I'm really stuck with OpenWRT on my new Linksys WRT54GL. I installed OpenWRT Kamikaze via the web interface of the original Linksys firmware. Now I want to try other firmwares like DD-WRT, Freifunk or Tomato, but it seems impossible to me. If I try to install via the Web interface I always get:

Upgrading firmware, please wait ... 

Bad trx header
This is not the correct file format; refusing to flash.
Please specify the correct file or use -f to force.
Image check failed.
done.

That's not so cool, cause every firmware I found including the original Linksys firmware is only distributed in .bin format.

The tftp method isn't working at all for me, I always get:

$ tftp 192.168.1.1
tftp> binary
tftp> trace
Packet tracing on.
tftp> put WRT54GL_v4.30.11_012_ETSI_EN_code.bin
sent WRQ <file=Desktop/WRT54GL_v4.30.11_012_ETSI_EN_code.bin, mode=octet>
sent WRQ <file=Desktop/WRT54GL_v4.30.11_012_ETSI_EN_code.bin, mode=octet>
sent WRQ <file=Desktop/WRT54GL_v4.30.11_012_ETSI_EN_code.bin, mode=octet>
sent WRQ <file=Desktop/WRT54GL_v4.30.11_012_ETSI_EN_code.bin, mode=octet>
sent WRQ <file=Desktop/WRT54GL_v4.30.11_012_ETSI_EN_code.bin, mode=octet>
Transfer timed out.

I really searched the OpenWRT wiki and forums a lot without success. I would appreciate any help very much.

tftp mode only works when you pull the plug on the router and plug it back in.  There's a brief window where it's listening to tftp.

Here's what I use, found it on one of the wiki pages:
echo -e "binary\nrexmt 1\ntimeout 60\ntrace\nput openwrt-wrt54gs-2.4-squashfs.bin\n" | tftp 192.168.1.1

Do that, toggle the power on the router and you should be up and running.

PS - if it doesn't catch then make sure there are no network switches between the router and the system pushing tftp.  re-syncing the network port can take longer than the tftp timeout on the router.

(Last edited by alaric on 4 May 2008, 17:54)

That's funny. When I don't put a switch in between, I get a wrong password error. At various locations I got the explanation: The "BIOS-TFTP-client" does not get the TFTP connection, so the firmware loads and starts a password protected TFTP client. The suggested solution is: put a switch between the WRT54GL and the TFTP server so the NIC on the TFTP server does not get turned off when there's no link. When I do this, I get the timeout and you suggest to not put a switch between. Looks like fate doesn't want me to use TFTP with my WRT54GL.