Unbricked AR750S-EXT Slate recovered but has no free memory/storage

[woolverton]

After a failed forward downgrade I bricked a Slate AR750S-EXT (same as many other posters here.)
I can upload Firmware via uboot but the devices fails to boot back up afterward.

If I try to install any gl-i firmware I get the Upload Failure error—file size too large.
(I’ve read all the forum posts on ubooting 750S.The oldest fw available to me is 3.105; u/l 3.105 results in the Upload error as well.)

Though a round about path, I managed install Clean OS: gl-ar750s-3.0-1011_clean.tar

Status screen is shown below; what is filling the Total Available Memory?

[woolverton]

sidenote: I’ve done dozens of uboot FW installs and several Factory Resets but when it does boot up it already knows my password. Is this Slate hoarding fw and settings?

How to do a full reset to factory settings, fw and all?

[admon]

@woolverton

what is filling the Total Available Memory?

Mostly the OS.
This statistic is for RAM, not hard disk.

[alzhao]

It seems just normal for Linux.

[woolverton]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Any idea why I cannot install any of the gl-i firmwares (without getting the file Too Large Upload Error?
(the Clean fw is 5.4Mb but all the gl-i fw are >15Mb)

[admon]

Afaik only img or bin files should be uploaded - not tar.

[woolverton]

Yes, I’m trying only .bin and .img.

Highlighted file is the only gl-i fw file that uploads without the Upload Error (…if the device doesn’t”t hang up during the process.)

[admon]

Try to upgrade uboot first, see here (at the end of the page)

[woolverton]

Thanks, did it already today.
(That’s the webpage that tipped me off to it.)

[admon]

Can you still login via SSH?

If yes, try running firstboot -y && reboot, this should reset all settings.

[woolverton]

I’m unable to ssh in
(but via Luci I can see ssh is enabled. So the error must be PEBKAC; I keep trying)

[eric]

I have no idea why the got rid of 3.104 img file, as it works great as a step to recover the Slate without the risk of installing a new version of uboot. It would be nice if they put it back on their site.

They seem to be trying to kill this product.

[woolverton]

I ssh’d in, ran firstboot:

root@OpenWrt:~# firstboot -y && reboot
/dev/ubi0_1 is mounted as /overlay, only erasing files
Connection to 192.168.1.1 closed by remote host.

then it rebooted with all the same garbled settings as before— nothing erased.

[woolverton]

BTW: doing a Reset to defaults: in the UI does nothing as well.

In fact, replacing the firmware without keeping settings also reboots into the same settings, root password and all.

[admon]

Eh.

This is just your browser-based auto-complete, not the password of your router.

[2lame]

@eric

I have no idea why the got rid of 3.104 img file, as it works great as a step to recover the Slate without the risk of installing a new version of uboot. It would be nice if they put it back on their site.

Agree - I’m hesitant to upgrade the uboot on my Slate, after all the dire warnings!

[woolverton]

Yes it’s browser autofill but it’s also works correctly and logs in.
Notice the No Password Set warning AND its demand password for login. How can these two conditions exist simultaneously. If l log in and change settings, after reboot the changes are all gone.
This router is garbled.

The router is not erasing itself after firmware install via uboot or Restore to Defaults or firstboot.
I cannot install any available gl-i fw.

These forums suggest fw 3.104 will free me from this state.

[admon]

Because luci is built on top. If you go through the GL GUI first, it should set up everything correctly.

[woolverton]

recovered this Slate with 3.104 uploaded via uboot

[woolverton]

notice the difference in Memory usage between the above screen cap running virgin gl-i v3.104 and the grab at the top of this thread fresh openwrt-23.05.3 freshly loaded via uboot.