I tried everything and changed all of the router settings, to no avail.

The real problem turned out to be a few settings in Windows 7 (long story), but I didn’t discover that before I had completely bricked my Linksys router.

The “bricking” event came after I’d contacted our team of authors, and one of the authors (who no longer writes for us anymore), suggested that I flash the “crappy” Linksys firmware with the free Tomato firmware.

What he failed to tell me – apparently assuming I was less of a Router-flashing amateur than I was – was that I should verify the compatibility of the router with the Tomato firmware.

Long story short – by the end of the night I had wiped my Router of all firmware and firmly bricked it. I couldn’t even ping it. According to all of the blogs and forums I read – it was as good as dead.

Unbricking a Bricked Linksys Router

After laying the router to rest in a box in the basement and buying a brand new, faster router, I forgot all about the old, “dead” Linksys router.

Recently, I wanted to build a sub-network on my home LAN. I remembered the bricked router and wondered if – years later – I could finally fix that thing. Worth a try, right?

After doing a bit of research, I discovered a variety of factory “reset” sequences that allegedly work with Linksys routers. Basically, hold down the reset button for 15 to 30 seconds (depending who you talk to), power off the router (while holding reset), then power back on and keep holding reset for 15 to 30 seconds. 30 seconds worked for me.

While the power light kept incessantly blinking (the sign of a bricked router), and while I couldn’t access it on 192.168.1.1 with my browser, I was surprised to see that my computer “saw” the router when I connected a network cable.

Better yet, I could actually ping it.

It seemed so odd to me that I could ping the router, but couldn’t get to the web-based emergency recovery screen that all of the blogs and forums mentioned should come up after a reset. I’d clearly done a real number on this thing.

So, I went out in search of a way to flash my Linksys with firmware without the need to use any web-based front end. Tomato firmware was out for my Linksys version. However, I discovered an awesome set of tools and instructions at DD-WRT. The first step is to go to that page and download the vxworks_prep_GS_v03.zip file. After unzipping the files, run the VxImgToolGUI.exe utility.

Make sure to click the right WRT54G version that you’re trying to unbrick. Type in the MAC address from the label under your router, and then save the file as My54gsImage.bin in the folder where you unzipped those files.

Now, here’s the problem. The DD-WRT instructions tell you to go to your router “webgui” screen and click on firmware upgrade and use the vxworks_prep_GS_v03.bin file. The problem – I can’t get any webgui.

The solution? A very, very cool tool called Firmware Upgrade Utility. Pick the latest version, download and install, then run the Utility.

This awesome little application upgrades the firmware via TFTP. According to the DD-WRT instructions for upgrading from a bad flash, you can just use the good LinkSys firmware image that you just created with the utility above, or the DD-WRT image file (included in the zip package you unpacked).

First, I tried using the Firmware Upgrade Utility to reinstall the Linksys Image bin. Just type your router IP (that you know you can ping), browse to the firmware file, and click “Send”.

You’ll see the progress bar as the utility transfers the new firmware to your sick router.

When it’s done, try rebooting it and see if you can get to the web management window by going to 192.168.1.1 with your browser.

At this point, I still couldn’t connect to the router with the browser, but I decided to forge ahead anyway. What could I lose – the router was already bricked, right?  In the “Recover from a bad flash” instructions, the DD-WRT team says to follow the flash above with a flash of the 12548_NEWD_Micro.bin file included in the zip collection you extracted.

This time, instead of using the Firmware Upgrade Utility, I decided to use the TFTP command that the DD-WRT instructions mention. In this case, I opened a command prompt and typed:

“TFTP -i 192.168.1.1 PUT dd-wrt.v24-12548_NEWD_micro.bin”

After a quick file transfer screen, the following box opened up.

I typed in the router IP address for “Server”, no password, and browsed to the bin file mentioned above. I changed retry to 99 times, and clicked “Upgrade”.

After the transfer progress went through its routine, the status message finally said “Firmware was upgraded successfully!”

I was a bit in disbelief – did it really work? Was my long-bricked Linksys router finally brought back from the grave?

With great anticipation, I went once again to the browser window and typed: 192.168.1.1 – and saw this:

Let me just say, this was around 2 a.m. and I still jumped up out of my chair and shouted with joy. I had honestly started this little “unbricking” endeavor thinking that all odds were against me. But, when you’re dealing with nothing more than a paperweight, really – what do you have to lose?

Now that I see it’s really possible to dig your way out of a bricked Linksys router, I’m going to be tempted to gather up all of the “dead” Linksys routers my friends and family throw away, and then flash them with DD-WRT using the procedure above!

Have you ever bricked your router? Were you able to fix it, or did you give up and throw your router away? Share your own experiences in the comments section below.

Image Credits: Linksys Router via ShutterStock

Games for children need to meet two important criteria. The content must be suitable and the game must not be too difficult. Anyone who’s played a game on Xbox Live knows that teenagers require no handicap, but young kids often have trouble with complex titles.

What’s a parent and Mac owner to do? Direct your child towards one of these seven titles.

Bastion

This colorful action-RPG is probably the most mature title on this list. It’s based around combat, so there’s technically a lot of violence, but the cartoonish style and typically non-human enemies blunt this title’s edge. There are also some very mild references to drinking (you can make certain drinks that buff up the main character). Think of it as a family-friendly version of Diablo.

Most parents will find that skill, not content, is this game’s accessibility roadblock. It starts out easy but gradually becomes more difficult. Each level introduces new gameplay concepts that must be quickly adopted to beat the game. I recommend only giving it to older children for this reason.

Bastion is $14.99 on the Mac App Store.

Bookworm 

I consider this game to be a Popcap classic. It’s almost ten years old yet remains one of the best games for family members of old ages and, unlike many titles, this one has some serious education value.

