My Iomega IX4-200D gets stuck at 95% when starting and refuses to boot, what should I do?

This problem can be fixed by performing a factory reset. To save the data, take the hard disks out of the device and connect them to a PC (as described in the article), and use our program to create a complete disk image. This way, you will be able to access the old data anytime by just mounting the virtual hard disk in your operating system.

What if I want to update the firmware on my ix4-200d from version 2.1.44.30050 to the latest one?

Upgrade Iomega StorCenter ix4-200d to the latest firmware currently running on 2.1.44.30050. As far as we know, the manufacturer doesn’t permit it as blocks created under versions 2.х are not supported by versions 4.х.

How to perform a factory reset on Iomega ix4-200d?

Resetting the device will let you restore the default settings for name, administrator password, date, time and email notifications. It will not affect the list of users, list of groups, IP address settings and shared resources, but related permissions for all users with administrator rights will be reset. Insert a paper clip into a special hole on the back panel of the device (the Reset button), press and hold it for 15 seconds. The front panel indicator will blink red - it means the factory reset has begun. When this process is over, you’ll have to go through initial configuration steps again.

Can Iomega ix4-200d rebuild RAID arrays on its own if one of the disks is down?

According to its specifications, Iomega ix4-200d supports RAID 5 and RAID 10 arrays. If a disk fails in a RAID 5 array consisting of four hard disks, the device will be able to rebuild the array without losing data, if the faulty disk is replaced with a similar model. It is important to replace the bad disk with a new disk of similar type and equal capacity, otherwise the array may be rebuilt incorrectly and therefore it will not work properly. As practice shows, in case of a RAID 10 array consisting of four disks where one of the disks broke down and was replaced, the device is capable of rebuilding the array, but without saving the data. That is why you should create a complete image of the healthy disks before performing the rebuild operation: you can always mount that image in our program and recover the data.

Iomega IX4-200D RAID Data Recovery: Step-by-Step Guide!

Author: Vladimir Artiukh
Editor: Oleg Afonin
Updated: 1.10.2024 11:41

Need to recover data from an Iomega IX4-200D RAID? Our comprehensive guide has got you covered! Learn step-by-step instructions and expert tips for successfully salvaging your data from the IX4-200D RAID system. Say goodbye to data loss worries and hello to recovered files!

Iomega IX4-200D RAID Data Recovery: Step-by-Step Guide!

Contents

Iomega – a company that currently belongs to Lenovo EMC – manufactures a popular series of NAS devices designed for storing large amounts of information.

A network-attached storage (or NAS for short) is a data storage server connected to a network that allows its users to access the information stored in such server.

Quite often, storing data in such devices is based on the RAID technology. A RAID-type network-attached storage is a reliable solution to keep your files safe, but there are also factors that influence data integrity regardless of how you store it. As any other device, NAS systems by Iomega/Lenovo have a certain operating life. It means that after a few years in active use all storage devices tend to fail, sooner or later. Generally, most NAS systems remain usable for three to five years on average. When a NAS finally breaks down, its users lose access to the data written to the disk array inside the storage system.

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💿 How to Recover Data from a RAID System Based on a Non-Operable Iomega IX4-200D NAS 💿

Why NAS devices fail

A network-attached storage may break down after a power failure, voltage surges, overheating, accidental formatting, reinstalling an operating system, damaging the file system (usually it affects the journal or the superblock), and as a result of mechanical issues with the hard disks or the RAID controller. Very often, data can be lost from NAS devices when users decide to update their firmware. To get your files back, you’ll need a specialized data recovery tool.

Reason	Description
Hard Drive Wear	Constant use of the NAS leads to gradual wear of the hard drives, which may cause their failure.
Overheating	Insufficient ventilation or high ambient temperature can lead to the overheating of device components.
Power Issues	Voltage fluctuations or sudden power outages can damage NAS hardware components.
Software Errors	Firmware or software failures in the NAS can cause instability and data access loss.
RAID Array Failures	Failure of one or more disks in a RAID array can result in data loss or device malfunction.
Mechanical Damage	Physical shocks or damage may cause the failure of NAS components like boards or disks.
Malware Attacks	Cybercriminals may exploit NAS vulnerabilities for attacks, leading to data loss or device blockage.
Insufficient Maintenance	Irregular maintenance, such as dust cleaning and software updates, can shorten the NAS lifespan.

The manufacturer offers a dedicated piece of software named LenovoEMC to help you restore operability of the hard disks. Yet the problem is that the main function of this tool is to format those disks. When you do that, you just lose all the information they contain, and it’s going to be difficult to restore it.

