NV+ won't boot. ERR: Bad Firmware

[svdhoorn]

Hi there!

I seem to be have the exact same problem as user '@zenandjuice' here.

He stated his solution as follows:

"mdgm, i want to thank you for your help. support was able to connect remotely via Tech mode and do an OS re-install.
I"m backing up all my data now. 🙂"

My two (2) questions are:

1. Can I do this OS re-install myself if I log in to my ReadyNAS while it is in TechMODE?

2. When I do this OS re-install, do I need to have my original, full of data, disks installed in the NAS?

Thanks!

Regards,

Sander

[Marc_V]

@svdhoorn

Welcome to the Community!

It is possible that you still have a different issue than with the other user. doing OS Reinstall does not affect your data but doing a full backup is always a must.

Have you tried USB boot recovery on your NAS? What firmware are you running before this happened? If you have OS 4.1 then you should follow this guide.

You will also need to make sure that you have the V1 and not the V2. You can check here on how to tell what NV+ you have.

It would still be best if you can try and contact Support so they can get you connected with L3s that can access your NAS through SSH and fix the issue. You may have to purchase a support contract like Pay-per-Incident contract.

To answer your question.

My two (2) questions are:

1. Can I do this OS re-install myself if I log in to my ReadyNAS while it is in TechMODE?

You can boot your NAS to go to the boot menu and select OS-Reinstall. However, going into Tech support mode you have to be comfortable on using SSH

2. When I do this OS re-install, do I need to have my original, full of data, disks installed in the NAS?

Yes, your disks should be inserted on the NAS but again, it is always advisable to seek assistance with Support especially if your Data is involved. I do hope you have a backup of your data.

HTH

Regards

[svdhoorn]

Dear Marc,

Many thanks for your quick response. To answer one for your questions:

"You will also need to make sure that you have the V1 and not the V2. You can check here on how to tell what NV+ you have."

I definitely have the v1. I purchased mine in April 2009, it's named 'ReadyNAS NV+' in RAIDar and the firmware version is 4.1.16.

I will now try the USB Boot Recovery, as you advised.

Many thanks and regards,

Sander

[svdhoorn]

So I tried the USB Boot Recovery, but to no avail. It installs the firmware, but after the 'booting...' message it again shows the

'ERR: Bad Firmware' status.

Unfortunately, contact Netgear for a 'Pay-by-Incident' contract is not an option, because I am based in The Netherlands. That kind of

support is only possible in Australia, US, UK and New Zealand.

This weekend I will try to rebuild my RAID using ReClaiMe and/or R-studio.

Cheers,

Sander

[StephenB]

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@svdhoorn wrote:

This weekend I will try to rebuild my RAID using ReClaiMe and/or R-studio.

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Those tools can recover data from a RAID array (even if there is damage).  But they can't rebuild it.

ReclaiMe is the only option I know that supports BTRFS.  That's used by the current OS-6 ReadyNAS. 

But your old NAS uses EXT, so support for the BTRFS file system isn't needed.   I suggest starting with R-Studio, as it is less expensive.

If you plan to purchase a current ReadyNAS, then another option is to pay support to temporarily mount your disks in the new OS-6 NAS so you can offload your data.  More information on that option is here: https://kb.netgear.com/29876/ReadyNAS-Migrating-disks-from-RAIDiator-4-1-or-RAIDiator-5-3-to-ReadyNA...

[svdhoorn]

Thanks @StephenB  !

I will use R-Studio to get my data back!

[TinoJR]

Hi Marc,

i have the same issue, but i don't need to recover any data, i just want the nas to function again. I've tried factory reset, and os reinstall, and usb boot option install, but have same result . If i boot into tech support mode, i'm assuming it will allow me to SSH into the nas?  If so, do you have any recommendations for next steps?

Thanks,

Tino

[StephenB]

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@TinoJR wrote:

If i boot into tech support mode, i'm assuming it will allow me to SSH into the nas? 

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You'd use telnet, not ssh.  The username is root, the password is infr8ntdebug.

However I don't know if you can repair the bad firmware error that way or not.  If the flash memory is failing in the NAS, you likely can't.