# Recovering The Things Gateway after erasing full serial flash

**URL:** <https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/recovering-the-things-gateway-after-erasing-full-serial-flash/13440>\
**Category:** TTKG - The Things Kickstarter Gateway\
**Created:** [April 16, 2018, 8:57am UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/recovering-the-things-gateway-after-erasing-full-serial-flash/13440 "2018-04-16T08:57:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 13

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**Author:** ![arjanvanb](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/user_avatar/www.thethingsnetwork.org/arjanvanb/32/46626_2.png) [@arjanvanb](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/u/arjanvanb)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/recovering-the-things-gateway-after-erasing-full-serial-flash/13440/13 "2018-04-16T20:54:07Z")

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> [@textra](#):
>
> we did reset by holding the button while powering on the gateway.

> [@BoRRoZ](#):
>
> so you don’t have a bootloader on board

Are you sure? I erased the serial flash quite a few times and that certainly did not erase the bootloader†. Also, from another topic:

> [@TTN GATEWAY central](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/ttn-gateway-central/10976/152):
>
> The firmware update does not overwrite the bootloader of the gateway. If things go terribly wrong you’ll be able to flash firmware from an SD card.

Of course, this does not mention pressing the Mode button while booting, but also does not mention the need for a PICkit in case of failure.

If holding down the mode button can indeed erase the bootloader then I feel the instructions should be removed from [TTN Gateway - FAQ](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/ttn-gateway-faq/11173) altogether.

* * *

† I even think it did not erase the factory firmware, according to [my January 18th](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/ttn-gateway-central/10976/105) and [January 25th](https://www.thethingsnetwork.org/forum/t/ttn-gateway-central/10976/153) posts, where I only got updated firmware [on February 6th](https://github.com/TheThingsProducts/gateway/issues/1#issuecomment-363541863), so would not have had an SD card inserted to re-flash the firmware in January, I think.

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