As you’ve noticed, there’s been a TON of new firmware updates recently for S60v3 devices. There’s also been alot of discussion regarding HOW TO update your firmware. Thus, you now have the Symbian-Guru guide to updating your device’s firmware. I’ll let you know, I do mine a bit more….involved….than most people, but it’s the only way to not have any problems.
First off, let’s make sure you have the materials at hand. First is you’ll need the USB cable that your device shipped with, as well as a PC running Windows XP (you can do it in Parallels on a Mac, but with known issues. Vista is also hit-or-miss). Then, you’ll need to have Nokia’s PC Suite application, available here, installed on your PC. Once you’ve got all that, click through for the walk-through.
The first thing you need to do is sync your phone to your computer, using PC Suite. I will cover this more in depth in another post, but once you connect your phone to your computer, it will walk you through the synchronization process on PC Suite. You can also use Image Store to download all your pics and videos, so I won’t lose them in the update. *Disclaimer* Updating your firmware will erase everything on your phone. It’s extremely to back up your contacts and calendar and any other vital information before proceeding. Neither I nor Nokia can be held responsible for any loss of data.
So then, the first thing you’ll want to do after you sync is format your memory card. Yes, that’s right. You can do this by navigating to Tools – Memory Card – Options – Format Memory Card. This erases EVERYTHING on your card, so if there’s a document or something, copy that to a safe place before proceeding. Rename your card, and then you’re ready for new firmware.
Once you have your phone plugged into the computer with the USB cord, pull up PC Suite. Towards the bottom,
you’ll note a green icon that says "Update Phone Software". Click that, and if prompted to download a new version, do so. After it’s loaded, you can click the next button on the bottom right, and it will detect your phone, and then let you know if there is a new firmware, and what number it is.
You will want to make sure, before clicking the install firmware button, that your device has a SIM card in it, and is in the "General" or "Normal" profile. Also, ensure that you have a solid connection both to the Internet and with the USB cord. *DO NOT TOUCH YOUR PHONE DURING THE UPDATE*. Once you’ve checked all that, the next button to install the firmware.
PC Suite will download the firmware files and then install them to the device. It should take roughly 10-20 minutes, depending on the speed of your connection. Once it has finished, you can unplug your phone, and power it on. Follow the prompts on the screen to set your device up. Now, plug the phone back into the computer, and synchronize using PC Suite. That should put all your contacts, calendar, and notes back into your device.
Now you can begin re-installing your applications. When you download an application off the internet, you should *always* chose to save the file to your computer first. Create a folder on your computer called "Phone Apps" and put them all in there. That way, if something ever happens to your phone, you don’t have to go searching for all your apps. They’re all there. Simply go to this folder and install them one-by-one (Installation How-To coming soon). Once you have all your apps installed, you can spend some time moving things around in the menus to get them set the way you like (view my guide here).
I realize this isn’t the easiest way to update your firmware. Nokia has a built-in Backup and Restore feature, but I have yet to use it without having issues later on. And you can update without formatting your memory card, but again, not without having issues later on. I’ve found, after numerous firmware updates, that it’s easier and better in the long run to just start with a clean slate every time. The entire process should only take you an hour and a half, depending on how much you like to move the menus around.
Now, I know you’re wondering, "Why on earth would I want to go through that much hassle just to update my firmware?" The reason is because usually, firmware updates can offer new features (such as A-GPS) or (more typically) fix small bugs here and there, that you may or may not be aware of. It’s always a good idea to be running the most recent firmware available.
