Revert Buffalo Linkstation Mini To Stock Firmware

From NAS-Central Buffalo - The Linkstation Wiki

WARNING! There is a possibility that you could brick your NAS with these instructions. Please make sure that you read the entire page carefully. These instructions are intended for (and were tested successfully with) Linkstation Mini models LS-WSxxxxGL/R1. Other models should download the correct TFTP and Updater software from Buffalo. This procedure is not guaranteed to work for your Linkstation Mini model. Proceed at your own risk.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Procedure 3 References

Overview

1. Erase both hard drives
2. Boot device in EM Mode
3. Use TFTP Boot software to boot device
4. Use LSUpdater software to rebuild entire device.

Procedure

1. Disassemble device and remove both hard drives.
2. Delete all partitions from both hard drives (device will only use TFTP when boot partition is missing).
3. Change your network segment to 192.168.11.x (or wire device directly to computer using network cable)
4. Change computer IP address to 192.168.11.1 (subnet 255.255.255.0)
5. Download and extract TFTP boot recovery software ( ftp://24.153.165.234/disk1/share/nas-recovery/TFTP%20Boot%20Recovery%20LS-WSGL%201.05.exe )
6. Download and extract LSUpdater software on computer ( http://www.buffalotech.com/support/getfile/lswsgl-106.zip )
7. Adjust [Flags] section in LSUpdater.ini

    [Flags]
    VersionCheck = 0
   

8. Add section to LSUpdater.ini

    [SpecialFlags]
    Debug = 1
   

9. Disable firewall on your computer (firewalls can interfere with install)
10. Run "TFTP Boot.exe" on computer
11. Boot device in EM mode (power off, hold function button while powering on, release function button when blue light starts flashing, press and release function button again, press function button when red light starts flashing, repeat until TFTP boot succeeds)
12. Wait for TFTP server to send images to device (initrd.buffalo and uImage.buffalo)

Do not proceed unless the TFTP server indicates successful transfer of initrd.buffalo and uImage.buffalo

13. Close TFTP Boot window
14. Run LSUpdater.exe on computer
15. Right-click on title bar of the window (where it says Updater)
16. Select "Debug(D)..." from the context menu

WARNING! The following commands will completely erase and rebuild the Linkstation Mini. ABSOLUTELY ALL DATA ON THE DEVICE WILL BE LOST. Make sure that you are using the the correct firmware for the intended device (i.e. LS-WSxxxxGL/R1). If you have selected the wrong firmware and/or device, THEN THIS PROCEDURE WILL BRICK YOUR DEVICE. Proceed at your own risk.




17. Select all checkboxes in both "Update" and "Config" frames (update boot, update kernel, update initrd, update rootfs, do not check version, rebuild partition table, delete user-config, force update)
18. Make sure that you have selected the correct device, then click on the "Update" button to begin the update
19. Confirm that you want to format and update the target device
20. Wait for update process to complete
21. Close LSUpdater utility.
22. Enable firewall on your computer

This will restore the device to factory settings; however the web interface will be in Japanese language Follow these steps to change to the language and character set of your choice...

23. Open the device web page interface (should be 192.168.11.150... on DHCP networks, consult the router DHCP client list)
24. Login to device (user = admin, password = password)
25. Change the language and character set as needed using second menu item (looks like folded paper)

Congratulations! You should now have a Linkstation Mini reverted to factory settings.

References

• Buffalo Forum Article about TFTP Boot Procedure
• Buffalo Forum Article about Forcing Firmware Update
• TFTP Boot software for various Buffalo Linkstation models
• Buffalo downloads area (for Updater software download)

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