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KB ID: 4168

Recovering a 3010 or 5010 series TeraStation in Emergency Mode


NOTE: This procedure requires a PC running Windows!

In the event of a boot problem or other OS failure the OS can be reloaded by using the firmware update program available from the Buffalo website.

NOTE: This process may be data destructive. If you do not have a current backup of critical data on the TeraStation and wish to retrieve the data, please contact a data recovery service such as DriveSavers for assistance with recovering the data.

Any boot problems will result in the TeraStation coming up in “Emergency Mode”. The TeraStation will be listed in NAS Navigator with a name matching the model number followed by “EM” and the last three characters of the LAN 1 MAC address. Here is an example:

Please note that the icon for the TeraStation may display either the blue circle shown above or a yellow triangle, depending on the cause of the error.

In order to recover the OS follow these steps:

  1. Download the latest firmware updater from the Buffalo website at http://www.buffaloamericas.com.
  2. Unzip the file.
  3. Navigate to the folder containing the file TSUpdater.exe and TSUpdater.ini.
  4. Open the file TSUpdater.ini in a text editor.
  5. The last line in the file should be “NoFormatting = 1”. Change the “1” to “0” and save the file.
  6. Execute the TSUpdater.exe program.
  7. The updater program should display the TeraStation in question as available to be updated.
  8. Verify that the TeraStation is the correct unit and click the “Update” button.
  9. You may get a warning that the unit will be formatted.
  10. Click "Yes" to continue the repairing the TeraStation.
  11. You should see the following notifications. No further interaction with the updater program should be required. If an error should occur, simply restart the process and it should continue. Please note that this process will take several minutes, please be patient.






  12. The TeraStation may need to reboot multiple times to complete the process. Once it is complete you should see this notification:
  13. At this point the update is complete and the TeraStation should be visible in NAS Navigator with no errors. Please note that the unit may show the current array set to RAID 0. This is expected behavior.
  14. Open the GUI for the TeraStation. You should get the factory default initial screens to set the admin password, time zone, and other settings. You should also get this screen to set the RAID type:
  15. Select the desired RAID type and click "Next". For four drive units RAID 5 is recommended. For 6, 8, and 12 drive units RAID 6 may be desired as it offers better redundancy and reliability.

The OS reload is now complete. Your may begin using the TeraStation normally after restoring data from the backup.

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