windows blue screen Bass PODxt shows Line6 Monkey in screen and seems not to update firmware

[vilsteren]

Hi there guys and girls !!

 

I recently obtained a Bass PODxt which was to be a present for my wife. As you can guess, the unit is second hand. There was no power adapter with it so that I bought too (9VAC, 2000mA).

 

Upon connecting the unit and switching it on, At first I thought it was a kind-of start screen. The Line6  Monkey shows in the display. This stays on for about 3 seconds, then the LCD turns off for approx 1 second and the monkey comes up again. This cycles through indefinately.

 

Turning the knobs on the outer edge of the PODs facia provides the screen with the knob positions showing. This occurs in an intermitting fashion, just like the showing of the Line6 Monkey. As long as you keep rotating knobs, after turning off, it switches back to the knob-position screen. Keeping it steady, the screen goes back to the Line6 Monkey on-and-off.

 

Same happens using the encoder knobs (SELECT and EFFECT TWEAK). The display shows either a SETTING modification screen or the EFFECT TWEAK modification screen... again, after some 3 seconds the screen shortly switches back to "off". If you keep rotating the button, the screen switches back again to the SELECT or EFFECT TWEAK screen (depending on which knob you rotate).

 

Being guided by the icon of the monkey, my first impression was: Problem with the firmware update. For a factory reset, on the internet, I found and tried the option of pressing SAVE and EDIT whilst powering on the POD. With this action came the Factory Recall screen. The screen did not switch again and invited me to execute the recall. I pressed the TUNE button. This lead to..... nothing. The POD returns into the same mode of showing the Line6 monkey on and off.

 

All of this can be seen in the attached movie

 

Still, as the Line6 Monkey is showing on-and-off whilst all buttons are untouched, to me it indicates some mode (probably an error indication mode) which has specifically been provided and demands action. As the monkey showed, I thought Line6 wants to put me on the trail of the Monkey software to use this to solve this. I have installed Monkey 1.77 and, as an update whilst running Monkey 1.77 i presse the button to update to driverset 4.2.7.7. Following the instructions on the screen (NOT connecting the POD whilst installing the driver and CONNECTING it when requested, I connected the POD through a USB cable directly to a USB 3 port directly in my computer.

 

Starting Line6 Monkey 1.77 as administrator, with the POD USB connected, Monkey asks for the connection of the POD through MIDI. There is no other option so

 

I uninstalled, downloaded Driver 4.2.7.7. directly from the Line6 download page and reinstalled Monkey again. I ran the monkey 1.77 installer as administrator. After that I ran the 4.2.7.7 driver installer. Then I restarted Monkey with the POD attached through USB and swiched on (in Monkey-off-on-mode). During the startup, Monkey asks a connection option of the POD. showing only MIDI as the option. No other option available, I click OK and enter the main screen of Monkey.

 

The POD shows to be not connected. And, though the driver update of 4.2.7.7 which I just ran, is not recognized. (see pic06) Monkey however does require this to be done prior to possible firmware updating of the POD. This too becomes a closed loop, installing 4.2.7.7., restarting Monkey and ending up with the message that drivers need to be updated to 4.2.7.7.

 

To break this loop, I switched to another option I read. Switch off the PODxt, and whilst holding the first of the fout buttons under the display pressed, power it up. This leads to the SAFE MODE. Switching off the POD, closing Monkey on the computer, disconnecting the POD from the USB cable, I powerd up in SAFE MODE. see pic 07 on that.

 

Now I restarted the computer to be sure the drivers would be loaded (if the software refered to it correctly, which I have to assume is the case). This however ended in the "Windows Blue Screen of Death". After that I booted the computer again and connected the POD with the USB cable. After that I started Monkey again as administator.

 

Now finally Monkey starts with the POD recognized as being connected (see pic08).  Driver 4.2.7.7. seems installed and up to date. USB drivers are showing up to date as is Monkey itself. only the Firmware is not recognized, shows as "unknown" and the latest version, 1.04 is ready for updating the POD. All lights show green to flash the firmware. So I give it a go.

 

After question about loosing presets (what do I care at this point) and the license agreement, which I gladly accept to the fullest, the flashing finally seems to start. The screen provides a progression bar (pic 09) and the POD shows "UPDATING SOFTWARE,,,"  (pic 10). Patience is a virtue so we wait the unfolding of this. Monkey comes back with the message to close all applications using the POD (have none running, so I am safe) and subsequently turn off and back on the POD. The POD itself shows more or less the same message (see pic 12).

 

Let's follow the instruction, turn off the POD and tu....... Windows Blue Screen of Death........ rn it back on..... result: We're back to square one. The Line6 Monkey is coming up in the screen and all acts the same. I repeated the complete sequence of this with the program running in Windows 8 compatibility mode (Windows 10 is not available as compatibility mode in this), but at that moment, driver 4.2.7.7. is never recognized as being installed.

 

Back in Windows 11 mode, I finally tried to manually download the firmware file from the site of Line6 as Monkey provides the option to install the firmware file from the local hard drive. This resulted in the same actions of Monkey showing the progression bar, the POD showing that it is being updated. At the end of that road, there is no different outcome... Removing the USB jack prior to switching the POD off gives no different outcome.

 

What I have also initiated more than once was the self-check functions by powering the POD up whilst holding the 4th button under the display. There I must say, are two fails which can be seen: these are for MIDI and FBX. The other functions, SDRAM and SRAM both pass. Some code, 0487A8E3 shows up. Pic 13 provides an image of that. The LCD check, passing a  column of pixels from left to right and passing a bar from top to bottom, passes too. I dont know whether the MIDI and FBX fail could be because they're not connected. I am not sure of that.

 

 

Long story, my appologies... but..... I am now at a loss... wanting to have this present for my lovely wife........

 

CAN ANYONE HELP ME GETTING THE POD BACK ON ITS OPERATING FEET???