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2.01 USB Connectivity


Geekydaddy
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Installed 2.01 "successfully". Had the editor opened. shut down Helix for a while. Turned back on, Helix is no longer recognized by L6 software. Tried everything to re-establish connectivity.... to no avail. Even tried rolling back to previous FW. Almost like my Helix USB is bricked OR it's a a software glitch.
I've owned a Kemper and an Amplifire with no problems updating software....Also owned two HD's and a Firehawk and had problems with L6 software on all of them.
My son repairs electronics (mostly computers) for a living. His comment to me tonight was that L6 software is glitchy.

 

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Are you saying you installed the 2.01 firmware and the 2.01 editor and they won't talk to each other? Or did you just do one? And did you reset the Helix and reinstall you patches/IRs?  I find all that messy, but so far its worked fine,,,,,ish...............

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I was able to install the FW to the Helix with no problem. Powered unit down for a while. Tried to reconnect to my PC and the Updater AND editor dont see the Helix now. tried uninstalling/reinstalling Updater and Editor several times to no avail. Yes I did the 9/10 reboot. Also tried the 10/11.

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Well, if the firmware update was successful (Helix powers up and all sounds correct) then I would first suspect a driver issue. With Helix not USB connected, try uninstalling the Line 6 Helix Driver, then download it and install again - or if you run the Line 6 Updater installer again, it also includes the Helix driver installation. Then try connecting Helix to USB again. Possibly also try a different USB 2 or 3 port on your PC too.

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If I want to use the editor on my PC,  I have to start first the Helix then after the boot is finisht then I start up my PC

with the USB cable.connected. .(This is the right order for me)
 

When I first boot up my PC and then the Helix. with the USB cable connected,  then the editor does not recognize the Helix.

 

this has always been with every FW update

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If I want to use the editor on my PC,  I have to start first the Helix then after the boot is finisht then I start up my PC

with the USB cable.connected. .(This is the right order for me)

 

When I first boot up my PC and then the Helix. with the USB cable connected,  then the editor does not recognize the Helix.

 

this has always been with every FW update

 

This is often the best course of action on a Windows based machine.  Always fun when "plug and play" isn't.

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Is there anything else usb wise on this PC/OS not working as it was once, beside Helix?

If you have another item that is usb and its working now, move it to another usb port. If Windows sees and re-configures it again, then Im thinking Helix has a port issue (as you guessed earlier).

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If I want to use the editor on my PC,  I have to start first the Helix then after the boot is finisht then I start up my PC

with the USB cable.connected. .(This is the right order for me)

 

When I first boot up my PC and then the Helix. with the USB cable connected,  then the editor does not recognize the Helix.

 

this has always been with every FW update

L6 updater doesn't recognize Helix. Nor does product registration on L6 site. tried different cables too.

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It certainly does sound like it could actually be a hardware issue with the Helix's USB port. The timing of it is kind of weird given the fact that it sounds like you just updated the firmware before this happened, but I suppose stranger things have happened.

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V2.01 is primarily a bug-fix release. There's really no benefit in doing it unless you are bothered by any of the bugs listed in the release notes for the update. If you would like to benefit from any of those bugs being fixed there's really no reason not to do the update, assuming you follow the update instructions. While there are users who followed all instructions and still have subsequent difficulties their numbers are very small and the problems are usually unique.

 

For instance, while it remains to be confirmed the OP in this thread seems to have had the Helix USB port fail. That likely has nothing to do with the firmware update itself - just a faulty piece of hardware that suddenly failed. It would have failed soon enough even if the update had not been performed.

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I am starting to wonder if some users are having problems with firmware updating because they start the Updater and update to the latest firmware version without first downloading and installing the latest "Helix" App which installs the latest Editor, Updater, and drivers. Can old versions of the Updater see the latest firmware version? For example, can a 2.0 version of the Updater see the 2.01 firmware update?  If so this could explain where some folks are having problems after their firmware update, particularly when connected by USB or trying to use the Editor after the upgrade. 

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I think you make a very good point. While the update instructions seem clear, the reference to downloading the Helix app/editor first could be missed by the user. What could also be confusing is that if you follow the installation instructions properly you don't actually have to download the firmware file that is linked to using the Get Download button at the bottom of the firmware download page. I expect some users read the instructions hastily, unnecessarily download the linked file and then immediately try to install it using the old Updater program. That WILL cause problems if there is a newer version of the Updater program that should be used.

