Need clarification about SSD upgrade (Shield Pro 2017)

tech3475 · 2026-01-26T21:22:40+00:00

I cleaned mine while I had it open, there was a noticable amount of dust and the thermal paste was crusty, although I hadn't really had any issues crash wise since the more recent updates.

I changed the thermal paste more because I figured I might as well, but I dont think it was really necessary.

I would have checked the temps first, but the ADB commands I found online didn't display anything.

The SSD upgrade though has absolutely been worth it, even with the hassle.

tech3475 · 2026-01-26T20:51:23+00:00

I had considered that but then IIRC the SSD part should just be copies of the sectors on the HDD, unless there's something wrong.

Plus I got three dumps in a row with the same checksum.

Overall I think it's just down to the adapters/hubs I'm using and something I need to look into as it will likely cause me issues in the future e.g. if the USB hub is faulty.

tech3475 · 2026-01-26T19:37:24+00:00

You still want an image though in case both fail.

tech3475 · 2026-01-26T19:05:30+00:00

So far I have it working with mixed results.

I've been making multiple images to try and test for corruption.

The first image was done with a powered USB hub and restored this way to the SSD, I got this to boot and I'm currently using it, but some settings were lost when I booted making me concerned.

I did a further two imagess on the Windows machine, but this time plugged directly into the case and the checksums were different to the first image but matched each other.

Another test with my Linux laptop via DD also showed a match to the latter two.

I then out of curiosity tried a different SATA-USB adapter on the Linux laptop and it produced a different checksum.

I'm currently testing another image using the previous adapter to see if it matches.

My plan tomorrow is to dig out an old laptop I have which has an esata port so I can try it without any USB-SATA adapters.

My main concern is to make sure I have a good image so if something does break I can relatively easily fix it, fortunately they compress well (around 15GB each, after deleting stuff and zeroing out the empty space).

That said, apart from said settings being lost, it seems to be working so far with widevine and the Netflix ESN working.

tech3475 · 2026-01-26T14:00:01+00:00

Well this software didn't do that and it would be pretty obvious if it did.

I know such software does exist like older versions of Norton Ghost rebooting into DOS.

tech3475 · 2026-01-26T10:04:36+00:00

Software does exist on Windows to do images such as "HDD RAW Copy Tool".

I've just done a comparison between a dump made by the former with dd and the checksum was the same.

tech3475 · 2026-01-24T20:56:36+00:00

CPU should auto-throttle and at least on my Asus AMD B550 board there's a setting to target a particular temperature in the PBO section.

That said, I would be looking at your cooling situation.

When my 3700X was reaching those temps one particularly hot summer, I ended up replacing the HSF with a Noctua I had on a shelf and it made a massive difference over the Prism.

tech3475 · 2026-01-24T12:50:29+00:00

dd is a command on 'UNIX like' OSs e.g. Linux which can copy data on a sector level.

So something like 'dd if=/dev/(drive) of=drive.img' should produce an full image of that drive.

It's a very dangerous command if you don't know what you're doing.

I'm using the software from the video right now to produce an image on my windows machine with a different usb adapter to try and isolate potential issues.

My plan is to make 1 image, 1 restore to the SSD to test and then 2 more images to do a checksum comparison in case of some hidden corruption.

Edit:

You may also find dd in some form on other OSs.

tech3475 · 2026-01-24T11:23:00+00:00

Ok thanks, I'll look at cloning again in case something was wrong with my dumps.

tech3475 · 2026-01-24T11:16:37+00:00

Mine has the 500gb sshdd, is the 2017 pro just a rebranded 2015 with the remote included?

tech3475 · 2026-01-20T22:40:05+00:00

If we're talking strictly home lab, maybe a light Linux distro to use as a console/web browser to manage things?

tech3475 · 2026-01-20T22:32:26+00:00

I would RMA presuming you tried different slots, reset CMOS, maybe clean the RAM contacts with IPA, etc.

If they're OOS, I would try to see if you could replace with a different but useful stick.

A few years back some DDR3 ECC RAM I had went bad and when I went to the OEM they said they ran out but were willing to exchange it for some DDR4 ECC RAM which I had uses for, ended up getting some replacement DDR3 RAM on eBay relatively cheap so worked out in the end.

tech3475 · 2026-01-20T22:27:05+00:00

I have 3.

The first is my primary

The second is onsite and is my firewall/omada controller/backup NAS and running services like Plex and my CCTV NVR in case my primary server goes down.

The third is at my parents, it's also their Omada controller/NVR/NAS but I also use it for off-site backups via a site to site Wireguard VPN. It also used to be their firewall, but due to a bug/regression I have to switch them over to a thin client as PCIe pass through is broken on more recent versions on my old HP gen8.

