Hi, I successfully started uploading helloworld and it worked fine. Now I uploaded another bin. Which one is the one executed after pressing reset? Didn't found an answer here! So I thought ok, remove the old bin. But it won't get deleted. Windows tells me the file is in use. So I unplugged USB and plugged in again. Now I deleted the file, but strangely the file is always shown in the FAT with 0 byte size. Some minutes and a few gray hairs later I deleted the file successfully. But now I can't upload anything anymore. The copy dialog doesn't finish. Reconnected several times without success. It's also not possible to format the flash using windows format utility. It just tries to access and nothing happens.

I'm using Windows 7 64bit.

Thanks in advance René

Hi Rene,

It is always the newest .bin file on the disk that is FLASHed in to the microcontroller target and run. It is detailed along with some other useful notes on the introductory page:

• http://mbed.org/handbook/Downloading-a-program

You should be able to format the drive using the standard windows format program (use full format rather than quick format). If not, something is a little strange. The obvious thing is to try a different PC and format it on that, just to see if it is a fault with the mbed itself (a good checklist is http://mbed.org/cookbook/deadmbed).

If you continue to have problems, just email us at support@mbed.org and we'll see if it is a faulty unit and sort out a replacement for you.

Thanks! Simon

Thank you very much for the fast answer. Luckily I could connect it to a WinXP netbook and everything works fine there. I can format/upload and also delete the files. Just Win7 won't work anymore after it successfully uploaded 1 (or 2) files. Bad, because I don't wanna code on a 10" display :(

Rene,

I have had similar file problems if I'm trying to get the mbed to supply too much power, say...running a large LCD and backlight, and a bunch of LEDs at the same time. Seems that if the mbed has to supply too much juice, I have trouble deleting files (on Win7 x64).

To get around this, I use an external power supply to my breadboard.

Cheers, Chris

Chris, good to know that but this was/is not the problem. Currently I don't have anything connected to the mbed. And as I said on WinXP it works fine, but because it's just a netbook, it's not that good programming. My current workaround is to code on Win7 27" monitor and then upload it with WinXP netbook.

Rene,

Interesting. I wonder if the USB ports on your computer are supplying enough power to the mbed. Have you tried with other USB ports? Perhaps the ones connected directly to the motherboard (assuming your Win7 machine is a desktop/tower)? Or perhaps with a powered USB hub?

Chris

I think so, every USB harddisk I connected ran without problems on this Win7 desktop. And I hope mbed won't need that power as a harddisk while accessing the file system :) I also could upload 2 files to mbed with desktop before the problems began. And now none of the USB ports doesn't work anymore.

I seem to have problems with Windos 7 laptop, works for a while, then not for 1 or two days

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

but i have found, esspesialy during repeated re-programming, that the disk takes longer and longer to be enumerated.

Have you tried a powerd hub, espessialy if you have stuff connected to MBED

Ceri

Hi,

If possible, can you email us at support@mbed.org with your make/model of machine, the exact version number of windows 7 you are using, and if possible any version info about the USB disk driver loaded for your mbed (ie driver properties in the control panel, devices part for the node appearing when you plug in your mbed); might help us reproduce/track down if there is some hardware/driver combo with win7 not behaving.

Thanks!

Simon

Same problems over here with windows 7 on chrome with an i5 chipset... filesystem problems started once I really started to grind through test compiles, unplugging and resetting the device a lot - though, notably, the problem specifically started once I ran through the serial-via-USB tutorial and installed the driver. Is it a problem if you transfer a file to the mbed while it's running a program that uses the same port to send data to a terminal?

First noticed when chrome started filling up the device with filenames like "LCD-NK5110-Test_LPC1768 (4).bin.crdownload" and .bin's that were empty, things seemed to snowball rather quickly after that.

In any case, what filesystem should we be formatting to :)?

Hi,

You can just right-click and format; it should choose the right filesystem (FAT12).

btw, this may sound silly but if you are having problems, try a different USB cable. I'm not joking!

I'll let (our) Chris report more next week, but after a lot of investigation and disbelief, I think he's found a strange correlation with a batch of USB cables and USB interfaces on some new computers (which generally happen to be characterised by the fact they are running Windows 7, rather than Windows 7 itself being the issue). Switching the cable always fixes the issue. More on that soon...

Simon

Worked like a charm, thanks for the fast reply!

Just in case others are having this problem as well, it was changing out the USB cable (and the port used) which fixed this - as I never formatted the mbed. Two days of flashing it heavily and it hasn't failed on me since :)

I feel bad for whoever had to troubleshoot that... usually I'm banging my head on the desk before I start looking at the cables for the source of the problem >_<!

hi I've got a problem, I am working on the mbed since 2 week, and until now that was ok. but today, and I don't know why, my mdeb doesn't work. i cand dowload a program on my mbed (the led flashes) and I can see the program on the mbed disk drive, but it does'nt run after reset (even a simple program to light a led). I have already try to clean the disk, then disconect/connect again, or to change the USb port and the USB cable. My last action was to try to write on the Microcontroller USB disk drive to storage data. And now when i delete all files, one file always comes back, and it is written that the file has been modified in 2042 -_-. As it's always the newest file wich is executed, i supposed the mdeb execute my file of 2042. I'm using windows vista 32 bits Please help Mat

I am guessing that the file that comes back in mbed.htm? If so that is by design. I don't know about the date thing for that file but I would be more concerned about what date shows up on the .bin files that you upload to the device!

If you follow the steps on the deadmbed page, where does your device deviate? It seems like the steps that verify you can write to the the mass storage device are probably passing but updating the firmware isn't. You don't indicate whether you see the status light blink the first time you press the reset button after deploying a new binary or not. The blinking means that the interface chip is attempting to program the LPC chip and there is just something in the binary which doesn't run. Have you tried running the pre-built "Hello World" binaries that the deadmbed page points to? Have you made sure that you are building for the right chip (which mbed device are you trying to program...the LPC1768 or the LPC11U24?)

By following the steps on the deadmbed page: -plug your mbed in to your computer using the USB cable, as described in the Setup Guide. What happens? The Status LED comes on, and the mbed disk drive appears => OK

-The Status LED flickers, and the file appears on the mbed disk drive (you can use your computer's file explorer to to check what is on the Microcontroller, as you would for a normal USB Disk) => OK

-Press the reset button to load the Hello World program in to the microcontroller and start it running. What happens? The Status LED goes off as I press the button, but I never see a brief flash on releasing the button. => That's it

I have tried to run the pre built "Hello world" but without any success I'm sure that I have taken the good "Hello world" , I have the LPC1768.

Thank's for reply!

edit: I have made a mistake, I am not using vista but windows seven 32 bits. The file witch comes back is a file that's I have coded(.bin file). The creation's date of the file is good, but size (0Ko) and date of modification (2042) aren't

problem solved: I finaly decided to format my mbed, and now hello_world is running. Thank's for help ! Mat

When something go wrong with the files, do a "check and repair of the file system". This was "chkdsk /F" a long time ago (XP).
If there are errors in the file system, this creates some strange file FSKxxxx . You may delete theses files.
You said "when i delete all files" but a simple delete is not enough to correct a file system, you have to reformat. Robert

I didn't know that, thank's Robert