recovering files from an 'old' freeNAS box

[Jason Campbell]

Hello everyone, the usual needy first post…

Back in 2007/8 I built a freeNas (so pre-fork) out of a circa 2004 bits. I don’t think it is relevant but for completeness the system specification was;

Sempron 64 (the original single core version), 1GB DDR1 (one stick), various PATA HDD (JSOB).

The box was used headless mainly for file back-up and some limited uPnP streaming to an Xbox 360. I understand and have read the official position on such media streaming and I’m not overly concerned one way or the other about those files, however someone has requested a piece of academic work I did (obviously so good it was never published).

Anyway that’s the problem, recovering the files. While my memory (inside my head) is probably faulted the freeNAS failed because the cheap and nasty USB stick it ran from failed, around the same time I’d bought a HP N4L Microserver and was using WHS 2011. To my mind the files were still backed up, even if not readily accessible, and since I didn’t expect to need them the freeNAS got put in the attic, at some point its PSU was used for something else (not a problem, I have a spare).

Yesterday I reclaimed the freeNAS box and now want to revive it so I can get the files. I have a decent 8GB USB Stick but I’m worried about over-writing any of the files I need. Can I just disconnect all the HDD and boot from the USB stick using the Live USB image? Then physically reconnect the HDD and mount them.

I have no clue about what version of the old freeNAS I was using, but I seem to remember I had set it up to use/install on a HDD (from a live CD) and the configuration file was on the USB stick- does that sound right? Is there a preferred version of nas4free for this type of task, or doesn’t it matter? Am I making any sense or just going about things completely the wrong way?

Once I have rescued the files I will scrap this box so the instability inherent in the USB flash drive is not of great concern to me.

[b0ssman]

you didnt write anything about the filesystem used.

if its ufs single drive just boot a new version of nas4free and mount it.

[Jason Campbell]

Sorry, I didn’t, you are quite right. I think it would have been ufs or might it have been fat 32, I have a feeling the Xbox would only read FAT 32? What I do know is it wasn’t ZFS, I’m a simple chap and so went with simple solutions.

I’ll download the live USB and see how I get on.

[b0ssman]

if its fat 32. recover the data from a windows box.