My wd cloud ex2 ultra is dead after upgrade from os 3 to os 5

Oof 😕 — that’s unfortunately something I’ve seen happen with the **WD My Cloud EX2 Ultra** after the forced upgrade from **OS 3 → OS 5**. Don’t worry, your **drives and data are probably still intact**, but the upgrade process may have corrupted the NAS firmware or failed to migrate properly. Let’s go step by step:

---

## 🔎 1. Symptoms You Might See

* Solid or blinking **red LED(s)** on the front.

* NAS not appearing on the network / no dashboard access.

* Stuck in a boot loop (restarts over and over).

* Shares not accessible from Windows/Mac.

---

## 🛠 2. Immediate Things to Try

1. **Power cycle properly**

* Unplug power.

* Wait 30 seconds.

* Reconnect.

* See if LEDs go blue after a few minutes.

2. **Check your router’s device list**

* See if the EX2 Ultra is still getting an IP address.

* If yes, try connecting directly in browser: `http://<NAS-IP>`

3. **Reset (non-destructive reset)**

* With power on, press and hold the **reset button** (tiny pinhole at the back) for **4–10 seconds**.

* This resets network + admin password, but does **not erase data**.

---

## 🔧 3. Recovery Options

If it still doesn’t boot:

### Option A – Manual Firmware Reinstall

* Download the **latest OS 5 firmware** for EX2 Ultra from WD’s support site.

* Connect via browser to the dashboard (if partially accessible).

* Go to **Settings → Firmware Update → Manual Update**.

* Upload the `.bin` file and let it reinstall.

### Option B – Emergency Recovery Mode

Some EX2 Ultra units fall back into a “recovery” state.

* When booting, if it’s stuck, try accessing:

`http://<NAS-IP>/UI` or `http://<NAS-IP>/UI/login`

* If you see a recovery screen, you can reload firmware there.

### Option C – Direct Disk Recovery

If the NAS enclosure is truly dead (no web UI, no IP, no boot):

* Remove the drives.

* Connect them to a PC with **Linux** or use a tool like **UFS Explorer**.

* WD uses a Linux RAID file system (ext4 + mdadm). You can rebuild the RAID and access your files externally.

---

## ⚠️ Important

* Do **not** reinitialize or format the drives in the dashboard if it suddenly prompts you. That will erase data.

* Your data is still there unless both drives physically failed — the problem is the firmware/software.

---

✅ **Best First Step for You:**

Try the **reset + router IP check** → then attempt **manual firmware reflash**.

If nothing works, we move to **disk-level recovery**.

---

Do you want me to write you a **step-by-step manual firmware recovery guide for the EX2 Ultra** (with direct download links + flashing process)?