Default admin IP address of Factory Firmware Permantly changed after flashing openwrt. Did I write over mtd partitions or something? Possible bootkit?

I am using a Linksys WRT3200ACM router. I initially flashed OpenWRT to one partition, and DDWRT to the alternate partition. I couldn't get things to work, so I reflashed both partitions to Stock Factory Linksys firmware. Now, on a default setup with stock firmware, when my Linksys is disconnected from the modem, router has the default IP address of 10.73.62.38. To access the Admin Web Interface I need to go to 0.73.62.38, instead of 192.168.1.1. I have reflashed factory, rebooted, hard-resetted, multiple times and I still don't get the default Linksys factory firmware IP address of 192.168.1.1. I am concerned that I somehow wrote over my mtd partitions or an extra partiton with a different IP address somehow, and the change was made permanent even after a factory flash. An even bigger concern is that this is a security issue, because my router is doing something that it is not supposed to be doing, and is therefore out of my technical control. Could this be a bootkit or rootkit or something? How is it possible to permanently change the factory default IP address for my linksys router? How can I debug and fix this to start getting the default IP of 192.168.1.1 after a reflash and reboot? Also, How an I be certain that no malicious software did this and has a hold on my router? Please help!

Thanks in advance for any advice and debugging instructions.

Just FYI, OpenWrt's default IP is also 192.168.1.1. Did you install an official firmware from the downloads.openwrt.org site?

Have you reseted via the OEM firmware?

Talk about "hard reset" leads me to think about power off to with reset button pressed (or the famous 30/30/30), or similar antique fables.

Both OpenWrt and Linksys OEM firmware store settings in files on flash. (OEM possibly in the separate syscfg partition.). All reset actions are done via scripts that handle files/partitions. Nothing is reset via shorting a circuit.

If you have not used the OEM reset, you might have leftovers from the OEM original settings (before OpenWrt), or something from ddwrt.