Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Firmware

Mac Pro fan speed problems caused by firmware update

ook — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 08:52:24 -0800

Is it possible to downgrade the SMC firmware on a MacPro? Or is there some other way to fix a fan speed problem which was introduced by updating the firmware? I have an old (2,1) MacPro running 10.7.4 which was having some problems with failing to reboot, not responding to the power button, etc. Following instructions on Apple's support site, I updated the SMC firmware and reset the SMC, which did correct that problem -- however it introduced a much worse problem in that now the fans run at full howling speed whenever the machine is under even the slightest amount of load (watching a youtube video is enough to trigger it.) The fans run at normal speed while I'm in bootcamp windows; it's only a problem while booted into OSX.

Mountain Lion is apparently not supported on this hardware, and I'm on the latest version of Lion. The machine has the current versions of SMC and EFI for its model as shown on this page; later versions of the firmware refuse to install on this hardware (it was probably very unwise of me even to try.)

Ideally I'd like to revert the firmware to its original factory version -- I can live with the reboot problems, not so much with the fullspeed fan noise; seriously it sounds like a shuttle launch up in here. Is this possible? Or am I screwed?

(I am aware of the FanControl and smcFanControl extensions; both allow you to increase the minimum fan speed, they do not allow you to limit the maximum fan speed.)

Is there a custom firmware dev community for the Flip Ultra HD?

tdischino — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 13:50:47 -0800

How can I hack my Flip Ultra HD? I've put my best google forward, but can't seem to come up with sites/forums/blogs for discussion of firmware hacks/customizations for the Flip Ultra HD. I'm a bit surprised that this discontinued video camera hasn't been hacked yet similar to CHDK for Canon cameras. Similar to CHDK, I'm looking for creative modifications to the firmware that would allow for hi-speed, lo-speed, and filters (solarization, tint, etc). I'm not talking about adding a new zoom or macro lens.

Am I just missing some obscure corner of the internet where there is a community working on this type of thing?

An open book test...

Blazecock Pileon — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:52:28 -0800

Please suggest ways to make the most of a mostly-dormant Kindle. I'd like to get the most out of my Kindle 3 book reader. Right now, it is gathering dust while I use Kindle clients on other platforms. If you have tips and tricks that work for you that maximize its usability, including document management tools, fair-use measures for backing up ebooks, hacking firmware to do other things, etc. I'd love to hear them.

Stop bragging about tablets and start making products that work consistently

Inspector.Gadget — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 07:21:58 -0800

ASUS is nearly two years delinquent in re-branding and re-releasing an existing Sony Optiarc firmware to allow their OEM version of an Optiarc drive to read dual-layer Blu-ray discs under Windows 7. Which persons - preferably executives or others with real authority - can I contact here in the United States to make sure this gets done? Where do I find their contact information? (Bonus points if you have that information already and can share it). In case it is relevant, the drive in question is a BC-5500s running the 1.C0 ASUS firmware; the 1.E1 firmware posted by ASUS won't flash this drive for myself or other users, and Sony's own native firmware is encrypted to prevent cross-flashing. I've been following developments at CDFreaks about this, and maybe they'll have a custom firmware later this year, but I'd really like to do this the right way and also get my money's worth on this $1500+ notebook.

The reset and the restore, they do nothing.

molecicco — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 05:02:06 -0800

Is there an archive of old firmware for iPods? I have a 30GB 5th gen iPod - songs often skip, the device freezes, and audible excessive spinning is causing major battery drain. Reset and restore are useless, and I am thinking it is maybe a quirk of the latest firmware. I have formatted, reset, restored, and checked for updates over and over again but nothing I do seems to be able to return my 5th generation iPod back to normal working order.

I am pretty sure that there are a lot of bad sectors on the drive, and that this is the cause of the excessive spinning and song skipping --- but shouldn't good firmware be able to handle this situation properly? Some online research suggests to me that reverting from firmware 1.3 back to 1.2.x might be able to help, but I have been unable to locate an online archive of older firmware.

So, askme, I am asking either for a link to some old firmware, or any kind of other helpful advice or suggestions on how to get more life out of my iPod. Thanks!

Mac OSX booting issue reboot help!

Tchad — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 12:47:14 -0800

I need a booting Mac Christmas Miracle for my powerbook, Please. For some reson my Mac isn't booting the OS.

