Why does WD My Cloud EX4100 have so many problems on MacOS? This time, unexpected error prevents file copy

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

Once again, another problem with this very pricey storage solution.

Tried to transfer a little jpg, it immediately gives an unexpected error, and leaves a file with zero bites. I am able to delete the zero byte file.

Further testing shows that no matter what drive I try to move files from, this happens.

WTF folks? This system cost $1500, why are there so many problems? And do we know what this issue is? I notice that the drive usually takes about 30 seconds to a minute to initially spin up, could this be it? I am also using this drive for Time Machine, for my internal drive, does this impact my usage.

Because this is getting FRUSTRATING.

2 Likes
2

@simpleknight

  1. What “unexpected error message and code” is presented by macOS when this occurs? Posting a screenshot helps.
  2. Does the issue occur when you are connection via AFP or SMB or both?
  3. Are their time differences between the My Cloud and the macOS?
  4. Any macOS or network firewall, malware, anti virus or data security software that could be preventing the data transfer from completing?
  5. Have you tried connecting the My Cloud directly to the macOS ethernet port (if it has one) and then doing the data transfer eliminating the external network from the picture?
  6. Have you powered off the macOS and My Cloud (not reboot) and powered both back on and have the same results?
  7. Have you contacted support with the above information and system logs from the My Cloud?
3

Answers to your questions:

  1. When I did a search for the error, it didn’t come up, but I think it was something like 10000093 or similar.
  2. I have only connected via SMB
  3. No, the time is the same
  4. No anti-virus software. Standard firewall on with default settings. Would be annoyed if I can’t use the default firewall.
  5. I have not directly connected the unit. This would also be annoying, as it would disconnect my internet while the transfer is occurring, and would partially defeat the purpose of having a NAS.
  6. Rebooting both the computer and the drive did solve the problem. However, that doesn’t change my annoyance at this happening at all. Again, this is a $1500 piece of hardware, I don’t think it unreasonable to expect it not to have these kinds of errors. I should have to reboot the system multiple times a week for reliable access, which is what has been required so far.
  7. I have not yet contacted support. Previous contacts about other issues were not particularly fruitful, so I thought I’d try here.
4

This problem has recurred, but in a different way. Two issues have surfaced, both these and the previous issue I found were related to using SMB instead of AFP. When I moved to AFP, all of my issues went away. Then, firmware updates forced me back to SMB because AFP is no longer supported. Here are the symptoms now:

  1. If I try to drag copy files, I get the error “File already exists” even if I try to drag to a different folder

  2. When I try to save some files (Apple Motion, Adobe Photoshop, Sound Studio), I get the error “The document [document name] could not be saved”.

I don’t have these errors with local drives, only with my WD MyCloud EX4100. The issue will go away if I disconnect and reconnect the drive, but that’s no a good solution, because after about 30 minutes, it will recur. At that point, I am in the middle of work, and I shouldn’t have to do that every 30 minutes.

5

Its disappointing when a high priced product encounters issues.
Check for firmware updates or software patches from the manufacturer to ensure you have the latest version. Test transferring files of different formats and sizes to see if the issue is file-specific. Connect the storage solution directly to your computer without any intermediary devices. If possible, try using a different USB port to rule out connectivity problems. Consider reaching out to the manufacturer’s customer support for specific guidance and assistance.

6

Thanks for taking time to respond.

Unfortunately, I have done all of these things, which is why I came to the forum to see if anyone had additional insight that the very nice, but frankly not very knowledgable, WD support staff aren’t aware of.

BTW, one of the things I noticed was that whenever a firmware update was pending, the system seemed to have additional problems.

I was using AFP, and frankly preferred it because it never had these issues. However, I could not find a way to prevent firmware updates (there was a certain version that no longer supports AFP, and apparently that is true of newer versions of macOS), and every time one was pending, the NAS freaked out in one way or another. I got tired of having to fight with the firmware update system, and also found that I finally needed to also update macOS, so I moved to SMB. That was going fine for a bit, but now I have this issue again.

For the record, it seems like if the NAS is connected for more than an hour or so, that is when this issue creeps in. If I disconnect and reconnect, that seems to often solve it, but every time it’s been connected for a while, this starts happening again.

It’s really infuriating, and this, combined with a flurry of other WD drive failures (a drive in the NAS failed, I replaced it with a new sealed drive, waited for it to rebuild, then that drive failed [I await the RMA results]; and several USB 3 external drives that I use for backup failing to mount even though they hadn’t been used for a year or two), I find it really hard to recommend WD products to anyone.

I am in the works to find a different solution for my NAS, but until then, anyone with experience solving this particular issue is welcome.

7

Once again, another problem with this very pricey storage solution.

Tried to transfer a little jpg, it immediately gives an unexpected error, and leaves a file with zero bites. I am able to delete the zero byte file.

Further testing shows that no matter what drive I try to move files from, this happens.

WTF folks? This system cost $1500, why are there so many problems? And do we know what this issue is? I notice that the drive usually takes about 30 seconds to a minute to initially spin up, could this be it? I am also using this drive for Time Machine, for my internal drive, does this impact my usage.

Because this is getting FRUSTRATING.

8

I am on Mac, and when I encounter this, which is still far too often, I find the following to be helpful:

  1. Try again - often the second or even third try works. I have no idea why, but this does sometimes allow the file transfer.

  2. Disconnect and reconnect to the drive - I have this idea that somehow the connection “spoils” and if I reconnect, it often allows the file transfer or copy. Of course, sometimes the error happens right when the drive is first connected. This is when trying again seems to help.

I also notice that the method sometimes makes a difference. That is, if I option drag, this is when the file is most likely to have an error (I’m often copying to the same drive and renaming). However, if I copy/paste, that may work instead. So you may want to try copy pasting instead of clicking and dragging to see if that solves the issue for that transfer.

The bottom line: it is unacceptable that this device is unreliable in this way. Unfortunately, Drobo is out of business, so I’m still exploring alternatives that will be more reliable.

I would NOT trust this NAS as a time machine backup. I tried several times to get it to work reliably, and finally gave up. There MAY be a way to do it, but I haven’t found one that I would trust.