I saw SurfRemote's post about the LiveUpdate and decided to fire up my MX-810 software. The software immediately asked me if I wanted to perform an update. It updated the firmware, PC software and IR database.

A couple of things:

1: This proves, contrary to posts on this board, that there is only one version of the MX-810 software available. I downloaded mine from the URC public website (by entering my serial number) and it clearly has live update functionality. There is no special "live update enabled" version like there is with the other MX software.

2: They have fixed the button label placement bug that plagued the Favorites section. You can now drop replacement button labels anywhere you want and they will actually be insterted into the slot you dropped them on.

I haven't had a chance to delve much further. I did notice, with sadness, that they didn't (yet) take my advice about the functionality of the hard "Power On" button - which remains pretty much useless.

I'm just happy that they fixed the favorite insert "to the left" thang! That was giving me a horrible time as I had to program left to right, and forced me to have to right down the icons that got over written. One down, many to go. Can we get page jumps?

"This proves, contrary to posts on this board, that there is only one version of the MX-810 software available."

Not exactly. The version on the public website can only be updated on initial install. Yes, you can install it over and over and it'll update itself each time, but that's not the same. The version available to "professionals" has an "update" button in the ProWizard software.

Agreed that the "power on" button is pretty much useless. I never use it.

-Charles

Anyone know of a different remote from a different company? I was going to buy another 810 for my downstairs system, and also place some (relatively) positive reviews for this remote on some websites I frequent, but it's these types of issues that are driving me away from URC. Too bad the Pronto line couldn't have been converted to hard button functionality, as I still like my Pronto.

I'm sticking with URC in spite of all these issues. We just want our best remote company to get better, that's all. Sorry if my sentiment relayed a negative one.

Well, my software has now updated itself twice since it installed - once immediately after I installed it and once again yesterday. So, while you may be right that there is a different version, the version available from the public site does have some sort of automated live updating capabilities, unlike the non-updateable version of the mx-850/900/950/3000 software. And it does update itself without having to manually re-download and reinstall.

Since updating using Live Update I get an error downloading to the remote. I get "Failed to Download [DS-S00]". Any thoughts?

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling ProWizard. I've also tried different configs, different USB ports. Now I have a bricked remote (stuck at "unable to find config, connect to PC").

Appears to be a Vista SP1 problem. I also updated my desktop with SP1. I installed ProWizard on my laptop (XP), updated it, and reloaded my config. All's good (well, except in reinstalling the first time I lost some customer graphics I had done ...).

That's not good. I'm waiting for my motherboard to come in(due Tuesday, 1 day after my MX-810 is due in) and was intending on installing Vista 64bit with SP1. Since Vista will be a new install, I'm gonna have to update it, before doing anything and with SP1 released, I'm wondering if they even have individual updates still available or if it will just force me to do an SP1 install if I want updates.

I guess I'll have to install the MX-810 software on my old XP machine, until URC corrects the issue.

I got the same error messages and apparently bricked remote the first time I tried to download a partially program to my new MX-810. I tried removing the battery for 15 minutes to reset the unit to its default state, but no luck.

Then, based in a hunch and past experience, I found the fix: Open the battery door and look into that little space above the battery where you can see a bit of the circuit board. You'll see what looks like a tiny 4-hole female plug, and just above that a little silver device with a raised round center. That's actually a tiny reset button! Take a toothpick or other non-metallic object and press the button for about 5 seconds.

Your MX-810 unit is now un-bricked.

I don't remember what I did next, but I think it was to press Activity+ENT to bring up the systems settings and went through the "restore defaults" process. Or maybe I just hooked it back up to the USB and it worked. In any case, that hidden reset button is the key.

After that, download and all have gone smoothly, and I haven't seen a recurrence of the black screen of death. I can't say for sure that this is not a Vista problem, since I use XP.

I tried to use my Vista SP1 PC again, and used the reset to try and force it. It still doesn't work. No problem using an XP laptop, so it's not the remote or the config.

Can anyone get the MX-950 editor to run on Vista?

I think this may have changed from earlier releases. I just bought an MX-810 from Surf at full price, in part because their website makes quite a point that by buying from them you get the fully-updatable software. As soon as they shipped my order, they e-mailed me a link to download the software. (this wasn't the public URC site and I didn't have to go through any additional registration)

As soon as I installed it, the software did an extensive automatic update, and it did another shorter one a day or two later. However, this version of the ProWizard software definitely does NOT have a manual "update" button. It's all automatic.

I later checked the public website, and the software you get when you register has exactly the same version number on the installer, so I'm guessing it's the same software, auto updates and all. (I didn't want to risk messing up my machine by actually running a second install.)

I'm sure that, for $400, Surf isn't giving people a crippled version of the software, so my assumption is that URC has thrown in the towel on maintaining two versions of the ProWizard software (if they ever really did) and that somewhere in the revision history the manual "update" button was dropped in favor of full automatic, which seems to be the norm for software these days.

there is only one freaking version of the software!!there has never been two. of any of the URC software.

URC list "Surf" as an Auth dealer which means you just that. if you wanted a better price from "Surf" then you should have clicked on THEIR link for a better price. it is as clear as day if you do say 5 minutes of research.

later.

Do you mean there has never been two version of ANY of the URC software?

I have never seen a version of MX-810 s/w that wasn't updatable or one that had an update button. I have only seen one ver. for the 810.

As for the other editors, there are 2 versions for every other remote. One updatable and one not updatable.