This is within the past hour.

Here is what happened:

1. I tried to hook it up to my mother's wireless (whose computer may or may not be compromised by any number of programs*) but it didn't work because she couldn't remember her password.

2. I then went ahead to the ethernet cord from her router and answered some email and checked on a couple of things.

3. When I was done, I shut down my computer and plugged it in so it could charge up for our little Christmas eve day-trip.

4. Just now, when I went to turn it back on so I could work while she drove, it won't boot.

Here is the message I get:
"no active package
Apple Powerbook5, 6 4.9. 1f3 Boot ROM built on 07/13/05 at 12:26:00
*Copyright info*

Welcome to Open Firmware, the system time and date is: 12/24/2010 20:16:03

To continue booting, type "mac-boot" and press return.
To shut down, type "shut-down" and press return

ok
0 >
"
I tried the "mac-boot" option and got a flash of my regular grey booting screen and then it went to a gey screen with a little flashing question mark in the folder icon in the center of the screen.

I tried shutting it down and removing the cord and battery, letting it sit, and then restarting, same thing.

I googled for it and got the apple help page. I do not understand it very well. Here: This is the apple thread

I don't have the OS disk with me here.
I am running OSX.3.9
Is there anything i can do or try?

I have nothing here except the computer itself and the power cord and won't have anything until Tuesday when I get back to my office.

Is there anything I can try or am I screw for the time being? I really need to be able to use m computer for the next three days and it is going to be a huge problem if I cannot.

Heeeeeeelllllllpppppp!

Thanks so much guys, you just don't know what your help means. I appreciate it.

*It does not seem right that random words across multiple pages online show up with highlighted links that are ads - especially since some of the pages are MINE and I coded them and am 100% sure that there are no ads there. e.g. three or four words on the page I am typing into right now are links in the text and I don't think Mathowie is going that route with the ads...

Motorola Milestone Firmware Updates

devnull — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:02:02 -0800

I have a Motorola Milestone. My service provider provides OTA updates several months after Google release them, about a month after Motorola releases them. This works well, but I'd like to upgrade sooner.. There are a few things I don't understand.

I can download a software (firmware) upgrade directly from the Motorola website. The update works over USB, at least initially.

OTA updates versus updates from the Motorola website
- If I update my firmware using the Motorola website will I still get OTA updates? Who from?
- Can I switch back to my provider for OTA updates if I want to?
- Will an update from the website keep my settings and files like an OTA update, or will it perform a factory reset too?

Baseband version
- How does the baseband version come into all of this?
- Could it be that my phone will stop working because I don't receive baseband updates?

Thanks.

How do I install Android 2.1 on my HTC Hero?

chorltonmeateater — Fri, 07 May 2010 00:08:05 -0800

Help me get an unofficial Android 2.1 ROM on to my HTC Hero. As an increasing number of Android apps now require version 2.1, and because HTC have dragged their heels so much about making an official update for the Hero available, I'm considering installing an unofficial ROM on my phone. Trouble is, I'm not entirely sure how to go about it. So:

What is the best 2.1 ROM to install on the Hero? Is it stable? Will I lose functionality? Will the market apps I've bought still be downloadable?

Also, Once I download the ROM, how do install it safely? Most of the forums I've seen assume you know how to do it already, and I've not really seen an easy guide anywhere. What is the risk of bricking my phone? Will I be able to restore the official ROM if I change my mind?

Thanks in advance for any help.

DVD Drive Malfunctions Suddenly with Different Regions

tejolote — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:16:38 -0800

British DVDs have suddenly stopped playing in my mac mini. I'm addicted to the show MI-5, known in the UK as Spooks. I'm on Season 7, and all the previous seasons from Netflix have played fine. Now, none of the season 7 discs will play. I've tried ripping them with MactheRipper, and it seems to work, but the Video_TS files won't play. When trying DVDRemaster I get the error message that the disc must be encrypted. I called Netflix to ask what region they were for, and the customer service person didn't answer, just chirpily said she was sending me replacements. Surprise! The replacements don't work. It has to be a region issue. (but all the previous sasons worked!)

I have a mac mini with a Matshita UJ-875S, Firmware Revision 1.

I downloaded the RPC1 update here: http://jzego.posterous.com/matshita-patched-firmware-thread along with the Matshita Flasher, and installed the firmware. It goes without saying that my own DVDs play fine still.

