LG N4B1 32_00 error and recovery advice needed

[xmiinc]

After a week of allowing Remote Login via Snow Leopard's Sharing cpanel, I triggered a bug in v4238 of the N4B1's firmware. Its taken down any admin ability (port 8000 web interface) and smb server. (I can still access files via afp) After jfgi (just f_kin google it) I found out that LG has a fix (which includes a firmware upgrade), but a German website applying the fix seems to claim LG-confirmed info that data will be wiped when applying fix. Is that possible? Or is it more likely that a standard backup-your-data-before-messing-about-with-firmware warning was issued? Here is LG's (very poor imho) take on error 32_00 and their fix (and no mention of risking data when Restoring!?)

[32_00] Can't Log In (4-Bay NAS only)

This code means the system area is full and log files can't be saved. It also prevents the IP address from being changed properly. This only happens on firmware before 4241.

The recommended repair procedure is to call LG Support, who will provide instructions needed to send the NAS to our repair center.

Or, you may fix the NAS yourself using the following instructions:

1) Download the Restore CD iso.

2) Make a Restore CD using the iso.

3) Press down the button ‘S’ and press the power button once. (enclosure mode).

4) When the tray opens, insert the Restore CD and close the tray.

5) After booting, a message ‘Recovery’ is displayed in LCD. It takes about 3~5 minutes to complete recovery.

6) Turn the power on. After booting is finished, open the tray and pull the CD out.

7) Setup the network information (IP address) using the buttons on the NAS or the NAS detector program.

8) Download the latest firmware and update the NAS.

I came REALLY close to doing this before I had a moment of sanity to check for other user experiences executing this fix.

For those who can read German, this is practically the only mention on the web about the error and someone's experience correcting it. To make things even more confusing, towards the end of their post, they mention that "in their case" data was left untouched after the update. So I don't know what to believe will happen if I do this Restore.

So what am I dealing with here? When talking about the (Linux kernel 2.6) "system area" of this NAS, are we talking about something on ROM chips? Is there something on disc that would/could be erased to enable admin access, like deleting log files? The NAS can't be updated without at least one drive in it. Could I put in a dummy drive in order to execute the fix and put the normal drives back in after and expect normal behavior?

I'm dead in the water here, due to fear of losing 2.5Tb of data. Any advice appreciated! Tom