The article looks at how to reset a Wyse terminal to factory defaults. There have been many different types of hardware platforms that Wyse have produced over the years ranging from generic x86 platforms to Wyse proprietary designs. This range of designs has also seen a number of different tools to manage them, any administrator new to Wyse devices should be aware of these tools and how to use them.

During the course of this article we will cover four key points for each platform, these are

This refers to setting a terminal back to to state it was when it first left the factory. This can be done with a key combination on some terminals and others require the factory firmware to be loaded again. With the Wyse Thin OS (Formally Blazer), CE and Linux platforms this can be performed by holding the "G" key down on the key board as the terminal boots. Linux terminals my require you to "tap" the G-Key continuously rather than hold it down. If all goes well the terminal will display a message "Resetting to factory defaults" and reboot.

This works well for WTOS (Wyse Thin OS) as these are stateless devices and the base firmware never changes, the G-Key reset instructs the device to drop the configuration. CE and Linux devices can operate in a mode where it holds a config that supports removal by the G-Key however they also support custom firmware changes. It is very possible the a CE/Linux terminal with custom firmware will not reset its self as the factory firmware is not on the unit or it has been modified.

With all devices it is possible for the administrator to disable the G-Key feature, if this is the case with WTOS you will need to perform the steps in the "Access a Locked Terminal" section. If you have a CE/Linux terminal with custom firmware or the G-Key disabled you will need to load new firmware as outlined in the "Recover a terminal with a corrupt OS" section

Note that NTe and XPe terminals DO NOT support the G-Key as any configuration to Windows is made a file level and requires a firmware reload to remove changes.

On most terminals it is possible to lock the device down and hide the administrator controls, if using second hand terminals they will have to be unlocked even if you do not have the administrator passwords before configuring.

WTOS can be controlled using DHCP option tags and a text file on a FTP server, this method of configuration always over rides and existing settings. This is important to remember as for a locked terminal the device can be simply put into a DHCP managed environment and have the signon=0 privilege=high statement in the WNOS.INI file and the device will be unlocked, you can then reset the device by choosing shutdown and tick the "reset to factory defaults" dialog box. To summarise for WTOS:

For all other operating systems (CE, Linux, NTe and XPe) check that the device has not been locked with the default passwords. Check the admin guides however with NTe and XPe hold the shift key and log off, this will bring up the Login GUI. Log in as Username: Administrator Password: Administrator. Windows CE can use the Ctrl-F4 to access the admin menu during the logon or logoff prompt (you will need the admin password that it has been set to). If you can not access the terminal still the simplest way is to load the firmware with the factory version, this can be downloaded from the Wyse web site. The trick is in actually loading the firmware as depending on the OS and hardware platform there a variety of tools that may be required. Later in the article we look at the tools associated with the various platforms. In the next section we cover what there tools are.

Often it is required to load a fresh image to recover a terminal, either because the thin client is locked out of admin mode or the OS is missing/corrupted. This will load the operating system however you must have a unit with a functional BIOS to fully recover a unit. If the BIOS is corrupt you will need to have it reprogrammed with a EPROM burner at a service centre - fortunately this is not usually required and it is only the OS that needs reloading.

Lets look at some of the tools that may be required depending on the age of your device.

DOC Tools (Disk On Chip Tools)

This is a DOS based set of tools from M-Systems who made the Disk On Chip flash used in the old Netier XL series terminals, Wyse purchased Netier and re-branded these devices such as the 8440XL/SL. You will need to boot the device in to DOS to use the tools and this was done during manufacture of the devices by loading a PXE DOS disk and mapping a drive to run the tools and load the .img file.

Xfer (Transfer?) is used from DOS again to load an image via a Parallel LapLink cable. This tool must be run from DOS not a NT based command shell, it is a very simple tool to use. Boot a PC from a DOS disk and connect to the target terminal with the laplink cable, download this tool with full instructions here

netXfer is a self contained bootp and TFTP client however is is configured to listed on port 10067 and 10068 for the bootp broadcast and deliver the image on port 10069. A terminal booted with the "P" key depressed will start the netXfer process. netXfer is easy to use and runs from a simple .exe, this is an old tool and will require that the OS have Microsoft Java (not SUN) installed. Because of this Vista will not run the tool and MS Java has a number of security holes since Microsoft can no longer update it. If you wish to use your own standard bootp and TFTP tools (ports 67, 68 and 69) boot the device holding the "Q" key.

Wyse Simple Imager (WSI)

WSI is really a tool that has the core Wyse wizard imaging system which is PXE based. To install this tool you will need to create a complete PXE environment with a ftp server as well. The tool should not be installed on a server that has Rapport/WDM installed as it uses many of the same files. This tool will also require a DHCP server and there is a link to a free-ware one to use with a standalone PC. WSI is clunky to install but simple to use once its running.

PEI – Model CPQ T30 (With Windows NTe or XPe)

As above but use WSI to recover