HDD Read Only

If the B2 detects a problem with the hard disk it protects the data already on the disk by making the disk Read Only.

This is displayed on the scrolling status line of the OLED display as HDD Read Only.

You can still play music but you will not be able to load any music to the disk or make changes to playlists or settings for example.

Sometimes this condition is transient - typically caused by a power glitch. We occasionally see it in the lab if we fumble the power lead when we connect a B2.

This transient condition will go away if you turn the B2 off and on allowing a few seconds between.

HDD Read Only can also be caused by turning off  the system while its writing to the disk. In this case the file system contains an inconsistency or corruption that will not go away when you turn off and on and you need to fix it.

This is a persistent HDD Read Only condition - but you may only see it from time to time - because it affects only one track or album or folder.

The best approach to fix a persistent HDD Read Only is to

  1. backup the music to an external disk if you do not already have a backup
  2. reformat the B2 internal disk
  3. restore the music from the backup

Here are the steps in more detail

  1. USB Functions > Export to C
  2. Settings > Maintenance > Stop NAS
  3. Settings > Maintenance > Advanced > Format HDD
  4. Turn off and on.
  5. USB Functions > Import from C

The disk corruption may prevent you from creating a backup - or it may only backup a part - thats why its important to backup regularly. 

The disk corrupton could ultimately result from a physical defect or damage on the disk - in which case the problem is likely to recur after reformating - and you need to replace the hard disk.

If you cannot create a backup then all is not lost - we have succesfully used PC based disk recovery tools to recover music from otherwise unreadable B2 disks. You may be able to do it yourself (we use Wondershare Data Recovery) or find a local data recovery service.

If you need our help email us.