Is there anything I can do about this? Help me feed my British television addiction once again! (Barring a real fix, does anyone know where I can download season 7 of spooks?)

File access to router without wget

alby — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:01:21 -0800

How do I copy files to a Netgear DG834G router without using wget? I'm trying to install openwrt on an old Netgear DG834Gv3 router (mainly using these instructions). The instructions recommend to telnet into the router and then copy over the new firmware from the internet using wget.

Unfortunately, wget isn't playing ball. Telnetting into the router works fine and I can execute commands but whether I use http or ftp and whether I use the hostname or IP wget cannot see the internet at all. Ping isn't successful for anything either.

So how do I copy over the firmware without using wget? Or alternatively, how do I get wget to work? The router's bootloader does not allow FTP connections.

PS3 3.0 killed my Blu-Ray drive.

GleepGlop — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:15:11 -0800

PS3 firmware 3.0 killed my Blu-Ray drive (as I and many others see it). Need help figuring out how to get this taken care of. I don't use my PS3 that often, never had a problem reading discs, I did the mandatory update to 3.0 (mandatory if I want to play games online etc.) and suddenly my PS3 starts crashing when playing disc games and eventually just won't read any BD discs.
The same thing has happened to many other people (official PS3 forums, official blog commets, gaming and gadget blogs, etc.) but it just hit the wires today that Sony is claiming no responsibility and saying that a firmware update can't screw up a Blu-Ray drive.
My PS3 is out of warranty, I did purchase it with a credit card that gives extended warranty coverage but in order to make a claim I need the receipt which I apparently lost.
Even though they currently are taking no responsibility, is there anything I can cite where a company is still responsible if their firmware screws up hardware even if it is out of warranty?
There is no way I am paying $169 CDN for a repair with a 3 month warranty on it when for all I know the Blu-Ray drive will just fail again due to something in this new firmware.
Please save the "it was just a coincidence that your PS3 failed when 3.0 came out". I've heard that enough from the Sony fanboys.
Please offer me some advice based on the assumption that this firmware is in fact the culprit.

Old PSP Sending Up the Lego Bat Signal

tomboko — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:35:56 -0800

I'm having a firmware problem with a 1000-series PSP. I have a "fat" 1000-series PSP. When I got it (used), it had firmware 1.50 and was 'ready for homebrew', but since at that time I only wanted the PSP to play 'Me and My Katamari', I upgraded the firmware in order to play it. All good.

Later, I hoped to send the video out to my TV and, finding that my PSP didn't have the 'Connected Display Settings' menu, I bought a Pandora battery and magic memory stick in an effort to change the firmware... changed it... THEN I realized that sending video out was simply impossible with the fat PSP. D'oh! But OK. The Katamari game still works. Now, the firmware is at 2.60.

Here is my problem: Today I bought 'Lego Batman', which wants to update the firmware to 4.05, but when trying to update, my PSP gives the error: "The system configuration of this PSP system does not appear to be correct. The update cannot be completed. Contact technical support for assistance. (DRNFFFFFFCD)"

I know that this is happening because of my efforts with the Pandora battery and magic memory stick. I have searched here and on Google about this, and have found a bewildering variety of answers and suggestions that don't all agree, as well as a lot of instructions that I am not certain apply to my old style PSP.

Please, can someone help with my specific problem? I have a long trip on Wednesday and I really want to play Lego Batman on the plane. Can it be fixed? Can you point me to helpful apps or good clear instructions that apply to my case? Many, many thanks.

An iPhone 3G unlock around the corner for current firmware?

letitrain — Sun, 24 May 2009 15:54:07 -0800

I bought an almost new iPhone 3G to unlock to use on T-Mobile. It has the latest modem firmware (2.30.03) and bootloader, so (I believe) there is not currently an unlock available. My question: has there been any indication from the iPhone Dev Team that an unlock is forthcoming for recently sold iPhones with current firmware versions? If I understand the situation correctly, the yellowsn0w unlock only works for 3G iPhones with modem and bootloader firmware from the Fall of 2008 and older. If there have been indications of an unlock forthcoming for the latest firmwares, I'd like to hang on to the iPhone. If not, I'd probably be better off selling it on eBay.

