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Products => Wireless => : dotsi August 05, 2010, 05:26:17 AM

: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: dotsi August 05, 2010, 05:26:17 AM

I am experiencing some weird problems with the WZR-HP-G300NH and a WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive.

 

Sometimes the router just can't recognize the drive at all, displaying just the notorious "No recognizable devices connected" message on the NAS page of the router admin interface. When the drive is shown, though, it can be accessed from my Windows box just fine - and here's the catch - for a while. Then, after some time, the drive just becomes inaccessible and has disappeared from the router.

 

When connected to the computer directly, the drive works just fine.

 

I have formatted the drive as XFS using the router's own format tool.

 

Are there any known incompatibility issues between these two devices? Wich external hard drive would work better, if any? Do I have a faulty router?

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Jotin August 05, 2010, 09:41:46 AM

Have you tried mapping a network drive to the hard drive?

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: dotsi August 05, 2010, 09:50:08 AM

Yes I have, when the drive is accessible. Naturally when the drive is not recognized by the router, it can't be mapped in the Windows box.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Jotin August 05, 2010, 10:23:02 AM

It could be that the drive is a 1tb drive. It only supports up to 500gb. Have you tried any other drives? I havnt heard of any incompatiblity between drives unless their raid drives. You may want to try updating the firmware or if your already on the latest version, reflashing the current firmware and the resetting the unit.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: dotsi August 05, 2010, 12:13:55 PM

Yes, the drive is 1TB. Is 500GB really the max supported size of the external USB drive? The router has the latest firmware (1.74). Would reflashing and/or resetting help to the max size issue?

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Jotin August 05, 2010, 12:22:12 PM

Unfortunately not but it may fix the connectivity issues. The unit may have just created a 500 gb partition and left the rest unallocated.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: dotsi August 10, 2010, 01:27:53 PM

OK. Any idea whether the size limitation issue will be fixed with the DD-WRT firmware?

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 11, 2010, 10:46:58 PM

I am having the same issue with my 1TB Seagate Free Agent drive. I partitioned and formatted the drive several different ways;  XFS, FAT32, both with single and multiple partitions. The router will recognize the drive when the router is first booted, but loses it shortly after. 

 

 I have an 8GB flashdrive that has two FAT32 partitions. The router has no problem recognizing and maintaining the flashdrive.

 

Can anyone tell me why there is no NTFS support, and why the 500GB limitation?

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 08:52:45 AM

UPDATE

 

I spent another couple hours last night trying to get the Seagate drive to work. I noticed that the drive has a power saving feature where it will spin down and go to sleep when not in use. When I ask the router to connect to the drive the drive does not wake up. When I change an advanced setting under disk management the drive will wake up momentarily. When this happens the USB disk information will list a drive that needs a disk assignment but it will not let me complete the task. My guess here is that the router has to capability to communicate to the drive to wake up but it is not doing so. After a little research

 

So far I have been able to get the router to see the drive periodicaly only with FAT32 format and not at all with XFS. I am in no way an expert in drive formats but both choices seem pretty limiting.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Jotin August 12, 2010, 09:28:15 AM

Sir, that seagate is definitely not supproted by this unit because of the sleep function. And NTFS is a windows format, so I dont see why you would expect it to work on anything but windows. The nas feature is coded in linux hence the support of the linux format xfs.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Jotin August 12, 2010, 09:31:17 AM

dotsi, Im unaware of when the DD WRT firmware will come out for this unit and we have not recieved any information on what the firmware can do yet.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 10:21:03 AM

 


Jotin wrote:

Sir, that seagate is definitely not supproted by this unit because of the sleep function. And NTFS is a windows format, so I dont see why you would expect it to work on anything but windows. The nas feature is coded in linux hence the support of the linux format xfs.


