Photoclubalpha

Am attempting the upgrade to my Sony alpha DSLR-A100 and encountering problem described below. repeat downloads made on different days. Computer consultants loggedinot and taken over computer they have the same problem. I have successfully downloaded other Sony upgrade into an MP3 unit.
Problem
Downloaded file DSCA 100V12A and extracted files DSCA100.app and str, successfully with the stated number of bytes. When I attempt to open the "app" file, a window opens with "ADD" to archive C:\Documents and settings\BrianH\My Documents. If Add clicked a message appears"File name of archive is not complete". If i click open in the first widow, i get a new window headed "Open archive". Whatever, name is typed in, it appears in a winzip widow but the file has no bytes and opening it takes me back to the very first window.

Hence, its round and round and circles. Any attempt to open the file"str", results in a window which tells me it cannot be opened unless widows knows the programme. Internet yileds no result. Other programmes ij computer likewise.
Sony helpline, singuarly unhelpful. A supervisor will ring me back but never does so.
Can onyone, please help?
Brian Holloway

You should not be trying to open the files on your PC. Just copy the files on a CF card, on which is an empty folder (DCIM) created by the camera. Do not copy them into the DCIM folder, place them at root level.

Load the CF card into the camera and switch on. Press the PLAY button (arrow) and the camera will ask to upgrade the firmware. Confirm. It takes about 20 seconds.

The website contains full information on how to upgrade:

http://support.sony-europe.com/DIME/dig ... ?l=en&c=fw

Thanks for reminding me - we just bought a second A100 body, and on checking it turns out to be firmware version 1.00, so I have just upgraded it.

David

If you connect by USB to the camera, nothing will happen - your later private email indicates that you expect a process to be initiated. It will not. What should happen is that the CF card in the camera should appear as a Removable USB Device. Drag and drop the two files on to this device - just copy them, the normal Windows way. Then Safely Remove the USB Storage Device. Switch off camera. Now switch back on and follow the upgrade procedure.

At no point does the upgrade involve any kind of executable or script on the PC. No app is run, no action is automatically initiated. You must copy the two files on a CF card, that's all, and the instructions relating to Mass Storage Device just describe how to mount a camera-inserted card as a drive.

David

David

Problem is that it does not appear as a removable USB device?
Brian H

This can be a problem and sometimes it is solved by plugging in an already switched on camera. Another solution is to turn off any of the automatic wizards which attempt to grab your image files off the card. Sony's own software can be set to do this, and Windows itself is notorious for wanting to use its own downloader. Usually this screws up all normal communication with the mass storage device - it relegates it to being a 'camera'. Exactly how you disable such functions I am not sure, as I always clobber them the first time they ask, whether it's iPhoto on Mac or Windows Explorer on PC. I never let anything take over automatic file transfer from any device.

David

David, did you see a list of exactly what the update did?
I got the impression that one of the items was an update for the lens data in the ADI system (the new lenses that have been added since the A100 was released, 16-80 etc.) if so we will need another update after the next batch of lenses come out..... when they come out.
Greg

David Kilpatrick wrote: I never let anything take over automatic file transfer from any device.

David

Good policy. Same here.

I had trouble with Photoshop Elements 4 last year, I simply cannot justify the cost full Photoshop version, why does there have to be such a big jump in price?

I had purchased a new laptop and at the same time PSE4 to load on it. The laptop had considerably more processor oomph and at 2GB twice the RAM of my now 4 year old desktop but was still sucked to a crawl by this invasive program. I was hoping for a better featured editing section than Elements 1 but was appalled by the difficulty of getting to the editor and did not want my first stop to be their straightjacket of file organisation.

I was also discomfited by Lightroom (there is an update to v1.1 available but am not sure yet) when this replaced Rawshooter.

PSE4 got in the way everytime I inserted a USB memory device, in spite of holding down the SHIFT key) and caused aq hang when trying to realese that device for safe removable. Unacceptable with the external 500GB USB drive I use for back-up.

With all that and the resource hogging I tried a tip from the O'Reilly web site (found by web search using keywords like Elements 4 and slowing down) which made the computer run a bit quicker but did not fix the USB memory problem. So I deleted Elements but that did not cure the USB issue.

I re-installed XP-Pro next (which I had installed only shortly before myself so wasn't much of a problem) and freed myself of this millstone.

It was thus with sinking heart that I learned of Adobe buy up of Rawshooter but Lightroom seems OK except for its arcane terminolgy WRT file storage etc. Could be partly a case of two peoples separated by a common language.

brian holloway wrote:David

Problem is that it does not appear as a removable USB device?
Brian H

When I updated my Dynax 7D I copied the file to a CF card in a card reader/writer attached to the computer, dismounted that card, transferred the card to switched off camera, switched on and the card was read and camera's firmware updated. In other words following exactly the routine advised on the KM website from which the update was downloaded.

David Kilpatrick wrote:The website contains full information on how to upgrade:

http://support.sony-europe.com/DIME/dig ... ?l=en&c=fw

David

I have just checked my Alpha 100 and it has firmware version 1.02 so it does not need update 1.1 applied which takes the camera to 1.02 a potentially confusing use of numbers, perhaps.

Thanks for you help. I was set to buy a cf card reader tomorrow morning but thought I would have one more go. Connected USB to a known active port. When camera switched on, cancelled all the image grabbing windows. On both DSCA100 and str, sent to "removable disc E".

It woked . Lo and behold I am now on 1.02.
Brian Holloway