GL-AR300m SPI Uboot reflash, need help from anyone with a dump file. Thx

Dickincorp · 2021-04-04T20:40:29.903Z

I’ve done a bit of research, (and have done this on 2 other devices) I just really only need a clean dump file for the Uboot restore if anyone would be so kind. Thanks in advance to anyone that could help please.

AR300M brick and..recovery attempt Technical Support for Routers

Thanks a lot @misujr. Really. I mean it. Finding this support by the community was the only way I could hope to recover the router, and indeed it is. Let’s hope I don’t do something stupid! Dear @alzhao , I seem to progress. The dump of ART might be redundant, as part of the chip seems fine. I can send you privately the dump to verify that some parts do not need to be flashed again? [CH341A programmer] Or even better, I try to flash uboot and see if the rest of the chip behaves correctly. …

drive.google.com

gl-ar300m-ext-chips1.jpg

Google Drive file.

GL-AR300M-Ext (Nor and Nand) 16/128 128ram
winbond 25q128jvsq 2037

bright_plastik · 2021-04-04T21:08:48.228Z

Hi Dick, dunno your problem, but I was able to flash “partition by partition” using the dump Misujr kindly uploaded to help recover the box. It was on Mega, if I remember right. Check if it is still present… If he already removed it I can upload it again, but you’ll have to wait a few days, as I’m not home.
finger crossed for the recovery!

Dickincorp · 2021-04-04T21:17:46.862Z

You’re a life saver ! Thanks for the quick response! (I’m expecting my SPI tool in the mail the next couple hours lol)
I did read and tried to get the dump from there but it was removed / expired.
OH! and if you have info on the “Partition to partition” copy that would help me a ton too

bright_plastik · 2021-04-04T22:11:42.443Z

I’ll pass you the link in a few days…no prob! About the recover… You’ll have to flash the whole dump. After, by only using the uboot console, you can flash the Nor partition and upgrade the uboot partition, and the nand partition, one by one. Don’t use the GUI of uboot, as there is a bug with the size of the nand you can upload. It is too big and the flash of the nand section will always fail. Just use uboot console with a tftp server. You’ll need a serial to usb adapter. Do you own one?
I’ll try to link you the hints I gathered, if you can’t find them.

Dickincorp · 2021-04-04T22:29:02.553Z

Yep, I have a FT232RL ready for tftp. the SPI tool and the Uboot are all I’m missing atm.
Thx for the effort so far
I was wondering why all the NAND flashes I tried failed :P. I thought Uboot was the issue, then my brain went into TL;DR mode and I thought “what’s the worst that could happen”. So, ya, here I am lol

drive.google.com

FT232RL-1.jpg

Google Drive file.

bright_plastik · 2021-04-08T11:17:50.604Z

This is the link to the dump…the mac addresses are random, therefore you need to flash the art partition as well, which is provided by the customer service on gl.inet, if you don’t have it backed up (which is the case I think).
The hassle is frequent and therefore deprorable, but at least the customer service is prompt and precise, as I was answered directly by the guru, Alzhao. Once you flash the entire dump on the box you’ll be able to use the uboot console, that is a very capable environment to recover the several parts of the box. That usb to uart adapter will be in stong team with uboot console. You’ll be sorted as soon as you figure out how to use the uboot console and the included scripts to flash sections of the chips.
Hope you have all tools and knowledge ready in a short time and wish you good luck with the recovery!

Dickincorp · 2021-04-08T16:16:43.346Z

Thanks again for the help
I’ll do a bit more study about how to get my ART partition redone. The info on the net is rather sparse.

bright_plastik · 2021-04-19T22:24:47.377Z

I saw only now you sorted, apparently. I an sorry, but happy to deduce you’re online.
Did you find it intuitive, in the end? Lol, when I saw how old was the dump and the custom owrt version, I admit I had a twitch.
But everything is perfectly updatable, after.

Congrats for your success!

ExVcYi3v · 2022-05-15T14:20:05.471Z

Bump. Can anyone send me clean ar300m flash dump? I need this because of router brick… I need to program and solder new winbond chip. Glinet support tells me, that they no longer support this router so I cannot do anything and receive dump from them.

alzhao · 2022-05-17T10:12:42.980Z

You can consider digikey if you want to buy components, in a few pieces.

ExVcYi3v · 2022-05-17T12:09:17.398Z

I have Winbond W25Q128FV chip, but what I need is only dump from working router.
Anyone can help and send me priv full clean dump? Can be with randomly generated s/n and MAC on ART partition. I can put data from my router through hex editor. I would also be grateful if someone gave information where to locate the ART partition to replace this data.

alzhao · 2022-05-18T07:08:38.237Z

ExVcYi3v:

Can be with randomly generated s/n and MAC on ART partition

You send me the photo of the bottom sticker and I will generate art for you.

bright_plastik · 2022-05-29T12:01:20.616Z

ExVcYi3v:

I need to program and solder new winbond chip.

Are you sure you can’t resort to uboot console? It’s going to be immensely easier, if you can use it. Art and data are located in different partitions, and using the built-in commands of uboot you can flash those automagically!

Dickincorp · 2025-06-08T16:26:55.839Z

IM usually, the last one with the angry hacker review --> my 'scathing' version.
after 5 years and 6 different versions of this little router they have all died, and im down to 1

GL-AR300M freezing up with increasing frequency Routers

CAN CONFIRM! TWO yes two, Shadow gl-ar300m16 and gl-ar300m with nand ARE BOTH doing this after 2 years, ill go MAYBE 3 days THEN get 2 hours of steady use before FREEZE UP. and no, load / usage does NOT matter. it just reboots or freezes whenever totally RANDOM. Even went so far as to brush down the whole inner board with 95% iso, AND ADDING heat sinks to the chips. (i own a 3rd that ended up just being a donor board for the more expensive Nand one, one of the NoR chips needed replacement 1 yea…