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USB storage device cannot be or can only be partly integrated by the FRITZ!Box

The FRITZ!Box does not integrate or only partially integrates a USB storage device. After connecting the USB storage device, the Info LED on the FRITZ!Box may flash red for about 1 minute in some cases. One of the following error messages may be displayed in the event log of the FRITZ!Box or USB device overview:

  • "The USB storage medium is not integrated."
  • "At least one USB drive or parts of it are not integrated."
  • "Error while mounting the NTFS partition[...]"
  • "The file system contained on the USB mass storage device is not supported or the device has an invalid partition table."
  • "The file system contained on the USB storage device is not supported."
  • "Could not mount an NTFS partition on the USB storage device [name of partition]. Use the 'Safely Remove Hardware' command before disconnecting the USB storage device from a Windows computer."
  • "Please remove and reconnect."

Cause

  • The USB storage device is in an undefined state, contains partitions that are not supported by the FRITZ!Box, is incorrectly formatted, or it does not receive enough power.

1 Installing the latest FRITZ!OS for the FRITZ!Box

  1. Install the latest FRITZ!OS on the FRITZ!Box.

2 Connecting the USB storage device to the computer and safely removing it

If a USB storage device is removed from a Windows computer without using the "Safely Remove Hardware" function, it may get into an undefined state. Therefore, connect your USB storage device to a Windows computer and then remove it safely:

  1. Remove the USB storage device from the FRITZ!Box.
  2. Connect the USB storage device to a Windows computer and wait until Windows detects it.
  3. Click the symbol for removing USB hardware in the notification area of the Windows taskbar (Systray).
  4. Over the entry for the USB storage device, click "Eject [name of the USB device]".
    • The message "Hardware can now be removed" is displayed.
  5. Remove the USB storage device from the computer.
  6. Reconnect the USB storage device to the FRITZ!Box.

3 USB storage device has a partition that is not supported

The USB storage device contains at least one partition that the FRITZ Box cannot integrate because of its size or how it is formatted (for example as a manufacturer's hidden system partition).

The FRITZ!Box supports:

  • USB storage devices with a maximum of four partitions,
  • Partitions of up to 4 terabytes,
  • The file systems NTFS, exFAT, FAT/FAT32, and ext2/ext3/ext4.

Workaround

  1. Connect the USB storage device to a computer.
  2. Reformat the USB storage device and only create up to four partitions, each no larger than 4 terabytes and formatted to the NTFS, exFAT, FAT/FAT32 or ext2/ext3/ext4 file system.

    ATTENTION!Back up your data before reformatting your USB storage device because all of the data on it will be lost during this process. Refer to the manufacturer for information on the formatting procedure.

4 Using an external power adapter

In accordance with the USB specification, the FRITZ!Box supplies USB devices with up to 500 mA. The following step is only necessary if the USB storage device's power consumption exceeds this:

Note:USB hard drives larger than 2.5" in size typically require more than 500 mA and often come with Y cables that can provide power through two USB ports. However, they can still often be used on a single USB port because many computers are equipped with USB ports that supply more than 500 mA.

  1. If a power adapter was included with your USB storage device, use the USB storage device's power adapter to plug it in.
  2. If a power adapter was not included, use a USB hub with its own power adapter (active USB hub) to connect the USB storage device to the FRITZ!Box.