A couple generic question

Community Archives WD ShareSpace
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I just need help on a couple generic question:

  1. I am running on Mirror mode with 2 Disk.  If I get a third one and change it to RAID 5, will I lost all existing data?  It says on the manual that changing the RAID mode will result in all data lost.

  2. Is it true that I can only buy WD HD?  I think I read it in the manual.

  3. A couple days ago, suddenly, one of the disk failed and it is running in degraded mode.  I called tech support, and he (who I feel he doesn’t know anything on the unit) recommends me to sumbit a replace.  But instead, I tried eject the disk, plug it back in, and clean the data, and reboot.  Now, the disk seems running ok with Good status.  I don’t know what caused it to be failed.  Should I still request for a replacement?

  4. I have an external hard disk but I cannot perform a WD to USB backup … I can’t understand why something seems so straight forward still doesn’t work.  Is there any limitation?  Like, the size of the HD has to match with WD?  Or the HD has to be format with a certain way? 

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  1. I’m almost certain you will. When adding a drive, it needs to build a new array, causing the erasure of ALL data. You’ll have to back it up somewhere.

  2. Although you can probably get away with using a non-WD drive, there will most certainly be some issues if you do. I don’t have much experience in this matter.

  3. This has often been a problem with the Sharespace system. It’s hard to tell if the disk is good or bad. The best way to test if the disk is good, is to remove it from the device, plug it into your computer, and run some drive diagnostic tools on it (you can use Window’s checkdisk). This can require quite a bit of work…

  4. There’s a chance that your USB device is not compatible, not formatted correctly, or your WD settings are incorrect. I also don’t have experience with this matter, so I’m afraid I can’t help you.

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hmm … that means for

  1. Even it won’t add extrat space now, I should get a third drive now and change it to RAID 5.  Because the data I have is still small, and it is easier to back up somewhere … am I correct?

  2. So, should I request a replacement even it seems running good now?  Can there be a chance that the data is corrupted and so Sharespace detect it as problem? 

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  1. When you’re adding the third drive, you’re gonna have to back up the data. As you say, it’s easier to do that when you have less data. If you’re planning on upgrading and adding lots of data soon, considering getting another drive pretty soon.

  2. It’s possible that multiple read/write requests corrupted data, causing the system to recognize it as a bad drive. If it happens again, call WD tech support. Otherwise, let it be. The Sharespace doesn’t handle a lot of requests at once very well (which often causes many problems such as yours).