"An error occurred while updating the configuration"

Question

I recieved an Apple Airport Base Station in the mail today. I got it second hand, and I performed a hard-reset since I didn't have the password and stuff. I wanted to update it properly before I started using it.
I have followed the guides in here point by point, but all I get when I am trying to connect with the AirPort Admin Utility is the error in the topic: "An error occurred while updating configuration".
I've been surfing and googling for hours now, and can't seem to find the solution to this.
The Base Station has a model no. M8440, and that's all I know about it. First I thought it was the Snow, then the Graphite and now I don't know. The reason I get confused is because I've read about all these different colored lights.
Here's a description of my Base Station - in case someone recognized it, and can help me identify it:
- It's one of those "UFO's"
- It's all white, with a silver Apple-logo
- It's got three ports: Modem, WAN and LAN
- It's got three lights - ALL WHITE all the time.
I've tried to download firmware - the last I tried was called AirPortFW4.0.9.img - but when I try to run it by clicking it I get the error "The destination folder "AirPort whatever firmware whatever" is on a locked volume.
My computer is a 2,0 HGz MacBook Pro, and int the AirPort Admin Utility the Base Station is said to be V4.0 dev with IP 192.42.249.13 - so it seems to be hard-resat all right...
Please folks...help me out!

Answer 1

I've also encountered the same problem with an older dual ethernet airport.
I first started having problems with the original one about 8 months ago, and after spending a ridiculous three hours on the phone with AppleCare they sent me out a refurbished replacement. That one worked fine for about 5 months, but then started dropping the signal again, before becoming "unfindable". I went through the same processes, (soft reset, then hard reset etc.) which sometimes solved the problem. I eventually I took it to an Apple Store and of course, it worked fine once I got there. Strange thing is, I took it home and it continued working without incident...for a month. When it happened again, I decided to forgo all the the diagnostic work and just take it back to the store. Sure enough, it fixed itself again, then broke again a few weeks later (now).
Unfortunately, I just had knee surgery and can't get down there now, (which was getting ridiculous anyway), so I went through everything again for the first time on the MBP. I ended up getting the "An error occurred while updating the configuration" message, and after reading this thread started up the old TiBook. The reconfig worked on there, but it still isn't visible on either computer. In fact, it then becomes inaccesible even through LAN on the TiBook through either the AirPort Admin or the dropdown, though it did appear on the MBP via AirPort Admin. However, it says the software on the airport cannot be uploaded or changed due to out of date software on my computer, and suggests I go to apple.com/support to update my computer's software, which is already current. It does however say that I may be able to change the settings and so forth, which I was able to do. Unfortunately, it still does not show up anywhere else on either computer, no matter how much I tinker with the settings.
Any ideas? I suppose I'll just stick with built-in ethernet till I am mobile again.
MacBook Pro 15 Intel Duo Core 2.16GHz 2GB/100GB Serial ATA drive@7200rpm   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   '02 Titanium Powerbook G4 1GHz 1GB/60GB/Superdrive (currently awaiting a new hard drive)