Please do not lecture me on the legality or morality of unlocking or jailbreaking my iPhone. Thank you!

Firmware fail. What alternatives do I have to reflash my printer?

cowbellemoo — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:41:02 -0800

I bricked my printer installing new firmware. The vendor-supplied flasher does nothing, but I believe I have the flash image. How can I get it to the printer? Kodak EasyShare 5100 on Windows XP/Ubuntu. About a year ago I went to upgrade the firmware, found it taking far too long, interrupted the process, and was left with a printer that doesn't respond to its buttons. The power cord has a green light and the paper tray has a green light. Ubuntu's hardware information utility can let me see that there's a Kodak-made device on so and so USB port, but there's nothing else I can think to do.

I have a 7MB "mfp.rbn" file which came with the Kodak firmware utility which I guess is the firmware image. (I took a look with a hex editor and saw some Adobe PostScript-type text, seems printery)

What can I use to mount the printer's memory or otherwise flash the printer?

Hacky solutions welcome.

I know printers are cheap, and this one probably deserves to die, but I don't feel like I've done enough. Either hand me the rib-spreader or help me to let go...

Lumix Chromakey Viewfinder

acro — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:39:02 -0800

My digital camera displays all colors but white on the lcd and viewfinder... Anything white blinks in and out -- but the pictures appear normally when downloaded to the computer. I can't find a firmware upgrade anywhere... It's a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5.

PSP Fireware Upgrade w custom firmware

Admira — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 15:26:03 -0800

PSP n00b Filter: How to upgrade the firmware of a PSP that has custom firmware? I bought a PSP from a friend of a friend - its homebrew enabled, which as something to do with ridge racer being in the UMD slot. Its on firmware version 3.40 OE-A. I bought FIFA 09 recently and discovered that I need newer firmware.

I'm a bit scared up upgrading and losing the homebrew capabilities, which I use to play Nethack.

So my questions are - how do I upgrade? Can I go straight from 3.40 OE-A to 5.00 M33? Or do I need to go from 3.40 OE-A to 3.52 M33-4 and then to 5.00 M33? Will these even work without Pandoras battery (which I'm guessing I don't have...)

As you can see, I'm a bit confused by the variety of ways of enabling homebrew - so I'm not sure the methods I see online will work for me.

Thanks for your help!

Looking for Digital Scanner stuff

CollectiveMind — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:16:18 -0800

Where can I find a control board and software for a wide format digital scanner? I have a Xerox XEScan YWC-1. I need the Fireboard 400 card for the plug in, the Scanner Firmware Version 2.1.9 and the XEScan 1.0 software. I've gone online to warehouses that list it all but show them as "out of stock" since forever. I've called Xerox, but they say they it's discontinued. For as many as these that were sold, I can't believe nobody anywhere doesn't have what I need. Here's what the system looks like - http://www.arescoinc.com/Xerox%20Xes%20Scan%20page.html (I've called them too, BTW). Help.

How to update Iphone 3G manually without the use of iTunes software?

omaralarifi — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:00:46 -0800

How to update my Iphone 3G manually to version 2.2 without iTunes? my current version is 2.0.1 (5B108) I had received Iphone 3G as a gift and I am residing oversea (not in Europe) in which the country's telecommunication company smart card works with my Iphone.
But in terms of updating new firmware version 2.2 through itunes wont work.
the Itunes mention when I connect the device "The simcard inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported"

There must be a way to upgrade without the need of itunes software.

If you found the solution could you please explain it to me step by step because I am new with iphone or ipod gadget.

thanks a lot!

What should I do if I can't log in to my router all of a sudden?

rintako — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:26:16 -0800

My router password changed itself! I'm using the DD-WRT firmware on WRT54G v7 Linksys router, what can I do? Hi. I'm 99% sure that I didn't forget the password because I had been tweaking the router a week or two ago, and I had used the same password when installing a router for my friend.

I don't know what's going on, but I can't log on to my router anymore. I'm using the dd-wrt firmware version: DD-WRT v24 RC-7 (04/24/08) micro

What can I do?

