TerraMaster Forum

How to Flash a New USB Initboot for TOS on Your Windows PC？

Problem Description:
The initBoot contains some programs that are used to configure the basic hardware before TOS is started, and these programs are stored in a USB flash drive. Unexpected power outages, abnormal shutdowns, and hardware failures can all cause the initBoot to fail. If your x.86 TNAS cannot be started normally, and the device cannot be searched when booting without a hard disk, it is most likely that the initBoot is faulty.

Solution
The old method was cumbersome and had a chance of failing, so we have replaced it with a simpler method as suggested by forum users.

Step 1. Install the bootable USB creator on your computer.
balenaEtcher: https://etcher.balena.io/
More others: https://alternativeto.net/software/rufus/

Step 2. Remove the USB initboot disk inside the TNAS, or prepare a USB flash drive without data. Connect the USB flash drive to your computer and disconnect any other USB flash drives from your computer. Open “Disk Management” or "Disk Utility" to confirm the capacity of the USB flash drive.

Step 3: Download the corresponding image file according to the TNAS model and the TOS version you need to install.

USB Initboot Image(TOS 4 legacy 119MB)
Applicable models: F2-220, F2-221, F2-420, F2-421, F4-220, F4-221, F4-420, F4-421,F4-422, F5-220, F5-221, F5-225, F5-420, F5-421, F5-422, F8-421, F8-422

USB Initboot Image(TOS 5 legacy 120MB)
USB Initboot Image(TOS 5 legacy 60MB)
Applicable models: F2-220, F2-221, F2-420, F2-421, F4-220, F4-221, F4-420, F4-421,F4-422, F5-220, F5-221, F5-225, F5-420, F5-421, F5-422, F8-421, F8-422
Note: If your USB capacity does not reach 120 MB, please select the 60 MB version of the image file.

USB Initboot Image(TOS 5 UEFI 120MB)
Applicable Models: F2-223, F2-423, F2-424, F4-223, F4-423, F4-424, F4-424 Pro, T6-423, T9-423, T12-423, U4-423, U8-423, U12-423

USB Initboot Image (TOS 6 Legacy 126MB)
Applicable Models: F2-221, F2-421, F4-221, F5-221, F5-421, F2-422, F4-422, F5-422
(The BIOS versions of these 8 models must be MAPL0304V16 to MAPL0304V22, or MAPL0303V16 to MAPL0303V22. You can go to the TOS control panel>General Settings>System>Update>BIOS/InitBoot location to check the BIOS version. You can also collect system reports in the Technical Support>Problem Feedback section, download and extract them, find the device.txt file, and open it to view the BIOS version)

USB Initboot Image(TOS 6 UEFI 120MB)
Applicable models: F2-223, F2-423, F2-424, F4-223, F4-423, F4-424, F4-424 Pro, T6-423, T9-423, T12-423, U4-423, U8-423, U12-423
F4-424 Max, F6-424, F6-424 Pro, F6-424 Max, F8 SSD, F8 SSD Plus, U8-500 Plus, T9-500 Pro, T12-500 Pro, U12-500 Plus

USB Initboot Image(TOS 6 UEFI 150MB)
Applicable models:F4 SSD、F8 SSD、F8 SSD Plus、F2-425、F4-425、F2-425 Plus、F4-425 Plus

USB Initboot Image(TOS 7 Legacy 230MB)
Applicable Models: F2-221, F2-421, F4-221, F5-221, F5-421, F2-422, F4-422, F5-422
(The BIOS versions of these 8 models must be MAPL0304V16 to MAPL0304V22, or MAPL0303V16 to MAPL0303V22. You can go to the TOS control panel>General Settings>System>Update>BIOS/InitBoot location to check the BIOS version. You can also collect system reports in the Technical Support>Problem Feedback section, download and extract them, find the device.txt file, and open it to view the BIOS version)

