Linkstation Pro Duo: Best Way to Wipe Drives?

[newprometheus]

Hi,

I keep sensitive/private data on my Linkstation Pro Duo, and I plan on upgrading to another NAS solution and potentially selling this unit sometime soon, so I need some guidance on the best way to wipe the drives on my Linkstation Pro Duo so that my sensitive/private data cannot be retrieved.

Please advise.

Thank you!

[TheSidewinder]

If you are adamant that the data on them literally cannot be retrieved, the only guaranteed way to achieve that is to take the drives to a recycler that puts them in a metal shredder, and insist you be allowed to watch as your drives are destroyed.

Otherwise use a disk "wiping" program with multiple passes.

[newprometheus]

First, thank you for your response!

No, I do not mean "cannot" in the absolute sense.  So, physically destroying the drives would be too extreme, particularly considering that I want to potentially sell the Linkstation Duo Pro, so it needs to be operational.

My concern with using the wiping software, is that it would take forever with the drives in the unit.  Can I easily remove the drives without damaging the unit?  If so, how?  My hope would be to remove a drive from the unit, connect it to a computer as a local drive, then use the wiping software on the local drive, replace the drive, and use the linkstation to re-format it to whatever format the linkstation prefers.  I wonder if there is some kind of documented procedure for this.

Also, can you recommend any free wiping software for Windows?

Thank you!

[TheSidewinder]

It depends on the model, but almost all Buffalo units allow you to remove and replace the drives. So yes, you could take the drives out, attach them to a PC, and run whatever wiping software you use.

But that may also remove the boot info on the drives, so you'd have to either replace that boot info from recovery/emergency mode and then sell it, or sell it with the understanding that the buyer will have to do that, if that does happen.

I haven't used wiping software in... oh, decades. Can't recommend one, sorry.

[newprometheus]

It depends on the model, but almost all Buffalo units allow you to remove and replace the drives. So yes, you could take the drives out, attach them to a PC, and run whatever wiping software you use.

But that may also remove the boot info on the drives, so you'd have to [..] replace that boot info from recovery/emergency mode [..]

Excellent!  Is there, perchance, any sort of documented procedure for removing the drives or replacing the boot info on the drives?

Thank you!

[joma90]

Here is there hard drive replacement manual.
http://manual.buffalo.jp/buf-doc/35011501-1_EN.pdf

If you have the LS-WVL or LS-WXL this is the manual for that. i wasnt sure which LinkStation Pro Duo you have as there is 2 of them i believe.

[newprometheus]

Thank you, Joma90!

Unfortunately, I think that manual is for the other version of the LinkStation Pro Duo.

I am using a Buffalo LinkStation Pro Duo (model LS-WTGL/R1-V3) with firmware version 3.07.

I'll start looking for the manual for this version, but please don't hesitate to post a link here if you find it first.

Thank you!

[joma90]

Here you go,

http://cdn.cloudfiles.mosso.com/c85091/LinkStation_Pro_Duo_Manual_web.pdf

[newprometheus]

I appreciate your willingness to help, Joma90, but that document is not helpful.  If you recall, I am looking for the hard drive replacement procedure for my LinkStation model, so that I can remove the drives, wipe them, and then replace them.

You had previously provided a link to the Hard Drive Replacement Procedure, but it was for a different model.  This time, you provided a link to the full user manual for the LinkStation model I have, but it does not indicate anything regarding the Hard Drive Replacement Procedure.

So in summary, I am still looking for the Hard Drive Replacement Procedure for the LinkStation Pro Duo (model LS-WTGL/R1-V3).

Thank you!

[newprometheus]

I seem to have found an unofficial procedure here:

http://buffalo.nas-central.org/wiki/Changing_disk_to_LS_PRO_DUO

What, if anything, do I need to do to get the Linkstation operational again once I physically pull the two drives, wipe them, and replace them?

It sure would be helpful if someone from Buffalo Technologies could share some insight on this please.

Thank you!

[joma90]

If you completely wipe the drives, you will have to do TFTP Boot Procedures and then follow up with a force update once unit is in EM mode.

TFTP Boot Procedures
http://forums.buffalotech.com/index.php?topic=10185.0

If you have one USB port on the back then you want to download "TFTP Boot Recovery LS-WTGL-v1 1.08.exe"

If you have 2 USB ports on the back then you want to download "TFTP Boot Recovery LS-WTGL-v3 3.08.exe"

When downloading the firmware, make sure you download the same version as the TFTP image.