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Unofficial ReadyNAS USB Recovery Guide for x86-based Systems

By dbott | September 12, 2009

These instructions are for users of the ReadyNAS x86-based NAS devices, such as the ReadyNAS Pro Business and Pioneer Editions, the ReadyNAS NVX Business and Pioneer Editions, the ReadyNAS 2100 and ReadyNAS 3200, who need to perform a USB Boot Recovery.

For the sparc-based units (Duo, NV+, 1100 and predecessors X6/600, NV & 1000s) please use these instructions:  http://home.bott.ca/webserver/?p=159

Download the the following file (or the latest version desired):

http://www.readynas.com/download/support/ReadyNAS_x86_USB_Flash_Recovery-4.2.9.zip

Note: according to the developers, you cannot downgrade to 4.2.5 once you have upgraded to 4.2.7 or greater.

Extract the zip file and run the usbrecovery.exe file.  The USB drive should be formatted with FAT32:

USB Recovery Utility

USB Recovery Utility

Once done, power off the NAS, plug in the USB key into the front USB port, power it back up while holding the Backup button in.  The LED on the flash drive should blink like crazy for a bit and within about 2 minutes the NAS should automatically shut off.

After that, remove the USB drive and turn the NAS back on.  All data & settings should be in tact.

If the NAS does not shut down after 2 minutes or so, try a different USB drive (my 512 MB Corsair didn’t work, but my Sandisk 2 GB did).

After the USB Recovery, you may need to perform a firmware re-installation in the event that the NAS does not boot.  Instructions for re-installing the firmware can be found below:

Below is a brief description of boot sequence from one of the developers (c3po):

Step 1
After power on, the BIOS will blink the blue power LED at 1Hz

Step 2
It then initializes hardware devices, memory test is indicated by brief blink of disk LED 2
(If memory test fails, disk LED 1 and 2 stay on)

Step 3
After all hardware devices are initialized, it scans the boot devices, this is indicated by brief blink of disk LED 4
(If no boot device found, disk LED 1 and 3 stay on )

Step 4
If BIOS finds bootable device, it passes control to boot device and turns the power LED from blinking to solid on

==>
Boot sequence can be changed by pressing backup button, external USB devices take priority over internal boot device if backup button is pressed. For USB recovery to work, please hold backup button until Step 4: Power LED becomes solid. Continue to press it for 5 more seconds and then release the backup button.

What USB recovery drives does?
Boots up via USB and rewrites internal boot device.

Topics: ReadyNAS, Tech | 5 Comments »

5 Responses to “Unofficial ReadyNAS USB Recovery Guide for x86-based Systems”

  1. Unofficial ReadyNAS USB Recovery Guide for Sparc-based Systems | The Bott Blog Says:
    September 12th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

    [...] Unofficial ReadyNAS USB Recovery Guide for x86-based Systems [...]

  2. UtilisateurFR Says:
    December 22nd, 2009 at 12:32 pm

    Hello,
    I have a problem when i launch the usbrecovery.exe

    Error said : “This application can’t load because it is incorect, reinstall application could be resolv this problème”

    My computer is a XP Pro SP3 up to date

    Thank you for your help

  3. dbott Says:
    December 22nd, 2009 at 3:56 pm

    Have you tried downloading it again and/or using a different computer?

    I don’t work for Netgear, so you may need to contact support for your area if there’s a problem with the program.

  4. Paul Says:
    June 18th, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    Well I’ve tried 5 different memory sticks with no success. I’m more worried that I’m doing something wrong. Some help please: How long should I hold the back – up button for? what should I see happening on my NAS (NVX). How long should I just leave it alone to do it’s stuff? When you say the usb stick should blink like crazy for a bit, how long?
    I have tried taking my finger off the back – up button once it starts to flicker, it then goes through what I think is a normal boot and the display eventuall says usb connected. Is that it? should I just be patient?

  5. dbott Says:
    June 19th, 2010 at 9:17 am

    I’ve added some additional info to my post above. Basically, you need to hold the backup button until the POWER LED becomes solid and keep it pressed in for an additional 5 seconds.

    If your USB drive has an activity LED, it should start to blink, as the NAS should be reading from the device. This lasts 30 seconds to a minute or so (not much longer, but I don’t recall exactly how long) and then after 2 minutes the NAS should power off. Remove the USB drive.

    At this point, the flash device on the NAS should contain a clean copy of the firmware, however, you may need to force a re-installation of the firmware to the hard drives (http://home.bott.ca/webserver/?p=252) before the NAS will boot.

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