Linkstation Pro LS-XHL Firmware Corrupted

[strgzr]

   

Please help!

 

My 2-week old LS-XHL suddenly stopped working - I can no longer log in and it is no longer recognized on the network.  I used the function button to reset the admin password to the default "password", but still cannot logon.  I downloaded the firmware from the Buffalo Technology website to try and reflash the OS, but can't get that to work because the updater insists that both versions (the one in the drive and the one I downloaded) are the same and won't reflash, even if I set the  CheckVersion flag to 0 in te LSupdater.ini file.

 

Basically, the LS-XHL has turned into a doorstop.  Simply returning it for an exchange and losing all of the data on it is not an acceptable solution.

 

I could take the thing apart and try and copy the data directly from the drive (it's XFS formatted, a Unix box will read it), but that probably will void my warranty and then I'm still out the NAS.

 

Anyone with an idea how to force a reflash?

 

TIA 

  

[Dustrega]

Taking out the HDDs will not void your warranty. The NAS is built to have the drives removed at one point or another. Secondly, if you've tried editting the Lsupdater.ini that means that you've seen the force firmware steps but didn't follow through on the others:

 

   1. After editting the .ini file with the below options:

 

[Flags]
VersionCheck = 0

[SpecialFlags]
Debug = 1

 

  2. Run the firmware updater and right-click on the titlebar of the updater window and choose Debug (D)

  3. Another window should come up please refer to the image below as to what should/shouldn't be checked:

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt109/Dustrega/Buffy%20forums/Debugmode.jpg" border="0" />

   4. Click OK and run the updater.

 

   I think the main problem here is that even though you disabled the version check you didn't tell the updater to force the firmware. Give it a shot and post your results :)

Message Edited by Dustrega on 04-06-2009 05:33 PM

[strgzr]

   

Curiouser and curiouser...

 

I reset the unit using the function button (took me several tries), which changed the admin password to "password" and then found that the Linkstation was working again ?! (but the Web Access set up was wiped out...)  (I had already changed the .ini file to add the SpecialFlags item as you suggested, but didn't know about right-clicking the title bar, so I never was able to re-flash).  I also found out that Chrome doesn't seem to allow me to log on to the Linkstation when I use the LAN URL, but IE and Firefox do, using the exact same credentials.  Go figure.

 

Of course, I am rather paranoid that the same thing might happen again - I am going to run out and buy a USB drive to back up the most important files on the LS... 

 

By the way, as far as I can tell from pictures I have seen (http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30709/170/1/3/" target="_blank">http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/content/view/30709/170/1/3/), removing the drive from this NAS is far from trivial - the access tabs are covered with stickers which would need to be ripped, and once inside, removing the drive seems a bit complicated, this is definitely not designed for the drive to be easily swappable.