Maybe this will be a solution for others. A couple of days ago I received my new Helix. I was surprised, given the Helix was released about a year and a half ago, that it had v.1.x.x.x. So before even trying to use it I proceeded to flash it only to have it fail within the first minute and display the dreaded “Helix update failed†please switch off and try again..blah..blah. Of course after the restart, I then saw the annoying flashing between Helix/Helix Rack thing. I tried some of the 2-footswitch reset combos, but still no luck, the update would always fail. Decided to sleep on it and try again the next day.
The next day I spent about an hour and a half reading different posts on the Line 6 Forum. I had already decided that the next time I attempted the update that I would do it in offline mode, which is something I found that others mentioned. This is how I was able to update my Helix:
Note: I did not use the Helix app to back up anything on my Helix since it was brand new. If you want to keep your presets, IRs and set lists make sure you do a backup before proceeding.
1. I borrowed a laptop from work so that I could rule out any issues with my home desktop. Not saying my desktop won’t work with the method described below, but I wanted to start with a clean slate. If I were to try my desktop at home, I’d uninstall all Line 6 software, maybe run a registry cleaner such as CCleaner, and then reinstall. Make sure you’ve disconnected your Helix from your computer.
2. Download the latest Helix Editor (currently v2.11). This contains the Line 6 Updater, The Helix Application, and drivers for the Helix in one package. I used Chrome as my browser although I would think Firefox would be fine too, but Edge could be questionable.
3. Download Firmware (currently v2.12). The reason you download this from the Line 6 site rather than through the Line 6 updater is so that you can do the firmware install “offlineâ€. It is not a big file and downloads quickly if you have a fast connection.
4. Connect your Helix to your computer and turn on. Once you see the flashing Helix/Helix Rack thing, open the Line 6 updater. Click the Offline Mode button. Hopefully you then see your Helix as the device to update. Click on your Helix. You will then need to browse to where you downloaded the firmware update. Double click and run it. At this point you may fail again as before which is what happened to me. If that happens, close the updater and turn off the Helix.
5. Press and hold Helix footswitches 6 & 12 (safe mode), then turn on the power. I held the buttons for around 30 seconds, which may be unnecessary, but when you enter safe mode nothing lights up so it’s hard to tell what exactly is happening.
6. Open the Line 6 updater, click on Offline Mode, click on your Helix and browse for the firmware file again and run it. If for some reason you don’t see your device in the updater, close the updater, and unplug the USB cable from your computer without turning off the Helix, wait a few seconds and reconnect the USB cable to your computer, and open the updater again and select your device and browse to the firmware file. Once initiated you should now see the red progress bar and your firmware should install. Eventually you’ll see your Helix display go back to normal and see the scribble strips with their patch names.
7. You are not done yet. After the firmware update, you need to turn off the Helix and restart with foot switches 9 & 10 (middle two switches on the bottom row) held down until you see the message “Will reset Globals and restore stock Presets, set lists, and IRs…†then let go. As Line 6 makes clear, do not skip this step.
I sincerely hope this will help others out!
