How to Restore or Replace WD MyCloud Gen1 Firmware (Tested, Refined)

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Is your Western Digital MyCloud Gen1 stuck with a solid yellow or red light? Have you experienced a failed firmware update that has turned your device into an unresponsive "brick"? You're in the right place.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the exact steps to debrick, unbrick, and completely restore the original firmware on your single-bay WD MyCloud (1st Generation). Using a bootable Ubuntu USB and some simple terminal commands, we can bring your device back to life. This method has been personally tested and refined for success.



Source: Google Drive
Mirror: fox-exe.ru

📌 Assumptions:

  • You are using a Ubuntu Bootable USB (Live environment).
  • You already know how to create a bootable USB. If not, we’ll cover that in a separate post.
  • You are comfortable using Linux terminal commands.
  • Your WD MyCloud device is 1st Gen (Single Bay).

🛠️ What You’ll Need:

  • Ubuntu Bootable USB (Live session)
  • Internet connection (to download firmware archive)
  • Your WD MyCloud hard drive connected via SATA or USB adapter

⚙️ Firmware Restore Instructions:

  1. Boot into Ubuntu Live via USB. Open Terminal.
  2. Install required packages:
    sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install mdadm parted
  3. Identify your WD drive:
    sudo fdisk -l
    Assume your drive is /dev/sdb (replace accordingly).
  4. Launch parted and create partitions: 
    sudo parted /dev/sdb
print
rm 1 or remove 1 (repeat for all partitions)
mklabel gpt
mkpart primary 528M 2576M
mkpart primary 2576M 4624M
mkpart primary 16M 528M
mkpart primary 4828M 100%
mkpart primary 4624M 4724M
mkpart primary 4724M 4824M
mkpart primary 4824M 4826M
mkpart primary 4826M 4828M
set 1 raid on
set 2 raid on
quit
  5. Format partitions: 
    sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb4
sudo mkswap /dev/sdb3
  6. Stop any auto-mounted md devices and create RAID manually, It's normal to see errors and warnings here: 
    sudo mdadm --stop /dev/md*
sudo mdadm -A /dev/md0 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdb2
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --metadata=0.9 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdb2
watch cat /proc/mdstat  (wait until 100%, then Ctrl+C)
  7. Mount data partition: 
    sudo mount /dev/sdb4 /mnt
cd /mnt
  8. Download and extract firmware archive:

    or use wget

    wget https://fox-exe.ru/WDMyCloud/WDMyCloud-Gen1/Backups/original_v03.04.01-230.tar.gz

    wget https://fox-exe.ru/WDMyCloud/WDMyCloud-Gen1/Backups/original_v04.01.02-417.tar.gz

    tar xvfz original_v03.04.01-230.tar.gz
  9. Flash image files to disk: 
    sudo dd if=kernel.img of=/dev/sdb5
sudo dd if=kernel.img of=/dev/sdb6
sudo dd if=config.img of=/dev/sdb7
sudo dd if=config.img of=/dev/sdb8
sudo dd if=rootfs.img of=/dev/md0
  10. Prepare system for fresh install: 
    sudo mkdir /mnt/hdd
sudo mount /dev/md0 /mnt/hdd
sudo touch /mnt/hdd/etc/.fresh_install
sudo umount /mnt/hdd
  11. Shutdown Ubuntu: 
    sudo shutdown -h now
  12. Reconnect the HDD to WDMyCloud and power it on. Wait 5–10 minutes for system to initialize.

❗ How to Fix the "0 KB Available Storage" Bug in WD MyCloud

If after first boot you see 0 KB storage available in the web interface, here’s how to fix it (tested by me):

  1. Access WDMyCloud UI > Settings > Utilities
  2. Click "System Only" under Factory Restore
  3. After reboot, go back and click "Quick Restore"

This resolved the UI bug and showed the correct available space.

Credit: Original method by fox-exe. This post is a refined and tested version. If both links above are dead, feel free to PM me for an updated archive link.

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