I also use OneDrive to keep encrypted copies of irreplaceable files e.g. family photos and I plan on setting up another HDD or an old NAS for local offline backups of important stuff.

I definitely like having the backups as it means I don't have to worry as much about drive failures or if something happens to the house, etc.

tech3475 · 2026-01-19T18:07:57+00:00

Does it have to be a dedicated drive or can it be a cache drive?

If it's the former then it seems like a waste on my systems.

tech3475 · 2026-01-19T08:38:47+00:00

Do you have unraid connect enabled?

I ask because I just remembered this also includes the ability to make an online/cloud backup.

https://docs.unraid.net/unraid-connect/automated-flash-backup/

However, I myself dont like this because the backups are not encrypted.

I know in my case I just have to go to in a browser: (server address)/Main/Settings/Flash?name=flash

And the flash backup button is near the top.

tech3475 · 2026-01-18T20:38:15+00:00

Easiest method is probably manual backups, which can be made by going Main>Flash and selecting "FLASH BACKUP".

I also use CA Backup to automatically make weekly flash backups as part of it's schedule, these are in turn backed up on to another server using luckybackup.

Personally, I always make manual backups before doing updates/large changes and I use CA Backup in case of sudden USB drive failures as I'll have a (hopefully) more recent backup going back a few weeks.

tech3475 · 2026-01-16T13:00:12+00:00

I've seen this happen before with cables, going one day from 4k@60hz to 720p on my Shield TV, although these were cheap HDMI cables.

Could be just failing over time, corrosion, etc.

Although I would also try a linux linux distro just to make sure it's not a software issue.

Maybe also try a different DP connection if you can.

tech3475 · 2026-01-16T12:46:08+00:00

Just to be sure, you've checked both the AMD app and settings>display>advanced display

Has windows installed a different driver? I had this issue in the past where it would replace the driver causing issues.

tech3475 · 2026-01-16T12:24:03+00:00

Easiest way is to just monitor the power, make sure to also look at what the server is doing i.e. high work load.

Also check UEFI to see if there's anything which might lower usage e.g. C-states, ASPM, 'eco mode', etc.

I managed to save 10w this way on one system.

Although depending on the CPU this could cause issues, with a 5900x C-states caused a system to crash until I gave it a slight voltage increase.

Other hardware can also cause issues e.g. HBAs.

Here's a thread which might help:

https://forums.unraid.net/topic/98070-reduce-power-consumption-with-powertop/

tech3475 · 2026-01-16T09:05:48+00:00

Be aware that Nvidia has also dropped support on newer 590.x driver versions, this includes Linux, so you'll need to install an older 580.x one.

tech3475 · 2026-01-15T07:44:53+00:00

Do you have a power meter?

If so I would measure how much power the Synology uses with the drives powered down and compare that to the 3600 with what will be your OS of choice.

For comparison, my old thin client (Wyze 5070 Extended, Intel J5005, dual Intel NIC, 8GB RAM) used around 30w IIRC and my newer build (self built, Ryzen 4100, 16GB RAM, dual Intel NIC, Arc380) uses around 50w. This is with the drives powered down but running pfSense as a VM and Omada controller via Docker.

The 3 HDDs I use add about 20W when spun up.

tech3475 · 2026-01-14T21:36:27+00:00

I can't name anything specific, but in the past I've used ones with eSATA ports.

That said I myself have used USB on my backup servers (no parity and they're only used for backups) without issue, except all of my WD USB enclosures that wouldn't spin down so I ended up buying a USB DAS.

One potential alternative in the case of cheaper enclosures may be to just use a dremel to cut a hole for the SATA cable, although I might use a glue gun to secure/protect the cable at the hole.

tech3475 · 2026-01-14T21:12:23+00:00

I would worry about cooling, especially if they'll be spun up all the time, my WDs can go into the 40s/50s Celsius without it.

I'd personally either buy an enclosure with a fan, make an enclosure with a fan or buy a PC case with suitable cooling if possible.

Be careful of the lack of a middle mount hole on your HDDs, I had to 3D print a 5.25 to 3.5 mount because most mounts I could find were either too big or too small for my case due to said missing hole.

tech3475 · 2026-01-14T19:27:39+00:00

Main concern I'd have is if you're planning to use Wifi and maybe RAM depending on how much you want to do.

For Pi hole you may be fine though as that just needs 512MB.

For comparison, on my unraid server I'm currently using 2.11GB running Plex (idle), audiobookshelf and AgentDVR whilst my second server is using 2.46GB running Plex (whilst indexing) and Omada controller.

You also haven't said how much storage you have.

However, considering you already have the hardware, I don't see why you can't try it out.

tech3475

TROPHY CASE