Why FreeNAS formats the external USB drive while setting it up, erasing all existing data on the drive?

[cerrix]

Hi, I installed freenas for the first time on an old laptop.
I attached a usb 500gb drive with data in it, to share it on my home network.
But I hardly discover that all my data are goone, becouse I am dumb and I connect tha usb whitout knowing that
setting up a usb hhd on freenas will erase my data.
Any way to recover data?
Many thanks
Francesco

 

[Patrick M. Hausen]

I feel sorry for your loss of data, but you did see this dialog in the installer?

Apart from commercial data recovery tools or even professional service there is no way I know to get that data back. And it will definitely be only parts if anything at all.

Patrick

 

[SweetAndLow]

Hi, I installed freenas for the first time on an old laptop.
I attached a usb 500gb drive with data in it, to share it on my home network.
But I hardly discover that all my data are goone, becouse I am dumb and I connect tha usb whitout knowing that
setting up a usb hhd on freenas will erase my data.
Any way to recover data?
Many thanks
Francesco

lots and lots of warnings tell you it will erase things. You clicked ok to every single one of them. Not only does the installer warn you but if you make a pool it warns you also.

 

[cerrix]

I feel sorry for your loss of data, but you did see this dialog in the installer?

Apart from commercial data recovery tools or even professional service there is no way I know to get that data back. And it will definitely be only parts if anything at all.

Patrick

Thanks for sorries, my wife is definatley not! I did it from web GUI, and as you can see from screenshot.

lots and lots of warnings tell you it will erase things. You clicked ok to every single one of them. Not only does the installer warn you but if you make a pool it warns you also.

I totally ignore that "existing data will be cleared".

Any way, Is there a way to attach an external HHD from USB with data in it, and share it to the network?

Thanks for your time
Francesco

 

[SweetAndLow]

Thanks for sorries, my wife is definatley not! I did it from web GUI, and as you can see from screenshot.



I totally ignore that "existing data will be cleared".

Any way, Is there a way to attach an external HHD from USB with data in it, and share it to the network?

Thanks for your time
Francesco

You're using a very old version of freenas. If you're going to use it might as well use the moose recent version so you get all the new features and security fixes.

Second using an external USB drive will not result in a good experience. Freenas uses the zfs filesystem so that's why everything for wiped. The drive needs to be formatted. Freenas expects all drives to be internal sata connected drives. Have you read the manual, I suggest reading that and the resources section here on the forums.