More than 15 years ago I installed FREENAS on a Dell PC, I still have the hard disk but I no longer have the server.
What are my chances of being able to read the disk again?
Or am I better off putting the whole thing behind me and just reformatting the disk?
Merci
If it was a zfs based version of FreeNAS, and if the disks are working, then the chances are good.
(Edit: disk. Well, if you have bitrot you’ll
find out after the first scrub)
Copy the data off asap.
If it’s not ZFS. It predates my freenas experience, what was it then, efs4?
Yes it’s based on zfs and the disk is working it’s just been paused for 15 years. 
I probably don’t have the password either.
Ideally I’d need someone in the Montreal area to insert the disk into their system and try to retrieve the data.
Or is it worth creating a new server?
It should work on any TrueNAS system. Assuming it’s not encrypted or protected with a password.
Disk just needs to be connected to anything that supports the same or newer version of zfs, then the pool can be imported.
More confident about a 15 year old cold stored disk spinning up than I am.
Thanks for the advice, no it’s not encrypted and not password protected.
I’ll give it a try, on this rainy day
It can - if it does not suffer from a stuck head or other hardware failure - be imported on any current system with ZFS. FreeBSD, Linux, even Mac OS.
Connect, boot system, type “zpool import” as root, watch what happens.
I’m trying to install Truenas in a VMWare, having issue. I’m still hopeful!
Don’t virtualise if you don’t want to lose the data on that disk. Most of all don’t even think of virtualising on your desktop. You are not using ESXi, are you?
Your desktop OS (Windows?) might destroy the data on the disk the moment you connect it.
And if you just want to get at the data, why install TrueNAS? Pick a spare system, install FreeBSD 13.3, connect disk, type zpool import.
I use VMWare Workstation 17.0
I don’t have a spare system at the moment, but my i7-7700k is due to be replaced in the very short term, so I’m going to dedicate my i7-7700k as a server.
So I’m putting the project on ice for a few days.
Thanks for the information.