Jotin,

 

   I really want help getting my drive to work, and I don't appreciate the snide comment. I would expect NTFS support since many external drives come with NTFS. I would suspect that many drives come with NTFS because Windows has something like a 90% market share. As for the sleep function this is very common on newer drives.  I find it odd that in the planning for this device none of this was considered.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 11:48:50 AM

   SO! I called Buffalo tech support for a couple issues including this one. After an hour and a half we came to a few conclusions. They did not think the sleep function had anything to do with the router not recognizing the drive. They did tell me that they have a drive that they actually know will work. It is a Western Digital My Book 500GB drive (wdbaaf5000ebk-nesn) which BTW has a sleep function.

 

    I packaged up the 1TB drive that I paid $99 for and brought it back to Best Buy only to pay $89 for the WD that is half the size. I hooked up the new drive and the router did not recognize it, so I plugged it into my laptop, low and behold its formatted NTFS!!!! Who woulda thought!?!?!?!

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 12:18:19 PM

So I reformatted this drive to Fat32. It still doesn't work. Thanks Gary at Buffalo Tech support!!!!!  

 

I made my second call to Buffalo tech support and learned that you can not attach any drive that comes with software pre installed. Also you cannot use drive docks or generic drive enclosures as they do not work either. Lastly that Gary has worked there about a month.

 

I already regret my purchase, and I have been a long time buffalo fan.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: kalven August 12, 2010, 12:32:34 PM

I had a drive in FAT 32, when connected to the router it picked it up fine then I formatted it to XFS via the router, and works good ever since.  I never tried it in NTFS, I am not sure about the sleep function.  I would test the same drive in a different format

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 12:39:33 PM

Which drive are you using?   I ask because tech support just told me that I couldn't use this WD My Book or any other drive that came with software on it even if I reformat it. I have seen other people on here using mainstream drives that come with software.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Jotin August 12, 2010, 12:41:52 PM

I appologize if my response came off as rude it was not ment to. I also appologize if gary gave you the wrong info. And yes, some do come in ntfs and thats why the unit can format those drives in fat32. NTFS is windows only and FAT32 works across all devices hence why it is still in use even though its such an old format. But what this units supports a simple unit with no pre installed software, no sleep function, no usb hub,  and a partition with a size limit of 500GBs in fat32 or xfs.

 

http://buffalotech.com/products/desktop-hard-drives/drivestation/drivestation-combo-hd-ceiu2/

 

This unit will be perfect for this router. I hope that this will solve your issue.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 01:13:14 PM

Thanks for the response Jotin. I understand, tonality is hard to express in text. Thank you for the part number for the Buffalo drive. I have read through the forum quite a bit and I see other people using drives that technically should not work. Do you have any idea how they are doing this?

 

       I am not sure if I will be buying any more buffalo equipment or even keeping this router. In a highly competitive environment such as consumer tech product must be refined and reliable. When the roadmap for this product was developed the key initiatives should have been and always should be "ease of use" and "performance".  So far this product has not shown "ease of use" and it is hard to measure performace when you can't even get it to work.

 

     I have more than six hours into this set up so far. I hold Ciso and Procurve certifications. I do not consider myself an expert but I certainly am not new to IT. I think this set up should have been much easier.

 

If Buffalo had written in the spec the limitations of the NAS on this device I could have greatly reduced the set up time by purchasing the right drive the first time or simply by not buying this router at all. A 500GB limitation seems odd when most people are buying drives in the Terrabyte range.

 

 

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: sofa_king_gay August 12, 2010, 06:50:15 PM

Dude

 

Only 500mb?  Can you do multiple partitions? I just got the 2TB WD Desktop Elements.  My router is on its way and I had no idea of this "limitation".  When looking up XFS its theoretical limit is  "16 binary terabytes." so its obviously the router.  Please say that you can have multiple XFS partitions. 

 

If you are only allowed to use 500mb that would be sofa king gay! 

 

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 07:03:06 PM

    Third trip to Best Buy to return the WD My Book and pick up the WD Element drive. According to the WD website and the employee at Best Buy this drive is featureless. No sleep function, no software, nada.....  I got a confused look from the poor young girl at the counter when I showed her my previous receipts since it showed the last exchange.

