Recovering data from dead iomega networked media storage

[anitawickman]

I have two older Iomega 1TB StorCenter Network Hard Drives model number NHDD4. I bought them in 2007. Unfortunately they are not compatible with Windows 7 and I don't have access to Windows XP. Any suggestions on how to transfer the files from these useless wireless drives to a different drive?

 

[phil22]

Vista was first launched that year so they might work on Vista if you have a friend with a Vista PC?

 

[anitawickman]

I called Iomega and they told me Windows XP is the last version it will work on.

 

[fzabkar]

I'm no networking expert, but ISTM that your NAS should work on any OS, even DOS, without any special software from Iomega.

AFAICT, all that Iomega's software does is to determine the IP address of the NAS on your network and then give you the opportunity to configure it. In fact you could do exactly the same thing by typing the NAS's IP address into your browser, eg ...

http://192.168.1.103

In win9x you can determine the IP address range of your LAN by typing "winipcfg" into the Start -> Run box. I don't know what tools are available in Windows 7, but here is a freeware tool:

http://www.zhacks.com/ipconfig-gui-or-winipcfg-for-windows-7/

Alternatively, go to Start -> Run and type ...

cmd

Then, at the command prompt, type ...

ipconfig

In fact, the setup instructions for Linux users appear to confirm that the only function of the software (Iomega Discovery Tool Software for Linux) is to "discover" the NAS on the network. All the rest can be done via the NAS's browser interface, after which your NAS should appear in Windows' Network Neighbourhood.

Another way to access your files would be via FTP. To this end you could download a freeware FTP client, eg ...

http://filezilla-project.org/download.php (FileZilla)
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ (PuTTY)
http://winscp.net/ (WinSCP)

Here is an article that explains how to gain read/write FTP access to your NAS using Windows Explorer:

How to use FTP via Windows Explorer:
http://support.hostgator.com/articles/ftp/how-to-use-ftp-via-windows-explorer

You may also be able to access your NAS by typing the following at a Windows command prompt:

ftp 192.168.1.104

The actual IP address will depend on your network.

Type "?" to see a list of FTP commands.

FYI, Iomega's StorCenter user manual states that "your drive is shipped from the factory with no password set."

"If you have lost or forgotten your password, reset the drive to the factory defaults by holding the power button down until the drive activity light flashes red. Once the drive activity light returns to solid blue, run Iomega Discovery Tool again.

NOTE: If you set the configuration option to disable the factory reset button, you cannot return the drive to default settings."

The following resources may be useful.

Installing the Drive - Linux Users:
http://www.iomega.com/support/manuals/storcenter/en/consolidated/linux.html

Support & Downloads » StorCenter Network 1TB (4HD x 250GB) » All Operating Systems:
https://iomega-na-en.custhelp.com/app/cust_alp/p/1031,1007/p_pv/2.1007/

User's Manual - Iomega® StorCenter Wireless Network Storage:
http://www.iomega.com/support/manuals/storcenter/en/consolidated/main.html#quad

 

[anitawickman]

Best answer selected by anitawickman.