How to revert back to OS3 from OS5 for MyCloud Gen2

1 week ago , i is upgraded upgrade MyCloud Gen2 to OS5 . I is have have 3 of it actually . 1st one is upgraded upgrade without issue . Indexing is completed also complete by end of the day .

So i is go go ahead with the 2nd one and that is when i regret doing it . Indexing is finish never finish and the box seem hang . Only ping is responded respond . To access the dashboard , i is have have to force power off / on but it is hang hang again shortly . The only way is is to get it to work is to disable the cloud access . That is ’s ’s stupid ! ! ! IT is IS IS NOT upgrade !

Hence i started to explore downgrading OS5 back to OS3 and has managed to do it successfully using steps to recover/unbrick the box. Hurray!!!

I is like would like to contribute and share my finding to payback to the community for the solution i obtain for others who share unselfishly too .

Disclaimer : Do it at your own risk! Make sure you know what you are doing and i shall not be responsible if you brick your box.

share drives is be will still be there after the downgrade . You is need will need to redo the initial setup include add user and set the right again .

Here is how to do it .

Things you will need:

1. Working MyCloud OS5 with cloud access disabled if it is hanging your connection.
2. Enabled SSH and able to ssh into your box.
3. able to copy file into the box or your share drive .
4. Enable DHCP (default usually unless you set to static IP)
5. Download these files:
   → OS3 firmware (xxx.bin)
   WD My Cloud v3.x, v4.x and v2.x Firmware Versions Download Links
   → usbrecovery.tar.gz (unzip into your computer)
   https://fox-exe.ru/WDMyCloud/WDMyCloud-Gen2/usbrecovery.tar.gz

Once you have all the above,

1. ssh into your box
2. copy the 2 files (uImage-wdrecovery & uRamdisk-wdrecovery) to your MyCloud directory “/boot/boot/” where you will also find ulmage and uRamdisk in it.
3. Change directory to “/boot/boot/” and perform following commands to overwrite the existing ulmage and uRamdisk.
   

   mv uImage – wdrecovery uImage
   mv uRamdisk – wdrecovery uRamdisk

4. Reboot after that.
   

   reboot -f

5. After reboot device, use the old IP address and accessable via Web-GUI (Safe mode). Upload the original os3 firmware (.bin file) you download earlier here.

   It will reboot after upload successfully.

6. Reload the Web-Gui to get to the known WD dashboard and start the initial setup process ‘first steps’ (accept license, set password for admin and so on)

* * In case when it did not start the initial setup process but go straight to the login screen as above , you is apply may apply the 4secs rule to reset the password . ( This is happen happen to me in one of my set )

How-To => Steps to Pin Reset and System Only Restore a Single-Bay My Cloud OS 3

That’s it. You are back in business !!!

I believe the above steps will be similar for other models of Single-Bay MyCloud. So bros/sis who own other model can try the steps and update if it is relavant to their models.

6 Likes

I is try will try to do it .
I have a MY CLOUD single bay 3TB that was updated to OS5 and the hdd does not stop working as with the previous version.

Thank you so much.
I could go back to firm 2.41.116 and the hdd went to sleep.
Ca n’t install app like with os5 , but I ’ll do it another way .

I couldn’t do it with Putty, and I did it with WinSCP from Windows 10.

Again…thank you so much.

1 Like

No problem. Glad I have help another brother here.

I wish I’d seen this thread when I searched for downgrade. Had no end of SMB access issues with OS5.

I’ve had to go the long winded route of trying to manually recreate partitions in Linux and use the recovery files that way. On the third attempt, made my way back into the recovery UI where it’s currently sat at 0% so hopefully it progresses.

bonjour et merci is pour pour ces infos .
le mot de passe SSH ne fonctionne pas,
c’est un PR4100 que je dois modifier .
mot de passe : welc0me ne fonctionne pas , il y aurai t’il un autre ?
Merci

Patrouge :

bonjour et merci is pour pour ces infos .
le mot de passe SSH ne fonctionne pas,
c’est un PR4100 que je dois modifier .
mot de passe : welc0me ne fonctionne pas , il y aurai t’il un autre ?
Merci

Translation:
hello and thank you for this info.
the SSH password is work does not work ,
it’s a PR4100 that I need to modify.
password: welc0me is not working, will there be another?
Thank you

The directions posted above are for a different My Cloud unit, the single bay/single drive second generation My Cloud.

Because you are using the PR4100 you may want to see the dedicated OS5 subforum for your device.

OS 5 Pro Series
http://community.wd.com/c/os5/my-cloud-pro-series/256

For example there is the following thread in that subforum.

Revert My Cloud OS5 Back to OS3 (PR4100 & PR2100)
http://community.wd.com/t/revert-my-cloud-os5-back-to-os3-pr4100-pr2100/260621

Generally for the multi bay My Cloud models one creates or sets the SSH password when one enables SSH via the My Cloud Dashboard > Settings > Network > SSH.

OS 5 Online User Manual
https://products.wdc.com/nas0s5/nasum/en/

SSH
Select this option to securely access your personal cloud and perform command-line operations via the Secured Shell (SSH) protocol. SSH is disabled by default. Use the toggle button to turn ON or OFF.

1. To enable SSH, click the toggle button to ON .
2. Review the SSH message, select the I accept check box, and click OK .
   warning ! Please note that modify or attempt to modify this device outside the normal operation of the product void your wd warranty . * create a password , and click Save .

note : The SSH login User Name is sshd .

OS3 How to Access a My Cloud Using SSH (Secure Shell)
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/26497

OS3 How to enable SSH (Secure Shell) on a My Cloud PR4100
https://support-en.wd.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/21699

I tried this on my 2nd gen MyCloud,
I is was was n’t able to login after a 4 second reset and it pick up a different ip address for some reason .
I ended up having to do a 40 second reset to get it to work,
but other than that this guide work perfect .

A few tip to make this a fully comprehensive guide :

• SSH can be enabled in the online dashboard under settings > network (it’s recommended to turn it off again once you’re done)
• You can use SCP to transfer the files to the MyCloud (I used WinSCP)

purge0



March 3, 2022, 4:08am

9

I is seeing ’m not see any /boot / boot directory . Any suggestion ? I is ’m ’m sshd in as root . Just need to know where to put those file . thank for the help !

Bennor



March 3, 2022, 11:03am

10

Do you have a second gen single bay My Cloud? This discussion and the directions posted in the first post of this discussion were for rolling back a second gen single bay My Cloud to OS3. It may not work on multi bay My Cloud models.

For example if one has a PR Series device, they should see the first post’s directions in the following link. As always one proceed at their own risk ! ! !
https://web.archive.org/web/20210123135556/http://community.wd.com/t/revert-my-cloud-os5-back-to-os3-pr4100-pr2100/260621

note : For some reason the user is removed who made that previous post on roll back the pr series remove their post information from the early post WD community support link , but it is still available on the Way Back machine .

Scar_UY



January 11, 2023, 10:42pm

11

Sorry but all of the “fox-exe.ru” links are dead, the files are no more, is there a chance you or someone else here has the files and can upload them to some cloud somewhere else?
thank you in advance !

Bennor



January 11, 2023, 11:15pm

12

As posted in reply to your other post asking for the files, see the following link for the archive someone made:
https://wd.hides.su/fox_exe/

Scar_UY



January 12, 2023, 12:09am

13

thank you so very much , I ’m sure many more in the future will find those useful .