Buffalo NAS-Central Forums

A few days ago I got the diag light blinking red 5x. I'm not looking for hacks or even upgrades. Buffalo has agreed to swap the model out with a new one, but of course I need to figure out how to rescue the files off the drive, if that's even possible.

I've never run linux and am currently on an XP machine, though we have a mac in the house if that's easier.

So, my options are:
1. Return the drive RMA, say goodbye to data
2. Keep drive, open it up, get an adapter, potentially save data, but likely void warranty and possibly data, since it could be gone anyway.

I need an idiot's guide to seeing if I can recover my data, if you'd be so kind. Funny that I was using this to back my stuff up...

Appreciations in advance.
Lindsay

i deleted the second thread as it was a double post.

well. first of all a question:

did you use a usb-disk for backuping the things from the internal harddisc?

if yes then it is easy to access the data on the usbdisk even in windows after installing http://fs-driver.org/
ext3 is used on the usbdisks as well as on the data partition on the internal hdd.

if the data is on the internal hdd:
here you have 2 guides how to disassemble the case on one page:
http://buffalo.nas-central.org/index.php/Di ... inkStation

the hardest part is to get off the plastic piece described in Step 2. i used the barbaric version....but there are no traces that i ever opened the case....

with fs-driver.org you should be able to access the data partition of the internal hdd as well.

come on....the data normally is more important...if you do it carefully it won`t be noticable at all....

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LS1 (2.6 kernel, foonas svn1062, 750 GB, UBoot 1.2) & LS Pro (FreeLink/jtymod/GenLink, changes all the time)
Thx to all donators!

Following the above post - I have the HS-D300gl. I also only have a laptop. No backups are avail other than what on the drive.
my RMA replacement has arrived.
So my Q- I have a recieved a LS Live , so can't just swap the drives as i hoped.
I have also just discovered when i hold the reset button on powering on that the diag, disk full and power buttons keep blinking.
What options are there available to me.

Is this an indication of hope?
Thanks

ajax1...which box did you have before? which box had the hdd with the data inside?

and yes, there is always hope as long as the leds blink.

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LS1 (2.6 kernel, foonas svn1062, 750 GB, UBoot 1.2) & LS Pro (FreeLink/jtymod/GenLink, changes all the time)
Thx to all donators!

Hi, after spending days/ weeks before - today when i tried again.

I have a connected an ethernet cable from the LS to my laptop and it is showing as a local connection is present (limited connectivity)


so i am asumming my pc can actually "see " the box. but its not happy.

BTW i also have a powerbook, but that doesn't see the box.

The problem box is the DS-300GL (home server ) linkstation

ajax1....please describe exactly which boxes you have, which hdds you have that were in which box before.

then i can help you.

it sounds as if you have an HS-D300GL (aka HS, ppc based) and a HS-DHxxxGL (aka LS Live, arm9 based).

whatever is true, this is the wrong thread. you are in the LS2 forum here....and the LS2 is mipsel based.

please gimme the info, then i ll split off your posts and move them to a new thread.

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LS1 (2.6 kernel, foonas svn1062, 750 GB, UBoot 1.2) & LS Pro (FreeLink/jtymod/GenLink, changes all the time)
Thx to all donators!

Apologies for incorrect posting.
It appeared to be the same problem.

I have the HS-D300GL (broken) and the HS-DH320GL (new)

ok....more or less the solution for you 2 is the same.

1) dissasemble your white linkstation (ljauss: HD-HLAN v2 - LS2, ajax1: HS-D300GL, HS)
http://buffalo.nas-central.org/index.php/Disass ... inkStation

2) connect the hdd to your normal pc and boot knoppix
http://www.knoppix.org/

3) from there you should be able to access the third partition of the hdd. actually i think knoppix will directly place a shortcut on the desktop for that.(if you only want to save the data of the disk you do not need fix_ext2_magic....this is only needed for the system partition aka the first one)

4) good...your data is stored somewhere else now (on a hdd in the workstation most likely). now it is time to recover the box to get it to a working state. believe it or not, the easiest way to do so is to delete all partitions on the hdd. in knoppix you can use fdisk for that purpose. i recommend to shutdown the workstation, disconnect all hdds except the linkstation one and boot knoppix again. then start the console (its somewhere hidden in the programms if you hit the button on the left bottom...on windows called the "start"-button).

most info now is already prepared for in this article:
http://buffalo.nas-central.org/index.php/Re ... inkstation

so the steps are:
#) dissassemble LS
#) connect hdd to workstation (no way to get around that)
#) boot knoppix
#) copy data onto a save place
#) remove all partitions on the LS disk
#) put disk back in linkstation
#) boot..most likely you need to boot twice to get to "Emergency Mode"
#) reflash twice
so execute

this should tell you how the hdd was mounted, which device it uses...if only one hdd is connected it is most likely /dev/hda (the numbers shown are the partitions!)

now as you know the device enter

or whatever devicename your hdd has.

"m" prints out the help inside fdisk which is an interactive tool.

with "d" you can delete partitions....delete them all.

or yof course you can use "parted" as well

5) get the hdd back into its Linkstation-case

6) boot the LS...it might be possible that you have to boot it twice to enter "Emergency Mode" aka EM....only way to find out if it is is over the firmware updater...

7)...so we download a firmware. i recommend to use the stock firmwares provided by buffalo.
reflash twice. do not reboot or shutdown your box after flashing the first time....it will fail, but thats ok. just start the firmware updater again and reflash...this time it will work.
the first time only the partitions are created on the hdd...the second time the firmware really gets installed.

8) open a beer when box finally is recovered.

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LS1 (2.6 kernel, foonas svn1062, 750 GB, UBoot 1.2) & LS Pro (FreeLink/jtymod/GenLink, changes all the time)
Thx to all donators!

Hi, Just one last Q - AS i only have a powerbook and a windows laptop. If i but a USB HD case for the HDD will it work the same?
thanks

should work yes.

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LS1 (2.6 kernel, foonas svn1062, 750 GB, UBoot 1.2) & LS Pro (FreeLink/jtymod/GenLink, changes all the time)
Thx to all donators!