II. Resetting & Router Firmware
ExpiredVigor 2960 & Vigor 3900 Firmware Recovery using DrayTek Firmware Utility
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DrayTek Vigor 2960 and 3900 - Firmware Recovery using DrayTek Firmware Utility
If your Vigor 2960 or 3900 router is not operating normally, then it is very likely that it can be successfully returned to normal operation by performing a firmware upgrade, using the DrayTek Firmware Utility. The DrayTek Firmware Upgrade Utility is a DrayTek specific TFTP utility designed for use with DrayTek products.
If a DrayTek Vigor router is in an inoperable state either due to a failed firmware reflash or any other reason, the router can be manually put into TFTP (Trivial File Transfer Protocol) mode - this is a function separate from the main firmware that makes it possible to reflash the firmware when the router is not able to start up normally.
When a DrayTek Vigor 2960 or Vigor 3900 is in TFTP mode, its IP address is 192.168.1.1, it will respond to Ping and TFTP connections from the DrayTek Firmware Utility.
There are two firmware file types that can be sent to the router:
| Type | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ALL File | v3900_140.all | The firmware will be upgraded to this version and retain all existing settings |
| RST File | v3900_140.rst | The firmware will be upgraded to this version and the router will be reset to its factory default settings |
Firmware supplied for the Vigor 2960/3900 routers uses the .all extension, simply change the file extension from .all to .rst by renaming the file.
Firmware Recovery Pre-requisites
- Download the correct Firmware for your Vigor 2960 or Vigor 3900 router
- Download the DrayTek Firmware Utility
- Windows computer with Ethernet port and Administrator account - required to set IP address & configure Windows Firewall
DrayTek Firmware Recovery Procedure
Firmware recovery is easiest to complete in this order, which this guide will be covering at each step:
- Configure the computer's Ethernet port IP address settings
- Run and configure the DrayTek Firmware Utility
- Open a Command Prompt window and start a constant ping to the router's TFTP IP address
- Power up the router in TFTP mode and connect the router to the computer
- Send the firmware to the router
- Wait for the router to restart with the new firmware
Step 1 - Configure PC IP address
Disconnect the computer that will be sending the firmware from its networks, both Wired - disconnect the cable, and Wireless - disable the wireless adapter or enable Airplane mode.
Set up the computer's Ethernet adapter IP address with these details:
| IP address | 192.168.1.10 |
| Subnet mask | 255.255.255.0 |
| Default gateway | no Gateway IP address set |
| DNS servers | no DNS IP addresses set |
For guidance on how to change the IP address in different Windows operating systems, see this guide.
Step 2 - Set up the DrayTek Firmware Utility
Upon starting the DrayTek Firmware Utility, it will pop-up a warning that recommends to disable the computer's firewall. Just click OK to bypass the warning, the Windows Firewall should only be disabled if the Firmware Utility fails to send.
In the Firmware Utility, click "..." for the Firmware File to select the firmware that will be sent by the utility, where the type of firmware to be sent can be selected:
ALL File (Reflash & retain settings) - Navigate to the directory that the firmware is located in, select the firmware and click Open:
RST File (Reflash & reset settings) - Standard firmware renamed with .rst extension. Rename the file and change the file type to "(*.rst)" to select the file, then click Open:
With the firmware selected, configure these settings and move on to the next step:
| Vigor 2960 | Vigor 3900 | |
|---|---|---|
| Router IP | 192.168.1.1 | 192.168.1.1 |
| Password | leave this blank | leave this blank |
| Port | 69 | 69 |
| Time Out | 5 | 5 |
| Recommended Block Size Fastest: 1468 Most Compatible: 512 |
1468 1454 1024 512 |
1468 1454 1024 512 |
Step 3 - Ping the router's TFTP IP address
Open the Windows Start menu (Start key) or open the Windows Run prompt (Start+R keys) and type "cmd" then press enter to open the Windows command prompt.
At the command prompt, type "ping -t 192.168.1.1" and press enter. This will start a constant ping to the TFTP IP address, which is useful to determine when the router's TFTP server is ready to accept firmware.
The pings to 192.168.1.1 will not receive a response, which is normal at this stage. Leave this running and move on to the next step.
Step 4 - Activating TFTP Mode
Remove the router from its normal fitted position and connect it directly to the PC running the DrayTek Firmware Utility.
Vigor 2960
TFTP mode is activated by powering up the Vigor 2960 while the Factory Reset button is pressed in.
