How to unbrick my zimaboard2

Insight & Feedback
1

how can I download and reinstall the operating system on zimaboard2 after a virus attack

2

A virus attack on a Linux/ZimaOS system is actually quite uncommon, so before reinstalling everything it would help to understand exactly what happened.

Can you explain a bit more about the issue?

For example:

  • Does the ZimaBoard still boot?
  • Can you access the ZimaOS web interface?
  • Can you SSH into it?
  • What makes you think it was a virus?
  • Did you install something recently?
  • Are you getting any error messages or black screens?

Also, if possible, post a photo of the screen or the exact error message. That will make it much easier to tell whether the system is actually corrupted, infected, or just stuck from something else.

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3

Thank you so much for your reply. I am 71 years of age and not by any stretch of the imagination technically savvy.

the zimaboard does not boot and when I put in the ip address on my browser it loads to what I would call a landing page with no text or icons just blank.

I would not know where to start with ssh but was hoping to learn about it.

I think it was a virus because it wiped my Windows OS and I have since then loaded Linux Mint and am starting to learn about it.

I had not installed anything new on my computer other than updates and on the zimaboard just installed 2 4tb hard drives.

No error messages or black screen other than the one I mentioned earlier.

I have since downloaded a copy of zimaos_zimacube 1.3.0 and looking for a tutorial on how to do this so any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Thanks again for your response.

4

No problem at all, and thanks for explaining it clearly.

First, I would not jump straight to “virus” yet. A blank ZimaOS page can also happen from a failed update, browser/cache issue, corrupted install, or the system not fully starting.

Because you are not very technical, I would keep this simple and safe.

Before reinstalling, please confirm one important thing:

Do you have any data on the two 4TB drives that you need to keep?

If yes, I would disconnect those two 4TB drives before reinstalling ZimaOS, just to avoid accidentally selecting or wiping the wrong disk during installation.

The basic reinstall process is:

  1. Download the latest official ZimaOS installer image from the ZimaOS GitHub releases or official ZimaOS install page.
  2. Flash the image to a USB stick using Balena Etcher or Rufus.
  3. Connect the ZimaBoard to a monitor, keyboard, Ethernet cable, and the USB installer.
  4. Boot from the USB stick.
  5. Install ZimaOS onto the correct internal system drive.
  6. Remove the USB stick when prompted and reboot.

The official install guide is here:

I would avoid using an old 1.3.0 installer. It is better to use the latest official installer. I suggest using version 1.5.4

Also, since you are new to SSH, don’t worry about that yet. The easiest first step is to connect a monitor and keyboard directly to the ZimaBoard and see what appears on screen when it boots.

Take it slowly. If you are unsure at the disk selection step, stop there and post a photo of the screen before clicking install. That way we can help you avoid wiping the wrong drive.

5

Once again thank you for your swift reply. I will follow your lead and will tackle this over the next few hours or days. I will keep you updated on my progress and if all goes according to plan I will be eternally grateful.

Danny.

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6

Well my friend I hope all is well with you. I have followed all your advice but am still getting the (I think its called the landing page) but no sign in or any other icons on screen. My network is showing that the Zimaboard is there somewhere but as I said it just brings me to blank page. I am sorry to be a pest but is there anything more I could try. Thank you in advance.

Danny

7

Hi Danny,

No problem at all, you are not being a pest.

If you are still reaching the ZimaOS landing page but there are no sign-in icons or buttons, that tells us the board is at least on the network, but the ZimaOS web interface may not be loading properly.

Before doing anything more risky, I would keep it simple:

  1. Try a different browser.
  2. Try private/incognito mode.
  3. Clear the browser cache for that ZimaOS address.
  4. Try opening it from another device, such as a phone or another computer on the same network.

If it still shows the same blank landing page, the next important step is to connect the ZimaBoard directly to a monitor and keyboard and take a photo of what appears on screen after it boots.

That will tell us whether ZimaOS is actually starting correctly or whether the web interface is failing after boot.

Also, please confirm one thing: when you reinstalled ZimaOS, did you install it onto the internal system drive only, and not onto either of the 4TB data drives?

If you can, please post:

  • a photo of the blank page
  • a photo of the screen connected directly to the ZimaBoard after boot
  • which ZimaOS version you installed

Do not reinstall again yet. Let’s confirm what state the board is in first so we do not risk your data.