hi all,

i have a TP Link TP-WR703n which i have installed OpenWRT on sucessfully.  I am new to Linux and OpenWRT.  I have since discovered that the modem doesnt have enough memory to install some new applications without utilising its USB port for extra storage. The problem is I need to remove some apps to free up space before I can install the new stuff.  I have tried removing Luci to free up space but it is still on the modem....I dont know what items are safe to delete without bricking the thing.  Is there a way to create a fresh install and remove all the additional items that I had installed so I can start again?  Re-flashing it seems to leave the additional items still on it. As I said, I;m very new to all this, It took me quite some time to figure out how to change the devices settings to get the network setup and it online.  This forum has been a great help.

Thanks in advance

Dave

You should build your own image and flash it. Removing the packages won't remove them because those pre-installed are read-only.

I did this tutorial some time ago, tell me if it helps:
https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php … 93#p167893

Hi lagonauta,

the packages i have tried to remove are those that i put on it myself (Luci) which still wont delete....unless i'm doing it wrong.  So, if the pre-installed ones are read only, I cant really brick it by accidentally removing something that it needs?

With the tutorial you have linked to (I'll have to go over it further when I get home), does that create a fresh openwrt install on the modem itself which can then be saved for flashing onto the modem later? or that creating one on my PC from within a Linux virtual machine?  (i got a bit lost...)

I don't think so, but someone more experienced may know for sure.

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It creates a fresh OpenWRT image for flashing using your PC and Linux virtual machine.

ok thanks.  hopefully someone else has a bit more info on the matter that can help out too.  I'll have a look at creating the image this weekend.  As you say that it creates a "fresh" openwrt image, would that remove everything else that is installed on the modem when i flash it with that image?  I have an image for my modem as downloaded from the openwrt website.  Can i not just flash that over in such a way that anything else installed on the modem is removed?

Yes, you can just overwrite your firmware with the one on the site that everything will be removed (overwritten).
The good thing about creating your own image is that every package you want may fit on your internal flash, and no USB may be necessary.