1024 Public & TimeMachineBackup Folders?

DoinNada · November 8, 2015, 2:36pm

First, I am not certain if this was caused by the firmware update or not as I just noticed it yesterday.

I happen to notice that I now have 1024 Public and TimeMachineBackup folders on my EX4100 NAS. Public_1 all the way to Public_1024 with each folder having a copy of what is currently in my regular Public folder. The same holds true for the TimeMachineBackup_1 to TimeMachineBackup_1024 folders. When attempting to delete the additional folders the GUI interface hangs and does nothing. I let it sit for an hour once when I tried to delete a single folder and nothing happened. I finally refreshed the browser (Chrome) only to login again and see that the folder I was deleting (Public_10) was still there.

I have two questions.

Any quick way to delete all the additional folders at once as they are consuming a good chunk of my NAS at this time.
How do I keep this from happening again?

I am an IT professional of many years but am a noob when it comes to working with a NAS so any help\advice is greatly appreciated.

Much thanks,

Daniel

ArMak · November 9, 2015, 4:44pm

Hi there,

Try to do a system restore on the unit in order to see if the issue gets solved. Here is a link that might help you with the system restore process:

http://support.wdc.com/KnowledgeBase/answer.aspx?ID=11862

Hope this helps.

DoinNada · November 9, 2015, 7:22pm

Thanks ArMak, I will give that a try just as soon as I can get into the admin console.

I had the questionable idea that a reboot might be in order and so shut the NAS down and powered it off and then back on. It has been running for the past 6 hrs and the admin login returns the usual “The system is booting up, please wait.” message.

How long is a normal startup for a 4100 with 9TB of disk space?

I do appreciate the help!

habskilla · November 18, 2015, 6:31pm

I went through the same thing as you. So let me cut to the chase, RMA the unit and start fresh with a new one.

Restoring, resetting, re anything would not reliably fix it.

Bite the bullet now and just RMA the unit…

DoinNada · November 19, 2015, 7:06pm

Thanks habskilla, that is what we ultimately decided as even a hard reset wouldn’t solve the multitude of issues that came up. I’m currently awaiting the delivery of my new NAS.

habskilla · November 24, 2015, 4:56pm

Not to scare you, but I also had to wipe my drives to fully get rid of the issue.

aleppos · December 31, 2015, 12:44am

I’m having the same issue, I got this issue after last update.

DoinNada · December 31, 2015, 1:59am

Contact WD and request a replacement unit. As habskilla sated I had to wipe the drives to remove the multitude of shares even after the replacement unit arrived. It was a real pain but it did the trick.

aleppos · December 31, 2015, 7:13am

Thanks DoinNada, But don’t you think this issue software problem?

 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            22 Dec 30 20:32 Cartoons -> /mnt/HD/HD_b2/Cartoons
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 20:32 Movies -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Movies
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            22 Dec 30 20:32 Movies_2 -> /mnt/HD/HD_d2/Movies_2
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            22 Dec 30 20:32 Movies_3 -> /mnt/HD/HD_c2/Movies_3
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            16 Dec 30 20:32 Movies_4 -> /mnt/USB/USB1_e1
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            16 Dec 30 20:32 Movies_5 -> /mnt/USB/USB2_c1
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 20:32 Public -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_10 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_11 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_12 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_13 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_14 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_15 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_16 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_17 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_18 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_19 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_2 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_20 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_21 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_22 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_23 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_24 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_25 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_26 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_27 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_28 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_29 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_3 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_30 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_31 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_32 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_33 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_34 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_35 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_36 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_37 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_38 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_39 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_4 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_40 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_41 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_42 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_43 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_44 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_45 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_46 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_47 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_48 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_49 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_5 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_50 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_51 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_52 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_53 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_54 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_55 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_56 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_57 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_58 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_59 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_6 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_60 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_61 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_62 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_63 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_64 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_7 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_8 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 21:37 Public_9 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/Public
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            20 Dec 30 20:32 Series -> /mnt/HD/HD_b2/Series
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            23 Dec 30 20:32 SmartWare -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/SmartWare
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            31 Dec 30 20:32 TimeMachineBackup -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2/TimeMachineBackup
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            13 Dec 30 21:37 Volume_1 -> /mnt/HD/HD_a2
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            13 Dec 30 21:37 Volume_2 -> /mnt/HD/HD_b2
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            13 Dec 30 21:37 Volume_3 -> /mnt/HD/HD_c2
 0 lrwxrwxrwx    1 root     root            13 Dec 30 21:37 Volume_4 -> /mnt/HD/HD_d2

habskilla · February 2, 2016, 2:45am

Absolutely a software issue. Something has corrupted the harddrives.

DoinNada · March 18, 2017, 3:20pm

Yes, aleppos, it is a software issue but not one easily fixed apparently. I actually spent time on the phone with WD Support and the final resolution was to replace the NAS, wipe the drives and start over. Thankfully I already had most of everything backed up.

As habskilla stated, quicker and easier to RMA the unit.

willyarnold · July 3, 2017, 7:11pm

I can’t believe that RMA is the only solution to this problem! This is June 2017 and I am having the same exact problem. I now have 512 public shares that were automatically created and I cannot get rid of them!!! And I am on the latest firmware.

Please fix this!!

EX4Shot2 · August 19, 2017, 5:16pm

Bump. I am tired of this continuing to happen to both my EX4100s…

Even with the “new” FW that is suppose to fix…

Need an admin to re escalate me to JimC or whoever is the product manager for this now in EX4Shot’s record.

EX4Shot2 · August 24, 2017, 8:46pm

I heard I was escalated but no one has contacted me. Anyone else still having this issue. All my drive are corrupted and I have no more space…

EX4Shot2 · August 30, 2017, 7:26pm

Is anyone on these forums anymore or has everyone given up on the issues and quality of these NAS?

habskilla · September 7, 2017, 2:37pm

The only solution is to:
RMA the unit
Rebuild with freshly formatted drives.

Hope you have an offsite backup of your data.

I went through this issue and tried everything and the only solution that worked was what I stated above. Spent/wasted a lot of time. Resetting firmware. Wiping existing drives ( thus losing all data). Setuping up NAS. Restoring data. Only to have the 1024 shares show up again. Finally, support agreed to RMA the unit. I cringe every time a new software is released.

The truth is I went with a less expensive NAS and now I’m are paying for it. As it is in 99% of the time, you get what you paid for.

For an extra $100 I could have bought a REAL NAS. Live and learn.

DoinNada · September 7, 2017, 2:58pm

I went with the replacement and haven’t had any issue since then. I highly suggest you push them for an RMA and go with the new unit.