Success recover my MyCloud 3TB with fast blue blinking light after update firmware!

My Cloud OS 3 Personal & Network Attached Storage My Cloud
1

Dear all,

In the past few days, I have faced a problem that my MyCloud 3TB can’t work normally after manually updated the latest firmware My_Cloud_GLCR_2.31.174 and try to find the solution.

Finally I found the problem could be resolved without any data lost!!! From here I would like to say thank you to haribalram in this forum because his post help me to recover the Mycloud and save all of my photos in the past years!!!

I knew many of the peoples face the same problem and couldn’t be resolved so I hope my procedures below could help you figure out.

Firstly, I already did some trial and found the latest firmware My_Cloud_GLCR_2.31.174 is the key point to cause the problem so I want to remind don’t update to this version unless you are brave enough to face the faulty of machine.

The firmware I could recover the machine is My_Cloud_GLCR_2.31.163

For anyone who need to fix the problem, let me share my procedure below to you and hope this help.

  1. Download these files:
    The product support site only gives you the latest (but faulty FW). Don’t pick this. Pick the FW from:

WD firmware (Version 2.31.163). Store it in your laptop.

Recovery (WD Recovery + My miniOS)

  1. Use any USB Flash drive, format it to FAT32 (Important!)

  2. Unzip usbrecovery.tar.gz to this drive (You will get “boot” folder and 4 files inside)

  3. Plug this USB drive to WD MyCloud, turn on power. Wait yellow-red (blinking) light.

  4. Connect via Telnet (Search IP of MyCloud in your router, under DHCP section or link your mobile phone to router and download Net Scan to search IP of the MyCloud.)

  5. Procedure to install original WD recovery and reboot:
    Type each of these commands over the Telnet connection.

Telnet 192.xxx.xxx.x (type the ip address of MyCloud after wording Telnet)
e2fsck /dev/sda3 (after this it would ask you to confirm fix the poor section of the machine, just yes to all)
reboot -f (then machine would reboot, keep the usb in the machine and wait for red/yellow light, then research the ip of Mycloud and re-enter the Telnet again by those ip)

(Then type each of below commands over Telnet)

mkdir -p /mnt/usb /mnt/root
mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/root
mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/usb
cp -r /mnt/usb/boot /mnt/root/
cd /mnt/root/boot
rm uImage uRamdisk
mv uImage-wdrecovery uImage
mv uRamdisk-wdrecovery uRamdisk
cd /
umount /mnt/root /mnt/usb
sync
reboot -f (Machine would reboot, wait for the red/yellow flash light, then unplug the power and remove the usb. Then plug-in the power to reboot the machine again)

  1. After reboot the machine would come from rapid blue flash light to rapid red flash light

  2. Search the MyCloud ip again and then you could use your laptop which connect into same router to go into those ip directly by browser.

  3. You could now enter the recovery UI. Then choose the firmware you download from the above page and click apply. Then the MyCloud would update the firmware and reboot. Afterward all is fixed!!!

Done!

6 Likes
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HOLY COW THIS WORKED!!! Thank you a MILLION times over!!! I had identical problems and came close to this solution last night. The only thing I didn’t do was the e2fsck. Man thank you!!!

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You shouldn’t have to reboot after the e2fsck.

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Good to heard this. That mean it should be the right solution finally, cheers!!!

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Sorry I am not the expert in Linux so I just share the procedure I succeed. If it anyone who could success without reboot then would be good also

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I rebooted as well (also Linux illiterate) and it worked for me. So regardless, I’m stoked! Again! Thank you for posting and for the down-to-earth directions. Happy to hear yours is working too, by the way.

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Hello… I followed the steps,
Unfortunately, after this last part of step 5, when the drive front led turns from blinking blue, to blinking red. I

At this point, I’m unable to find the drive anymore, as if it does not boot, I tried looking for it on the router dashboard, I left it pinging -t on the IP when it booted via the USB and it’s not there anymore.

Oh, after it happened this twice, I tried running e2fsck /dev/sdaX on all partitions (X= 1 through 7), on the off chance that I would get something…I don’t know… it did not help

Any wisdom that you can spare?

PS: Mine is a 4 TB, does it matter? should the booting files be the same?

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Posting this here too, just so you see it.

Here’s what I did once it started blinking red:

After I went through all the directions and telnet stuff, it has you pull the plug and remove the USB. Once you plug it in it’ll start blinking blue then change to blinking red. At that point, in whatever web browser you use, type in the IP address listed on the bottom of the MyCloud and hit enter. You’ll then get to the MyCloud safe mode GUI. It’ll say something like, the firmware is corrupt and it’ll give you an option to browse your computer and upload a new one. I used My_Cloud_GLCR_2.31.163. Then I clicked apply. It uploaded the file and then says it’s rebooting. I patiently watched the MyDrive blink blue for, what seemed like forever, then bam! Solid blue and back to normal!

I think you’re close. You just need to go to the IP in a web browser. Hopefully that helps! I’m happy to answer more questions!

1 Like
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As above iceman mentioned, you are mostly at last stage. During the machine in red blinking, it is under recovery mode already.

The only thing you need to do is find the correct ip of your ICloud again and type the ip address in your browser prior to update the correct firmware

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tried the router dashboard, tried scanning with Angry IP Scanner, tried arp -a on CMD window… I don’t see any other IP than the router and the notebook :rage:

… thoughts?

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Do you know if your router’s ip starting with 192.168.0.xx???

I am not sure If I am correct, after boot into recovery mode, the My cloud ip was starting with 192.168.0.xxx . I can’t detect it via my router as my router was set with ip starting 192.168.11.xx. After I use another router with ip start with 192.169.0.xx it is ok. Maybe you try to set your router start with 192.168.0.xx?

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Thanks a lot! The information is really helpful. I finally get my MyCloud 2TB working without losing any data!

The only thing I need to add to make it work in my case was below :slight_smile:

  • After successfully telnet to the device after plugging in the USB. Perform “e2fsck /dev/sda3” before continue to “mkdir…”. In my case, it found a bunch of bad blocks in my drive and fixed them.
1 Like
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:Pepegrillo, could you solve this? I have just the same problem… . :frowning:

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Yes, I solved it.
Here’s the whole story

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THANK YOU for posting these instructions!!! I used them to recover our MyCloud 4TB NAS. On or around Tuesday, 10/8/2019, our MyCloud NAS crapped out with the fast blinking blue light issue. I did tons of research and stumbled upon this thread. I have no clue why our MyCloud didn’t encounter any firmware update issues, until now. In any event, I managed to recover the drive and without any settings or data loss. :slight_smile:

For those using Linux to recover the drive, “nmap” can be used to scan for the drives IP address, as needed.

I do have a question: now that we have this recovery USB drive built, is it safe to use again, as needed? I presume we could skip the steps to move image files around and maybe just boot from the USB drive and see if that takes us directly to the point of uploading new firmware.

Thanks again!

Peace…

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Hey I’ve successfully completed all the steps but I can’t get the firmware to update. When I click Apply on the recovery screen, the circle just goes round and I don’t get the percentage complete updates. Why is that?

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I think it should be safe to use the usb again if necessary

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Do you mean your myCloud has not response after flashed the firmware? Is any change on the light?

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Is this only for Linux? I am using a mac running OS Catalina. Is there an equivalent process for mac?

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My daughters 4TB MyCloud just stopped working about 6 months ago - inaccessible over the network and flashing blue light that went on for weeks. I just completed the instructions at the beginning of this post and am delighted that it worked flawlessly. The instructions are a lot simpler than some others out there on the web (and on this forum).