Upgrading using NAOFlasher¶

Overview¶

Steps
Before starting
I - Writing the image on the USB stick
II - Plugging the USB stick

Before starting¶

Make sure your robot is ready.
For further details, see: 1/4 - Making the robot ready for upgrade.

Then:

Step	Action
	Get a USB stick: unformatted, larger or equal to 512MB. If necessary, see: Reusing a formatted USB stick.
	Get a NAOFlasher according to the Operating System of your computer: `nao-flasher-x.x-win32-vs2008.zip` `nao-flasher-x.x-linux32.tar.gz` `nao-flasher-x.x-linux64.tar.gz` `nao-flasher-x.x-mac64.tar.gz` You can download the latest release from Aldebaran Community website. For further details, see: Retrieving software.
	Get the NAO system image. `opennao-atom-system-image-x.x.x.opn` You can download the latest release from Aldebaran Community website. For further details, see: Retrieving software.
	Factory reset Option: if you plan to ask a Factory reset, get an Ethernet cable, and make sure you have all relevant information to restore the WiFi connection settings afterward. For further details, see: Setting NAO’s WiFi connection.

I - Writing the image on the USB stick¶

Step	Action
	Insert your USB stick in your computer. Note On Windows and Mac OS X, you might encounter a prompt telling you that the USB drive you inserted is not readable, and that you should format it. Please ignore this and click the Cancel button or similar.
	Launch the flasher executable. It should look roughly like this: Note On Linux and Mac OS X, the program may require sudo privileges.
	Choose File > Open image (Ctrl+O) or click the Browse button to select the image you want to flash.
	I not yet done, select your USB stick from the list. If your USB stick does not appear in the list, try the Refresh button after inserting it in your computer.
	Optionally, check the Factory reset option. Warning Factory Reset will remove all the data from your robot, please backup your data before running the program.
	Click the Write button to start the process:
	If you get an error message telling: the USB stick contains a file system, try: Reusing a formatted USB stick. you don’t have administrator privileges, try: Launching NAOFlasher with administrator privileges.
	When the process is completed, it should look like this: Remove the USB stick.

II - Plugging the USB stick¶

Step

Action

Shutdown the robot.

Plug the USB stick you previously flashed into the robot USB port.

You can now launch the upgrade.

For further details see: 3/4 - Restarting NAO to launch the upgrade.

Factory reset

The Factory reset option resets the whole system in a similar state as if the robot was just out of the factory.

Warning

After a Factory reset:

all user’s data put on the robot will be irreparably lost;
all settings will be reset to their default values.

When should I do a Factory reset

when something goes wrong and NAO does not boot normally anymore;
when you want to completely reset NAO to a known state;
(rare) if you want to downgrade to a former NAOqi software release.

Alternative method

If:

NAO boots normally,
you do not want to use a release older than the current one, and
you want to keep all user’s data and settings,

Then you may prefer a Easy update via Choregraphe.

Troubleshooting¶

My new USB stick doesn’t work!¶

If the USB stick you just flashed doesn’t work, it is may be due to the old files in your home directory. Try flashing your key again with the Factory Reset option enabled.

Launching NAOFlasher with administrator privileges¶

To Launch NAOFlasher with administrator privileges:

Find and select the NAOFlasher executable:

[Choregraphe path]\bin\flasher.exe
Right-click it and choose Run as administrator.

Reusing a formatted USB stick¶

If you want to use an already formatted USB stick, you have to clean it.

Warning

This process erases the whole USB stick.

Any data on the USB stick will be irreparably lost.

On Windows, try: Cleaning up your USB stick - Windows,
On Linux, try: Cleaning up your USB stick - Linux,
On Mac, try: Cleaning up your USB stick - Mac.

Cleaning up your USB stick - Windows¶

Warning

DISKPART is a very dangerous tool if you don’t know how to use it. It can potentially erase all your data without warning. Please be careful and don’t use it if in doubt.

Launch DISKPART¶

Go to the windows search box and type diskpart. Then type ENTER or click on the diskpart icon to launch the program.

Note

DISKPART might fail to operate on the drive if the flasher is running. Exit the flasher before running DISKPART.

Clean The Drive¶

Step	Action
	list volume: this will list all the volumes present on your computer. Find the line that correspond to your USB stick and remember the corresponding letter (Ltr column).
	select volume X: replace X with your drive letter. This will enable you to do actions on the drive.
	clean: erase all data and partitions on the drive. You can’t undo this!
	exit: exits DISKPART. You may now try the flasher again.

Cleaning up your USB stick - Linux¶

You can use, for example, GParted.

Warning

GParted is a very dangerous tool if you don’t know how to use it. It can potentially erase all your data without warning. Please be careful and don’t use it if in doubt.

Step	Action
	Launch GParted with root privileges.
	Select the device corresponding to the usb stick.
	On this device, delete all existing partitions.
	Click the Apply button.
	Read carefully the warning.
	Triple check that it is selected device is the right one.
	Confirm.

For further information, read the GParted online documentation: http://gparted.sourceforge.net/display-doc.php?name=help-manual.

Cleaning up your USB stick - Mac¶

Step	Action
	Launch Utilities > Disk Utility.
	Select the USB disk to erase.
	Click the Partition tab.
	Set Partition Layout to 1 Partition.
	Set Format to Free space.
	Click Apply button.

Aldebaran documentation

Upgrading using NAOFlasher¶

Overview¶

Before starting¶

I - Writing the image on the USB stick¶

II - Plugging the USB stick¶