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Firmware update problem


wbabbott3

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I cannot for the life of me update the firmware in my new X1 from v1.0 to v2.0.

I've tried multiple downloads and unZIPs and several different SD cards with no luck.

The camera is only two days old!

Never had any problems with my DMR, M8 or M9.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Bill

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I see you are having problems with the X-1 update.

 

The X-1 Instructions are as follows: These are slightly different from the M8/8.2 instructions

 

Instructions for updating the LEICA X1 Firmware

1. To avoid loosing your camera settings select Menu item USER PROFILE – SAVE USER PROFILE and store the settings in one of the three available profiles. After the update you can reload the settings again (see 10.).

2. Format an SD memory card in your LEICA X1.

3. Connect your X1 camera via the supplied USB cable to your computer. Alternatively you can use a memory card reader.

4. Download the Firmware file from the Leica X1 site using the “UPDATES” link and unzip the file.

5. Save the unzipped file X1-V20.upd at the top level of the card’s folder structure.

6. Turn off the camera and disconnect the USB cable.

7. Turn on the camera by the main switch while pressing the INFO-button.

8. Confirm whether you want to update the firmware on the camera to version 2.0. You will then be prompted to restart the camera by turning the main switch.

9. After the firmware update is completed please push the MENU button, select menu item USER PROFILE – FACTORY SETTING. All new functions will then be initialized.

10. In the menu item USER PROFILE you can reload your settings from the respective profile.

11. Turn the camera off and back on again. Then format the SD memory card in your LEICA X1 again to delete the firmware file properly.

Note:

 If the battery does not have sufficient charge, you will see a corresponding warning message.  If you update the firmware on your X1, the camera will be set back to the default settings.

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Andy, Brian,

 

Thank you very much, I appreciate your suggestion that I follow the instructions, both the ones I have used over the last five years updating my DMR firmware and my M8 and M9 firmware, and now the new X1 instructions, which add the "Press the Info button while turning the camera On."

 

To be specific, what doesn't happen is that no message shows up on the screen asking me to confirm that I really want to install the new firmware, or words to that effect, as all the previous updates did with the three other Leica models.

 

Absolutely nothing happens. Zip. Nada. Zero. With two different newly formatted SD cards and two different update down loads and unZIPs. Nothing.

 

And to make sure, I just ran the procedure with a third newly formatted SD card and a newly downloaded and unZIPped update file with the same results. Nothing.

 

And yes, I did use a fully charged battery; there was no warning the "You do not have enough battery to perform the update" that I did see once with my M9.

 

Google turned up this reference (see the comments).

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-blog/2011/03/new-leica-x1-firmware-v-2-0/

 

All the best,

 

Bill

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Yes, the un-ZIPped X1-V20.upd file was always copied to the top level of the card on my Mac, not into any folder on the card, just as I have always done for five years.

 

In the off chance that my card reader (which was used satisfactorily for many previous updates) is somehow the culprit, I yet again reformatted a card in the X1 and connected the camera to my Mac with the Leica-provided USB cable and dragged the .upd file onto the card, shut the camera down, disconnected the cable and went through the hold-down-the-Info-button-while-turning-on-the-camera routine.

 

The results? The same, nothing.

 

Under User Profile I have several times selected Factory Setting which is said to reset everything except date, time and language settings but it had no effect, nor have leaving the battery out for a time or turning the camera on and off, which should reboot the OS.

 

My conclusion is that there is something going on with the camera, what, we cannot know. There may be a hidden way to reset, reboot, or reinstall the camera's OS and clear it up but I cannot find it.

 

One other clue: the camera appears to operate normally as advertised.

 

It is a mystery to me. My dealer will call Leica today (Monday) for help and we will see what happens.

 

In the complex, uncontrolled and uncontrollable environment in which any X1 may be coupled with any computer which has one of several OS's and is in any state of digital health, the fact that one X1 does not work can be reasonably expected to occur somewhere, sometime.

 

This may be a once in a lifetime occurrence, and I am just sorry it happened in my lifetime.

 

Bill

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Sorry to hear that you are still having problems, Bill.

My immediate reaction (until I read that you are already doing it) was - talk to your dealer and Leica NJ. This is certainly unusual in my experience.

Please be good enough to continue to post as this saga progresses so that we can learn what the fault is and the solution. It may be that you will have to return the camera for attention.

 

Oh - the update is definitely worth it!

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Hi Brian,

 

Thank you, it was indeed a most unusual problem, which initially most seemed to believe was basically a lack of skill or reading ability on my part. Here is the dénouement, an excerpt from an email to Leica NJ and my dealer:

 

"Last night it dawned on me that the problem we (note my use of "we," not "I") are having with updating the firmware in X1 serial number 383XXXX might not be with the camera but the environment in which my attempt to update the firmware takes place, i.e., with my Mac Pro.

 

"So, this morning I rebooted the Mac Pro in Safe Mode, a mode with which you are probably familiar, that is very useful in trouble shooting because it eliminates all the third party software bits and pieces and fires up just the core OS 10.6.8 software.

 

"With the Mac Pro in Safe Mode, and using the Leica-supplied USB cable so as to keep my SanDisk card reader out of the picture, I reformatted another SD card, downloaded yet another copy of the V2.0 firmware, un-ZIPped it, and loaded the .upd file onto the card, following the written instruction about the sequence of cabling, etc. The results upon starting the camera with the Info button pressed were the same as before. Nothing.

 

"As a final check, I repeated the process with my wife's MacBook laptop, also running 10.6.8, only with it in the normal boot mode. Once again, using only the laptop and the Leica X1 and USB cable, the results were the same. Nothing."

 

At the dealer this afternoon, using his computer and SD card, the firmware update once again would not work.

 

This X1 is on its way to NJ and a new one is on its way to me.

 

I must add for the record that my dealer has supported me in every helpful way possible in this affair. We have an eight year old history that has been very beneficial to me and I have complete trust and confidence in his dealership in matters great and small. They are a model for all.

 

I would certainly like to know what NJ's failure diagnosis reveals and be able to share it with you, but, based on my prior experience in sending cameras to NJ for repair, they are very tight lipped about what they find and do not seem to share their failure diagnoses with anyone, which I can certainly understand. What would they have to gain?

 

What I can say from my experience is that this particular camera is extremely valuable to Leica, for it contains a message from Mother Nature telling them that in this instance their QA system failed. I hope the diagnosis leads them to the root cause and that they take effective corrective action, and in doing so do not create additional failure modes, which can happen.

 

For better or worse, so endeth the lesson.

 

With all best wishes,

 

Bill

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Thanks for the update, Bill.

It's nice to hear that you have a supportive dealer in whom you have trust, and I am glad that a replacement camera is on its way - probably with V2.0 already in place!

Let us hope that any further update (if any) will not cause you similar problems!

 

It's a great little camera.

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