After updating your QNAP firmware, one or more disks suddenly vanish — no longer listed in Storage Manager, even though the physical drives are installed and spinning.
What’s Really Happening
QNAP firmware updates can trigger:
- Controller remaps or BIOS-level config resets
- Incompatible drive recognition (especially with third-party or shucked drives)
- Corrupted metadata headers during reboot
In many cases, the disk is still readable — but the volume no longer sees it due to internal flags or driver-level mismatch.
What Not To Do
- Don’t reinitialize the missing disk — it will destroy the volume
- Avoid downgrading firmware without knowing the controller’s rollback path
- Don’t assume the missing disk is dead — the issue is usually logical
When To Escalate
- If the disk disappears after firmware and doesn’t reappear after cold reboot
- If Storage Manager shows “Unrecognized” or “Detached” volumes
- If volume status changes to “Degraded” or “Unmounted” without clear failure
What You Can Do
Use Jeannie RAID Diagnostic Tool to scan for hidden or ghosted disks. She’ll show:
- If the drive ID changed during update
- Whether the volume config is intact but hidden
- If recovery is possible without reinitializing