LS421DE - Emergency Mode—No Data Needed—Free beer if you can solve my issue!

[johnchristopher]

I pulled both 4TB drives from my LS421DE. I reformatted them (as exFAT) and put them back into NAS. The bare drives are fully functional, with no issues when tested outside of the NAS.

Now I'm stuck in Emergency Mode, and re-initializing using the function button isn't helping. (Blinks white then solid, then red led goes on). NAS Navigator sees the device on the net, but when choosing Configure... I get a prompt to change my IP address. I've played along, and I get the message that the IP couldn't be confirmed and I can't go any further. I've also tried connecting via my web browser but just get "This site can't be reached."

No data needed on the drives. I need the NAS to work like it was.

Any assistance would be much appreciated! And, if I can find a way to ship beer to you, I will!

[oxygen8]

"I reformatted them (as exFAT) "

this is wrong
try empty disks
both have to use GPT

[1000001101000]

In case you don't have this already:
https://www.buffalotech.com/knowledge-base/Initial-Setup-of-LinkStation-421DE-or-441DE-Diskless-Enclosure

Put in completely blank drives, do not format or partition. Should be able to use the above procedure.