following steps here https://github.com/dangowrt/owrt-ubi-installer
after successfully installing
openwrt-22.03.3-mediatek-mt7622-linksys_e8450-ubi-initramfs-recovery-installer.itb
. the router reboots.
. login to openwrt luci
. use luci to upload openwrt-22.03.3-mediatek-mt7622-linksys_e8450-ubi-squashfs-sysupgrade.itb
. and luci reports:
The uploaded backup archive is not readable
looking for ideas on how to get openwrt installed on the router
@Daniel may be the right one to help with this... but in the meantime...
the version of OpenWrt you've installed is quite old -- is there a reason you're using that particular build? If not, you may want to simply upgrade to 25.12
With respect to this:
What was the exact name of the file you uploaded? What browser did you use to download the backup?
While upgrading is very important, please carefully read and fully understand
before acting.
You are uploading the file in the wrong place. Don't use the "Restore" feature, scroll down to "Flash new firmware image". That being said, it is definitely NOT a good idea to start with OpenWrt 22.03.3 today -- this is a 4 year old firmware, it has countless bugs and vulnerabilities and should not be used by anyone.
So, as an additional next step, please download the much newer installer and upload that to "Flash new firmware"
Then, get the most recent release image, ie.
https://downloads.openwrt.org/releases/25.12.2/targets/mediatek/mt7622/openwrt-25.12.2-mediatek-mt7622-linksys_e8450-ubi-squashfs-sysupgrade.itb
and again upload that to the "Firmware upgrade" file upload field of the (now newer and slightly different looking) recovery firmware.
thank you for pointing out my myopic mistake.
with the current state of the router, does it matter whether i use the signed or unsigned version of the 24.10 installer?
thanks,
terry
you wrote: So, as an additional next step, please download the much newer installer and upload that to "Flash new firmware"
this is what i think you mean: using luci, upload and flash the firmware version for 24.10.0. there are two of those, signed and unsigned. i tried both but got similar warning messages for each one.
The flash image was uploaded. Below is the checksum and file size listed, compare them with the original file to ensure data integrity.
Click "Continue" below to start the flash procedure.
Size: 14.38 MiB
MD5: fa1717d4faf49238444045942401e88f
SHA256: 9aefbfc0cff5573b020dc3b0ddeeddbe87b125fc2548ba16ab6a82655371d3c8
Keep settings and retain the current configuration
Wed Apr 22 18:16:02 UTC 2026 upgrade: Image metadata not present Wed Apr 22 18:16:02 UTC 2026 upgrade: Use sysupgrade -F to override this check when downgrading or flashing to vendor firmware Image check failed.
The uploaded image file does not contain a supported format. Make sure that you choose the generic image format for your platform.
Include in backup a list of current installed packages at /etc/backup/installed_packages.txt
Image check failed:
Wed Apr 22 18:16:02 UTC 2026 upgrade: Image metadata not present Wed Apr 22 18:16:02 UTC 2026 upgrade: Use sysupgrade -F to override this check when downgrading or flashing to vendor firmware Image check failed.
Force upgrade
Select 'Force upgrade' to flash the image even if the image format check fails. Use only if you are sure that the firmware is correct and meant for your device!
i cancelled out of each one because 'force upgrade' seems like the way devices are bricked.
could i have clarification of what you suggested?
thanks,
terry