GUI Inaccesible - 1st time flashing DDWRT to WRT54G Ver6

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pablovirus
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Joined: 20 Sep 2017
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 13:35    Post subject: GUI Inaccesible - 1st time flashing DDWRT to WRT54G Ver6 Reply with quote
Hello guys,
First of all thank you for providing support for people who need to use DD-WRT. I read the peacock thread and the other Announcements, and followed the instructions on the wiki for flashing DD-WRT micro on a stock WRT54G ver 6. I may or may not have f'ed up somewhere along the line so I will describe what I did when flashing for the first time, the current symptoms, and other things I tried.

Wiki link: https://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Linksys_WRT54G_v5.0_%26_5.1_%26_6.0

1) Flashing process:
I followed the instructions on the Wiki to flash the build that was recommended in the wiki(.24 NEWD Micro). In short, I uploaded the prep file using the Linksys GUI, got the router into Management Mode and uploaded the killer file, and then used the TFTP utility to transfer the ddwrt file specified in the wiki. Had no problems in this last TFTP step. I did the 30-30-30 reset again.
POSSIBLE MISTAKE 1: I tried doing a 30-30-30 reset before starting the process, but I am not sure if the reset button worked properly. I have soldered another button but maybe the first hard-reset in step 3 in the wiki was not performed correctly.
POSIBLE MISTAKE 2: I was using FireFox when uploading in management mode, and after a while I got a firefox-browser message that read "Connexion was reset". I did wait 5 minutes after this before doing anything.

2) Symptoms:
When plugging in the router, I can get about 4 pings with TTL=100, then a combination of Host destination unreachable and Ping timeouts.
The power LED flashes when I plug the router in, and then becomes stable. The light on the ethernet port where the cable is connected is stable, and after several seconds after powering up, the WLAN LED stays on (sometimes both of these lights show very intermittent and fast flashing every minute or so, as if they were exchanging light packets).
The GUI is absolutely innaccesible. I tried several browsers, cache clears, and different PCs as well. Using the TFTP utiliy, I "can" transfer firmware during these TTL=100 responses. Could it be that the utility reports "Success" when in actuality the router is not really flashing the firmware I send?

3) Things I tried:
Since I could theoretically transfer via TFTP during the TTL=100 responses, I tried flashing other Ver6 compatible micro builds that I found and that were reported to work in the past. I always waited 5 minutes after flashing and always attempted a 30-30-30 reset after flashing. However, I could never access the gui.
POSSIBLE MISTAKE 3: I tried flashing the Killer again. IIRC, after flashing the killer again the router's power led kept blinking and gave me TTL=100 responses forever. I flashed the recommended build of DDWRT again through TFTP after this but still couldn't access the GUI afterwards.

I am not sure what to do or what to expect now since each time I try another build, I get the same behaviour from the router.
If you need more info to be able to help me, let me know.
Thanks again!
Sponsor
jwh7
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 13:59    Post subject: Re: GUI Inaccesible - 1st time flashing DDWRT to WRT54G Ver6 Reply with quote
pablovirus wrote:
Since I could theoretically transfer via TFTP during the TTL=100 responses, I tried flashing other Ver6 compatible micro builds that I found and that were reported to work in the past. I always waited 5 minutes after flashing and always attempted a 30-30-30 reset after flashing. However, I could never access the gui.
Is the response after the 2nd killer (vxworks_prep_03, right?) flash and subsequent tftp micro ddwrt the same as before you tried reflashing it? I don't recall the details of what the killer kills, but you prob have to reflash the CFE (the file created by VXImgToolGui.exe).

There have been other posts lately of G and GS VX-based routers; try a search for `wrt54g* AND vx*` such as:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=306024
http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=306736

Other thoughts...you're -sure- this is a Gv6, and not e.g. a GSv6? If you reset button doesn't work, that could be your problem; after the router is plugged in for a minute, if you hold it for 30sec, do you see any change in the LEDs? I'm not sure if you would in the state you're describing, but could at least determine if the reset button is working. Unfort it doing nothing doesn't tell us anything. I see a serial recovery in your future... <crystal ball>

_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
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barryware
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 13049
Location: Behind The Reset Button

PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 14:06    Post subject: Re: GUI Inaccesible - 1st time flashing DDWRT to WRT54G Ver6 Reply with quote
pablovirus wrote:
Hello guys,

2) Symptoms:
When plugging in the router, I can get about 4 pings with TTL=100, then a combination of Host destination unreachable and Ping timeouts.
The power LED flashes when I plug the router in, and then becomes stable. The light on the ethernet port where the cable is connected is stable, and after several seconds after powering up, the WLAN LED stays on (sometimes both of these lights show very intermittent and fast flashing every minute or so, as if they were exchanging light packets).
The GUI is absolutely innaccesible. I tried several browsers, cache clears, and different PCs as well. Using the TFTP utiliy, I "can" transfer firmware during these TTL=100 responses. Could it be that the utility reports "Success" when in actuality the router is not really flashing the firmware I send?

