A6000 Firmware Upgrade to V2 Firmware Created a BRICK!

[ericN2]

I fell into the first trap of trying it on my general laptop - good for anything in my normal usage but an XP machine which I only later discovered was NOT in the requirements of the Update process (because I could not read it in the Japanese page I first had to use). THAT almost resulted in mine becoming what many think of as a "Brick" (in fact I was warned or advised by a good friend beforehand that indeed these Sony A6000's (and such as the A5000 likewise) are VERY dificult to make into a "Brick" and generally recover from some 'disastrous' error quickly.
WHO then is to blame for all this ? .. frankly I say SONY.. .. for ONLY giving the early Firmware on the Japanese site and as far as I've heard I'm not sure it has appeared generally on either Sony US or UK sites.. a very bad start with a LOT of users not totally enough understanding the procedure in proper detail.. and probably following what may be a bad or wrong procedure again in doing v1.21 then v2.00

It's still not a full and good enough explanation since the later v1.21 and v2.00 ARE of course available in complete English .. but I really don't think everybody has indeed followed wholly the PROPER process and it may well have then contributed to some of their own downfall.

I don't think 1.21 was ever released outside Japan. That's a pretty good hint to ignore it.

WHY ?? .. it was by Sony and obviously for SOME reason..

Most probably because it only had minor features (compared to 1.20) that were relevant only in Japan. Sony would have known that 2.0 was round the corner, and didn't see much point in rolling out a minor release worldwide that was going to be superseded in a very short time.

Alright if you have a soothsayers mind perhaps.. but at the time there was NOTHING to indicate that any other Firmware was around the corner.. if I see an Update being made available I get it..no knowing at that moment WHEN any later is coming.

 

[dave46978]

No problems here. Mac with Yosemite and went from 1.00 to 1.2 and then to 2.0. Worked like a charm every time.

There must be some installed programs on some Mac's that cause the failures. It is almost impossible for Sony to test there software with every OS configuration. I would suggest shutting down all back ground applications, before starting the update including sleep mode. Maybe creating a nice clean separate user account and reboot would help.

 

[FunkySpoo]

No problems here. Mac with Yosemite and went from 1.00 to 1.2 and then to 2.0. Worked like a charm every time.

There must be some installed programs on some Mac's that cause the failures. It is almost impossible for Sony to test there software with every OS configuration. I would suggest shutting down all back ground applications, before starting the update including sleep mode. Maybe creating a nice clean separate user account and reboot would help.

--
Dave
A7II Pentax K5ii

Those are good ideas though I didn't do any of that except make sure sleep was turned off on the laptop. My email and messages app were on. And my SD card was in.

 

[Glenn]

LOL .. "Don't takethebatteryoutandputitbackinasfastasyoucan." thought you had a stroke there,,, was going to dial 911

 

[Digital Nigel]

I fell into the first trap of trying it on my general laptop - good for anything in my normal usage but an XP machine which I only later discovered was NOT in the requirements of the Update process (because I could not read it in the Japanese page I first had to use). THAT almost resulted in mine becoming what many think of as a "Brick" (in fact I was warned or advised by a good friend beforehand that indeed these Sony A6000's (and such as the A5000 likewise) are VERY dificult to make into a "Brick" and generally recover from some 'disastrous' error quickly.
WHO then is to blame for all this ? .. frankly I say SONY.. .. for ONLY giving the early Firmware on the Japanese site and as far as I've heard I'm not sure it has appeared generally on either Sony US or UK sites.. a very bad start with a LOT of users not totally enough understanding the procedure in proper detail.. and probably following what may be a bad or wrong procedure again in doing v1.21 then v2.00

It's still not a full and good enough explanation since the later v1.21 and v2.00 ARE of course available in complete English .. but I really don't think everybody has indeed followed wholly the PROPER process and it may well have then contributed to some of their own downfall.

I don't think 1.21 was ever released outside Japan. That's a pretty good hint to ignore it.

WHY ?? .. it was by Sony and obviously for SOME reason..

Most probably because it only had minor features (compared to 1.20) that were relevant only in Japan. Sony would have known that 2.0 was round the corner, and didn't see much point in rolling out a minor release worldwide that was going to be superseded in a very short time.

Alright if you have a soothsayers mind perhaps.. but at the time there was NOTHING to indicate that any other Firmware was around the corner.. if I see an Update being made available I get it..no knowing at that moment WHEN any later is coming.