This requires a pen tip or paperclip to press the recessed reset button.
When pressed, the reset button will make an audible clicking sound as the button is depressed.
TFTP Procedure Steps
- Connect power to the router
- Switch off the router using the power switch
- Press and hold the Factory Reset button
- While still holding the Factory Reset button, turn on the router with the power switch
- The Vigor 2960 will power up, taking a few seconds to load the TFTP mode
- All of the LAN & WAN LEDs will blink on briefly, indicating that the router's LAN ports are now active
- ACT, CSM and VPN LEDs will flash in an alternating pattern as shown below
- Let go of the Factory Reset button, the router will stay in TFTP mode for 45 seconds
- If no firmware is sent to the router within 45 seconds, power cycle the router to operate it as normal or restart TFTP mode
Step 5 - Sending Firmware to the router
Once the router has booted into TFTP mode and is connected to the computer, watch the pings to the router's TFTP IP address - 192.168.1.1 should begin responding to pings after a few seconds, at which point the firmware can be sent:
In the DrayTek Firmware Utility, click the Send button and watch the status, it should look like the animation below:
1. Check that the Block Size is correct for the model (see table in Step 2)
2. If the progress bar gets stuck part-way, be patient and it will usually continue
3. If it doesn't continue after pausing, wait for the Firmware Utility to abort the sending attempt. Restart the router in TFTP mode and try again
4. If the Sending progress bar does not fill at all:
i. Check the computer's Firewall configuration
ii. Try a smaller Block Size
4. Ensure that the computer has no other network adapters such as Wireless networking active
Once the firmware has been sent, the Firmware Utility will pop-up a "Waiting" window - this checks for connectivity to the router at the IP address that the firmware was sent to.
If the Vigor router had standard .all firmware sent to it, click "Skip" and proceed to the next step.
If the Vigor router had .rst firmware sent to it, the router will go back to its factory default IP address of 192.168.1.1. Wait for the Firmware Utility to detect connectivity to the router, at which point the router's web interface will be accessible.
If a Windows Firewall message pops up, the firmware sending procedure may be able to send successfully even without being allowed access, but if you find the firmware is not sending, click Allow Access for the Firmware Utility.
Step 6 - Wait for the router to restart with the new firmware
Once the firmware has been sent to the router, it can spend up to 5 minutes upgrading its firmware.
During this time, the router's LEDs will indicate its status:
Do not power off the router until the LED states indicate it is operating normally
| Vigor 2960 - LED States | Description |
|---|---|
| DoS, WAN1, WAN2, USB2 lit ACT, CSM, VPN flashing |
router is in TFTP mode and awaiting firmware |
| ACT, CSM, DoS, WAN1, WAN2, USB2 lit | firmware has been uploaded successfully, router is reflashing firmware |
| All LEDs lit | router is starting up |
| ACT blinking once per second | router is operating normally |
| Vigor 3900 - LED States | Description |
|---|---|
| ACT blinking rapidly | router is in TFTP mode and awaiting firmware |
| ACT, USB1, USB2 blinking very rapidly | firmware has been uploaded successfully, router is reflashing firmware |
| PWR, USB2 lit solidly | router is starting up |
| ACT blinking once per second | router is operating normally |
Once the router has restarted, the ACT light should blink once per second, indicating that it is operating normally.
If the Vigor router had standard .all firmware sent to it, the router will be accessible on the IP address it was on prior to the reflash with all original configuration present. Connect it back up to the network and use the router as normal.
If the Vigor router had .rst firmware sent to it, the router will be back to its factory default configuration, with an IP address of 192.168.1.1. Connect it back up to the network and reconfigure the router.
Troubleshooting
If the upgrade process shows this error message when attempting to send firmware then the utility has not been able to successfully send the firmware to the Vigor router.
If this occurs, try these steps which should allow the Firmware Upgrade Utility to send to the router successfully:
- Check that the "Router IP address" setting is correct in the DrayTek Firmware Utility and that the computer sending the firmware has an IP address on the same network as the router's TFTP address of 192.168.1.1
- Make sure that the firmware file is still present on the computer and that it is the correct one for the model
- Connect the computer directly to the router's LAN port
- Disable the Windows Firewall or any other software firewalls running on the computer
- Try starting the DrayTek Firmware utility with administrator rights by right clicking on the icon / application and selecting "Run as Administrator"
- Try using a different computer if none of the above works
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- First Published: 27/07/2018
- Last Updated: 27/07/2018