The behavior of the LED's, as well as the first set of pings indicate the router is booting and working.

Your problem may be your browser. Try IE.

Also, disable any AV and firewall software.

Set a static IP on your PC of 192.168.1.10, mask 255.255.255.0

Now try to access the router @ 192.168.1.1

Another thing to see is if the routers wireless is broadcasting. the ssid will be dd-wrt.

Once the router boots and is running firmware, the ping ttl will be 64

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pablovirus
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 20 Sep 2017
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 2:38    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you for your replies! Yes, this is a 54G v6 router.

I flashed the killer and the 12548_NEWD_micro build again and now I can see the wireless network created by dd-wrt! However, I still cannot access the router @ 192.168.1.1
I tired several browsers and I did set my IP on IPv4 to 192.168.1.10 with a mask of 255.255.255.0.
I disabled my firewall as well, and I am not using Windows Defender or any AV program.
I still cannot access the GUI at all... I am really at a loss as to what is causing this. BTW, I'm on Windows 8.1, maybe I should try Win7.

I also tried connecting to the wireless network but it did not work, the PC said it "encountered problems when connecting"

EDIT: I tried on Win7 but no luck either. Did the same steps as mentioned above (regarding firewall, IP, etc.) but it did not work. I also receive no packets whatsoever (visible on the Ethernet connection Status dialog) box AFTER the first four or so TTL=100 responses.
barryware
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 13049
Location: Behind The Reset Button

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 12:55    Post subject: Reply with quote
if the router is broadcasting an ssid, it is indeed running.

is it possible that the routers default IP is 192.168.0.1?? Some Linksys routers did use that for the default ip.

if you try that ip, you will need to change your static ip to 192.168.0.X (x is anything but 1)

a couple of things to try..

see if you can connect to the router wirelessly and then access the gui.

try to telnet to the router.

If you can, the user is always "root" and the password is "admin"

Once in:

erase nvram [enter]
reboot [enter]

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jwh7
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 13:15    Post subject: Reply with quote
barryware wrote:
is it possible that the routers default IP is 192.168.0.1?? Some Linksys routers did use that for the default ip.

if you try that ip, you will need to change your static ip to 192.168.0.X (x is anything but 1)
Another idea, along those lines...add an arp table entry for the router's MAC to an address in your LAN (outside of DHCP, and obviously not already used otherwise) then you should be able to access it via said address. Straight from the Windows cmd prompt:
    C:\Users\jwh>arp
    Displays and modifies the IP-to-Physical address translation tables used by address resolution protocol (ARP).
    ARP -s inet_addr eth_addr [...]
    Example:
    > arp -s 157.55.85.212 00-aa-00-62-c6-09 .... Adds a static entry.
Once (if) you can access the GUI and reset (or change the IP), you can delete the arp entry with `arp -d {IP addr}`.

I had to do this to access an old parallel port print server GUI, so I could hook up an even older printer on Win10 for a 'emergency' printer for the wife. Which all worked out perfectly; don't wanna leave ya hangin'... Razz

Btw, if you do get this to work, I'd suggest using at least 14929, though if you still can't access the GUI after the above suggestions from barryware and I, you can try TFTP'ing 14929 too. Also, I and others are using recent micro builds, which is recommended if you're going to use this as a gateway router. Be sure to research New Build threads of course; several recent builds are bad for micro build routers. Good luck...

_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4


Last edited by jwh7 on Thu Sep 21, 2017 13:31; edited 1 time in total
jwh7
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Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 13:30    Post subject: Reply with quote
barryware wrote:
is it possible that the routers default IP is 192.168.0.1?? Some Linksys routers did use that for the default ip.

if you try that ip, you will need to change your static ip to 192.168.0.X (x is anything but 1)
@pablovirus - open your modified CFE file and check the default nvram strings to see what IP is it using (notepad would be fine for this, just ignore all the surrounding jibberish). Though if your reset button doesn't work, that default is irrelevant. If it isn't 192.168.1.1, then you could hexedit it (not with notepad...) and reflash.
_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
pablovirus
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 20 Sep 2017
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2017 23:56    Post subject: Reply with quote
hmmm, I tried connecting to that WiFi but it did not work.

