I have a my cloud P/N WDBCTLxxxxxxx-10. I have just updated to the new OS 5 a couple of weeks ago and it started to index all the files I have (which is all photos). But it would not go any further then 4%. I have tried a soft reset (ie 5 seconds) but to no avail. So I tried a lot of 40 seconds resets but again to no avail. It kept crashing and locking up. I have managed to painstakingly retrieve all the photos off the drive into a folder on my Mac mini. I then factory reset the my cloud.
I have then done a quick scan of the drive and all was well.
Then I done a full scan on the drive and I have a message “ drive smart failure smart failure predicted on drive 1”.
My questions are these:
Is anyone else had the same issue after they have updated from OS 3 to OS 5 as my drive was fine prior to the update?
If I need a new drive inside the case do I need to get a wd drive and if so which one is best? (I have a 4tb one at the moment).
If I can put any other drive from a different company in does it have to be a certain one?
If I replace with a different drive from a different company is it just plug and play?
If you can put a different drive in I was looking at this one. Seagate 4 TB IronWolf 3.5 Inch Internal Hard Drive for 1-8 Bay NAS Systems (5900 RPM, 64 MB Cache, 180 TB/year Workload Rating, Up to 180 MB/s), Silver what does everyone think?
Thanks for any knowledge as I have very little on hard drives but willing to learn.
I like repairing stuff rather than throwing away.
If you haven’t done so already, use the forum search feature (magnifying glass icon upper right) as there are a number of past discussions that are similar to your questions including your first one about the upgrade causing issues.
The general process for replacing a hard drive on a single bay/single drive My Cloud unit is called “unbricking”. There are a variety of methods for performing an unbrick process from cloning one drive to another to using Linux or Telnet to perform the process. Use the forum search feature to find those various discussions both in this specific subforum and in the single bay/single drive My Cloud OS3 subforum. Generally the unbrick process requires one to have some computer knowledge and skills.
If replacing the hard drive one will need to “shuck” or extract the hard drive from the My Cloud enclosure. Search Youtube for videos for how to do so, there are several.
Generally the internal My Cloud hard drive is a 3.5 inch WD Red SATA drive. Such drives are supposed to be designed for NAS use. While one can use any SATA hard disk drive in the enclosure it is generally best to use a hard drive designed for NAS use. There currently doesn’t appear to be a limit on the capacity of the hard disk drive one can use in a single bay My Cloud enclosure. Just note that the single bay My Cloud enclosure likely won’t support SSD (solid state) type SATA hard drives as internal storage.
In the seagate line, I believe their NAS drives are “Ironwolf”
In the WD Line, the WD RED are now SMR in the common 2-6? TB sizes. SMR drives are to be avoided. As of now, I would not recommend any drive in the “RED” line. (Red Plus or Red Pro should be fine).
Bennor’s message is completely correct. If you are replacing the HDD; you need to do a “debricking” procedure. This can be a fun excercise The reason you are doing this is because the entire O/S is on the HDD. The 2 and 4 bay NAS units have the O/S elsewhere (which allows for the hot-swapping capability).
Just a note: At a high level. . . . the MyCloud Gen 2 devices are not “young”. HDD failure is far from impossible. So as you go through this. . . remember that the MyCloud Gen2 has been out of production for a good while; and the hardware inside was NOT cutting edge. Many people have had trouble with these units upgrading to OS/5 simply because OS/5 requires ALOT from the hardware. Basically, it can barely run it.
People get worked up over the whole SMR vs CMR issue when it comes to NAS devices. If one is talking about drives for a multi bay unit, or a NAS where it will be used for a lot of read/writes, or a drive where write speed is mission critical, then CMR makes sense. However, for a single bay/single drive My Cloud with its limited hardware that is already either end of support or approaching end of support using a CMR drive is a bit overkill, not to mention a possible waste of money. If one is really worried about the SMR/CMR issue on a single bay My Cloud, one may want to consider just saving up some money to buy a better NAS (better hardware, better OS support) that can possibly take advantage of CMR drive capabilities.
WD have been back pedaling on this for the last year or more… and rightly so! SMR serves one purpose and one purpose only - to get more storage out of a limited hard disk platter size. SMR dives, in their current form, are totally unsuited to NAS use. This is particularly true in multi-drive RAID implementations but even in single drive units (which are usually used for secure backup).
