Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2015 1:14 Post subject: Bricked: Didn't wait long enough when installing mini DD-WRT
I decided to put DD-WRT onto a Cisco e4200 router that was auto updating it's (Linksys?)OS until today. The e4200 had DHCP turned off (I was in the middle of setting up the network, the other two routers were done and working). The e4200 had internet connectivity already, but I needed to reserve an IP address for the server, which I couldn't do after turning off DHCP (thus upgrading to DD-WRT). On my laptop I disabled DHCP, and immediately began uploading the mini-firmware. After what must not have been 300 seconds, I accidentally unplugged the RJ45 from the modem. I waited a for about a minute, and performed a 30-30-30 reset after seeing no response on my laptop (no "login" prompt"). At this point I lost all connection with the e4200. The Cisco logo still glows on the router, and plugging in Ethernet cable causes one LED indicators to flash orange (for about 3s) and the green LED stays lit.
After the e4200 reset my laptop lost the connection and self-assigned itself a DHCP address, so I switched it to static mode with multiple configurations, attempting pings in each one. Apparently some people had success pinging the router's IP before connecting the cable, and then connecting and receiving a few successful pings; however, if the e4200 is working, I have not found the IP it is hiding at. I have tried for example:
I have got the following results for each of them, for example: (Mac@192.168.0.2/24 -> 192.168.0.1):
Code:
--- 192.168.0.1 ping statistics ---
6 packets transmitted, 0 packets received, 100.0% packet loss
Thomas:~ thomas$ ping -t 6 192.168.0.1
PING 192.168.0.1 (192.168.0.1): 56 data bytes
ping: sendto: No route to host
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 0
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 1
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 2
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 3
ping: sendto: No route to host
Request timeout for icmp_seq 4
Sometimes I only get the Request timeout for icmp_seq X message.
I noticed that there is a USB slot in the router, but I haven't heard anything about people booting from USB images. I have 30-30-30 reset the router and still have the same problem, leading me to conclude the original OS is gone. I have heard that clearing the NVRAM should work, but AFAIK I cannot do this. Does anyone have any suggestions before I resign myself to a new router?
Additional notes:
-The e4200 does not show up on the connected router's list of connected devices. (It did before I bricked(?) it).
-I do not know what exact IP my laptop was connecting to the router from before I reset it because the DHCP settings were erased from my network settings menu when the connection died. I wrote down the connected server's 192.168.1.125/24 connection beforehand though.
-Wireless was disabled prior to uploading the firmware (and it's access-point does not re-appear when power-cycling the e4200).
-I am aware that running a server behind (multiple!) consumer-grade routers is a stupid idea; the server is very hobbyist in nature, though I would of course like to have it up and running!
See peacock announcement note x6 _________________ SIG:
I'm trying to teach you to fish, not give you a fish. If you just want a fish, wait for a fisherman who hands them out. I'm more of a fishing instructor.
LOM: "If you show that you have not bothered to read the forum announcements or to follow the advices in them then the level of help available for you will drop substantially, also known as Murrkf's law.."
I'm not sure that you read my post. I read the peacock thread; however, it is impossible for me to use the methods described therein to fix the router when I cannot get pings through to find what IP it is on because DHCP is turned off...
MongooseProXC wrote:
Alternatively, some Linksys routers have a Management Mode for recovery. It may be worth a try.
Thank you very much, your 30-5-5 method worked perfectly the first try. I'll throw in my vote to update the Peacock thread (every link recommended the 30-30-30 reset).
I'm not sure that you read my post. I read the peacock thread; however, it is impossible for me to use the methods described therein to fix the router when I cannot get pings through to find what IP it is on because DHCP is turned off...
MongooseProXC wrote:
Alternatively, some Linksys routers have a Management Mode for recovery. It may be worth a try.
Thank you very much, your 30-5-5 method worked perfectly the first try. I'll throw in my vote to update the Peacock thread (every link recommended the 30-30-30 reset).
Management mode options and that EXACT link are already in note 6.... So are the subsequent steps of fixing it using a cable. You didn't read fully. _________________ SIG:
I'm trying to teach you to fish, not give you a fish. If you just want a fish, wait for a fisherman who hands them out. I'm more of a fishing instructor.
LOM: "If you show that you have not bothered to read the forum announcements or to follow the advices in them then the level of help available for you will drop substantially, also known as Murrkf's law.."