Problem with updating Elite

[Chrissaf]

OK that's fine....can you just tell me what the COM number is in the brackets. Is it 3 or 4 or something else ?

[Fishmanoz]

Pidder, I know this isn't going to help you in the first instance but, once the instructions have been followed correctly, you appear to be the only person having difficulty.  Given it has been the same on 2 different computers, that cuts down the range of things that could be going wrong.  It would seem the common things are only your Elite, the USB cable and you (I think you've already tried downloading the update more then once, and hopefully you did it again onto the 2nd computer?).

 

I can see Chris is starting on a step by step fault finding process with you.  You've already told him the correct driver is loaded but need to confirm the port number with him.  I would expect he will confirm the next steps with you after this.

 

May I also make a suggestion?  Sometimes people are sure they are following instructions correctly but because think they know how to do it, having done it before, they actually keep repeating a mistake they made first time when they try again (I know I've done this).  So can I suggest you go back to the detailed instructions Chris provided and read and follow them again from scratch (you don't have to reload the driver but you do have to make sure you have the correct port number), making sure you assume no knowledge and have to read everything to find what to do.

 

If it still doesn't work, what I have suggested is aimed at eliminating you from the list of things common, leaving only the cable and the Elite.  And there is some assurance the cable is ok because DM can see the Elite via it, else the driver wouldn't be showing.  That would leave only the Elite.

[Chrissaf]

OK that's fine....can you just tell me what the COM number is in the brackets. Is it 3 or 4 or something else ?

.

Just realised Pidder. As you said it showed EXACTLY as shown in my posted image, then I take it that the Com port number is 4.

.

If so, then subject to a driver corruption (unlikely) the correct driver for Windows 10 is loaded and a suitable Com port number (4) is assigned to it. Thus, this is looking more like an issue with your Elite.

.

If it is 'bricked' (no display showing on the LCD) send it to Hornby to update. If it is not bricked, then try performing a factory reset, then try the update again.

[pidder]

Thanks both for your full assistance. I take what you say about going through the instructions again from scratch, I will do this. However, I have checked each time what the port number is, usually 3 or 4, and made sure the download is to the correct one.This varies depending which USB socket I'm using, I believe two are USB2, the third I think is USB3, Don't know if this is significant. Also, trying with Tom's Toshiba, it had to download the update file from the Internet. I just can't understand why, on a few occasions including with the Toshiba, it gets as far as showing "downloading" but then no more progress, with that little line beside the PC type number blinking and unable to do anything further. The USB cable is the second one I have tried and is a new one from my, as yet unused, Elink pack. That leaves only me and the Elite itself. I'll try again from the instructions, failing that a return to Hornby with a begging letter...

[pidder]

For those of you who have been advising me on this saga, here is the latest. Eventually I returned the Elite to Hornby on 6th March and today had it returned with the advice that it is beyond economical repair! All I had done was to try to update it, following Hornby's instructions, using my HP laptop running Windows 10. Whatever can have happened to make it a complete dead loss? Next time, leave well alone,...if there is a next time.

[Fishmanoz]

These things seem to be dying all too regularly lately for it to be anything but some consistent design or construction weakness!

[pidder]

Is that so? Up to now everyone has said updates are a piece of cake! Waiting for RAF to tell me how to dismantle it...or just dump it!

[96RAF]

@fishy

To be fair my three were all death by owner.

HBMs was a proper failure plus those few reported that have lost Prog facility, which can be easily induced by the owner cross connecting of the various outputs.

Rob

[pidder]

Rob  You seem to have taken a lot of punishment. Think I shall stick to my Select, gives me no trouble...yet. 

[96RAF]

@pidder

My Elites have a hard life. Several hundred updates both up and down ways just for the fun of it. Then its button pressing on all screens to see what goes belly up.

 

My goal is to try to break them intentionally so that others can't break theirs by mistake.

 

A user should not be able to bust anything by fiddling with it in normal usage.

Rob

[Yelrow]

Pidder, before you went down the ill fated update route, was your Elite working perfectly. john

[96RAF]

@pidder

On Sunday's post you said your installer was stuck with the blinking line at the pc type, which to my understanding says it hasn't accepted your Download key pressed command, so it wasn't going any further until it did.

 

Without doubt an installer fail will end up with a dialogue box saying 'com error' or 'update failed', but not with the installer stalled at some interim stage of the process.