How can I detect what version firmware is installed in my Airport Extreme base station?

semidivine — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:24:24 -0800

How can I detect what version firmware is installed in my Airport Extreme base station? I just updated it a few days ago (I clicked "ok" when it asked me if I wanted to upgrade without checking the version number) and now it won't recognize my Airport Express I have in the other room which wirelessly connects my printer to my network. The Airport Express has the blinking amber light of death. The base station still works flawlessly (it did before the upgrade as well) so I'm thinking of reverting to a previous version of firmware, and the apple site is NO help as to which is the most recent. Anyone know how? Any other ideas as to what i can do?

Nokia 6300 firmware update problem

knapah — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:12:12 -0800

A firmware update has broken my Nokia 6300. Do I have any options other than taking it for repair? I decided to update the firmware on my phone today (using Nokia's own update manager) when I connected it to my computer for the first time in many months. I ran through the process doing as I was supposed to, and updated the firmware from Version 5.0 to 6.6.

Unfortunately, after being told I could start using my phone again, the phone refused to cooperate.

When I turn it on, it seems to be working normally until just after the Nokia handshake animation when it slowly flashes 3 times before turning off.

Is there anything that I can do in a short space of time that can resolve this problem, or am I going to have to resign myself to going into some sort of phone repair establishment?

I'm in the UK (West Midlands) by the way, in case that's remotely relevant.

Help me restore my iPod.

scottreynen — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:27:36 -0800

I have a first generation iPod nano. Over a year ago, I installed linux on it, through some process I don't remember now. Now I want to get it running the standard software, but a normal iTunes restore doesn't help. I've read a few instructions for uninstalling iPod linux, and the first step is always putting the iPod into disk mode, but I can't do that, I think because the software controlling the button inputs is messed up. When I turn it on, I get a language-selection screen, but I can't select a language. Pressing the center and top button successfully forces a restart, but then pressing the center and left button does not put it into disk mode, nor does pressing the center and bottom button put it into recovery mode. I've tried both several times, so I'm pretty sure it's not just a timing issue. Is there anything else I can do or did I brick it?

Why isn't newer firmware better?

hAndrew — Mon, 26 May 2008 01:13:49 -0800

Quite often when debugging hardware, such as a router, a recommended solution is to downgrade the firmware to a version that is generally agreed to be the most "stable". What is it about firmware that often leads to the latest released firmware not being the best firmware? This also happens with hardware drivers. Sometimes the recommended solution to a video problem in a game is to downgrade the video card driver to a previous version. I have always assumed that this is due to a lack of widespread compliance with some standardised interface. That is, one game might rely on a certain non-standard behaviour of a video card, while another game might rely on the opposite, "correct" behaviour. Does something similar happen with firmware, or are there other reasons?

I appreciate that this sometimes happens with general software too, but I feel like it's significantly more common with firmware. Am I wrong about that?

How do I restore iPhone 1.2/2.0 to 1.1.4?

geoff. — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:44:02 -0800

I sloppily upgraded my 1.1.4 iPhone to 1.2 (2.0 Beta). The phone is locked and I cannot restore through iTunes. I only have a Windows machine at the moment. Can I get it back without going to the AT&T/Apple Store? I didn't realize this was an illegal, bad thing to do. Nor did I realize you couldn't at least reset to the earlier firmware (which I have as an IPSW file). Is there anyway I can set it so that I can just get it back to the original out-of-the-box (1.1.4) state? Apparently I can unlock it via Pwnage with a Mac, will this work through VMWare Workstation and Tiger? Is USB 2.0 support good enough for that? Is there anyway I can do it on Windows Vista or XP?

Also if I bring it back to the store do they just reset it there? Is it a big deal?

How do I unbrand an unlocked phone?

penciltopper — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:37:46 -0800

Unlocked phone, but I want to "unbrand" it. How? So I've got an unlocked Motorola MOTORIZR Z3, which I want to use with AT&T.
It was originally a T-Mobile phone, and I think they're the only ones in the US who carry it.

It works with an AT&T SIM to make calls, and I've found instructions on setting up messaging/browser connections that look like I can follow them (knock wood) to get it working on AT&T's network.

But it still has all the T-Mobile, t-zones, etc branding & firmware all over the menus, etc.

But I'd like to get rid of all that branding. How?

I've spent hours trying to decipher posts on MotoModders, etc, but it's all alien language.

Can anyone point me at:

1) a guide to acquiring and installing generic or custom firmware/OS, that a reasonably clever layperson could follow?

2) someone who would do it for me? I'm in San Francisco, CA, USA.