Press the MENU button on your camera, whilst at the same time switching it on. You should now see the current firmware version displayed on the LCD screen. If the display reads V1.01, you don't need to update, however if the display reads V1.00 (or similar) you might want to upgrade. Here's the link to the firmware download. Select the file called k30v101.EXE, and download it to your desktop. Once completed, go to the desktop and double-click the icon to start the process of obtaining the .bin file. Save the .bin file to a clean formatted sd card, and when that has completed, remove the card from your pc and place it into your camera. Make sure that the camera is switched off for this. Now, check the specific instructions in your camera's manual for guidance on how this update should be done (it may just be a case of switching this camera on). Once the upgrade begins, DO NOT power down the camera, so make sure that you have fully-charged the battery first. Once complete, you are good to go!!

Glad to hear you finally cracked it, Bob!

According to the Japanese Pentax website, you should now notice improved performance over general stability, as well as an improvement in contrast AF.

Now that you've mastered how to update your camera, I'm sure you'll agree that it's a much less daunting task than it appears to be!

Angela - remember how I showed you. It's exactly the same process. If you get stuck (I have complete faith in you getting it right), PM me for a wee refresher!!

Aura - the following thread may be useful... link

How do you mean "how does this work"?.. Do you mean "what's it's intention", or are you looking for a guide on how to install the update, Aura?

There's currently a thread running on this very topic.

Andrew - I think most people that have problems similar to yours are all using a Microsh*t operating system, which will not recognise the .bin file as part of it's array of tools, thus you will always be redirected to a Microcrap website that will point you in the direction of a site that offers (often unneccessary) software that will assist in using a given unrecognized file type.

Try downloading the update again, saving it to your desktop. Once you have done so, double-click the icon to begin the process of extracting the required .bin file. Once the .bin file has been extracted, copy it onto a blank formatted sd card. Highlight the .bin file from the list of extracted files, then with a single right-click, you should get a drop-down box that offers you the chance to copy the file (I think it may also offer to SEND TO the sd card directly) - all you need to tell the computer is where your sd card is (possibly F/G/H/J/K drive). Dump the .bin file onto it, then proceed to place the card into the camera, then continue the process from there.

Sounds like the only thing you haven't done (so far) is extract the downloaded .ZIP file. Go to where you d/l'ed it, then double-click this .zip file, and it should extract to give you the .bin file you need for the update. Put this .bin file onto your formatted sd card, then put the card into your camera whilst switched off. I think I'm right in saying that you should simultaneously press the MENU button and switch the camera on at the same time. The critical part is getting the .bin file onto the card, and continue from there. It sounds as though you are on the right track, but you are just trying to load the wrong file type.

GOOD LUCK!!

Roger - you are simply being told that this program doesn't have a security certificate issued by Microsoft, which is intended as a form of quality assurance. It is intended to provide a precautionary warning.

In the future, download the program onto your desktop, but do not actually install it until you have scanned the download withyour omputer's installed security suite. Once scanned (and hopefully scans as a clean, malware-free program), it should be safe to install this program.

Some programs will flag up malware immediately upon download, such as Norton Internet Security. If unflagged, it is generally safe to proceed, but before running any program for the first time, do a full system scan with a program such as Malwarebytes, Spybot, etc. That will find any malware that your security suite may have missed.

Don't forget to keep your security suite up to date by doing a daily check for updates.

It's possible that the circuit board behind the four-way controller has "unseated" itself. It might resolve matters if you try a bit of "percussive maintenance", ie, gently tapping the base of the camera off the heel of your hand in an attempt to reseat the pcb. The alternative is to open the camera up (I'd recommend getting this done professionally) - that said, it may be " beyond economic repair", so maybe you could send the camera to Johnson Photopia (official repairers) for a repair quote, and opt to pay for an upgrade. A repair is generally covered by a six-month warranty, whereas an upgrade will have a full 12-month warranty. Good luck!

I tried looking in the software's registry to see if there's a "switch" that had been turned off there, so as to make the program incompatible with certain cameras. If it was there, then editing the computer's registry might have "re-activated" it. Unfortunately, I couldn't see such a switch.

Incidentally - DO NOT tamper with your computer's registry settings unless you are absolutely certain of what you are doing!!