WD sent wdtvliveplus_1.04.10_V to my Live PLUS. How 2 get "B" to flash back? No Netflix, in ANY menu

Hello,

I apologize if this is in the wrong area. I looked and this seemed proper.

My name is Terry, I have a WD TV Live Plus. I finally said yes to the upgrade last night. It rebooted and said ANOTHER update was available. I said yes as I have for all three of my WD TV boxes. This is the only WD TV LIVE Plus I have. I bought it for Netflix. :slight_smile:

Here is part of an email I’ve sent:

I have spent all night, until daylight this morning, trying to “rollback” the firmware. I tried 27 times with “V”, “B”, and the “V.rollback”, and "B.rollback versions. The attempts were with different thumb drives, fully formatted with windows, formatted with HP disk utility and with both fat and fat32. I ejected it properly every time from windows XP, Vista, and even the “7” that is on my laptop.
It will not recognize the “B” firmware. It has recognized repeatedly the “V” rollback, and I was fearful of writing another “V” to it. Nevertheless, I did this morning, it flashed, rebooted and now has the wdtvlive_1_3_49_V_Rollback.
I KNOW that this thumb drive is recognized. I downgraded using it.

I reset the WD TV according to your instructions.
It will NOT accept the proper “B” version that belongs on the box
WDTV sent an upgrade (that I never questioned because I trust you), and the firmware was the wrong version for WDTV Plus.
Please, direct me to a link or send me a firmware containing the proper “B” version that would be recognized as an update for the wrong “V” version that is on the box now.
It has the wdtvlive_1_3_49_V_Rollback version now. It now asks to update over the net to wdtvlive_1.04.10_V. You have my serial below and I believe I have already registered it with you.
Thank you,
Terry

I hope for help or direction here. I have looked and used the search for hours before I posted. Please.

Thank you…

Terry

P.S. I just read my post and want to add that I see where it might be “heard” or viewed as angry or upset and I do not want to convey that at all. I am just disappointed that I recieved a wrong firmware from the company and want to correct it. 6 kids… Christmas, Relatives, I use the box a lot and I am only trying to anticipate the questions that might be asked since I discovered them thru reading the knowledge base and other posts. Thanks everybody.

I think you are hosed. You’ve basically turned your PLUS into a NonPLUS by applying the wrong firmware. I don’t think it’s reversible. You will probably have to RMA it, unfortunately…

I didn’t turn it into a “Non Plus”, they did. I would think that WD would help since they sent the update. I have updated all three of my players each time they send one and never had an issue. The update says something like “found for my player”, I believed them without EVER thinking twice and have been pleased at the fixes or features… I have hope they will fix it or tell me how. I’ve emailed support too. How many consumers just say yes to the update without suspecting the WD to be wrong. I never knew there was a “V” or a “B” until this happened. I hate to have to RMA it too because I know they could make a “V”.ver file match a “B”.bin… or even tell me how, and it could be done as easy as flashing it like a rollback. The firmware they sent it allowed it to update wrong… If it went one way, it oughta be able to go the other. :slight_smile:

There was one other person that reported this, but he said HE did it by accident; you’re the first person to say that the auto upgrade downloaded the wrong file…

Hello TonyPH12345,

I searched all over before posting. I saw several posts about missing netflix, most to be solved by a rollback or under a different menu location.

If i were a member here for some time, I would be a little hesitant to see a new member posting my problem. I haven’t done anything but use my two and my wife’s unit. After midnite last nite tho, i spent all morning, till the sun rose, reading trying to find an answer.   I learned of the ability to “Manually” put firmware on a disk or drive… to “rollback” I even found posts in a forum about hacked firmware.

I really thank you for not flaming. I did nothing different than I have since my first wdtv, just using it. I lost Netflix on the upgrade, learned, and found I had V… That it was supposed to have B only because of the one other persons post here.

If i am the only one, then at the very least, if someone else has it happen, they may see this post and save some time or something. I don’t know. I didn’t know anything about “rollbacks” “version files” and so on. I KNOW there are others that just use it on their entertainment center accepting updates as they come, even anticipating the next update.

I’m 54. I was an electronics tech 30 years ago but now I Teach Autistic/Special needs children in school. My wife and I have 10 kids, 6 at home. I don’t have time do anything other than just say yes to upgrades. Now there are two WDTV Live Plus boxes that took a “V” version. Thanks Tony.

Thanks for letting us know but this is something where you should contact WD by phone or email in order to get your problem resolved. There should be no dispute as it should be easy for them to see that somehow the wrong firmware has been loaded into your unit, which obviously should not be able to happen.

Yeah, the right people need to be notified.   The server folks can find your serial number in the server’s logs and find out what happened.

The last thing WD needs right now is a spate of “Crippled” Plusses…

Yup, sure sounds like RMA is your only hope. Strange that it happened to begin with. Do you recall the original firmware version? I’m wondering if the firmware ever reflected being a PLUS unit. Perhaps it was a mislabelled unit? Or  a RMA unit?

If as the OP says it had Netflix then it must be a Plus.

Oh boy, I thought my problem with crossflashing was a tough one. Now I think that few first WD Live Plus players had been based on Plus hardware and hybrid firmware that would accept Live firmware as an upgrade. The WD rep said they fished out most of them but there are stiil some left

Well, Rich… the OP never said the box had NetFlix… merely that it had been bought for using with Netflix :wink:

I could have had the wrong board in the wrong case, or something odd like that.

I’d be tempted to pop the case and see which chip is driving it, before I sent it back, but I know that would throw WD into conniptions. :stuck_out_tongue:

How did you acquire this Plus?   When and where did you buy it?

I’m sorry guys. Christmas and Christmas preparations are going on here. I just sat down here for a breather :slight_smile:

I’ll try to answer and clarify some of what I read.

I have two of the original. One for my wife and one for me. No net capability at all for those but I enjoyed them as a simple media center.

TonyPH12345, I need to look for a record to see the exact date, but I read a review of the new “Plus” coming out that would play Netflix, Very soon after, I purchased it from Best Buy. So, I bought it when they first came out.

I have watched Netfix on it regularly.

I don’t know the original firmware number, but when I finally said yes to the “New Firmare Found”, it rebooted and came right back to another “New Firmare Found” to which I accepted and it rebooted again.

RichUK, I have talked to three support people today, and have emailed them the first day. I am very impressed with them, They even called on Christmas Eve. They were very patient and even instructive with me.

Roofing guy, I’m curious about the inside only because this happened, but I wouldn’t know what to compare it with to have any meaning to me. The only way I’ll open it is if one of the techs I spoke with ask me to.

They also said its possible they may RMA it to diagnose the unit and see why this happened.

I need to get back with the wife and family. If I missed or muddled something I am sorry. Merry Christmas, Terry.

The double-upgrade is normal, depending on what version it has when it starts.  It first upgrades you to the latest MINOR version in the same MAJOR version.   So in your case, it probably went from 1.03.29B to 1.03.49B, and then from there it goes to the next MAJOR version, which would have gone to 1.04.10B (or V as the case may be.)