 

Also as John asks - was your Elite working properly before this saga and if so what revision state was it at.

 

Also,of interest is the batch code on the underside of the Elite case not,on the silver label - something like 50/10 or 35/08 or similar.

 

Rob

[pidder]

Hi, in reply to both of you, yes my Elite was working satisfactorily, presume it was operating perfectly, as to my update tries, I think I have said before it got as far as showing "updating" several times but with the number to select the PC type blinking. I did buy it secondhand, don't know what the number of the download was. The batch code is 13/07, suppose that makes it old?

[96RAF]

@pidder

Thank you for the info.

I am led to believe ../07 represents 2007 so yes it appears to be an early unit.

Something I have never seen before is anything flashing on the installer screen apart from the progress bar pulsing as it plods along.

Pity you can't recall the version number at startup. The format would have been

Hornby

then 

Classic or Standard

then 

Version 1.x or .xx e.g. Version 1.0 or 1.3 or 1.41, etc.

then clock 00:00 counting with 03 on next line.

Rob

[pidder]

Seem to recall 3 at start up but that's all. Don't waste any more time on this, I'll write it off to experience.

[pidder]

Further to the above, think the version must have been 1.3 that being why I tried to update. 

[Fishmanoz]

And before anyone starts to say updating Elites breaks them, this is most unlikely. The fact you had it switched on is what led to it dying.  Yes it is possible that what died was the memory component that holds the firmware and writing to it the cause but there are many components that may have died simply because they had current applied.  

 

This is after all the one and only report we have of this happening.  We can go back to saying the Elite update software works 100% of the time in functioning Elites.

 

And Hornby's uneconomic to repair logic is questionable too. I think all they are saying is a component has failed and we don't do component replacement. That doesn't mean it's not economic.

[Yelrow]

Fishy, we cannot go back to saying success rate is 100%, cos it was not. The posters Elite was fine, until he tried an update, which the forum said was  without risk of failiure.   If it was fine before the update attempt, and broken, after the attempt, the only common factor, is the update. Had he stayed as he was, he would still have a working controller. Taking to a logical conclusion, bearing in mind, it was an old Elite. is there a point at which an aging one, becomes risky to update, and if so, should not a warning be issued.  If this had been mine, it most certainly, would not be the end of the matter. john 

[pidder]

yelrow  Well said, my thoughts entirely. But I've spent a lot of time on this, if Hornby don't want to help, let it be...

[pidder]

Just re-read Fishy's last, he says I had it switched on causing the problem. Don't understand this, the instructions clearly state "hold down the STOP button before powering up the Elite", 

[Fishmanoz]

Not talking about updating it, just operating v switched off.

[96RAF]

I think Fishy is eluding to famous light bulb failure analogy - does it fail when I switch it on or when I switch it off. If the former then it is liable to fail anytime I switch it on but if the latter you don't know it has failed until you try to switch it on. 

 

In the case of a 10 year old second hand unit will it fail when you switch it on or was it the update writing to dormant memory circuits that made it fail. Outside my knowledge to guess that but age may/may not be a factor. I have had electronics stuff last for donkey's years (e.g. A 16!year old laptop) and other stuff fail as soon as the warranty expired ( e.g. EXternal HDD). One thing is clear to me from experience is if you store electronics for a long time without powering it up to condition some of the components then it is likely to fail at next switch on.

Rob

[Yelrow]

As some of you know, i have 2 Elites, having bought a second one for my lad, just after our last uk visitor left, and refrained from posting it. That had remained switched off, until i was finally  persuaded to try to update, which went fine.  I think that hornby have no responded well here. john

[pidder]

In the other recent thread on this subject chrissaf states that a change of operating version can go back as well as forward. I'm wondering about trying a 1.3 download with my defunct one, just to see if it might be acceptrd. However, I can't see from the Hornby downloads that a 1.3 is now available, only the latest.Anyone any ideas?

[Chrissaf]

RAF96 (Rob) hosts earlier firmware versions on his website. Find a post made by Rob (there is one earlier on this page) and follow the link embedded in his signature.

.

Bear in mind though, that firmware versions before version 1.42 do not include the improved firmware installer. Earlier version firmware installers invariably fail if using Windows 10 and are sometimes iffy on Windows 7 as well.