# 501 really old software upgrade



## kierkegaards (Sep 28, 2004)

I have a 501 with 1.95 software that I am trying to get running. Haven't used it for a a year and a half. Have tried the usual software upgrade methods. Transpoder 19, automatically accept updates, shutoff from remote, leave half hour and over night. Took out card and put back in. Talk to dish tech and had him try to send (I assume).

I am told that I will have to get a new receiver. There has to be some way to upgrade this old of software or erase the whole thing and reload as if new install or something. Unit is perfectly fine except for this.

This is first post. Thanks


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

There may NOT be any other option. 

Need we repeat this again - if you put a receiver into storage because you're not using it currently, put it out so it sees the satellite every couple of months.


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## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

Try resetting to factory defaults. I have upgraded some OLD receivers with 5 year old software, so it should go, it may just take a while. OR, try activating it, and go to a sirius channel. That will force an update.


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## beejaycee (Nov 1, 2003)

scooper said:


> Need we repeat this again - if you put a receiver into storage because you're not using it currently, put it out so it sees the satellite every couple of months.


I would say that yes, you do need to repeat that. I've been following this board since I became an E* subscriber in '99 and I had never heard this before.

Sometimes it's the obvious that escapes us.


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## SimpleSimon (Jan 15, 2004)

Well, I just fired up my mothballed 501.

It's current software is P220DCKD-N, Boot 22ABDCKD.

After playing a bit. I turned it off. A few minutes later, the power light came on, and the following message in white on black appeared:

```
WARNING!

  YOUR RECEIVERS MEMORY IS NOW BEING
              PROGRAMMED

DO NOT DISTURB OR UNPLUG YOUR RECEIVER
```
After several minutes, it powered itself down again.

Powered up, and bingo! Software is now P223DCKD-N


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## kierkegaards (Sep 28, 2004)

I have set it back to factory defaults but still no luck. I have also let it sit overnight twice after insuring it was on transponder 19. I have put it on a sirius channel and still nothing (I get the channel just software doesn't upgrade). THe only channels I get are the music and 101 and a couple of misc. I have to believe that there is someway to make it take an upgrade.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

kierkegaards - that was the whole point of my first post - since your receiver is now so far out of date that it can't be updated. E* has taken the packets that upgrade your S/W out of the stream.


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

scooper said:


> kierkegaards - that was the whole point of my first post - since your receiver is now so far out of date that it can't be updated. E* has taken the packets that upgrade your S/W out of the stream.


Why can't it be updated? Could he call Dish and they could do a specific software update to his unit?


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## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

scooper said:


> kierkegaards - that was the whole point of my first post - since your receiver is now so far out of date that it can't be updated. E* has taken the packets that upgrade your S/W out of the stream.


I find that hard to believe. The receiver chekcs the stream, and if the S/W doesn't match, it downloads the s/w. Shouldn't matter what version he has. Like I pointed out before, I have successfully d/l'd 5 year old s/w before with no problems. Sounds almost like he is having a problem with the signal. I dunno.


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## kierkegaards (Sep 28, 2004)

boylehome said:


> Why can't it be updated? Could he call Dish and they could do a specific software update to his unit?


That is my exact idea but the three different techs said no. I have to believe that the intermediate software updates still exist somewhere and that I could have them downloaded until I get to the point that I can just upgrade the software like everyone else or dish could sequence the downloaads to take it from my 1.95 to 1.98 all the way to the 2.23 or whatever.


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

kierkegaards said:


> I have set it back to factory defaults but still no luck. I have also let it sit overnight twice after insuring it was on transponder 19. I have put it on a sirius channel and still nothing (I get the channel just software doesn't upgrade). THe only channels I get are the music and 101 and a couple of misc. I have to believe that there is someway to make it take an upgrade.


Did you do a CHECK SWITCH?


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## kierkegaards (Sep 28, 2004)

larrystotler said:


> I find that hard to believe. The receiver chekcs the stream, and if the S/W doesn't match, it downloads the s/w. Shouldn't matter what version he has. Like I pointed out before, I have successfully d/l'd 5 year old s/w before with no problems. Sounds almost like he is having a problem with the signal. I dunno.


My signal is 97 on 119 and 75 on 110.


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## kierkegaards (Sep 28, 2004)

boylehome said:


> Did you do a CHECK SWITCH?


 I did about ten times over two days.


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## boylehome (Jul 16, 2004)

kierkegaards said:


> I did about ten times over two days.


Did the Dish Tech have any comments about the smart card needing replaced?


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## kierkegaards (Sep 28, 2004)

No that was not mentioned at all.


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## larrystotler (Jun 6, 2004)

Did you actaully have the receiver activated? If so, that might force the update when you change to a sirius channel. Just changing to the channel with an unactivated receiver will not force it. It must be activated first. Just call E* and have it activated. If it ends up not working, then remove it an you might end up being out $5.


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## kierkegaards (Sep 28, 2004)

larrystotler said:


> Did you actaully have the receiver activated? If so, that might force the update when you change to a sirius channel. Just changing to the channel with an unactivated receiver will not force it. It must be activated first. Just call E* and have it activated. If it ends up not working, then remove it an you might end up being out $5.


Yes, I did have it activated and then turned channel to sirius. I am going to do the 5.99 monthly warranty and get them to send me another one. They said I could get one without the warranty right now for a total of 11.99 and sending back the other unit.


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## MikeHDTulsa (Nov 10, 2003)

You might unplug the 501 and remove the smart card and then plug it back in without the smart card and see if it will take the update then. I have had two of them I had bought used and had to let them update without the smart card and then they worked fine. I did buy a used one from a dealer that was going out of business and I made a mistake of letting it update before I put it on my account and it ended up with Dish's lock down software and they could not get it to come back up. It had work just fine before I turned it off I had went through the menu's and watched some of the shopping channels and even watched something that had been recorded on it but when I turned the power off it went in to update mode and that was the last time it worked. They just sent me out a replacement at no charge and it worked great. I wish they would of let us regular accounts buy the 522 and fixed the software on the 921. I gave up and switched to DirecTV for the TiVo's but I always liked Dish Networks programming.


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## sluggo (Sep 16, 2004)

There are several reasons that old software may or may not update. Some of the older receivers will update after being in mothballs for years, while newer ones will not. One reason for this is the fact that most of the older receivers are at the limit of what they will be able to do, therefore there is little reason to update software very often. Other receivers get replaced. Newer receivers get software updates all the time and sometimes the new update requires the last one or even two or three updates to already be there in order for it to work. If you don't have the updates the software needs to work, you are SOL.


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## P Smith (Jul 25, 2002)

I saw somewhere similar issue, that guy finally found in posted tables his PVR had a boot version not listed in that tables; last thing what I recall - he decied to call Dishnetwork and complain about the particular missed version.


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## sluggo (Sep 16, 2004)

P Smith said:


> I saw somewhere similar issue, that guy finally found in posted tables his PVR had a boot version not listed in that tables; last thing what I recall - he decied to call Dishnetwork and complain about the particular missed version.


Missed versions of software are just that, missed versions. There is no way for a consumer to backtrack and get them, just as there is no way that Dish will try to target just one receiver out of millions for an old version of software. The best advise is this: if you are going to mothball a receiver, take it out once in a while and update the software if you ever want to use it for anything other then a doorstop. It won't do much good to complain to Dish, there is nothing they can or will do for missed software because your receiver was not hooked up and getting signal.


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

Isn't that what I said earlier ?


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## sluggo (Sep 16, 2004)

scooper said:


> Isn't that what I said earlier ?


Why yes it is! I am just perplexed that this perticular thread has gone on so long.


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