Oddity in HB-1000S Software Update instructions - PROBLEM SOLVED!

[Bordonbert]

Hi guys. I have the long time problem of a forgotten Pin Number! I've tried everything and got nowhere so I'm at the stage of installing the software update "hb1000s_upgrade.hdf" direct from Humax support site. I believe this resets the pin number back to "0000" as part of its task. Now there are a couple of things standing in the way of this working as I hoped it would.

Firstly, the info on the Humax site says the file contains Application Version : UKSFAC 3.00.94. My box reports it is on UKSFAC 3.00.95. Will this stand in the way of the software being reinstalled?

Secondly and more seriously, the instructions say to hold down the Down Arrow button on the box while switching the box on. I have the file on USB stick and I have inserted the USB stick into the back of the box, the only USB port offered, so I can restart the box. But whaddya know, my box has no buttons on it! It is literally a dumb box with no controls on it other than the Standby switch and I only have the remote to control it. How do I now perform that install?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

 

[Bordonbert]

Well! I found advice that explained that they really meant "Standby" switch. That failed the first time I tried it but, with a different USB stick, it then worked. So problem solved? Not on your life.

The software update reported that it was successful but it has not reset the pin number back to "0000". Can anyone explain why?

 

[Black Hole]

I believe this resets the pin number back to "0000" as part of its task.

The software update reported that it was successful but it has not reset the pin number back to "0000". Can anyone explain why?

I don't know anything about the HB-1000S, but I'm not aware that reloading/upgrading the firmware on other Humax units resets the PIN. Have you seen information which specifically states this, or are you just guessing? FWIW: for HDR-FOX there is a "password reset" function on the hidden service menu. In the HB-1000S manual, it says (P18):


I'm glad you sorted out the firmware update process, I was just now looking into it.

 

[Bordonbert]

As a last ditch attempt here I have now confirmed that the software was taken back to "3.00.94" during the manual update and the box now detects an online version more up to date at "3.00.98". (I think that might have been what I said was being reported as "3.00.95" in the first post.) Installing that is successful but it makes no difference, the "0000" pin number is still reported as incorrect everywhere.

 

[Bordonbert]

Hi BlackHole, thanks for coming in on this. Yes, I definitely got the pin number reset info from a number of other sites specific to the Humax boxes where all the discussion insisted that it was reset to "0000" during a software reinstall. However, in the meantime, I have fixed it. My thanks to Argos who posted this info re the HB-1000S box in their FAQs for the box on their site. I'm not allowed to post a link yet but here is the site: "https :// www. argos-support.co.uk/ 1700598-humax-hb-1000s-freesat-hd-with-freetime-smart-set-top-box" (remove the spaces and quotation marks).

1. Press the Home button on the remote.
2. Scroll to Settings and press OK.
3. Scroll to System Info and press OK.
4. Press the coloured buttons in the following order: Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Green, Yellow and Blue. This brings up a hidden menu. [BB: It may just be my imagination but it did seem as if you have to go through those colours fairly quickly.]
5. Scroll to Reset PIN and press OK. [BB: You get a confirmation message at the top of the screen if it works.]
6. PIN is now reset to 0000.

Now that said, this failed to bring up a hidden menu when I tried it the first umpteen times. It was sheer cussedness that kept me going through those instructions and seeing nothing. Then, after many attempts from scratch, the menu just appeared! I selected Reset Pin and the box locked up for a minute before clearing and - nothing. So I tried again, a few attempts as before then the menu came up again and this time, when I selected Reset Pin, it instantly reported that the pin had been reset to "0000". It hadn't! It still refused to do anything with my new external USB HDD rejecting the pin every time. It took another attempt which also reported that it had actually reset the pin and this time it had. I know that is a long convoluted description but I want others to note that it took a long time to simply get the process to take, I have no idea why.

So why is this process so flaky? Who knows, but I would simply advise that anyone who needs to do it keeps persevering as it did eventually work for me when all the signs were that it wouldn't.

 

[Black Hole]

I definitely got the pin number reset info from a number of other sites specific to the Humax boxes where all the discussion insisted that it was reset to "0000" during a software reinstall.

Like I said, I am not aware of that being a "thing"... certainly not HD- & HDR-FOX. I've just tested it to be sure, and it would be very strange if it did (do you really want your PIN changing if there is an automatic firmware update?).

Installing that is successful but it makes no difference, the "0000" pin number is still reported as incorrect everywhere.

What conclusion do you think you should draw from that? [Mine is to confirm what I already knew: you can't trust everything you might read on the Internet, always validate the source.]

1. Press the Home button on the remote.
2. Scroll to Settings and press OK.
3. Scroll to System Info and press OK.
4. Press the coloured buttons in the following order: Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Green, Yellow and Blue. This brings up a hidden menu. [BB: It may just be my imagination but it did seem as if you have to go through those colours fairly quickly.]
5. Scroll to Reset PIN and press OK. [BB: You get a confirmation message at the top of the screen if it works.]
6. PIN is now reset to 0000.