 

     I brought the new drive home. I plugged the drive in and with no surprise the router did not see it.  So I hooked it up to my laptop and deleted all partitions. I searched for hidden partitions using diskpart and found none. I point this out specifically because according to Buffalo tech this is why my last two drives failed.  I formatted the drive FAT32 less than 500GBs. Plugged back into the router and NADA.

 

OK Buffalo. I give up. Eight hours of my own time trying to get this router to work correctly. That's at $30 an hour. I think you owe me $240. That's a deal since I am not including mileage.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: NickR August 12, 2010, 07:08:02 PM

Sofa_king_gay,

    Thats right. 500GB is the limit and NO partitions.  This information should be right on the spec sheet.  Does anyone know if DD-WRT recognizes larger drives?

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Dustrega August 16, 2010, 06:32:08 PM

Probably best to ask them.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: sofa_king_gay August 18, 2010, 09:37:43 PM

Best to ask them?

 

 

Why is there a size limitation on the xfs file system on this router?  Will this be fixed and not a mandated limit on size in the future?

 

There is nothing on the specs that say there is a limit.  The Buffalotech site just talks about its AirShare

 

"Share Wirelessly with AirShare™"

The built-in AirShare port lets you connect any USB storage device for shared storage directly over your network.


When connected to the router, the USB hard drive acts as a simple NAS on your home network for easy sharing of your favorite pictures, movies and music across all of your connected PCs, Macs and multimedia devices. If you are away from home, you can even access your data remotely using Buffalo's easy-to-use Web Access.

 

More specifications:

 

Built-in AirShare™ storage USB 2.0 Port

 

More specifications:

 

Number of WAN Ports1 x RJ-45

USB Interface

Standard Compliance

USB 2.0
Connector TypeA type
Number of Ports1

 

 

 

 

Please give us an answer for support of larger partitions will be supported  (that were not explained to us when we decided to purchase your router)

 


 


: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Aveyer August 18, 2010, 10:19:55 PM

Using FAT32 should allow you to use the drive, I'm using a 1TB FAT32 drive with it no problem.

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: huezo September 07, 2010, 02:00:00 PM

Hi! Here is how I got my 2 terabyte drive to work with XFS:

 

The USB HD model is WD Elements Desktop 2TB if i remember it right.

 

I had it NTFS formatted from FAT32 - router recognized it, but the formatting did not work.

 

I deleted the partition in XP disk manager - the router did not recognize it at all

 

...But when I used Norton Partition Magic 8 and deleted partition from disk,

added new extended partition as unformatted - voila!

 

HD was recognized and got formatted as XFS succesfully.

My FW is WZR-HP-G300NH Ver.1.74

(as I tried to update it first from 1.73 to fix the problem)

 

Status is now 1% filled on the 2TB drive, as it is painfully slow to transfer files in,

and I will see if it works fine over 500GB...512GB also,

as I have 3 more of these large drives to go... =D

 

: Re: Problems with WZR-HP-G300NH & WD Elements Desktop 1TB USB hard drive
: Zullwick July 15, 2011, 07:55:42 PM

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I have spent more time than I would really like to on this problem. I have a 2.5 TB Western Digital Essentials external HDD.

 

I thought it would be as easy as plugging it in and formatting it to work with the router. It'll say it's reformatting, then when it completes it says it is still unformatted.

 

I tried formatting it to xfs in gparted then putting it on the router. Still says it is unformatted. Try reformatting it, same error as before. Except that viewing it in gparted reveals that it is showing up as 2 TB of space used up.

 

Formatting it to fat32 in gparted works fine (in the router it gives an error that 32GB is the maximum size). Trying to reformat it from the Fat32 to xfs (I have many files over 4gb) gives error saying that the drive needs to be at least 32MB in size (2.5 TB isn't enough?).

 

I had called the technical support about this. I was told that it was due to a WD green function on the router. That it wouldn't be able to work at all (works fine in fat32). On here the mods say 500gb is the max (but why? 500 gb is a pretty arbitrary number. 512GB I might believe). So far the only answers I've found turn out to be false.

 

What's up?