During the process, you will be asked to dock your S50 in a Home Dock. This dock will need to have a strong SIRIUS signal for the process to complete successfully. Make sure the Home Dock's antenna has an unobstructed view of the sky above.
Requirements:
- A computer operating under Windows 2000 or Windows XP
- This process should work with Windows VISTA
- A Home Dock connected to your PC via the USB port
- An Active Connection to the Internet
- Update is not compatible with Mac operating systems.
Step One: Do you need to install the S50 driver?
In order to update your S50, you will need to be able to access the S50's internal memory, just like you would an USB flash drive or other storage device. You may need to install the S50 driver to enable this.
- Is your Home Dock connected to your PC? A small-to-large USB cable will connect the Home Dock to one of your PC's USB ports.
- Do you have the S50 driver installed on your computer? To find out, place your S50 in your Home Dock and wait for it to power on. Connect to your computer by pressing the SYNC button on the Home Dock, to the right of the S50. (Fig. 1)
Fig. 1 |
- If your computer recognizes your S50, a new window will open up on your desktop (Fig. 2), representing your S50 as a new Removable Drive with a unique drive prefix (for example, E:) PROCEED DIRECTLY TO STEP 2.
Fig. 2 |
- If your computer does not recognize the S50, you will need to install the S50 driver in order to access it. Click on this link to download the S50 driver.
- Click "Run" when the dialog box appears for download. Click "Run" again to start the installation. Follow the rest of the installation instructions. (Fig. 3)
- To check that the S50 driver is properly installed, remove and dock your S50 into the Home Dock. The S50 should appear on-screen as a new Removable Disk with a unique drive prefix (for example, E:) See Fig. 2.
Fig. 3
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Step Two: Copying Update Files to the S50
Once your S50 is plugged in and recognized as a Removable Drive by your computer, you will need to copy two files onto the S50 in order to update it.
- Download the first file 'S50main.mi4' by clicking HERE.
- Click "Save" when the dialog box appears and save the file "S50main.mi4" to an easily accessible directory on your computer. (Fig. 4)
Fig. 4 |
- You will then need to download the second file 'gen3fw.rom' HERE.
- Click "Save" when the dialog box appears and save the file "gen3fw.rom" to an easily accessible directory on your computer. (Fig. 5)
Fig. 5 |
- Go to My Computer and drag and drop the "S50main.mi4" file and "gen3fw.rom" file to the S50 Removable Disk folder (Fig. 6, opened in Step One.) These should be placed directly on the S50's memory. Do not place them inside any folders (such as 'system'.)
- When both files are copied onto the S50's memory (see Fig. 5) from My Computer, right click and “eject” the S50 from your computer (Fig 7. and 8.)
- Your computer should display the message “Safe to Remove Hardware”. (Fig. 9)
Fig. 9 |
- Undock your S50 from the Home Dock. The S50 should display a 'Restart to Update' message and power off within approximately 10 seconds. (Fig. 10)
Fig. 10 |
Step Three: Completing the S50 Update Process
Following the software install, there are three potential update stages you will need to go through to complete the update procedure.
- An update to the software that operates your S50
- An update to the firmware contained within your S50
- Updating the SIRIUS channels
Stage 1: Complete the S50 software update
IMPORTANT: DO NOT PLACE THE S50 IN A DOCK AT THIS TIME!
- Once you've undocked your SIRIUS S50, wait for it to power down completely. Then, press and hold the Playlist / Power
 button on the S50 to turn it back on. (Fig. 11)
Fig. 11 |
- Once it powers on, the S50 will display "SOFTWARE Updating…" and will complete the software update. This takes about 1 minute. (Fig. 12)
Fig. 12 |
- When the software update is complete, the "Update Complete!" message will be displayed and the S50 will turn itself off. Stage 1 complete! Proceed to Stage 2. (Fig. 13)
Fig. 13 |
Stage 2: Complete the S50 firmware upgrade
- Place your S50 in the Home Dock (Fig. 14). Make sure the Home Dock is plugged into an AC socket and receiving power. Make sure your Home Dock is receiving the SIRIUS signal.
Fig. 14 |
- Stage 2 should begin automatically. If it doesn't, you may need to undock and dock your S50 to power it back on. Make sure your S50 is receiving a strong SIRIUS signal.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT UNDOCK THE S50 AT THIS TIME
- Once it powers on, the S50 will display "Firmware Updating…" followed by "Updating, xx% complete". The percentage will increase as the update progresses. (Fig. 15) It takes approximately 5-8 minutes to complete the update.
Fig. 15 |
- When the update is complete, the S50 displays the "Update Complete!" message for 2 seconds and then powers off (Fig. 16)
Fig. 16 |
Stage 3: Updating the SIRIUS Channels
- S50 should continue the update process automatically. If it doesn't, you may need to undock and dock your S50 to power it back on. Make sure your S50 is receiving a strong SIRIUS signal.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT UNDOCK THE S50 DURING THIS PROCESS
- Once placed in a dock with a SIRIUS signal, the S50 will begin updating the channel list. You will receive an 'Update Complete!' message when the channel list has been updated. (Fig. 17)
Fig. 17 |
TROUBLESHOOTING
If your SIRIUS S50 stops or freezes when the SIRIUS dog logo appears on screen, it may be necessary to reset your radio channels in order to proceed. To do this, press the Setup button  and navigate to Device Settings followed by Reset Channels. Your S50 must be docked in the Car Dock and receiving a SIRIUS signal for this process to work. You will first see a message reading: 'Resetting channels,' followed by a 'Please Wait' message and then 'XX% Complete.' (Fig. 18)
Fig. 18 |
Congratulations! Your S50 software and firmware upgrades are now complete.
Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
Product Support is now available from 6:00 AM to 1:00 AM ET 7 days a week at 1-800-869-5364 or by email at customercare@sirius-radio.com.
Q: My S50 is not recognized by my computer, what can I do now?
A: Make sure your S50 is powered off before connecting it with a USB cable. If your S50 is on, the computer may not recognize it. If this doesn't work, you may need to reinstall the S50 driver.
Q: When it is supposed to be updating the channels, my SIRIUS S50 freezes on the SIRIUS logo.
A: If your SIRIUS S50 stops or freezes when the SIRIUS dog logo appears on screen, it may be necessary to reset your radio channels in order to proceed. To do this, press the button and navigate to Device Settings followed by Reset Channels. Your S50 must be docked in a car or home dock and receiving a satellite signal for this process to work. You will first see a message reading: 'Resetting channels,' followed by a 'Please Wait' message and then 'XX% Complete.'
Q: What will happen if I do not perform the update?
A: The update fixes a condition that causes increased muting under certain signal conditions.
Q: If I am experiencing the service disruption, can I still update?
A: Yes you can, please follow the update instructions.
Q. What improvements can I expect once I update my S50 to V1.5.6?
A. You can expect several improvements to your S50 from this update”
- Bookmarking functionality for schedule recording playback. Now you can pick up where you left off while listening to all your schedule recording content after turning the unit off and on again.
- Preventing your united from locking up following power fluctuations (like being switched on and off very rapidly.)
- Fixed issues with some recorded SIRIUS content not being able to be played back.
- Fixed artist and song title and icon representations during playback
- Minor user interface improvements.
Have Questions? Need Help?
For questions regarding your S50 or SIRIUS service, please click on the helpful links below:
General SIRIUS S50 Information
SIRIUS S50 Product Manual
Get Special Savings on Accessories for Your SIRIUS S50
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