How to Properly Install and Use TOS 7 on the 424 Series TNAS

[RyanYang]

Applicable Models:
F2-424, F4-424, F4-424 Pro

Description:
Please confirm the BIOS version before proceeding.For your convenience in offline viewing, we have provided a PDF version of this guide, which you can download and save..

• Devices with BIOS version MADN0101.V04 or MADN0101.V03 should follow this guide.

• The following BIOS versions can be updated and operated with TOS7 normally without any extra adjustments: MADN0101.V05, MADN0101.V06, MADN0101.V07, MADN0101.V08, and BJFX-ADLN-109.

How to check the BIOS version: You can check the BIOS version in the Update section of the TOS Control Panel.


Issue Symptoms:
Prerequisite: The device is an F2-424, F4-424, or F4-424 Pro with BIOS version MADN0101.V04 or MADN0101.V03.
1. If the system disk is an NVMe M.2 SSD, the device boots into the initialization screen after reboot.
2. After installing TOS 7 onto an NVMe M.2 SSD, the device enters the initialization page after rebooting.

Cause:
In BIOS versions MADN0101.V04 and MADN0101.V03, the USB boot priority is set higher than that of the NVMe M.2 SSD.

Note:
If you will only install TOS 7 on a SATA SSD or SATA HDD in the future, you do not need to update the BIOS or adjust the boot order. You can use Method A.
If you want to install TOS 7 on an M.2 NVMe SSD in the future, Method D is recommended to update the BIOS. You can also use the temporary methods: Method B or Method C to adjust the boot order.

Solutions:
You can choose one of the following four methods that best fits your situation:
Method A: Use a SATA drive as the system disk.
1. Update: Before updating to TOS 7, go to Storage Manager > Disk in the TOS Control Panel. In the System Disk function, change the system disk by migrating it from the M.2 NVMe SSD to a SATA HDD or SATA SSD, then update to TOS 7.
2. Installation: When installing the system, select a SATA HDD or SATA SSD as the system disk.

Method B: Remove the onboard USB boot device after installing or updating the system.
1. Update: After TOS 7 finishes updating and rebooting, shut down the device, remove the onboard USB boot device, and power it on again.
2. Installation: After the system installation finishes rebooting, shut down the device, remove the onboard USB boot device, and power it on again.

Method C: Adjust the BIOS boot order.
Adjusting the BIOS boot order is only a temporary solution. If you replace disks or reinstall the system, you will need to modify it again.
1. Enter the BIOS page.
Install all disks you use. With the device powered off, connect the TNAS to a monitor using an HDMI cable and connect a keyboard. Press the power button, then immediately press Del or Esc repeatedly (1–2 times per second) until the BIOS interface appears. Do not hold the key down; tap it 1-2 times per second.
2、Disable “UTOS Boot First”.
In the BIOS, press the Right Arrow key to go to the Boot page. Press the Down Arrow key to select UTOS Boot First, press Enter, then press the Down Arrow key to select Disabled, and press Enter to confirm.

3、Adjust the boot order.
After disabling UTOS Boot First, press the Down Arrow key to select the last Boot Option, then press Enter to adjust it.
Use the arrow keys to select the onboard USB boot device, then press Enter to confirm the selection.


4. Save and exit.
After setting the USB boot device as the last boot option, press F4. When prompted to save and exit, press Enter again to save and exit. You can then update to TOS 7 normally.


Method D: Update the BIOS version.
After updating the BIOS version, you can install, update, and use TOS 7 normally.
1、Confirm whether your F2-424, F4-424, or F4-424 Pro is running BIOS version MADN0101.V04 or MADN0101.V03. If so, proceed with the BIOS update steps below.

2. Download the latest BIOS file for your model:
F2-424 ：F2-424__MADN0101.V08
F4-424 ：F4-424__MADN0101.V08
F4-424 Pro：F4-424 Pro__MADN0101.V08

3、Prepare a USB drive (32 GB or smaller) and format it as FAT32. Extract the downloaded ZIP file for your model, and copy all extracted files to the root directory of the USB drive.

4、Remove all drives from the TNAS. Insert the prepared BIOS update USB drive. Connect the TNAS to a monitor via HDMI and attach a USB keyboard. Power on the device, then immediately press Del or Esc repeatedly (1-2 times per second) until the BIOS screen appears. Do not hold the key down. You may also verify the BIOS version on the BIOS main page to confirm it matches the versions mentioned above.

