.... just why to suggest something which is obviously not possible ??
One option would have been to purchase a suitable enclosure (that can hold all the disks), then use that to connect the disks to a Windows PC. Then you could have used ReclaiMe software to try and recover the data.
Since that is a pricey option, I asked the backup question first. FWIW, many people do have backups, but are looking for a faster way to get their data back.
Re: ReadyNas Ultra 6 Plus failed to boot successfully
Have you upgraded the RAM in your Ultra? If you still have the original 1GB, adding at least another 1GB may be your solution. It has been reported here that recent versions of the OS for Intel based NAS can have problems with less than 2GB. If you are running any apps, that could make it worse.
As for going backwards, you should be able to go back to 6.10.0. Anything earlier could end up giving you problems with the array, iof the NAS even allows it.
Re: ReadyNas Ultra 6 Plus failed to boot successfully
I bought my Ultra6 used and don't even remember if I upgraded the RAM or bought it that way. But I think it's like the Pro6 and there is an empty RAM slot you just need to put another 1GB in. 2GB is enough for the OS and most apps. And it's not dual-port RAM, so no need to "match" the other stick. I do know that the same PC2-6400 (or faster) DIMM (full size, not SODIMM for notebooks) as the Pro6. If you Google it (don't use the forum search, it's abominable) I'm sure you'll find some specific brands and part number recommendation. But I've used whatever is cheap on eBay to upgrade the faster Pro6 without any issues. It cannot use registered, ECC, or "high density" (x4 rather than x8) RAM (which may be sold as "server" or "AMD" RAM) but the cheap stuff (up to 2GB sticks) that was common in the day works great.
The Ultra6 (not Ultra6 Plus) can only use 4GB of RAM. I'm not sure it that's 2 x 2GB sticks only or could be 1 x 4GB, but the 4GB are so much more expensive, there is no reason to go that way.
Case disassembly to the point if being able to add RAM is just removing the left side (looking from the front).
Re: ReadyNas Ultra 6 Plus failed to boot successfully
Oh, you do have the Plus. You can go to 2 x 4GB sticks. But honestly, you'd get more bang out of a processor upgrade than moving from 4GB to 8. My Ultra6 Plus actually came with the Pro6 processor, but most had an older, slower one; same as original ProBE or Pro Pioneer. 4GB sticks that work are hard to find used and generally premium priced new or used. Except server editions, Windows of that era could only access 4GB (with video RAM keeping you from even using it all), and the motherboards had at least 2 slots. So nobody wanted 4GB sticks except for servers. But servers usually use registered RAM -- often also ECC -- which the legacy NAS cannot use.
Re: ReadyNas Ultra 6 Plus failed to boot successfully
Except for a very early one upgraded when the Core2 family of processors was still a bit expensive, I've used the Core2 Duo E7500 for that motherboard. Note that to go that high in the processor line, you do need the latest motherboard BIOS, which is 07/26/2010 FLAME6-MB V2.0. You can find that in the log zip files bios_ver.log. Note that your hardware revision 1.2 motherboard is compatible with that BIOS version (V1.1 hardware is not). Given you have an Ultra6, it is likely you are already on that version, but check.
The information you gave about the RAM isn't enough to tell if it's compatible. Is it registered or ECC? (Neither of them work.) Is it in 2Rx8 configuration (which works) or 2Rx4 (which does not)? But the "AMD" in the name is troubling, as that typically means it's 2Rx4. AMD processors of that era could use 2Rx4, while most Intel (including anything compatible with yout NAS) could not.
Re: ReadyNas Ultra 6 Plus failed to boot successfully
The chip with the fan-mounted cooler is the CPU. If you've never done a CPU replacement, this might not be the time to try.
You can check dmesg.log in the logs zip file to find what CPU you have. If you are lucky like I was, it'll be the Pentium Dual-Core E5300 @ 2.60GHz, which was standard in the Pro6, not the Ultra6Plus. In my opinion, you don't gain enough going from that to the Core2 to bother. But if you have the Pentium Dual Core E2160 @ 1.80GHz, then there is a huge advantage to upgrading it. The original Pro BE and Pro Pioneers also shipped with that CPU.
Re: ReadyNas Ultra 6 Plus failed to boot successfully
Then you also got the Pro6 CPU in your Ultra6Plus. There is not a lot to be gained by going to the Core2 because the motherboard doesn't support the faster bus speed it supports, so the improvement is negligable. At some point, Netgear probably just decided it wasn't worth it to have separate motherboard configurations, but they never advertised it. I believe there were some options enabled for the Pro6 but not the Ultra6Plus under OS4.2.x. But under OS6, there is no difference.
