steveheroan Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 OK, so I just received my new Helix. Love it so far, but I have a big problem. Two actually. I downloaded and installed the Helix driver and the Helix program before I received the unit. I also downloaded and installed the Updater. My intention was to immediately update to the latest firmware (V1.06.5) BEFORE I started experimenting and building patches, etc. So, The Helix program recognizes the unit, but as far as I can tell the Updater does nothing. I double-click it, but nothing happens. I went to the download page and downloaded what I thought was the firmware update. I noticed it was a flash memory with an extension of .hxf, and when I tried to open it I got an "application not found" message. I also noticed that the older firmware (1.04) had an extension of .exe, like what I'm used to seeing. Has anybody else had a similar issue? I am on a PC running Windows 7. Is there some secret "order of operations" that I should be following? Any guidance would be unbelievably appreciated. Problem number two: When I use the headphone output, I am getting tons of effects relative to the amp. When I plug the unit via XLR L out into my FRFR, it sounds correct, but the headphones sound mostly like an effects return. Help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 OK, so I just received my new Helix. Love it so far, but I have a big problem. Two actually. I downloaded and installed the Helix driver and the Helix program before I received the unit. I also downloaded and installed the Updater. My intention was to immediately update to the latest firmware (V1.06.5) BEFORE I started experimenting and building patches, etc. So, The Helix program recognizes the unit, but as far as I can tell the Updater does nothing. I double-click it, but nothing happens. I went to the download page and downloaded what I thought was the firmware update. I noticed it was a flash memory with an extension of .hxf, and when I tried to open it I got an "application not found" message. I also noticed that the older firmware (1.04) had an extension of .exe, like what I'm used to seeing. Has anybody else had a similar issue? I am on a PC running Windows 7. Is there some secret "order of operations" that I should be following? Any guidance would be unbelievably appreciated. ... Do not bother trying to install the firmware without the updater. If you are attempting this update on Windows you can try the following : Go to the Line6 support/downloads web page and download the Line6 Driver 2 ver. 1.77 under the Helix downloads. You will have to scroll down a bit to find it. Install the Line6 Driver 2 Run the 1.07 version of the Line6 Updater (download and install this version of the Updater if you have not already). The Updater should now be able to see your Helix. Click on the picture of your Helix and this will take you to a page showing the available firmware versions. Install the latest firmware 1.06.5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klangmaler Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 1.Download Helix Application v1.04 2.Install all of its components (including drivers, updater and helix application) 3. Download Helix Firmware v1.06.5 4. Use the (previously installed) updater to load that .hxf file into helix Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveheroan Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 Thanks so much for all the tips and advice. For the record, I believe I had two copies of the Updater installed on my computer. I didn't realize that one was bundled with the application. I believe that they may have confused each other. When you go to the "all software" option, it has the Updater listed as a separate choice. I guess it is not necessary to download that one since it is bundled with the application. Regardless, I am now rocking the new firmware and can't wait to hear the new models. Thanks so much! I haven't tried the headphones yet but hopefully that issue is resolved as well. It may be a topic for a Nother thread if it is not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Do not bother trying to install the firmware without the updater. If you are attempting this update on Windows you can try the following : Go to the Line6 support/downloads web page and download the Line6 Driver 2 ver. 1.77 under the Helix downloads. You will have to scroll down a bit to find it. Install the Line6 Driver 2 Run the 1.07 version of the Line6 Updater (download and install this version of the Updater if you have not already). The Updater should now be able to see your Helix. Click on the picture of your Helix and this will take you to a page showing the available firmware versions. Install the latest firmware 1.06.5. 1.Download Helix Application v1.04 2.Install all of its components (including drivers, updater and helix application) 3. Download Helix Firmware v1.06.5 4. Use the (previously installed) updater to load that .hxf file into helix Done. Glad to hear you were successful. Going forward with future firmware updates, the method Klangmaler provided is actually the preferred way to do the install as the Helix App installer should install all of the latest components. The procedure I provided broke it down to a manual method because your post indicated that you might have already installed the Helix App and it sounded like your driver still had not installed. In the future (at least until L6 changes the procedure), you want to use the method Klangmaler describes and let the latest version of the Helix App installer take care of all the required components (Helix App, driver, Updater). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 1.Download Helix Application v1.04 2.Install all of its components (including drivers, updater and helix application) 3. Download Helix Firmware v1.06.5 4. Use the (previously installed) updater to load that .hxf file into helix Done. Yep. Install all other components during/with the Helix App installation. I don't think you need to do Step 3, though. Running the Updater in Step 4 will download and install the selected version of Helix firmware. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Yep. Install all other components during/with the Helix App installation. I don't think you need to do Step 3, though. Running the Updater in Step 4 will download and install the selected version of Helix firmware. True, the Updater will download the firmware automatically although some people who have had problems with their internet or USB connectivity interrupting the update have had success by downloading the firmware first and then letting the Updater apply it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhead Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Whatever works is good! Alternate methods can't hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 Whatever works is good! Alternate methods can't hurt. Indeed! Noting the alternative method was the intent of my post, by all means first try the automatic download and skip Step 3, if that fails, Step 3 may aid you in a successful firmware update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klangmaler Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 [...] Running the Updater in Step 4 will download and install the selected version of Helix firmware. Right! But I always prefer to be offline when doing firmware updates. Call it a personal quirk :blink: One reason is, that I can turn off the antivirus/firewall/security software without any risk - and firmware updates run much more fluently (this is based on experience with many kind of flashing processes). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveheroan Posted March 4, 2016 Author Share Posted March 4, 2016 I had to download the firmware flash memory and the drag/drop it into the Updater, but it worked so I'm off and running. I had not created any sounds yet so I know at the next update I will have to do a backup before installing it. That would be achieved by the "Export Bundle" option, correct. By the way, thanks to all you guys for all the tips. Headphones are still giving nothing but effects return, but I don't intend to buil patches with headphones anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestOpinion Posted March 4, 2016 Share Posted March 4, 2016 I had to download the firmware flash memory and the drag/drop it into the Updater, but it worked so I'm off and running. I had not created any sounds yet so I know at the next update I will have to do a backup before installing it. That would be achieved by the "Export Bundle" option, correct. By the way, thanks to all you guys for all the tips. Headphones are still giving nothing but effects return, but I don't intend to buil patches with headphones anyway. Actually, you don't want to use the Export Bundle option other than to have an emergency backup. The firmware upgrades up until now have included a global reset procedure which overwrites all the presets in the Factory lists. Instead, copy any presets you want to modify to a User list and modify them there. Use the Export Setlist function to save all your modified presets, do this for any User list you have presets in. Use Import Setlist to import them back in to their corresponding User list after your firmware upgrade. The problem with using Export Bundle is that after the next firmware update, if you use Import Bundle, it will overwrite all of your Factory, User, & Template lists and their presets. If there are any new presets, bug fixes, enhancements, etc. in the next firmware version's Factory presets (and there have been several in each firmware upgrade) you will overwrite them with the Factory presets from the previous firmware. You probably don't want to do that. Note: It doesn't hurt to backup your modified presets individually as well. You can do this by highlighting them all at one time and hitting the Export link. Also do yourself a favor and make two backups with different names of each list with Export Setlist just in case you end up with one that is corrupt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.