USB Initboot Image(TOS 7 UEFI 230MB)
Applicable Models:
F2-425, F4-425, F4 SSD, U4-500, F6-424, F4-424 Max, F6-424 Max, U12-500 Plus, U8-500 Plus, T12-500 Pro, T9-500 Pro
Models requiring adaptation for compatibility purposes:
F8 SSD、F8 SSD Plus
Please first update the TOS to 6.0.794 (the firmware will be updated as part of this process). In the event that 6.0.794 was installed directly via an installation package, we recommend performing the update procedure once more manually. Alternatively, you may refer to the following post for firmware update guidance:
viewtopic.php?t=9417

F2-223、F2-423、F4-223、F4-423、T6-423、T9-423、T12-423、U4-423、U8-423、U12-423
If your system is currently installed on, or you plan to install it on, an M.2 NVMe SSD, please follow the guide to adjust the BIOS boot order before updating:
https://forum.terra-master.com/cn/viewtopic.php?t=5211

F2-424、F4-424、F4-424 Pro
Please verify that your NAS BIOS version and configuration are compliant with the requirements for TOS 7:
viewtopic.php?t=10181

F4-425 Plus and F2-425 Plus
Please verify that your NAS BIOS version and configuration are compliant with the requirements for TOS 7:
viewtopic.php?t=10182

T9-450、T12-450、U8-450
Before installing TOS 7, migrate the system disk from the NVMe SSD to an HDD; otherwise, the device will loop back to the installation page after the update. If it then fails to boot, remove the USB drive and restart.

Step 4: Execute the bootable USB creator, select the target image and the target USB flash drive to start making a new USB Initboot.

Step 5: Reconnect the USB Initboote to the TNAS and ensure it is the only USB drive connected to the TNAS. Then, start the TNAS without installing any HDD, SATA SSD, or M.2 SSD, and observe whether the boot system successfully starts.

Step 6. If the USB Initboot that you just created does not work on TNAS. Please try to erase the USB flash drive with disk tool and retry once, or replace the USB flash drive and retry once.

Thanks for that.

Anything for F*-424 models?

Gremlin wrote: ↑03 Aug 2024, 18:56 Thanks for that.

Anything for F*-424 models?

It also applies to F*-424

OK, noted. I have some blank 4Gb flash drives on the way and will give it a try.

Modified TMusbflashing.exe to optimize the formatting procedure and make it work for more different USB configurations.
md5: 4e37831d1f41905f898dae6924398168→01b7d2683f668207b7d5a7a6b117d9b6

This way we can downgrade from TOS 6 to TOS 5?

golgoth wrote: ↑05 Aug 2024, 13:23 This way we can downgrade from TOS 6 to TOS 5?

This is not recommended, as there is no way to know if the configuration change will have a bad effect.
If you insist, please at least disable all SSD caching first if you have it.

OK ...... But!

However, there is an issue selecting the correct "Physical Drive". On my win10Pro I have multiple USB ports which are 'seen' by the os even when no physical drive is attached. Thus I am presented with a choice of 5 drives regardless of there only being one "physical drive" on the machine. Very much a lottery until you can figure out which drive will possibly work (Choice 5 Physical Drive 6 in my case regardless of the usb port used!)

Wrote a new USB for F2-221.
This worked ok. (I presume it worked OK, but that machine is still dead and will not boot)
Several attempts to write NEW usb for F2-424. However all failed. 2 failed with initial "Failed to write cleared MBR Error5" plus (continuing automatically despite this) with partial write of usb and a(nother) "Failed to write Error 5". Another failed with just the latter Error 5. Several attempts on each. Even tried using both MBR and GPT configs. UTOS partition was visible on drive on examination.

Any idea on how to fix this? USB Drive is a 32GB Sandisk.
PS C:\usb> .\TMusbflashing.exe
Available USB storage devices:
1: \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE1
2: \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2
Warning: All data on the USB device will be erased! Please back up your data in advance.
Select a USB device (1-2): 2
Writing image to \\.\PHYSICALDRIVE2...
Failed to write cleared MBR. Error code: 5

Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.22621.1

Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: WAL022846

Disk 2 is now the selected disk.

DiskPart succeeded in cleaning the disk.

Leaving DiskPart...
Go on
16.6667% Failed to write to device. Error code: 5

radant wrote: ↑06 Aug 2024, 01:45

Welcome to the 'sit and wait club'.