Jwh7, I tired your arp method too, but it did not work, I got no response when trying to access the router through the IP I set. I used a local IP, should I have used some other IP in some other range?

However, I noticed that, for some reason, 192.168.1.1 is shown as a Dynamic IP address with a MAC that is NOT the one on the router (which I confirmed by looking at the cfe.bin file I generated). Could this be the cause? I tried making it a static IP with an arbitrary MAC address but I got "Access denied", even when on an Administrator CMD window.

Link to the image:
https://imgur.com/a/gNHEe

Any thoughts?
Thanks again!
jwh7
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 0:42    Post subject: Reply with quote
pablovirus wrote:
However, I noticed that, for some reason, 192.168.1.1 is shown as a Dynamic IP address with a MAC that is NOT the one on the router (which I confirmed by looking at the cfe.bin file I generated). Could this be the cause? I tried making it a static IP with an arbitrary MAC address but I got "Access denied", even when on an Administrator CMD window.
Are you still connected to the rest of your network when you're testing this?
_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
pablovirus
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 20 Sep 2017
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 1:01    Post subject: Reply with quote
nope, I'm on a laptop and I turn off its wi-fi when trying to connect to the router through an ethernet cable.
jwh7
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 16:20    Post subject: Reply with quote
pablovirus wrote:
nope, I'm on a laptop and I turn off its wi-fi when trying to connect to the router through an ethernet cable.
I'd guess arp was still showing the entry from your wireless connection. Remove that entry from arp and try to set it for the WRT54Gv6. Or a ipconfig /release and /renew might reset it too.
_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
pablovirus
DD-WRT Novice


Joined: 20 Sep 2017
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 16:53    Post subject: Reply with quote
I will try that tonight if I have some time!
Yesterday I managed to delete the 192.168.1.1 entry in the ARP table but still no luck; I couldn't get TTL=64 pings at all (nor access the router's GUI) even though I can get TTL=100 responses whenever I'm turning on the device. This is so confusing Sad

I also noticed that the generated Wireless network (SSID: dd-wrt) is not listed as an available network on my Android Phone. Is this normal? My PC also lists it as an "Unsafe Wireless Connection". As a side note, my Firewall, AV and Windows defender services are all deactivated.

Edit: forgot to mention that I TFTPd a more recent build that I got from dd-wrt.com that is compatible with this router: 14896. Still, the symptoms haven't changed.
barryware
DD-WRT Guru


Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 13049
Location: Behind The Reset Button

PostPosted: Fri Sep 22, 2017 18:10    Post subject: Reply with quote
After a bit of research..

An FYI.. I broke my jtag cherry on a V5 (which is no different than a V6) but that was a few years ago. I'm getting old so my memory is not what it used to be.. (too much beer, not enough sex, etc.)

That said.. If you look on the ftp site.. There is a prep, and killer..

The whole VXImgToolGui.exe is not necessary. Files dates indicate that the killer is newer than the imagetool.

If you use the prep, and killer, your macs may be wrong. That can be permanently rectified by using the cfe compressor (after the router is up and running dd-wt).

My suggestion (it is already broke so no more harm can be done), tftp the killer at power up when ttl=100, wait, wait, wait (5 ~ 7 minutes), power cycle, then tftp the micro build.

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jwh7
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Joined: 25 Oct 2013
Posts: 2670
Location: Indy

PostPosted: Sat Sep 23, 2017 1:59    Post subject: Reply with quote
pablovirus wrote:
forgot to mention that I TFTPd a more recent build that I got from dd-wrt.com that is compatible with this router: 14896.
Fyi, if you get this working do not use build 14896; use 14929...please read the Peacock announcement. See Builds in my footer for the ftp site.
_________________
# NAT/SFE/CTF: limited speed w/ DD # Repeater issues # DD-WRT info: FAQ, Builds, Types, Modes, Changes, Demo #
OPNsense x64 5050e ITX|DD: DIR-810L, 2*EA6900@1GHz, R6300v1, RT-N66U@663, WNDR4000@533, E1500@353,
WRT54G{Lv1.1,Sv6}@250
|FreshTomato: F7D8302@532|OpenWRT: F9K1119v1, RT-ACRH13, R6220, WNDR3700v4
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