HI guys, need some help with WD dx4000. We have this NAS, which was setup with one single boot drive partition C and D where OS was and in bay 3&4 we have 2x4Tb HDD as RAID1. Identical drive models WD40EFRX-68WT0N0. What happened, was that the boot drive failed and we had to replace it. It was replaced with supported 3Tb drive and we installed the OS. The NAS is booting up and we can access the unit, no problem there. We plugged back the mirrored drives and after booting up, the NAS was verifying them for 8h last night and after it was done, now the NAS comes with invalid drives and the drives are not visible in Windows. On this 2 drives we have the company data. First question is how can we get the data of the drives and second why suddenly the NAS will say the drives are not supported, if this drives worked before for couple of years with out a problem and how we can get them back to work.
I have no clue how you got where you are.
To start with the DX4000 never had a single boot drive and if the box had more than 3 drives they would all be in RAID 5. Anything other than that is just wrong 
You said the boot drive failed and you replaced it. How did you do this with one drive?
In any event you should be able to plug one of your data drives in a PC and read the data if it is still there. If it does not show perhaps send it to a data recovery firm or maybe try some data recovery software.
@TO_TO
Do you have SSH access?
If yes, could you provide some info about your system:
uname -a
df -h
cat /proc/mdstat
HI Gramps and thanks. The box has 4 drives and when I checked before the drive died it looked like one single drive in bay 1 with C&D partitions. Bay 2 as a spare drive and Bay3&4 had RAID1. This is when I checked Server Manager, Disk management. Did not looked like RAID5 setup. The failed drive was replaced by WD accredited supplier and image was load and currently there is one 3Tb WD drive in bay 1 and one 2Tb drive in bay 2.
Windows is installed and booting up, but WD does not see drive 3&4. It says they are incompatible drives, which is very strange because the same drives worked before. Any idea how can I get WD to see back those drives. I have not tried to plug the drive in a PC, I will try that, but don’t think is going to work, since those 2 drives were in RAID.
Thanks Tfl,
Yes the system works fine, apart from the 2 drives and I can access it over RDP. Not familiar with the above commands, what info would you like me to provide?
Plugged one of the drives in Win7 box and Win does not see it. It comes as foreign drive if I try to import the drive comes with Mirrored volume, Data not redundant. Not sure if I should try and import the drive or I will loose the data on it. The data is very important and on top of that the backup ext drive failed also. All if this happened within a week.
Still not sure how you loaded the OS?
I am fairly certain I have looked at data from the raid 1 in a PC but do not have the time to test it right now. You might want to look at something like this then.
You confused @Tfl when you called it a NAS and not a Windows Server. He is giving you Linux commands that do not apply.
Hi Gramps,
Plugging just one drive windows 7 box sees it as foreign drive, mirrored volume, data not redundant and gives me the option to import it, which I’m scared of doing it.
The question is, why drives that worked previously now are coming as invalid and how can I make them back valid. I think if I can do that, then I will come right with the RAID.
Manage to get the drives visible again by installing WD drive enabler from here Software and Firmware Downloads | WD Support
Now I got 2 New separate drives in Bay3 and Bay4, but no data on them. For what ever reason, WD did not keep the RAID. Any idea how to get the data back apart from trying plugging both drives into a PC and running RAID recovery software?
Not sure what happened, but after drives were visible with WD as single drives. I switched off the WD and plugged the drives into the same PC, which was seeing one drive as RAID. Booting up BIOS sees the drives, but going into Windows drives are not there. the same if i go to Disk Management, drives are not there. How now can I get the data, any ideas?
As I said, I have no clue how you got to where you are. The original setup was manually done by someone. A DX4000 at minimum started with two drives in a RAID 1. If any compatible drives were added it was converted o RAID 5. If you added 2 non compatible drives I suppose it is possible someone set them up as a software mirror in disk mgmt., or installed the Intel Raid tools.
The RAID recovery software(s) all seem to be free to look for data and if you see it pay to drag ands drop.
It sounds like you’re facing a complex situation with your WD DX4000 NAS. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and recover your data:
1. Verify Drive Compatibility: Double-check the compatibility of the replacement 3TB drive with the NAS. While the 3TB drive worked for the OS, it might not be fully compatible with the RAID setup. The original boot drive was 4TB, and there could be compatibility issues when mixing different drive sizes in a RAID configuration.
2. Reconnect Drives: Ensure that the RAID 1 drives (bay 3&4) are properly connected. Make sure they are securely inserted into their respective bays. If the drives were verified and the RAID array was rebuilt, it’s possible that the connection might have been disrupted during the process.
3. Data Recovery: Since the NAS is showing the drives as invalid, you might need to perform data recovery. There are professional data recovery services that specialize in dealing with failed RAID arrays and inaccessible drives. If the data on those drives is crucial and you’re unable to recover it on your own, consulting with a data recovery expert might be the best option.
4. Contact WD Support: Reach out to Western Digital’s support for assistance. They might have specific troubleshooting steps or insights into this issue. Since the NAS was working with those drives before, their support might have a solution or advice on how to proceed.
5. Backup and Restore: If you manage to retrieve the data or set up the RAID array again, consider implementing a regular backup strategy to prevent such data loss scenarios in the future. Backing up your important data to an external storage or cloud service can provide an extra layer of protection.
6. Firmware and Software Updates: Check if there are any firmware or software updates available for your WD DX4000 NAS. Updating the firmware and any associated software might help resolve compatibility issues and improve the overall stability of the NAS.
Remember that working with RAID setups and data recovery can be complex and sensitive. If you’re not comfortable with these procedures, it might be best to consult with professionals who specialize in data recovery and NAS systems. Additionally, take caution to avoid making changes that could potentially worsen the situation or lead to data loss.
