Accessing HD to get the data, when My Book Live doesn't boot

Hi all,

I need some help here, and I have to say I’m not an expert on these matters.

Recently I could not access my book live, so I tried to reboot it. After rebooting the front led stays in yellow, doesn’t change (according to the manual, it says it is booting). 

As my Book Live is still in warranty period, I have contacted WD support, after a couple of emails, where they asked me to try to soft reset with no changes, they told me they will switch the device for a new one (using their RMA procedure), but they alerted me that data recovery is not their responsibility and they proposed to use one of their “data recovery” partners. 

I have contacted the only local “data recovery” partner, in my country, a company named “Recovery Labs”, and I was shocked when they told me that to recovery the data it was, above, 900€…and because it was in warranty period there was a 40% off which would make only 600€…… 600€??? To copy the date for one disc to another? – Note to self: “open a data recovery company, this is profitable”.

I talked with other companies, and they told me that they could do it, but they would need to take the HD out of the box, and the warranty would void. Which is, almost for sure what “Recovery Labs” will do, but they have permission for it.

Now I find myself, with a problem:

I’m almost sure there is nothing wrong with the HD, most probably something got corrupted in the operating system. WD was very “helpful” on telling me that they will replace the device instead of fixing it.

I have information in the HD, that I don’t have anywhere else.

So, is there any way to access the drive without opening the box? Is it possible to load “my book live” with a lighter OS, or something, that would give me access to network and the driver “without opening the box”?

What can I do???

Your help will be very much appreciated….

General question: is it even legal to sell a NAS, not give any other means to access the data, and then say I will replace it but you will need to pay 900€ to the only “guy in the block” that can open the box??? …. No need to answer I know the answer…. But I’m not happy

Thanks

Ricky

you don’t have many options.  If your MBL is bricked, you cannot get the data off without taking the drive out of the case.

I recommend that you forget about the warranty.  You can debrick the MBL yourself and get all your data back.  The guides are listed on this forum.