Bookworm is essentially a word-based puzzle game. Players must form words to beat levels, and longer words provide a higher score. This goes a long ways towards helping kids play at their own pace, though certain game modes are quite difficult for anyone, regardless of age.

Bookworm is $9.99 on the Mac App Store.

Cut The Rope

This popular mobile game is now available on Mac. Players attempt to feed a little monster candy by – you guessed it! – cutting the rope.

It sounds easy and it is, at least at first. As levels progress new obstacles and gameplay mechanics are introduced, providing additional challenge. Like all good puzzle games, this one tasks the player’s critical thinking skills. Combine that with cartoonish graphics and you have an excellent title for children.

Cut The Rope is $4.99 on the Mac App Store.

The LEGO Series

The LEGO series of games has been promptly ported to OS X for years. There are now seven games from the franchise available on the Mac App Store. They include two LEGO Star Wars titles, two LEGO Harry Potter games and LEGO Batman.

All of the games, though they take place in different settings, have the same adventure-RPG feel. Players have to defeat enemies, solve puzzles and occasionally do some old-fashioned platforming. Most levels have secrets and bonuses that can be unlocked by particularly skilled play.

Most of the games are $29.99 on the Mac App Store. LEGO Batman is $24.99.

Pinball HD

When I was a kid, I loved pinball, and so did many of my friends. This makes sense when I think about it. Pinball is fast-paced and challenging, yet it is also easy to understand.

Pinball HD is arguably the best modern pinball title available on any platform. It has beautiful graphics, quick gameplay and three unique tables.  The developer also offers a similar game called War Pinball HD, which isn’t as violent as it sounds. It’s just like this game but features tables that pay tribute to old action films. There’s even one that features Chuck Norris.

Pinball HD is $2.99 on the Mac App Store.

The Sims 3 

The Sims franchise has always been kid-friendly. Although the title technically deals with adult topics like relationships and work, it’s all very hands off. Even language is entirely implied – players can tell when characters are happy, sad or angry by tone of voice, but nothing intelligible is said.

And that’s assuming a child plays the game like it is intended. The Sims 3 is open-ended. While adults may play it as a time-management strategy game, kids can spend time designing for hours, playing songs for money or dressing up new characters. There’s a lot to do, and the game rarely punishes players for doing something “wrong.”

The Sims 3 is $19.99 on Amazon. I also highly recommend the Sims 3: Pets expansion. At $35 it’s rather expensive, but it’s a fun game for a kid who isn’t ready for the real thing.

Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey

If you want a game for a very young child, look no further. Where’s Waldo is perfect. There’s no surprises here, really – the game focuses on finding Waldo and other characters (and objects). As in the books, characters are hidden in colorful scenes that include thousands of people and objects.

Unlike the books, objectives are pre-determined and must be completed within a time limit. Players also must find the devious Odlaw, who can temporarily block parts of drawing using various techniques, like splashing paint across it.

Where’s Waldo is just $.99 on the Mac App Store.

Conclusion

I would have liked to include more games but I had difficulty thinking of titles that were fun to play, suitable for kids and available on the Mac. What do you think? Do you know of an excellent game the whole family can enjoy? Tell us in the comments.

The next addition to the Weather Channel iOS application is the way you navigate between saved locations. They took a page out of the default iOS weather app’s book and added the ability to swipe between your locations. This makes it much easier to find out the weather for any place you have stored on your device.

Another big aspect of this update is the social functions. Similar to the popular iOS app WeatherMob, you can use this app to share how the weather is impacting you, and even share photos related to the weather conditions. This makes the app more than just a place to come find out the latest weather conditions and what to expect in the forecast. This update makes it your one-stop weather app.

In addition to awesome social integration, another fantastic new feature of the Weather Channel’s new iOS app is the way you navigate the detailed weather view. You can now collapse it, which makes it easier to move around and find out more details about the weather.

Overall, this is a fantastic update, and one that will now make The Weather Channel the primary iOS weather application for many users.

Source: TheNextWeb

MakeUseOf writers live all over the world. Every week, three of these writers virtually get together to talk about the latest technology news and what they’ve been up to. We have a lot of fun doing this, because we usually don’t get a chance to talk to each other out loud. We record our conversations and share them with the world – the result is Technophilia. It’s not officially part of MakeUseOf, but it’s an entertaining way to keep up with technology news.

This week: Justin wants you to know that what you pay attention to matters, because it ends up determining who you are. James and Dave discuss the things they’re paying attention to, but we want to hear from you. Let us know using Facebook or Twitter the things that matter most to you in life, and how you keep up with them. Does technology help or distract?

Listen to our technology podcast online, right now.

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Subscribe to Technophilia on iTunes

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And, as always, the headlines.

• Holland passes a net neutrality law, making it only the second nation to do so after Chile.
• A trojan pretending to be the cops is asking for money. Don’t fall for this one, guys.
• Google’s self-driving car is now legal in Nevada, but all three hosts wish they could get one right now.
• A Kiwi ISP bypassed geo-IP restrictions out of the box, but of course The Man has since shut this down. Sorry New Zealand!
• “Game of Thrones” is on its way to becoming the most pirated series of all time. James talks about the shockingly high cost of watching Game of Thrones legally in England, and Justin reads his open letter to big media companies.
• Facebook is rolling out their own app store. Oh goody.

And, the gaming news.

• FPS shooter classic ‘Wolfenstein 3d’ was released as browser game for free.
• Dave watches 20 minutes of Borderland 2 gameplay footage and decides he’s going to get the game.
• It looks like Internet Explorer may finally be coming to Xbox 360. Seems a little late, but James declares he will never use it anyway.

Finally, Justin loves Evernote and also uses Evernote Clearly to read the web free of clutter. James doesn’t use anything that might make him productive.