How to change RAID level for Iomega IX4-200D

This NAS model builds a RAID automatically during initial configuration. To change RAID settings, open the NAS management utility, go to the “Storage” tab – “Drive Management”, and then open “Settings”.

Choose the RAID level you need, and configure other settings, then click “Apply”. The rebuild process begins, and it takes quite a long time to complete.

While the array is being rebuilt, let’s move on to configure the storage, add a shared folder, and enable network protocols.

How to add a shared folder

To add a new folder, open the “Storage” tab – “Shares”.

“Add a Share”. Type a name for the folder and click “Create”.

To configure permissions, expand the tab “Access Permissions”. Set permissions for everyone, or add a specific user by clicking on the “plus” button – “Add access permissions” and click “Apply”.

How to configure network access and enable FTP

Now we need to enable network protocols to provide access to the network drive. Jump to the “Network” tab – “Protocols”.

Enable the protocols you need by dragging the sliders to corresponding positions; for additional settings, click on the gearwheel icon next to the protocol.

How to configure an iSCSI connection

To configure an iSCSI connection, jump to the “Storage” tab – iSCSI.

Enable it and then hit the button “Add an iSCSI drive”. Type a name, set the size, and then click “Create”. For more options, open “Settings”. In the first tab below, you can configure drive access permissions.

Now the final step is to connect it on a computer. Run iSCSI Initiator, type the IP address of the server into the “Target” field, and click “Quick Connect”.

The final step is to initialize and format it in “Disk Management”, and then it will appear in Windows Explorer.

How to recover data from a non-operable NAS

If the network-attached storage breaks down, you can try to use Linux features. For most NAS servers, Linux is their natural environment as they are formatted in Linux file systems.

RAID Recovery™ 2.7

Recover data from damaged RAID arrays inaccessible from a computer.

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However, if you know little about this operating system, we don’t recommend trying this method: a single mistake in commands may erase all information on the hard disks.

The best solution would be to use a specialized tool for recovering data from network-attached storage systems.

As most NAS devices are running on Linux-based operating systems, and their hard disks are formatted for EXT, XFS and BTRFS file systems, while RAID arrays are typically built with the use of mdadm or LVM technology, it becomes impossible to read their contents when such disk arrays are connected to a Windows computer directly.

Name	Features
Hetman RAID Recovery	Supports all RAID levels, recovery of damaged array configurations, ability to work with NAS devices from various manufacturers.
UFS Explorer	Powerful tool for RAID recovery, supports a wide range of file systems, automatic configuration recognition.
ReclaiMe	Easy to use, specializes in RAID array recovery, recovery without complex settings.
R-Studio	Supports advanced RAID recovery, ability to analyze and recover data even from heavily damaged arrays.
Wondershare Recoverit	User-friendly interface, NAS recovery support over the network, optimized for home users.
Disk Drill	Intuitive interface, data recovery from various RAID types and NAS devices.

To read the disks and retrieve any information from there, use the tried and well-tested data recovery tool for NAS solutions – Hetman RAID Recovery. It supports most popular file systems, technologies and RAID types, and in most cases it will be able to rebuild the damaged RAID automatically.

Before you start, make sure you have enough data and power cables to connect all your hard disks. It’s better to use a bunch of SATA cables to connect the disks directly to the motherboard of your computer, but if you have only a few free SATA ports, you can use USB-to-SATA adapters when necessary. Also, you will need an additional storage device to copy the retrieved data to; it can be an external hard drive, another network-attached storage, or some other device with sufficient capacity.

Take the disks out of the NAS device and connect them to a Windows computer. When the operating system has booted, open Disk Management and check if the added disks are recognized. Windows may suggest to initialize or format the drives to be able to access them. Remember to never agree to either operation, because it can erase the remaining information completely.

Оpen Disk Management and check if the added disks are recognized

Download, install and start the data recovery tool. Hetman RAID Recovery will identify the disks automatically, read their service information and rebuild the damaged RAID system.

As this device is based on Linux LVM technology, the disk array is displayed in the separate field with the title “RAID Volumes”.

This volume is based on XFS file system. To access the volume contents, you need to scan it first. Right-click on it and choose “Open”.

Choose the scan type to run, and click “Next” to start searching for lost files. Wait for the process to be over, and then switch to search results by clicking “Finish”.

The program has found all the files that have been written to the disk. Select the files you want to recover and click “Recovery”, choose the disk where to save them and specify the directory, then click “Recovery” and “Finish”. After that, follow the path you have chosen and check if the recovered files are there.

Hetman RAID Recovery offers extra features to improve effectiveness of working with RAID disks that have hardware issues. It lets you create disk images and then analyze these images instead of the actual hard disks in order to reduce disk usage and prevent them from breaking down at the most inappropriate moment.