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Firmware Upgrades Creating Doorstops?

Posted by Cliff on from the delicate-devices dept.

Michael Droettboom asks: "I recently purchased a Linksys WMLS11B. Nice enough unit for the money. One gotcha, though: when upgrading the firmware (past its refundable date where I bought it), my machine crashed, turning the WMLS11B into a doorstop along with it. Linksys has offered to replace the unit, but I don't want it if the box is so easily corrupted. I have always been on a strict policy of updating firmware on all my devices, but was wondering if anyone else has had experience with devices so broken as to not recover from a broken upgrade?"

4 of 69 comments (clear)

  1. Indeed by Judg3 · · Score: 4, Informative

    This is why I use Gigabyte Motherboards almost exclusively, with their dual-BIOS onboard. If the machine crashes during a flash, all I need to do is reboot and it'll fire up on the backup BIOS and I'm in the running again.

    Really though, I wouldn't bitch about the device not being able to recover itself. Adding on self-healing abilities (Basically fixing end user screw ups) adds parts to the device, which adds to the cost. It is a *consumer* level device, remember, so price is the big concern. Stop whining and get a new one - you screwed it up, the company isn't to blame here.

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    1. Re:Indeed by 10101001+10101001 · · Score: 2, Informative

      The thing is that when bios firmware started coming out, there was a lot of people who lost their machine to a flashing mishap when meant the manufacturer had to take it back and fix it. After a while, the manufacturers started include a boot-block bios which is never overwritten but provides enough functionality to auto-flash the bios if the bios is corrupt. Not surprisingly, this not only made consumers (like me) happy.

      The truth is, the majority of people adventurous enough to flash their bios are more than capable of following some instructions to make a "recovery disk" in case things go wrong. To me, it seems like common sense that a boot-block bios should exist on all firmware upgradeable parts. I'm sure economics bears out this out as well.

      --
      Eurohacker European paranoia, gun rights, and h
  2. Re:Upgrading... by WhatAmIDoingHere · · Score: 3, Informative

    We're NOT talking about a router with a firewall. Click the link to the product. "The Linksys Wireless-B Music System lets you bring the digital music stored on your computer to your Home Entertainment Center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the Music System finally frees your digital music collection from those little computer speakers to play in full glory through your stereo system." Afraid somebody is going to hack your gibson through your wireless music system?

    --
    Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
  3. Never blame bad design on the user! by micron · · Score: 2, Informative

    This is a flaw with the hardware design, and not with the consumer. Crashes during a firmware flash can happen, and they should be designed around. Don't blame bad design on a user!

    Example: All Compaq desktop and server machines have had a feature sinced at least 1990 that allows you to recover from a bad firmware flash. Not too many folks new about it. Basically, you could throw all the dip switches on SWB6 on, and the machine could boot to read firmware from a floppy. The prompt was beeps, but it worked. Problem was, not even a lot of the tech support folks new about it.

    Now, the trend is towards having 2 ROM images. Flash goes to new image, if new image can't boot, old image boots.

    The point is, this problem is 1) well known, and 2) solutions are well known.

    We have a tendancy to excuse these sorts of things, but the moral to the story is to NEVER blame problems that stem from bad design on the end user.