[vics587]

Hi all,


Eaglem advised me to repost this query here, so here goes:-

I'm a rank amateur/beginner when it comes to cameras and photography, so it came as a bit of a surprise to me to find out that my Pentax K100D wouldn't accept the 4GB SDHC memory card I'd just bought.


After scanning the net, I soon discovered that I had to update the firmware. Mine is version 1.00 and it appears I need to download version 1.02 onto the camera. I've downloaded it onto my PC, so I'm ready for the next step.



That brings me to a few questions:

• Is it advisable to do this on a K100D or should I just rather stick with 2GB SD cards?
• I've re-charged my batteries as was advised on the Pentax download site, but can any other critical failures occur whilst installing the firmware and if so, what are they and can they damage or make the camera unusable? Also, how does one prevent them from happening?
• Finally, is there a fool-proof step-by-step guide available to installing the firmware? I have found a few guidelines, but none that are written in an idiot-proof manner.

Hopefully one of you guys can point me in the right direction, because I'd hate to mess this up.

Cheers and thanks,
Vic

[Doanh]

I had K100D before so I can confirm that SDHC works just fine with the firmware update. Don't worry, just follow the instructions provided and you'll be fine. Good luck.

Peter

[DanM]

Here is a copy of the directions I followed when updating my K100D

Updating Procedure
1. Provide a formated SD memory card for the update software (with at least 8MB
of available memory space).
The downloaded file is self-extracting.
The following files are extracted.
readme.txt : this document
fwdc156b.bin : Firmware
Copy the above Firmware file [fwdc156b.bin] to the root directory in
the SD card.
If your computer does not have a card slot, you can copy the firmware
update file by inserting the SD card into your camera and then connecting
the camera directly to your computer.
2. If the camera power is on, turn it off.
3. Insert the update SD card (prepared in step 1) into the camera.
4. Connect the AC adapter to the camera.
If you are using a rechargeable battery, make sure that it is fully
charged, and if you are using batteries that are not rechargeable,
make sure that they are fresh batteries.
5. Turn the camera power on while pressing the MENU button.
6. "NOW LOADING" appears in the LCD monitor, and will change to the
"PROGRAM UPDATE". At the bottom of the LCD monitor,
CURRENT VERSION 1.00/1.01
UPDATE VERSION 1.02
will be displayed.
7. Press the four-way controller to select "YES" and press the "OK" button.
8. "UPDATING" appears on the LCD monitor and updating starts.
Please do not under any circumstances switch off the power before the
update is completed.
It will take approximately 90 seconds to complete update.
9. When update is completed, the "COMPLETE" will be displayed at the left
bottom of the LCD monitor, then turn the camera off.
10. Remove the update SD card from the camera.
11. To check the Firmware version in your camera, turn the camera on while
pressing the MENU button.
Check that the version displayed in the LCD monitor is 1.02.
The camera automatically starts up after about 5 seconds.
(Caution)
When updating is finished, the update SD card still contains the
Firmware file.
If you want to use this card to take pictures, delete the Firmware file
first.

Dan M

[vics587]

Hi Dan,

Thanks a lot for your very detailed and super-quick response. The step-by-step instructions are exactly what I was hoping for.

Cheers and thanks again,
Vic

[vics587]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for your very speedy reply. I'm pleased to hear that it's not as difficult as I first thought and that the SDHC works fine with the update. Your reply has put my mind at rest, so I'll tackle it in the morning.

Thanks again,
Vic

[noblepa]

You already have said you know about the caution to use fully charged batteries. Good.

Two more newbie mistakes to avoid:

1. You must extract the .bin file from the downloaded .exe file. Do not put the .exe file on the memory card. It is the .bin card that is the firmware. The .exe is a self-extracting zip file.

2. Put the .bin file in the ROOT directory of the memory card. Do NOT put it in the DCIM folder or any other folder on the memory card. When performing the upgrade the camera only looks in the root of the card.

Good luck and good shooting.

[vics587]

You already have said you know about the caution to use fully charged batteries. Good.

Two more newbie mistakes to avoid:

1. You must extract the .bin file from the downloaded .exe file. Do not put the .exe file on the memory card. It is the .bin card that is the firmware. The .exe is a self-extracting zip file.

2. Put the .bin file in the ROOT directory of the memory card. Do NOT put it in the DCIM folder or any other folder on the memory card. When performing the upgrade the camera only looks in the root of the card.

Good luck and good shooting.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for taking the trouble to reply. The info. you sent sounds incredibly important and I shudder to think what might have happened if I hadn't scouted around a bit first.

