Can't flash Dreambox 500 - no RS232 port and failing to network

[michaelcs]

Newbie, dish recently set up and working on a Fortec Passion, and now this is day two of Dreambox 500S ownership. So far no joy. Please be gentle, think back to your own beginnings....

I assume the first thing is to flash it with either the latest official download or another image (I'm only dimly understanding what I might do with different images but that's why I've got this device, to learn...).

I have a 9 pin (female to female) null modem cable but find I have nothing to connect it to as my laptop has only a 25 pin printer port and a 15 pin female port for screens, projectors etc.

So I thought I would network it into my LAN (Belkin ADSL with wireless G router), and the posts on this forum make this sound easy. The Belkin manual suggests using DHCP and let that choose any external device's IP address, rather than assign one as in T_G's sticky. But the manual doesn't explain how to add a non-wireless device (all items on my network have built-in wireless). I tried inputting the settings as in T_G's sticky to the DB and saved but it doesn't show up in my network of DHCP clients. If it was wireless it would alo have to input the WEP security codes for my network and I don't see how to do that.

Advice please on my best solution?
a) buy a 25 to 9 pin cable converter for the null modem cable
b) get a wireless device (is it called a dongle?) for the DB only and then flash it wirelessly
c) hard wire the DB with a network cable to my laptop (I tried this but it just cut off my network and I had to reboot)
d) revive an ancient laptop with 9 pin port and copy images onto it and then use null modem
e) learn FTP or Samba (the onscreen instruction says to upload the image to my /tmp folder and I am sure there is stuff on the forum on this - is it essential to do some of the above anyway? and if so I'd appreciate a steer to get me started).

Finally - wht would be the first image I should put on? - have read lots of voices for Gemini - please don't say it depends what you want to do with it, because I don't know yet!

Thanks in advance

Michael

[rolfw]

Use an ethernet cable to your router, then download Flashwizard pro, makes the job easy.

May be best to avoid the later Gemini images, as if your 500 is a clone, you could end up with a dead receiver.

[mhku]

In no particular order:

Your laptop will connect wirelessly to the router, the Dreambox will connect using a CAT5 cable (to the router).

If you can't connect to the Dreambox then FTP won't work. There is an FTP "how to" in the Idiot's Guide.

If you use DHCP (I don't) then you need to know the IP address that your router has assigned to the Dreambox (when you get the networking sorted out).

Use Gemini 4.30 or earlier.

[michaelcs]

Many thanks to you both, MKHU and rolfw, for fabulous quick relvnt support and I am following up and will crack all these issues. Have now read up on FTP and downloaded Ipswitch and found a source for Gemini images. Just tried

But since you mention it can I ask about DM500S clones. Mine (just got it but used, from a colleague) looks original, so does the box etc; nothing says made in Germany or China, except the power supply is certainly made in China. I read on another site that the MAC address is a clue and that if this begins 00 09 34 (which mine does) it's original? Mine has serial no 4525016008929S. The other website suggested that Gemini 4.30 was the version to avoid and was replaced by 4.31 after customer protest because it contained a deliberate freeze-out of clones. Sorry if this is cobblers, what do I know, I scarcely knew what a Dreambox was last week.

[Topper]

The other website suggested that Gemini 4.30 was the version to avoid and was replaced by 4.31 after customer protest because it contained a deliberate freeze-out of clones. Sorry if this is cobblers, what do I know, I scarcely knew what a Dreambox was last week.

The deliberate freeze out of clones actually destroyed the boot loader rendering the stb useless unless the user was able to Jtag the stb into life again

[mhku]

If you're worried use an old Gemini version pre 4.3 - I think mine is 3.60

If you're happy that it is genuine use the latest Gemini image.