Flashing a DM-600 in 4 easy steps

***compufunk*** · 15-08-2008

As of yet most of the apps I have found for flashing a dreambox over LAN are not compatible with the DM-600 .NFI image format.

I discovered a way to easily erase the flash a few nights ago. I figured there most likely was a way to erase the flash without using a PC based application.

You can easily flash your DM-600 as follows.

Important, You must know what IP address your DB will have, post flash erase. My DB always gets the same IP address from the router when I use DHCP. The IP is assigned based on MAC address, so never changes from image to image.
If someone else can, please chip in with a way of figuring out your IP address otherwise.

1: Turn on DHCP in the communications page and note down the IP address your DB was assigned.

2: Remove the power supply lead from the back of the DB, hold in the power/standby button, plug in the power supply again (While keeping the button pressed). Give it about 15 secs and flash should be erased.

It only actually takes about 10 secs, You will notice that the flashing pattern on the LEDs will have changed.

3: Open up your favorite web browser and type in the IP address you noted earlier. You will see a green page load. Click the link labeled 'upgrade firmware' (or similar) on the bottom left of the page. Browse to and select your the NFI image file on your PC. Click the button to proceed.

4: Once the flash progress meter has reached 100%, turn the DB off then on again.

That's it, You have a new image in flash.

Hope someone finds this useful

C

**nanochickin** · 15-08-2008

Or you could just use Dreamup

1. Turn on DHCP in the communications page and note down the IP address your DB was assigned.

2. Connect your box to your computer using the Serial lead and also connect an ethernet (Network) lead to your dreambox and router.

3. Start Dreamup.

4. Tick the box that says use network

5. Fill in your pcs and dreambox ip addresses

6. Click on connect.

7. Switch on Dreambox & wait for connection confirmation

8. Click on Flash and select the nfi image you want to send to the box

The program will tell you when its finished

I can't say i have had any problems flashing my 600 using this method.

You can just use the serial lead although it takes a lot longer to complete the process. Just make sure you untick the Use network tab

Nano

***compufunk*** · 16-08-2008

Originally Posted by nanochickin

Or you could just use Dreamup ......
.........

Thanks for the input Nano,
The only problem with serial connection is that most modern computers dont have a serial port, I have 3 PCs in the house, none of which have one

. It took me a while to find a way to flash via LAN. I was using "Very Simple Flash Assistant" to do it until I found that holding the power button on boot erased the flash, which is all "Very Simple Flash Assistant" really does.

flan3lan · 22-08-2008

HI compufunk,

I have been using the way you mentioned for a while to restore my
backup but with a small diffrence ....

I am using telnet to erase the flash .

telnet dreambox-ip and the execute the following commands :

mount /boot -o remount,rw
rm /boot/*
reboot

This might be better than removing the power ..etc.

Chers 7 keep up the good work .

***compufunk*** · 22-08-2008

Originally Posted by flan3lan

HI compufunk,

I have been using the way you mentioned for a while to restore my
backup but with a small diffrence ........

Thanks for the input Flan... Its good to have plenty of options as to how you go about it

madreee · 17-11-2008

you are the man ,,, such an easy way.

thanks pal it helped me alot, honestly better than any other method known.

bicpentameter · 01-12-2008

thanks Compufunk! Very useful bit of information.
It's so straighforward and I've been sat here scratching my head for a couple of days.
Thanks again

cdoddy · 04-01-2009

Originally Posted by nanochickin

Or you could just use Dreamup

1. Turn on DHCP in the communications page and note down the IP address your DB was assigned.

2. Connect your box to your computer using the Serial lead and also connect an ethernet (Network) lead to your dreambox and router.

3. Start Dreamup.

4. Tick the box that says use network

5. Fill in your pcs and dreambox ip addresses

6. Click on connect.

7. Switch on Dreambox & wait for connection confirmation

8. Click on Flash and select the nfi image you want to send to the box

The program will tell you when its finished

I can't say i have had any problems flashing my 600 using this method.

You can just use the serial lead although it takes a lot longer to complete the process. Just make sure you untick the Use network tab

Nano

Many thanks nanochicken on the dm600 flashing problems , everything worked fine no problems.

stivo · 07-05-2009

Originally Posted by compufunk

Important, You must know what IP address your DB will have, post flash erase. My DB always gets the same IP address from the router when I use DHCP. The IP is assigned based on MAC address, so never changes from image to image.
If someone else can, please chip in with a way of figuring out your IP address otherwise.

Haven't tried it myself but I'm pretty sure this cheap, cheerful and somewhat laborious method would work for genuine Dreamboxes:

Open a Command Prompt on your PC and enter
ipconfig

This will show you your PC's own IP address and the default gateway address. Let's assume they are 192.168.10.2 and 192.168.10.1. What we have to do is a manual scan for other IP addresses on the LAN (using ping) until we find the Dreambox (using arp). I'll also assume a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.

Take the first three bytes of the addresses we've already found, in this case 192.168.10, and append the first number greater than 0 that will give us an IP address your LAN which hasn't already been identified, i.e. not your PC or the default gateway. In our example, that would be 3, giving us the first possible IP address to check: 192.168.10.3. Enter

ping 192.168.10.3

If there isn't an immediate reply, press Ctrl-C to interrupt the ping and move onto the next unused address, in this case 192.168.10.4. Up-arrow will bring back the previous command for editing. When you get a reply from an IP address, enter

arp -a

This will bring up a table of known IP addresses and the corresponding physical (MAC) addresses. If the physical address starts 00-09-34, you have the IP address of your Dreambox. If not, you have found another device on your LAN and should continue with a ping of the next IP address in the sequence. 254 is the top of the range and you can't continue past this, although with any luck the Dreambox should be located long before you get into three figures.

