# ESP8266 cannot be repurposed

**URL:** <https://wled.discourse.group/t/esp8266-cannot-be-repurposed/8862>\
**Category:** Issues\
**Created:** [July 29, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://wled.discourse.group/t/esp8266-cannot-be-repurposed/8862 "2023-07-29T19:14:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![klrock](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/wled.discourse.group/klrock/32/386_2.png) [@klrock](https://wled.discourse.group/u/klrock)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://wled.discourse.group/t/esp8266-cannot-be-repurposed/8862/1 "2023-07-29T19:14:21Z")

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I am trying to repurpose an esp8266 (lolibn V3) from a previous use. I believe it was WLED 10.?. It will post an ap which I can load but it does not connect to a port. If I open WLED Install it indicates “SyntaxErron Unexpected token ‘\<’, ". Therefore I cannot update the firmware via WLED UI or erase it via python -m esptool --chip esp8266 erase\_flash.  
What else to try?

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**Author:** ![tonyno](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/wled.discourse.group/tonyno/32/242_2.png) [@tonyno](https://wled.discourse.group/u/tonyno)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://wled.discourse.group/t/esp8266-cannot-be-repurposed/8862/2 "2023-08-08T19:51:44Z")

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There is no reason it could not be serially flashed. Via UI is another story.