Very similar as on HD- & HDR-FOX. The colour sequence is the same.

So why is this process so flaky?

You get no feedback on the colour button presses (on HD- & HDR-FOX all you are presented with is an "invalid input" icon), so you have no confirmation each button press was registered properly (even if you didn't fumble the buttons). I have found the process reliable if I make certain the buttons are pressed precisely, whereas initially I found it as you have – unreliable. Practice makes perfect.

 

[Bordonbert]

Your first few points are very valid BH. Here is one of those pages. https :// myhumax.org/ forum/topic/lost-pin, again I can't post a link so remove the spaces. The post you want is half way down the first page by "Barry". I accept this is 2013 so it is very possible that this is outdated info and it no longer resets the pin. Anyway, you are quite right, it obviously doesn't in my own case so best stop bleating about it BB!

I have to say that I think the last point is not fully valid I'm afraid. I am aware of the problems with those colour buttons and users, (I've designed and engineered similar systems in much more demanding environments in my working life). You have visual clues as to the result of all of the other steps in the procedure except that colour sequence entry, so getting to the correct place is obvious and problem free. Then the unit neither gives you a positive response to the colour buttons nor tells you of a failure in entry, at least on my Humax HB-1000S box, it simply sits doing nothing until the sequence is completed correctly which is sensible. I fully accept there are good reasons for not wanting the relevance of pushing a secret sequence to become obvious to the casual user. Of course, if you report on each colour button push right or wrong you are telling an unsuspecting user that there is something going on at that point. Curious little fingers will then fiddle for the sake of it! However, I was very careful every time to make sure that the hand controller STB button LED lit solidly with each push and there was only one clean show per press. It is the indicator for all button pushes on my handset. It definitely did not work a number of times with clean single entries of those colour buttons, each one with a new navigation from Home to the System Info section - until it suddenly did. Even now that I am aware of what is going on it still fails sometimes. I can't find a reason, I've tried with different timings and delays in entry but nothing seems to reliably work or not work. It's a curiosity and may well be down to something like my handset having some issue in communication I suppose.

There is also the issue of the system locking up for 10 seconds or so when I finally was able to access the "Reset Pin" option and selected it the first time. That one at least was unambiguous and reported correctly as the system responded at each stage, and it was definitely flawed from the system lockup response without performing a reset. It would be interesting to see if anyone else has ever seen the same problems I did. And anyway, the problem is moot, I managed to fix it but it should be catalogued somewhere that these problems may be encountered - so keep on trying. As a final point, my box also is hit and miss about applying a software update from a USB stick. I know not all are supported, that's the nature of USB in a small system, but the same stick was missed a couple of times and then was seen and accessed. I would say that I consider these as oddities not showstoppers.

Thanks for your support, just having a second mind asking different questions on the problem is a big help.

 

[Bordonbert]

Aha! I have just looked at page 2 of that link I gave and whaddya know, there is talk of the fact that the Pin Number is NOT reset. Somehow the date jumps to 2016 so it may well be a change in software functionality. It does make sense to set things up like that I agree.

 

[Black Hole]

The post you want is half way down the first page by "Barry".

IIRC Barry ought to know what he's talking about, so perhaps (as you say) it has been changed since. I'm pretty sure some twit had a bright idea, then discovered it wasn't such a bright idea (floods of support requests after a push firmware update because the PIN didn't work any more).

FWIW, I suspect ringing them up (see post 3) would simply have had them tell you about the service menu. I had no knowledge of the service menu on HB-1000S, I simply used extrapolation.

 

[Luke]

Yes, I definitely got the pin number reset info from a number of other sites specific to the Humax boxes where all the discussion insisted that it was reset to "0000" during a software reinstall.

Your first few points are very valid BH. Here is one of those pages. https :// myhumax.org/ forum/topic/lost-pin, again I can't post a link so remove the spaces. The post you want is half way down the first page by "Barry". I accept this is 2013 so it is very possible that this is outdated info and it no longer resets the pin. Anyway, you are quite right, it obviously doesn't in my own case so best stop bleating about it BB!

That post concerns using the same technique as installing a software update, but instead of installing new software it executes a default reset, and does not update the software version nor anything on the internal drive of the HDR-1000S/1010S. It is was not thought to be the same as a default reset from the HDR-1000S menu. It is not bundled with any software update.

Aha! I have just looked at page 2 of that link I gave and whaddya know, there is talk of the fact that the Pin Number is NOT reset.

Yes, because the reset software on the 1st page was too old for the version of software that HDR-1000S has installed.
There is a slightly later post in the thread reveals that the reset software is not valid for "newer" versions of the main software for the HDR-1000S/1010S and gives a link to download a version for 10000S/1010S that use more up-to-date software.

Lost Pin « My Humax Forum

myhumax.org

I thought you had an HB-1000S?

 

[Black Hole]

gives a link to download a version for 10000S/1010S that use more up-to-date software.

Why would that be necessary, given the service menu option?