How to find your Flash USB Drive GUID

[jeffreywhunter]

Just for the sake of the next NOOB trying to figure this out.  The EASIEST way to get the GUID for your flash drive (so you can buy the license key), is to go to the webgui for the flash drive.

 

//yourservername/Main/Flash?name=flash

 

(capitalization is important).

 

Or you can just log into your server, scroll down to the Boot Device and click on Flash.  The GUID is on the next page, cut and paste into the order form and you're home free...

 

Note to ADMINs:  I'd like to recommend that you put instructions to this effect in your order form.  I spent 20 minutes try to find the GUID.  Noob issue yes.  Annoying, also yes. 

[bonienl]

It is already explained on the Limetech site, see http://lime-technology.com/registrationkeys/

 

[jeffreywhunter]

Yes, this would have helped if I could have found it during my purchase process.  All I'm saying is if that information was put on the order form, then instructions are near the usage and my experience would have been improved and certainly less frustrating.  I'm certainly a noob, and perhaps I'm just a dummy, but I looked all over the forums and the order process and couldn't find this information.  Its easy, if you know the secret...but then that's always the case.

[garycase]

Perhaps there's more to it then it seems => but it sure seems like LimeTech could provide a tiny little Windows utility that could be downloaded and run against a flash drive to show the GUID 

[JonathanM]

Perhaps there's more to it then it seems => but it sure seems like LimeTech could provide a tiny little Windows utility that could be downloaded and run against a flash drive to show the GUID 

They could, but then they would have a bunch more problems with people getting licenses and then finding out that particular flash drive doesn't like their motherboard, or some such nonsense. Much better to know for sure that unraid will boot successfully before going through the motions of issuing a license.

 

A better idea would be a click through link in the unraid gui that would prepopulate the online purchase form with the correct GUID. It could even have big letters like BUY A LICENSE HERE or something.

[jeffreywhunter]

From an 'I just experienced this' perspective.  A simple addition of a couple sentences in the lime-technology/registrationkeys page expanding How to Buy and adding a few sentences in each "buy now" section would solve the problem.

 

As you've gathered from my experience, the current process is confusing for a noob.  Plus, no one reads anymore - they scan (says the guy who writes long posts!).  Yes it is simple once you understand it, its just not presented in a clear way, and even though I read it, I was confused by the purchase process.  And trust me, I design this stuff ALL THE TIME.  Its challenging to put yourself in the place of someone who doesn't have any of the reference points you have.

 

The confusion starts in the How To Buy section.  It is confusing because it says to do two different things.  1) go to your webgui to purchase, then 2) below is a place I can order it right now.  Why would I go to the webgui when I'm right here and I can purchase below.  So I skip past #1 (even though that's probably the easiest one) in favor of the perceived quicker solution - then I'm asked for this Flash GUID thing..."what/where is that"?  Forgetting about the How to Buy (and the fact that Flash GUID has not yet been explained).

 

IMHO I'd recommend the following simple cosmetic changes to clarify the process...

 

How to Buy

 

Each installation of unRAID requires a registration key.  The registration key is tied to the unRAID USB boot drive.  Each USB drive contains a unique key called a Flash GUID.  The registration key uses the Flash GUID to make it unique to your license of unRAID.  There are two ways to purchase a registration key.

 

1. Easiest - order a pre-configured USB Flash drive.  Get the benefits of a "plug and go operation".  Recommended for those installing their first unRAID.  Your Flash drive with unRAID pre-configured will be sent to you quickly via priority mail.

 

2. Quickest - select an edition from the choices below.  Get your registration key emailed to you immediately to be installed on your own USB.  IMPORTANT: Not all USB drives will work, please ensure your USB drive is on our list of compatible drives (view here) before you purchase.

 

Then for each edition, I'd make the following changes

 

Single Keys

Single unRAID Server Basic Registration key ... $29 (unRAID 6 only)

 

To find your Flash GUID

1. Use a web browser and navigate to your unRAID Server webGui (PC:  http://tower; Mac: http://tower.local).

2. Click on the “Main” tab and click on the word “flash” (or if using unRAID 6, click the tab “Boot Device,” then click “flash”.

3. Under Flash Device Settings, copy the Flash GUID (include dashes) and insert in the field below.

4. Click Buy Now.  Once you have completed the purchase process, your registration key will be emailed to you within a few minutes.  Instructions on how to install the key will be included in the email.

 

Flash GUID:

[empty field] (paste Flash GUID from WebGUI here)

 

[buyNow]

 

Do this for each edition of unRAID.  Just add the italicized comments in each purchase area.  Done and easy fix.  Then the instructions on how to get the Flash GUID in each edition would be clean and easy. Clear, step based, (did I say easy?).  Bits on a page are cheap.