In the BIOS interface, press the → arrow key to switch to the Save & Exit tab. Then use the ↓ arrow key to select the BIOS update USB device (UEFI entry), and press Enter to confirm. If you accidentally select the onboard USB boot device, the system may boot into the OS installation screen. In this case, restart the device and select the correct BIOS update USB entry again.

6、When the update screen appears, wait for the countdown to complete. The BIOS update process will start automatically and takes approximately 1-3 minutes. Do not press any keys during this process. Wait until the message “FPT Operation Successful” appears, indicating a successful update.


7、After the success message appears, press Enter. The TNAS will reboot automatically. After a few seconds, the TNAS will beep once, indicating that the hardware self-test has passed. When you hear the beep, immediately press Del or Esc repeatedly in short taps until the BIOS interface appears. Then follow Step 5 to select the BIOS update USB device again and press Enter to confirm.
8、After selecting the BIOS update USB drive for the second time, wait for the operation to complete automatically. When finished, the page shown below will appear, indicating that all operations have been completed. You can then remove the BIOS update USB device and update or install TOS 7 normally.

[rfbjr]

Just to confirm, I have an F6-424 with BIOS: MADN0102.V06 but presently my system disk is the HDD's. So If I do want the system disk on the M.2, it sounds like I don't need to change anything?

[ARThornicroft]

To confirm, I have the F2-424 running BIOS MADN0101V06.
I want to download TOS7 and have it run from the NVME 2.0 SSD 1Tb drive (where I currently have TOS 6.0.794)
Which version of the directions should i use, and where do I download the update to? A USB drive? Or it will auto-install on the NVME? it's unclear what to do if it's NOT V03 or V04, and there's no directions for NVME drive install if it's not those BIOS.
Thank you.

[Podrez]

do I understand it correctly, I updated manually to TOS 7 and now I need to remove the usb with tos 6, or what is the case
my BIOS was V07
im really confused about upgrading to TOS 7
it should be an easy thing, right? push the button update, check for updates.
frustrated.
And now my F4-424 wants to initialise from the scratch... that's sand and from terra master lack of user-friendly commitment.
did I lost all of my data and setting, all of my dockers ?

[RyanYang]

Just to confirm, I have an F6-424 with BIOS: MADN0102.V06 but presently my system disk is the HDD's. So If I do want the system disk on the M.2, it sounds like I don't need to change anything?

Yes, your TNAS is not one of these three models.

[RyanYang]

To confirm, I have the F2-424 running BIOS MADN0101V06.
I want to download TOS7 and have it run from the NVME 2.0 SSD 1Tb drive (where I currently have TOS 6.0.794)
Which version of the directions should i use, and where do I download the update to? A USB drive? Or it will auto-install on the NVME? it's unclear what to do if it's NOT V03 or V04, and there's no directions for NVME drive install if it's not those BIOS.
Thank you.

Your BIOS version is not among the versions mentioned in the post, so you can update normally.
You can download the TOS 7 update package to your computer according to the update guide and then select it to update.

[RyanYang]

The following BIOS versions can be updated and operated with TOS7 normally without any extra adjustments: MADN0101.V05, MADN0101.V06, MADN0101.V07, MADN0101.V08, and BJFX-ADLN-109.
Therefore, you can directly update to TOS 7.

[rfbjr]

Just to confirm, I have an F6-424 with BIOS: MADN0102.V06 but presently my system disk is the HDD's. So If I do want the system disk on the M.2, it sounds like I don't need to change anything?

Yes, your TNAS is not one of these three models.

[Podrez]

I have updated to TOS7 but NAS boots to TOS 7
im not sure what to do now. ill unplug the usb stick and see what works

[Gremlin]

I have updated to TOS7 but NAS boots to TOS 7
im not sure what to do now. ill unplug the usb stick and see what works

If you updated to Tos7 and the nas boots to Tos7 I think you have achieved your goal.
What usb stick are you talking about? If you mean the internal usb, leave it alone. The default initialisation boot will still be to Tos6 on the 424 models but once Tos is installed on your drives, the internal usb becomes irrelevant. Tos will always boot from a viable Tos o/s on the drive(s) and ignore the internal usb unless it cannot boot. Unlike some other nas systems the (internal) usb drive plays no part in the actual running of Tos. {You could actually boot and run Tos without the USB installed, BUT without the fail-safe ability to re-initialise in case of drive failure(s) or other needs}.