***compufunk*** · 07-05-2009

Thanks for your input stivo,

Since writing this guide I've found a free IP scanner called AngryIP which will scan all the addresses in what ever range you input.

Its much less laborious than pinging every possible address in your network.

_http://www.angryziber.com/w/Download

stivo · 08-05-2009

I had a feeling something like that might exist. Looks like a lot less fun.

I guess it checks the NetBIOS name of the devices it finds. In that case, the Dreambox should show up in the list with the name "DREAMBOX".

stivo · 12-05-2009

The DM600 web flashing procedure worked perfectly for me; I didn't have to go anywhere near the Dreambox at all. After the flashing was complete I speculatively tried to telnet back into it and got a BIOS setup screen, with network settings and various other options. I chose "Abort" on the "Exit" page and the box rebooted.

To answer a question I had myself, it looks like no matter what IP address you might have set in the Dreambox network configuration, the BIOS is set to obtain an address initially via DHCP (unless you change this in the BIOS itself). This is how you can still get into it remotely even if the OS hasn't come up.

In any case, I have configured my Netgear router always to hand out the same IP address via DHCP to the Dreambox.

RaV4x420i · 20-08-2009

Originally Posted by nanochickin

Or you could just use Dreamup

1. Turn on DHCP in the communications page and note down the IP address your DB was assigned.

2. Connect your box to your computer using the Serial lead and also connect an ethernet (Network) lead to your dreambox and router.

3. Start Dreamup.

4. Tick the box that says use network

5. Fill in your pcs and dreambox ip addresses

6. Click on connect.

7. Switch on Dreambox & wait for connection confirmation

8. Click on Flash and select the nfi image you want to send to the box

The program will tell you when its finished

I can't say i have had any problems flashing my 600 using this method.

You can just use the serial lead although it takes a lot longer to complete the process. Just make sure you untick the Use network tab

Nano

is that to get the codes from somebody that shares them? if i have the ip of somebody that has a network sharing can i connect with this way to it? i'm confuced!

BlightyExPat · 3 Weeks Ago

I managed to load latest Gemini image (4.60) by this web interface method - very straight forward.

I reset the power supply at end of update, but now the unit is dead. (Red and Green front panel leds remain lit).

DreamUp via Serial Port doesn't work, either.

Anyone got any ideas?

Dream confirm the unit is genuine, not a clone.

**gerryl** · 3 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by stivo

Haven't tried it myself but I'm pretty sure this cheap, cheerful and somewhat laborious method would work for genuine Dreamboxes:

Open a Command Prompt on your PC and enter
ipconfig.....

or use 'Angry IP Scanner' tis free and will show you all devices on the LAN

_http://www.angryip.org/w/Home

v2 is stable...

...oops just seen 'compufunk' found it!...anyway tis a great tool to have!

**gerryl** · 3 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by BlightyExPat

I managed to load latest Gemini image (4.60) by this web interface method - very straight forward.

I reset the power supply at end of update, but now the unit is dead. (Red and Green front panel leds remain lit).

DreamUp via Serial Port doesn't work, either.

Anyone got any ideas?

Dream confirm the unit is genuine, not a clone.

have you read the flan3lan post above '
I am using telnet to erase the flash' worth a try then reload!

***compufunk*** · 3 Weeks Ago

Originally Posted by BlightyExPat

I managed to load latest Gemini image (4.60) by this web interface method - very straight forward.

I reset the power supply at end of update, but now the unit is dead. (Red and Green front panel leds remain lit).

First time I've heard of anyone having problems flashing this way.

Can you access the box over lan? The web interface for example.

I'd be very surprised if the box couldn't be restored by using a nulll modem cable along with DreamUp.

BlightyExPat · 2 Weeks Ago

Not able to telnet the box as it appears not to be connected to the network - LAN LEDs on rear panel not lit. Hence, also cannot view via web interface.

Tried null modem cable (DreamUp) and nothing (used a Windows 7 and a Windows Server 2003 - I assume these should work? Don't have anything else as all my work/home PC's are Linux).

Behaves exactly the same way when I power up, regardless of whether I press power button whilst connecting supply, or not: Front Panel Red LED lights, Green flashes once, then also remains lit.

DEAD, DEAD, DEAD!

And Dream have also since confirmed the box is a genuine, not a clone.

Not sure there is much more I can do???

BlightyExPat · 2 Weeks Ago

What I HAVE just noticed is that the box label quotes a MAC address that Dream confirmed was genuine, but that my IPCop (a Linux ADSL Gateway Manager that administers DHCP) shows it connecting - when it worked - as a completely different MAC address in the 'Current/Recent dynamic leases'.

I don't believe there are 'Timebomb' issues with the DM600, but having experienced that problem with a DM500, the problems I am now having with this DM600 are EXACTLY the same.

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Flashing a DM-600 in 4 easy steps Dreambox600 - Support for the Dreambox 600 DM-600 satellite receiver.

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