VMB4000r3 unable to recognize or format USB storage

[cas42021]

I have an Arlo Pro 2 VMB4000r3 Base Station with a couple Pro 2 H3 cameras. The Base Station will not recognize my USB drives. It sees them connected but states it is not formated correctly. It is not able to format them, and when I format them on a Windows 11 machine it makes no difference. These are brand new Samsung BAR Plus 256GB USB 3.1 flash drives. The Base Station is on the latest 1.21.1.0_4302_9611cf3 firmware.

[StephenB]

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@cas42021 wrote:

It is not able to format them, and when I format them on a Windows 11 machine it makes no difference. 

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They need to be formatted as FAT32.

Some flash drives have multiple partitions - if that is the case you will need to repartition them.  You can check partitions (and repartition) using the Windows disk manager.

[cas42021]

I agree with everything you are saying. I have formatted them as FAT32. I have also confirmed they don't have multiple partitions and have repartitioned them regardless. I tried 2 other USB drives, different makes, models, and sizes. Nothing works however this was advertised to be fully functional when I bought it. The ability to archive my recordings to local storage is a top priority for my use.

[StephenB]

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@cas42021 wrote:

The ability to archive my recordings to local storage is a top priority for my use.

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I get that.

It sounds like you've already done all the relevant troubleshooting, but unfortunately it still doesn't work.

Do you have any other flash drives you can try as a test?  Something bigger than 16 GB.

[cas42021]

I do. I've tried a 64GB SanDisk drive as well as 2 separate 512GB PNY drives. Same things across all devices.

[StephenB]

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@cas42021 wrote:

I do. I've tried a 64GB SanDisk drive as well as 2 separate 512GB PNY drives. Same things across all devices.

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I'm wondering if the USB hardware in the base is simply broken.

Did this ever work for you?

[cas42021]

Yes, for several years it worked.

[StephenB]

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@cas42021 wrote:

Yes, for several years it worked.

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I'm thinking it might have recently failed - especially since it is not recognizing the storage at all.

Some flash drives have an LED that comes on when they are being accessed.  If you have one of those handy, maybe try plugging that one in, and seeing if the LED comes on or not.