I'm very pleased to have "stumbled" onto this forum and I must really compliment you guys on your amazing response times and the invaluable information that you've provided me with.

So thanks again Paul.......your advice is very much appreciated.

Vic

[vics587]

You guys took the trouble to help me out, so I owe it to you all to let you know how it panned out.

I followed all of your instructions to the letter and it worked like a dream. I must say I got a bit nervous when phase 2/2 slowed down and almost stopped for a while, but when I finally saw "COMPLETE" appear in the bottom left hand corner, I knew I was home and dry.

So a final thanks to all of you for your amazing help........I couldn't have done without it.

Cheers
Vic

[noblepa]

You guys took the trouble to help me out, so I owe it to you all to let you know how it panned out.

I followed all of your instructions to the letter and it worked like a dream. I must say I got a bit nervous when phase 2/2 slowed down and almost stopped for a while, but when I finally saw "COMPLETE" appear in the bottom left hand corner, I knew I was home and dry.

So a final thanks to all of you for your amazing help........I couldn't have done without it.

Cheers
Vic

Thanks for letting us know. Too often, people come here, ask a question, get a bunch of replies and go away. We never find out if our help solved their problem or not.

BTW, had you made the mistakes I warned you about, nothing dire would have happened. The update simply wouldn't have worked and you'd be scratching your head trying to figure out why. I mentioned them, because others have made them before you came along.

The real danger is if you do things right, and the camera actually starts replacing its firmware and the battery dies or you foolishly turn the camera off. If the update is begun, but not completed, you have a very expensive paperweight. If the update has not begun, that can't happen.

Now, I just wonder if Pentax will release a firmware update so my K10D can use SDXC cards, although, since the K10D doesn't do video, I have no idea what I would do with a 64GB card. Even with RAW + JPEG, that would let me store over 4,000 images.

[vics587]

Thanks for letting us know. Too often, people come here, ask a question, get a bunch of replies and go away. We never find out if our help solved their problem or not.

BTW, had you made the mistakes I warned you about, nothing dire would have happened. The update simply wouldn't have worked and you'd be scratching your head trying to figure out why. I mentioned them, because others have made them before you came along.

The real danger is if you do things right, and the camera actually starts replacing its firmware and the battery dies or you foolishly turn the camera off. If the update is begun, but not completed, you have a very expensive paperweight. If the update has not begun, that can't happen.

Now, I just wonder if Pentax will release a firmware update so my K10D can use SDXC cards, although, since the K10D doesn't do video, I have no idea what I would do with a 64GB card. Even with RAW + JPEG, that would let me store over 4,000 images.

I was thrilled with the result, so giving you a bit of feedback was the very least I could do.

Had a good chuckle about your "expensive paperweight" comment, but I'm pleased to say I've put it through its paces using SDHC cards and the camera's as good as gold.

I'll be "tuning" into this forum on a regular basis from now on, so I might catch you again on one of the other threads. I've got a lot to learn and this looks like the ideal place to me.

Cheers and take care
Vic

[noblepa]

Had a good chuckle about your "expensive paperweight" comment, but I'm pleased to say I've put it through its paces using SDHC cards and the camera's as good as gold.

Don't laugh too hard. It has happened to people. And I don't think Pentax considers it a repair that is covered under warranty. They have to open the camera and re-flash the internal memory. Or maybe they just replace the motherboard.

Its not cheap.

Have fun.

[cpackman]

I am new to this forum. Your discussion of the firmware update for the K100D was very helpful and your recommendations worked first time. There was no re-numbering problem. However, when I put an 8 gb card into the camera, it told me I have space for 999 pictures. A 2 gb card gives me 660 +/- pictures, so I suspect I could get 2500 or so on the 8 gb card. Has anyone encountered a workaround for this? I assume my screen only has the 3 numbers, so cant go above 1000. I suppose I could change the quality to RAW and back calculate (about 3 JPEGs = 1 RAW), but that seems like a lot of math. Any ideas?

[DanM]

I believe that you are correct in estimating that you will get over 2000 pictures You should notice that as you snap pics the counter will remain at 999. The limitation is just the 3 digit counter not the actual space on the card.
DanM

[cpackman]

Thanks, Dan. I agree it must be the counter, but I am wondering if anyone has a clever work-around. When I change the quality to RAW, it does go down to about 750, so I am thinking I could change the setting to RAW occasionally and back calculate until it goes below 999.

BTW, it was your instructions I followed for the update. Very helpful.

[D540i]

May only be my computer but, Chrome would not self extract the .exe file. I used explorer and it worked fine. Just a heads up for anyone using Chrome!
Thanks guys!