 

All that said, to be honest, having the 'purchase' process start in the Webgui, and loading the Flash GUID 'for me' in an order form is brilliant.  Go there, click 'buy now' and it takes me to a page where I can order the edition I want.  Very easy (if I know to go there).  But that's not as easy of a fix as just adding a few sentences.  And I can imagine some circumstances where people 'just want to buy' - as I did...

[v81]

I found this after searching for GUID

 

All of the information i can find here in the forum and on the lime tech site stresses that you must use a good quality flash drive of at least 512MB that has a GUID.

It goes on to say not all drives have a GUID.

 

The question begging to be answered, how do i tell if a particular drive has a GUID before i put unRaid on the drive?

 

Surely it isn't just trial and error?

 

Any ideas?

 

FWIW i have a couple of Sandisk Cruzer Facet drives i was considering using.

[itimpi]

I found this after searching for GUID

 

All of the information i can find here in the forum and on the lime tech site stresses that you must use a good quality flash drive of at least 512MB that has a GUID.

It goes on to say not all drives have a GUID.

 

The question begging to be answered, how do i tell if a particular drive has a GUID before i put unRaid on the drive?

 

Surely it isn't just trial and error?

 

Any ideas?

 

FWIW i have a couple of Sandisk Cruzer Facet drives i was considering using.

Most drives have a GUID (if not all).  The issue is not whether a GUID is present but whether it is identical for all drives from the manufacturer or set to zeroes (bad) or is unique to a given USB drive (good).  It is possible to get this information in other ways (e.g. via the Properties dialog in Windows) but to be honest unless you know exactly what you are doing then it is normally easier to just suggest putting unRAID on the USB drive, booting it and then seeing what unRAID says.

 

The other way of course is to look at the unRAID wiki to see if the drive type in question is mentioned there as one for which the answer is already known.

[jeffreywhunter]

I use Sandisk Cruzer Ultra Fit for my Flash Drives.  Works flawlessly and also works in the USB 3.0 slot (not all do).  The Fits are a bit older, but pretty sure they would have a usable GUID.  itimpi has the right idea.  Just try it.  You'll know faster than you can do the research!

[Jcloud]

On 4/21/2015 at 10:29 PM, bonienl said:

It is already explained on the Limetech site, see http://lime-technology.com/registrationkeys/

 

Old post is old, I could see this as a handy resource, but the link is dead now.

I mention this, as I was thinking about buying another copy for myself at work - this thread comes up as first hit when one searches for "find USB GUID."

Edited January 24, 2018 by Jcloud

[MPR Files]

I've just been caught out with the upgrade to 6.4.1 which has stopped my Unraid working due to having done a license transfer earlier this year to replace a damaged USB drive. Something has gone wrong earlier this year and the wrong license has been moved leaving me with a non-working Unraid. I have three Unraid USBs here (two are spares to sit on the shelf) + 1 that is out of my production machine that is delicensed. I'm really struggling to find the GUID in order to sort out the licensing.

Can anyone suggest a method that works on Mac OS to find out the GUID ? 

I can't easily use the Unraid box as the two spare USBs won't boot for some reason and the box is headless making troubleshooting difficult.

Preference is just to transfer license from a spare USB to the production USB to gets things running.

[garycase]

To find the GUID for any flash drive:   Just download the USB creator for Mac, and make the USB flash drive you want to use bootable.    Boot to it; then click on "Flash" on the main screen.   This will show you the GUID for that flash drive.

 

HOWEVER, if you have a flash drive that's already been licensed, then plug that drive into a computer and copy the license key from the flash drive to a "safe" place  (a folder on your PC or Mac).     This will be a file named Pro.key, Plus.key, etc.     THEN you can download the USB creator (for Mac or Windows as needed);  make the flash drive a bootable UnRAID flash drive; and then copy the key file back to the Config folder on the flash drive, and you can then boot UnRAID from it.

 

BTW, upgrading to 6.4.1 should not have had any impact on your UnRAID flash key's ability to boot unless you were using a flash drive that you have moved the key from.   If that's the case, then you need to use the flash drive you transferred the license to -- NOT the old one you transferred it FROM.    That drive is no longer valid, since the license has been transferred.

 

[nerbonne]

i found this information useful, thank you.

[reboot81]

I've verified a couple USB drives on Mac, and the last 12 digits are listen in System Information.app under Hardware->USB->(USB-device)->Serialnumber.

[dopeytree]

How do you find the GUID of a dead usb stick? or not dead but wont boot unraid. It will connect to a pc.

Edited October 1, 2022 by dopeytree

[K1LLA_KING_KING]

Control Panel > Device Manager > Right Click on Device > Properties > Details Tab > Change 'Property' to Driver Key > Guid will be displayed in 'value' section