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 The new updater and editor are loaded into the same download are they not?

 

 They extract together and load separt shortcuts onto desktop. MAybe the 9/10 switch portion gets missed by some ?

Yes, they are in the same download/installer. I'm sure the factory reset (9/10 switches) is missed by many who experience problems.

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Yes, they are in the same download/installer. I'm sure the factory reset (9/10 switches) is missed by many who experience problems.

Missed by some, ignored by others. I have seen people say they shouldn't have to restore presets every update and they don't do it.

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Tech support emailed these instructions which were concise and may help others. My issue is the USB port on Helix. It is going back to SW.

 

 Disconnect all of your Line 6 gear and close down all Line 6 programs. 

Go to Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features > Line 6 Uninstaller 
After you run the Line 6 Uninstaller, reboot your computer. 
Go to Line6.com/software 
Under -All Products- select Helix
Under -All Software select Drivers Under -All OS- make sure your operating system is selected Click GO Click GET DOWNLOAD Do not run it, just SAVE it 
Go to your Downloads folder and find the drivers installer - Right click on it and select 'Run As Administrator' 
Reboot your computer again after reinstalling the drivers 
Go back to Line6.com/Software to download and re-install Line 6 Updater

Put your Helix into 'update mode' by holding down footswitches 6+12 while powering on, then connect to computer, Launch Updater and reinstall the flash memory.

 

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I think you make a very good point. While the update instructions seem clear, the reference to downloading the Helix app/editor first could be missed by the user. What could also be confusing is that if you follow the installation instructions properly you don't actually have to download the firmware file that is linked to using the Get Download button at the bottom of the firmware download page. I expect some users read the instructions hastily, unnecessarily download the linked file and then immediately try to install it using the old Updater program. That WILL cause problems if there is a newer version of the Updater program that should be used.

The new updater and editor are loaded into the same download are they not?

 

They extract together and load separt shortcuts onto desktop. MAybe the 9/10 switch portion gets missed by some ?

Yes, they are in the same download/installer. I'm sure the factory reset (9/10 switches) is missed by many who experience problems.

 

So all of this adds up to NEVER just go to your existing version of the Updater and update to the latest firmware, it does not matter if you pull the new firmware down through the updater or download the "Flash Memory" directly from the Line6 downloads site. Remember, the "Flash Memory" download is not sufficient to do an upgrade, you need the "Helix" app. Just don't do it this way! Right now the proper procedure is always to first backup all your presets and IRs, then download the "Helix" app. Allow the "Helix" app to install the latest software, it will install the Editor, Updater, and any necessary driver(s). Only after completing this operation should you run the Updater and upgrade your firmware, either through the Updater download, or by downloading the "Flash Memory" from L6 and then pointing the Updater to it locally (the local file method may be preferred if you have a poor internet connection). After your new firmware is loaded, don't forget to do a global FS 9&10 reset. Now finally load  your backed up presets and IRs. I recommend restarting your Helix one more time after loading your old presets just to be thorough. Don't forget to set your global options back to your favorite values as they have all been set back to their defaults. I have followed this sequence and never had one issue with a firmware upgrade.

 

For those who prefer checklists:

 

Helix Firmware Upgrade Instructions:

  1. Backup your presets and IRs. Backup your presets using "Export Setlist". You want to restore your setlists one by one as restoring a bundle will overwrite any new or changed factory presets in the new firmware. I always back up a bundle, two versions of each of my setlists, and all of my presets individually just to be on the safe side. Keep them around for a while in case you ever need to roll back to an old version of the software; they take up very little hard drive space.
  2. Never start a firmware update by using your current version of the Updater to update to the latest firmware version.  Instead, download the latest "Helix" application, run it and let it install the latest version of the Editor, Updater, and driver(s).
  3. Now run the Updater. Follow all instructions in the firmware notes and upgrade to the latest version of the firmware. The firmware version should match the version of the "Helix" app you downloaded.
  4. Run the footswitch 9&10 global reset procedure.
  5. Restore your presets and IRs and restart the Helix one last time.
  6. Set your global settings back to your favorite settings, they have all been set to their defaults.
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