You didn't need a soothsayer's mind to know that 1.21 was going to be superseded very soon: it was obvious. If Sony had wanted you to install it, why wouldn't it have put it on the UK site? In any case, no-one even knew exactly what was in 1.21 compared to 1.20, so it was ridiculous to rush to install it.

 

[Rey66]

The important rule when upgrading a firmware is to make sure you are not using some sort of a USB hub..most of them can handle on 500mW and if you have a thumbdrive or any other USB device it might disconnect your device while the upgrade is running..If you must have a USB hub make sure it is powered USB hub...Or, just connect it directly to the USB port of your computer/laptop.

 

[Leaping Carp]

My experience is not unique it appears from responses to the thread. I would think this is way to high a failure rate.

Unique, definitely not, but not typical either. There are ways to increase the reliability of the process and they should look into them for sure.

 

[lakensea]

here in Maine there is no way to take your computer and camera to Sony.

Here in Maine there is no place to take your camera anywhere, except the UPS store to ship it somewhere!

 

[Steve W]

No problems here. Mac with Yosemite and went from 1.00 to 1.2 and then to 2.0. Worked like a charm every time.

There must be some installed programs on some Mac's that cause the failures. It is almost impossible for Sony to test there software with every OS configuration. I would suggest shutting down all back ground applications, before starting the update including sleep mode. Maybe creating a nice clean separate user account and reboot would help.

 

[Steve W]

here in Maine there is no way to take your computer and camera to Sony.

Here in Maine there is no place to take your camera anywhere, except the UPS store to ship it somewhere!

 

[Pieterbaan]

No problems here. Mac with Yosemite and went from 1.00 to 1.2 and then to 2.0. Worked like a charm every time.

There must be some installed programs on some Mac's that cause the failures. It is almost impossible for Sony to test there software with every OS configuration. I would suggest shutting down all back ground applications, before starting the update including sleep mode. Maybe creating a nice clean separate user account and reboot would help.

--
Dave
A7II Pentax K5ii

Agreed, which maybe why everyone else updates their firmware using and SD card and software internal to the camera. Has Sony considered this?

The A700 worked that way (as did the Minolta 7d) Every system has their pros and cons. For the SD card system it was easier to brick your camera during the update and things could go wrong in other ways. When you used a cardwith a tiny fault, it could ruin your camera, if you did place the update files in the wrong place the update would not work (leading to calls to the helpdesk that could be avoided.

Personaly I think the best thing Sony should do is hiring some good writers for their manuals. When you have to do a FW update use a step by step explanation with every steep explained in word and pictures. And some explanations when things go wrong. Sony builds nice cameras and lenses but their manuals are cr@p.

 

[Peter J Davies]

Well I always said Sony's approach to firmware upgrades was weak and problematic.

No, your reading of instructions and system requirements is weak and problematic.

XP SP2 is NOT a supported OS to upgrade your camera. Stop blaming others for your failings.

Pretty harsh and very judgmental. Most people come here for fun and advice, not to get reamed out.

 

[lakensea]

here in Maine there is no way to take your computer and camera to Sony.

Here in Maine there is no place to take your camera anywhere, except the UPS store to ship it somewhere!

 

[Steve W]

here in Maine there is no way to take your computer and camera to Sony.

Here in Maine there is no place to take your camera anywhere, except the UPS store to ship it somewhere!

 

[franzel]

I also had an issue when updating my A6000 to the FW 2.00 , first time this happened with one of my Nexes .

To solve the problem , I used a tool that is highly recommended - they call it a 'Google' .
As it turned out, the matter had been discussed many times before, even on this very message board, and solutions have been posted .

If internet witchcraft such as 'Google' is too much for you, may I suggest you at least mention the operating system you are using when asking for advice ?

I gathered there might be an issue with the Sony FW update app and OS 10.9.x (Mac) or later, due to the app nap feature .

 

[Steve W]

I also had an issue when updating my A6000 to the FW 2.00 , first time this happened with one of my Nexes .

To solve the problem , I used a tool that is highly recommended - they call it a 'Google' .
As it turned out, the matter had been discussed many times before, even on this very message board, and solutions have been posted .

If internet witchcraft such as 'Google' is too much for you, may I suggest you at least mention the operating system you are using when asking for advice ?

I gathered there might be an issue with the Sony FW update app and OS 10.9.x (Mac) or later, due to the app nap feature .

I did use my magic wand and crystal ball provided by Google. Sorry for not providing the version of the Mac OS I was using in the heat and frustration of the battle. If someone had asked I would have offered it up without hesitation. I wasn't trying to be secretive in anyway.

Steve