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Router Unable to Boot, Stuck in Bootloop
Hi all, I am having trouble with my Netgear Nighthawk X6 R8000 currently. I have had this router for 5.5 years (since August 8, 2014) and it is currently running on the latest firmware (1.04....
Issue has been resolved, please see post #5 of this thread:
I am in complete agreement with you that a factory reset is unlikely to solve anything. I have only resetted the device for real once in its 5.5 year lifespan anyway.
But I am doubtful that the firmware itself is actually corrupt, and the problem smells of hardware failure... I have always assumed that the firmware is a static asset on the router which isn't changed, and that the settings are independent of the firmware, although the change of certain settings may activate certain parts of the firmware. That is, unless you are suggesting that the settings are part of the firmware itself.
In any event, I will perform the downgrade to an older firmware version first via LAN and hope for the best!
it_geek wrote:
But I am doubtful that the firmware itself is actually corrupt, and the problem smells of hardware failure...
Unfortunately, too many messages here suggest that corrupt firmware is at least as likely as hardware failure. That is the whole point of the LED indicator. It is a response to the internal checking that goes on when the router starts up.
As you know, firmware is just software code written into the memory in a router. And we all know how fragile memory can be. You never know, all that power cycling could have sent along one too many signal spikes.
I have attempted to update the firmware.
Regretfully, the router failed to reboot and exhibited the same symptoms, except that the router light shows either orange, no light at all, or a transparent white, but never a solid white.
The rest of the lights flash eratically. Also, it should be noted that the last time the router was still available, I was unable to Power On the Wireless feature at all, no matter how many times I used the Wi-Fi On/Off button.
I have attempted the following resets:
- Normal 7 second reset;
- NVRAM clearance reset (30 second reset hold while powered off);
- 30-30-30 Full Hardware reset.
And the router still fails to respond, despite attempts to perform the above resets.
I have officially declared the router as BER, a like replacement (used) is already on its way and will arrive approximately Friday. In the meantime, I have defaulted to a backup router that I have kept in my cupboard for 5 years plus (which the NETGEAR was meant to replace). It's only 100Mbps but it's better than having no internet!
Thanks for all the help anyway... tried my level best.
it_geek wrote:
I have attempted to update the firmware.
How?
it_geek wrote:
Regretfully, the router failed to reboot and exhibited the same symptoms, except that the router light shows either orange, no light at all, or a transparent white, but never a solid white.
Was that after the update?
I do hope you did not try to reboot before you did the update. As previously suggested, that would be asking for trouble on a device with boot problems.
Did it show all those lights at the same time?
I have never seen "transparent white" and would not be able to tell it apart from solid white.
I'd say that it was on its way out.
michaelkenward wrote:
it_geek wrote:I have attempted to update the firmware.
How?
Answer: While the router was still alive after I completed the mission critical task, I uploaded an older version of the firmware (one version earlier) using the router's web console at routerlogin.net. The chk file of that firmware version was uploaded and the router rebooted automatically as part of the procedure.Was that after the update?
I do hope you did not try to reboot before you did the update. As previously suggested, that would be asking for trouble on a device with boot problems.
Answer: See above. I did the update prior to the reboot; the reboot was nothing but a natural consequence of the update (or so I thought).
Did it show all those lights at the same time?
Answer: Yes. At one point all the lights will flash a hollow white/orange (dimmer than usual), then it will turn to a solid colour (all the LEDs lighted up).
I have never seen "transparent white" and would not be able to tell it apart from solid white.
Answer: Let me see if I can upload a photo of it. I have already stashed the router back in its box and in the pile of things i wanna discard. Try to picture a solid white light but 75% dimmer. That was how it more or less looked like.
I'd say that it was on its way out.
Answer: I am afraid so. I have never seen a router give a Channel 0 while the wireless function is disabled. It might have been a hardware failure doomed from the start. Only god knows.
Just when I thought that this story would end with a new router... turns out it's not!!!
Just after 3 days of using the new router with the 18/7 schedule, the 2nd router is exhibiting EXACTLY the same symptoms and the power light is forever stuck in orange. The new router's firmware version is also the same as the previous one at 1.04.46_63 when it was shipped; I did not need to upgrade or anything, except that I restored the settings from the 1st router onto the new one.
I am just completely trumped at how two routers can fail just like that, especially from a brand like NETGEAR.
Can anyone please explain what is going on now?
it_geek wrote:
except that I restored the settings from the 1st router onto the new one.
Bad move.
Restoring saved settings from a treroublesome system is a good way of reviving problems.
The standard advice after a factory reset is do not restore the settings.
Unfortunately that has already happened... so what do I do now moving forward?
it_geek wrote:
Unfortunately that has already happened...
What has already happened?
To get back to factory settings, and to remove your old settings, simply put the thing through the usual reset process. There is even a more thorough reset:
- Press reset for 30 seconds
- Keep pressing reset while removing power
- Keep pressing reset for another 30 seconds while apply power
michaelkenward wrote:
it_geek wrote:Unfortunately that has already happened...
What has already happened?
Answer: I had already restored the previous user settings to the new router.
To get back to factory settings, and to remove your old settings, simply put the thing through the usual reset process. There is even a more thorough reset:
- Press reset for 30 seconds
- Keep pressing reset while removing power
- Keep pressing reset for another 30 seconds while apply power
Will give that a try sometime later.... I have a school test tomorrow
I have tried the 30-30-30 procedure on the router once but it did not change the situation.
Should I just keep doing it until it boots up or...?
So far, I have tried the 30-30-30 reset procedure but it has not been able to bring my router back to a working state.
I tried the said procedure on both routers in my possession (the old one and the 2nd one which I bought in a used condition to replace the other router).
Unfortunately, it has not been successful on either routers.
Since there has been very little information available on the lighting state of the routers, I will proceed to upload a video in a new thread which will show the lighted state of the routers, when I try to power it on, when i attempt a single cycle long reset of 30 seconds, and when i try 30-30-30.
I will put it in a new thread instead of this as it may shed light on what the router's blinking pattern represents, and (hopefully) bring forward anyone who has encountered a situation like this as well.
it_geek wrote:
Since there has been very little information available on the lighting state of the routers..
Not sure what you mean by that.
Most manuals, including the R8000,have a section called something like "Troubleshoot with the LEDs".
Perhaps you mean the stages they go through to get there.
The power LED, the important one, is either white (working fine), blinking orange (firmware is bust), or blinking white (in recovery mode).
There may be variations on this theme. (At one stage the power LED was green.) But I am sure that the real experts will step in an add their takes on what the disco effects mean.
I have checked the manual and accordingly, a corrupt firmware is represented by a blinking white LED - something which I had not seen on the router.
In any event, I have opened up a seperate thread detailing the lighting cycle of both NETGEAR routers. Hopefully we can gain new insight as to why the router is stuck in this bootloop, from observing the LED colours.
Issue has been resolved, please see post #5 of this thread: