400D Firmware - Anomolous Behaviour

[IRONcast]

Here's an issue:

400D running firmware: 1.0.4 - I am trying to update to 1.0.5, 1.1.0 or 1.1.1 - all have failed.

Attempt 1: EOS Utility - failed - it copies the .fir file to the CF card (Kingston 8GB) (correctly named) (the red LED on the camera indicates a copy operation), and the camera correctly reboots, to display 'Firmware Not Found' - this is after several formats of the CF card on both PC and Camera beforehand - to ensure it's clean.  After, I can see the 4.6MB file had been copied onto the card - but the camera doesn't find it.

Attempt 2: CF Card Reader: formatted CF card in camera, then copied .fir file directly onto root of CF card - and updated via camera menu - which still cannot find the firmwre update on the card.

I have not renamed the file - my only conclusion is: the CF card, Kingston 8GB, is too large /not supported.

I have downloaded several copies of said firmwre, and three revisions to make sure it's not the file.

Essentilly, no matter what I do, the camera can't see the firmware on the CF card...

Any ideas?

[IRONcast]

The official recommendation is simply to use a card formatted with FAT16, no bigger than 2GB and to have it formatted in the camera.  No speficic brands are quoted in the guide.

However, your guidance is noted and I'll likely get another CF card - to your point, a borked firmware is just a hassle to remediate.

The main reason for me upgrading to 1.1.X from 1.0.4 is to allow for the firmware hack for my model, allowing spot metering, and also for me to get MassStorage USB capabilities.

The camera is 100% as is.

[RobertTheFat]

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@IRONcastwrote:

The official recommendation is simply to use a card formatted with FAT16, no bigger than 2GB and to have it formatted in the camera.  No speficic brands are quoted in the guide.

However, your guidance is noted and I'll likely get another CF card - to your point, a borked firmware is just a hassle to remediate.

The main reason for me upgrading to 1.1.X from 1.0.4 is to allow for the firmware hack for my model, allowing spot metering, and also for me to get MassStorage USB capabilities.

The camera is 100% as is.

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Interesting. I've always wondered why I couldn't find the setting on my XTi to have it use the old protocol that cameras once used to talk to a computer via USB. (Cameras of that vintage spanned the transition and could supposedly be set to use either one.) I wonder now if a firmware upgrade removed it.

[ebiggs1]

"...use a card formatted with FAT16, no bigger than 2GB and to have it formatted in the camera."

This is what I would do.

[Waddizzle]

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@ebiggs1

"...use a card formatted with FAT16, no bigger than 2GB and to have it formatted in the camera."

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Good luck finding one.  This may be a validreason to shop on eBay or Amazon for memory cards.

[RobertTheFat]

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@Waddizzlewrote:

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@ebiggs1

"...use a card formatted with FAT16, no bigger than 2GB and to have it formatted in the camera."

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Good luck finding one.  This may be a validreason to shop on eBay or Amazon for memory cards.

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Probably everyone of a certain age has one or two of them kicking around.

[ebiggs1]

"... everyone of a certain age has one or two of them kicking around."

Yup ! I do..............

[ebiggs1]

"Good luck finding one. "

It is possible to down size a CF card if you know how to use Windows command "Windows-> Start -> cmd)"

I think Windows disk management can do it also.

[IRONcast]

I'm an enterprise linux engineer (it's just a title, trust me lol) and have been partitioning disks / arrays for around 12 years so I'm well equipped to partition petty much anything.  The amount of hacks we've had to do to get things to work makes me giggle nowdays.

You'd be correct in saying WIndows Disk Management is the easiest, and even diskpart- I'll shoot straight to linux tools 😉

Let me attempt this and hopefuly won't bork the camera.

[RobertTheFat]

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@IRONcastwrote:

I'm an enterprise linux engineer (it's just a title, trust me lol) and have been partitioning disks / arrays for around 12 years so I'm well equipped to partition petty much anything.  The amount of hacks we've had to do to get things to work makes me giggle nowdays.

You'd be correct in saying WIndows Disk Management is the easiest, and even diskpart- I'll shoot straight to linux tools 😉

Let me attempt this and hopefuly won't bork the camera.

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Maybe you'll get lucky. But if it doesn't work, you won't know for certain whether it was the camera's inability to follow the machinations performed on the file system or something else. So if that happens, you'll pretty much have to try a CF card of the correct size.

[IRONcast]

Correct - shouldI go the partition route I will only attempt an update once the camera successfully reads, formats and stores in that partition.