifeGuard Diagnostics for WD disks.

It's important not to get the PC to make changes to the disks. The PC may want to format them, but don't let it.
- GRS1
  Tutor
  Aug 28, 2017
  I already referred to the LED patterns when testing the memory, which resulted in 4 green lights after a while. Under normal boot the ultimate result is no disk lights on, and a slow flashing blue power light.
  
  I certainly know not to format the disks in windows, my question was is it safe to merely connect the disks to a machine running windows to run the manufacturer diagnostics under windows. As I mentioned, merely connecting a tivo disk to a windows machine will trash the disk. No formatting required. I just want to make sure that isn't the case with readynas disks. Windows apparently loves to overwrite the master boot record when a disk is connected. I want to verify that isn't a problem with the readynas disks.
  
  Thanks.
  - StephenB
    Guru - Experienced User
    Aug 28, 2017
    GRS1 wrote:
    
    my question was is it safe to merely connect the disks to a machine running windows to run the manufacturer diagnostics under windows.
    
    Yes. Windows won't recognize the format, so it will not attempt to mount them. You will see them show up in the windows disk manager, and the vendor diagnostic should detect them.
    
    As long as you don't format or modify partitions you will be ok.
GRS1
Tutor
Oct 02, 2017
Raidar reports the raid array is Raid 5 and redundant. It appears that the data is OK, but the daemons just aren't running.

My earlier sent PM still shows as unread.
- GRS1
  Tutor
  Oct 11, 2017
  I'm kinda waving in the wind here. It seems the RAID is OK (According to RAIDAR), just doesn't boot properly.
  
  Seems so close. Any help? Please?
  - GRS1
    Tutor
    Jan 24, 2018
    With the help of paid support I gpt my data back and put it on a Pro 6 and have backups running.
    
    I got new disks for the 600 and did a factory reset, about 8 hours later it stopped with the third light yellow, which I read to mean a bad disk. (These are new or "recovered" disks from other purposes.) They passed manufacturer diags.
    
    I tried again, but could never find the 600 in Raidar again. After a couple of hours of self help, I noticed that the NIC didn't seem to be working. I noticed other strange things like the power button/factory reset codes giving odd results.
    
    I reseated the DIMM and it seemed to respond more reliably, but then went downhill again. My aha moment was to replace the power supply, as fans spinning but otherwise odd behavior, like everything described above could be explained by a bad power supply. (No, I don't know where to get one. The last time the power supply died, I bought 2, because they were hard to find)
    
    Things seemed reasonable again, other than booting with no disks attached doesn't give the expected lights, and the NIC still didn't work.
    
    So, I connected the NAS to a PC and raidar couldn't find it, but that kind of made sense, since I noticed the NIC on the PC would flash green for about a half a second, and then go dark for about 10. Not unexpectedly arp doesn't see it either.
    
    So I thought I would try outting in a realtek PCI NIC I have lying around, something chirpa recommended long ago. That gives me a good NIC light but nothing else. Probably means that particular card isn't "supported." (I know none actually are, but some apparently work, which ones if anyone knows) The other thought I had was even if supported, you might not be able to factory reset of it.
    
    So next, rewrite the CF. I have a 2GB CF (could it be too big?) and I can't find the raidiator download for this model. Where? I do have rawrite.
    
    Partiicularly on the last 2 questions any help?
    
    Also if anyone knows, if the PCI card "works" should you be able to factory reset off of it, or would that only work on the on board NIC. PCI NICs not supported, I know. But if someone knows?
    
    Long winded, but I believe in self help, so I tried everything I could of before posting. Its old, but I have spare parts. Just probably need a soldering iron to fix a bad NIC, and best buy isn't going to be helpful there.
    
    Thanks in advance.

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readynas 600 won't boot slow flashing blue light

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