GT-AXE11000 stuck in kernel boot loop after failed Merlin upgrades and factory reset (pureUBI, CFE accessible)

[mcelicalderon]

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for help recovering an ASUS ROG GT-AXE11000 that is now stuck in a persistent kernel boot loop. I’ve already gone through multiple recovery paths (hardware reset, official ASUS recovery, TFTP, and finally UART + CFE), so I’m providing a detailed and accurate timeline.

Router background / history​

• Model: ASUS ROG GT-AXE11000 (non-Pro)
• Flash type: NAND / pureUBI
• Firmware history: Asuswrt-Merlin since purchase
• Stability history:
  
  The router had been running Merlin reliably since day one and had never shown any firmware upgrade or stability problems before this incident.

Last known good firmware​

• GT-AXE11000_3004_388.8_2
  
  This version was installed and working perfectly.

How the problem started (timeline)​

Silent firmware upgrade failures​

About one week ago, I attempted to upgrade from 388.8_2 to:

• GT-AXE11000_3004_388.10_2

For the first time ever:

• The normal firmware upgrade dialog appeared
• The router rebooted after ~3 minutes
• After reboot, it was still running 388.8_2

I repeated the upgrade several times with the same result.
A few days later, assuming the issue might be specific to that release, I tried:

• GT-AXE11000_3004_388.9_2

Result was identical: no error, reboot completed, but firmware version unchanged.

Router still booted correctly​

After these failed upgrade attempts:

• Router continued to boot normally
• Still running 388.8_2
• Some configuration settings appeared reset
• LAN, Wi-Fi, and Web UI were still functional

Factory reset triggered the failure​

Due to repeated silent upgrade failures, I performed a factory reset from the Web UI.
Immediately after this reset, the router never completed a normal boot again.

Recovery attempts (chronological and precise)​

Hardware reset attempts​

Immediately after the failure, I tried standard hardware reset methods:

• RESET button held during power-on
• WPS button held during power-on (NVRAM reset method)

Neither restored normal boot behavior.

Official ASUS recovery tool​

Next, I entered recovery mode via RESET and used the official ASUS Firmware Restoration Tool:

• Flashed the latest official ASUS firmware
• Firmware upload completed successfully
• Router rebooted

Result: router still failed to boot normally.

Manual TFTP recovery (still without UART)​

After the official tool failed, I attempted manual TFTP recovery:

• Entered recovery mode via RESET
• Static IP on Mac (192.168.1.10)
• Uploaded:
  • Official ASUS firmware
  • Several Asuswrt-Merlin builds (386.x, 388.x)

All uploads appeared to complete successfully, but the router still failed to boot.

UART + CFE recovery (only then serial logs became visible)​

Only after all previous methods failed did I connect UART:

• USB-TTL 3.3 V (TX/RX/GND)
• Full boot logs visible
• Able to interrupt boot and access CFE
  
  
  Once UART was connected, I re-attempted flashing using recovery / TFTP, and this time I could see serial output such as:
  
  

  Finished loading XXXXX bytes
  Flashing root file system...

  
  This confirmed that image transfers were completing successfully.
  
  Flashing from CFE using w
  From CFE>, I then attempted flashing using the command indicated by the bootloader help:
  
  

  w host:file

  
  Specifically, I used this command with an official ASUS pureUBI firmware image:
  
  

  w 192.168.1.10:GT-AXE11000_3.0.0.4_388_xxxxx_pureubi.w

  
  
  
• The flash process appeared to complete successfully
• I waited 15–20 minutes to allow first boot and UBI rebuild
• Rebooted the router normally
  
  Result: no change, the router still enters the same kernel-only boot loop.
  I am not sure whether using w with an official firmware image was correct or potentially a mistake, so I wanted to explicitly mention this in case it matters.
  
  Current behavior
  • Kernel boots consistently
  • Ethernet, PCIe, runner, and Wi-Fi drivers load
  • Repeating kernel logs (dhd_*, runner_*)
  • Userspace never starts
  • No LAN, no Wi-Fi, no Web UI
    
    This strongly suggests UBI / rootfs initialization failure, not a kernel or bootloader problem.
    
    What I have NOT done
• I have not used erase nand flash (e) due to risk of wiping calibration / factory data
• I have not modified boot arguments (ba)
  
  What I’m looking for help with
  1. Whether silent Merlin upgrade failureson GT-AXE11000 are a known precursor to UBI corruption
  1. Safe way to fully clean / reinitialize UBI volumes on this model without destroying factory data
  2. Whether the factory reset after failed upgrades could have triggered UBI corruption
  3. Whether using w with an official firmware image is correct on this platform
  4. Known-good firmware versions that reliably rebuild UBI on first boot
  5. Confirmation from anyone who has recovered a GT-AXE11000 from a kernel-only boot loop
     
     I can provide UART logs, especially the UBI/rootfs section, if requested.
     
     Summary
     • Router was stable with Merlin for a long time
     • Multiple firmware upgrades failed silently
     • Router still booted normally afterward
     • Factory reset triggered permanent boot failure
     • All recovery methods succeed superficially but do not restore userspace
     • Kernel and CFE work, but system never fully starts
       
       
       Thanks in advance for any guidance or insight.
       I’m comfortable testing advanced recovery steps if they are known to be safe for this platform.
       
       
       

 

[jerry6]

That is why I stopped at 388.4 on my AXE1100 must be a problem with these routers saw a few have this problem after updating FW

 

[mcelicalderon]

Oh, that's not good. How did you find out on time to avoid flashing newer versions? Could you please point me in the direction of these other reports? Perhaps there's something else I can try on those threads. Also, I'm already thinking on getting a new router, but I would really like to find out what went wrong to avoid bricking the new one. I want to continue using Merlin builds as I have been doing for years and in 2 different routers so far (with absolutely no issues so far). And I do think it's a lot more stable than the Asus builds

 

[Tech9]

How did you find out on time to avoid flashing newer versions?

Flashing newer Asuswrt-Merlin versions is not known to brick routers. Your issue is somewhere else.

 

[jerry6]

Oh, that's not good. How did you find out on time to avoid flashing newer versions? Could you please point me in the direction of these other reports? Perhaps there's something else I can try on those threads. Also, I'm already thinking on getting a new router, but I would really like to find out what went wrong to avoid bricking the new one. I want to continue using Merlin builds as I have been doing for years and in 2 different routers so far (with absolutely no issues so far). And I do think it's a lot more stable than the Asus builds

I found out by seeing posts with FW failures JUST AROUND 388-4 I stopped updating then not wanting to take a chance . Don't think it is a Merlin problem , more like something with the router noticed a lot of failures a while back . sucks because I am stuck with a router that will be used as am AP FROM NOW ON