It’s all about the money - more storage space to drive up revenues with little investment. Well, they got caught with their pants down and deserve everything they got!
Red: $75 / $80 / $130 / Not available
Red Plus: $60 / $85 / $134 / $219
So. . . .I would think there is could be a use case if the Red was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than the Red Plus.
The fact of the matter. . .it’s not really cheaper. Cost savings are not passed to the consumer
The issues around “availability” (like. . .what happened to the 8TB Red?) and “Market forces” are much more dominant.
This low cost savings has been consistent the last few years. . . which is why I am so against the “Red” SMR drives.
PS:
Red Pro: $85 / $119 / $194 / $224 for 2TB/4TB/6TB/8TB
Slighlty more expensive, but in this case the drives are physically faster (7200rpm vs 5400rpm). Worth it? In a stand alone NAS; I tend to not think so. . . .
PS: The “SMR” issue has migrated to USB external drives. Shame. I would buy a CMR alternative if there was one. Now. . .I just pass on that whole area (which does cost me money)
I think WD is relying on the uninformed just going out an buying a WD RED drive (based on prior reputation) because they don’t know any better and will pay whatever the price is. The better informed are probably also more price conscious so they WD have to be mere competitive with pricing on the RED PLUS.
Makes absolutely no sense, but that’s marketing/sales for you!
Hi Bennor, thanks for the quick reply.
I did google the issues that I have faced over the last couple of weeks and did find other users with the same symptoms as what I am going through. I did stumble across a unbricking thread as well but it did look a little daunting. (but might revisit this). I have opened the unit up and had a look inside just to get familiar with what was inside.
Thanks very much for the information I am not sure what I am going to do at the moment.
Hi NAS_user,
Thanks for the reply,
I know the Mycloud gen 2 is a little old my drive inside is a rectified WD40EFRX date Nov 17. But I do not use it much it is always on but I forgot to backup the photos most of the time so it’s not rewriting all the time. I was expecting it to last longer than 4 years.
Which is the newest model out there at the moment? And do you think it is worth buying a new one or trying to sort the old one out?
I am wondering if I could Unbrick the drive that’s in the my cloud.
I have a Mac mini late 2014 running the latest OS Monterey V12.1 for Mac mini. If I can use this to Unbrick it does anyone know which cable do I need to go from the wd hard drive to the Mac mini usb that would work?
If I manage to Unbrick it will this then have the OS system back on it to run mycloud and which OS will it be OS 3 or OS 5?
Sorry so many questions but I’m trying to get my head around it.
The point of the unbrick procedure is to prep the drive for use; and install “rescue firmware” on it. Once the rescue firmware is loaded. . . .the device will prompt you to load an O/S. At that point, you can load either OS3 or OS5.
So the first issue is data recovery. . . .I would take the drive out of the enclosure and use a USB enclosure to attach it to your PC. The MyCloud disk will be in “EXT4” format; which is for linux. You will need some sort of reader program to read the drive. Then. . . . I bet you will get most of the material off the drive.
As for the newest model. . . . . WD is not really making single bay nas drives anymore. There is the WD MyCloud Home line. . . .but honestly. . . the software is an abomination - - - and no one in this forum would recommend any product in that line as a replacement. FOR EXAMPLE: The MyCloud Home requires internet access and authentication to access your own data on your own network. Just don’t do it.
In the WD line, I believe the WD EX2 Ultra is the entry level (2 disk unit). For home use. . .frankly. . .it’s not bad. I have two them and I like them. I am not a huge fan of them, so they are both on OS/3 - - and they are well segregated from the internet.
If you configure it as JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks); you basically are running two single bay myclouds in a single box. If you configure as Raid 1 (this is the default); the drives will “mirror” each other; theoretically if one drive fails; you can HOT SWAP a replacement disk without even shutting the unit down. NOTE: This is no replacement for a legit backup.
If you want a treat; look at the Synology and Qnap offerings. A bit more pricey. . . .but much better software and hardware (Today, Sunday 1/23/22, NAS boxes in general appear a bit scarce, but that’s just supply chain stuff)
The reason you are doing this is because the entire O/S is on the HDD. The 2 and 4 bay NAS units have the O/S elsewhere (which allows for the hot-swapping capability).