[mauxiliar]

Hello nice people of this forum!I have a very very very big problem with my WRT54G. Obviously I bricked it!
Now... i know what u r thinking: "read the forum because a lot of people post without searching!" so i did and found some realy nice thinks and explanations on how to unbrick it from:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Recover_from_a_Bad_Flash
But until the "Recover by JTag cable" topic nothing worked... and from there on I cant do a thing because i don't have JTag conectors on my router and I dont have the intel chip to do the next step (WRT54G Revival Guide) so... I'll post some pictures of my WRT54G and u tell me what version is exactly (i know its v1 but it has some extrange hardware with no intel chips!) so i can look for further pictures and tutorials on how to unbrick it or if u know witch are the reset pins and u tell me thanks a lot!!!! or if u know another unbricking methot better yet!
Oh! by the way... what i did to brick the router was to update from dd-wrt.v24_mini_generic.bin beta from 18/04/2007 to the new 2007_0910 v24 RC2 via web interface. It worked fine for 1 minute until I changed the routers IP from default 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.2.1, saved, applied and then the DMZ light became red forever! no blinks no pings, nothing, totaly death! Now it doenst respond to the reset button, even pressing it while the router is turned off, on, 10 secs, 30 secs, whatever and obviously doesnt respond to pings either...
Thanks a lot in advance to whom can answer me with good news!
Sorry my poor english!

Here are the links to my Linksys WRT54G pictures:

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/5670/copyofdscf4057vp9.jpg
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/1083/copyofdscf4059rt8.jpg
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/923/copyofdscf4062iq9.jpg

Edit:
I manage to unbrick it and made a guide:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20205&highlight=
Hope it helps!

[redhawk0]

First off...I do NOT condone this. use a JTAG to fix a bricked router....damage to the unit can occur by shorting pins.

If you do damage...it isn't my fault...don't blame me if you turn it into a dumpster food.

Short pins 15 and 16 on the Flash chip...located under the corner of the radio card near the center of the board. This should bring it back to life.

Plug in your Ethernet cable into the LAN port...using the tftp.exe program install the Linksys firmware...then do a hard reset when it completes. After that...using the web GUI pointed to 192.168.1.1, install the dd-wrt mini version. Then do a hard reset again. After that you can update using the web gui to any version of dd-wrt you wish.

redhawk

[mauxiliar]

[redhawk0]

At the very top of your first picture posted...there is a connector (no pins soldered in) and it is right next to the LED's in the middle of your Board. It has 2 rows of 6 holes (12 holes total) This is where a header gets soldered on and becomes the male side of the JTAG connector. I believe it is labeled J2 (I'm not near my V1 right now to verify the J number)

Anectine17 sells JTAG cables and headers. Send him a PM and tell him what you want.

redhawk

[mauxiliar]

[redhawk0]

Yes...this is the correct cable....make sure Pin 1 is set on the hole with the square pad. (as viewed from the under side.)

First, when you get the hairydairymade going...start by erasing the nvram.

then try to talk to the router again using ping/tftp. If you can talk to it...then upload the mini version of dd-wrt again. (it may even work from the web gui.)

If you can't get it to respond after clearing the nvram...then it will require some additional work.

but try clearing the nvram first...let us know if it doesn't work.

redhawk

[mauxiliar]

[mauxiliar]

Hello RedHawk! me again!
Just today I finished building the JTag cable...
When I ran HairyDairyMaid_WRT54G_Debrick_Utility_v48 with the command:

wrt54g -backup:cfe

for example (because the gide tells to do a backup before erasing anything...) it tells me:

"
C:\hairydairy>wrt54g.exe -backup:cfe

====================================
WRT54G/GS EJTAG Debrick Utility v4.8
====================================

Couldn't access giveio device
"

Why's this?

I followed every step on the gide... first connected the router with the computer with the cable (everything off to be ultracautius) then turned on the PC and then plugged the router and quickly hit the return key with the command written as i wrote...

I'd checked the cable so many times I now know how to build it by heart!

I'm working under Windows XP SP2, this has something to do? My parallel port works fine because my old printer still works... so...
I now don't know what to do!
Tell me if u have any ideas!

[redhawk0]

You have to move the giveio file to the correct directory

c:\windows\system32\drivers....then run the loaddrv.exe Install then and start the service.

Then run the wrt54g.exe program again.

redhawk

[redfred]

Hi , I've just the same problem at the same moment ...

I have a wrt54g v1.0 and no ethernet leds are lighting exept with the jtag plugged, I can optain some lights of the "Full/Col" green led of the first port of the ethernet switch .

I tried to launch the hairydairymade utility but It stop at "clearing watchdog..."

then nothing... I'll tell you tomorow whats happened, and will be interressed by Redhawk opinion on my capricious baby !

[mauxiliar]

[mauxiliar]

Hehe, as I said... it was just a question of parameters...
The Clearing Watchdog problem is because the procesor is old (bcm47xx). 4 our version of processor u have to do this:
"
If you have difficulty with the older bcm47xx chips or when no CFE
is currently active/operational you may want to try both the
/noreset and /nobreak command line options together. Some bcm47xx
chips *may* always require both these options to function properly.
"
So the command line would be: wrt54g.exe -backup:cfe /noreset /nobreak
That worked 4 me!
Now I'll backup the other:
-backup:nvram
-backup:kernel
-backup:wholeflash
and make the nvram erase... and tell u whats up!
Wish me good luck!

[mauxiliar]

Yeeeeesssssssssss!!!!!! after spending lots of hours in this debricking process I have a little joy! my router is alive again!!!!!
I did what RedHawk told me, erase the nvram and then I just turned off the router and turned on and the ping to 192.168.1.1 started working!! I entered the web interface and downgraded to the version I was using (Firmware: DD-WRT v24 Beta (04/16/07) mini) because if i power off and on for the 2nd time it bricked again!
Now I'll try version 24RC3 that was just release... but first I 'll backup everithing again now that is working!!!
I'll tell tomorrow if RC3 worked because it's 1:00 am and the backup process takes aprox 20 mins for 4mbs! very slow as the tutorial said!
Then I'll post a tutorial for WRT54G v1 for using JTag cable and all the tricks it has!!!
Thanks a lot redhawk... without u I would have probably burn out my router to a paper weight! tell me if there is something i could do 4 u!
See yah!

[redhawk0]

I use the parameters of

/nocwd /noewm /noreset

in my wrt54g.exe command line.

Otherwise, like you said, it freezes at clearing watchdog timer.
nocwd = no clear watchdog

Another way around this....at least it worked for me in the past...if it freezes...unplug the unit and plug it back in with the wrt54g.exe command line still running.

redhawk

[mauxiliar]