Patching FAQ


 * Do I have to Pay?
 * No the patch is free, contributions are welcome if you find the changes useful.


 * I have paid my money, I want X
 * Ah, I’m sorry you have not purchased anything, We will refund your money. we will try help you getting it working, and if you like what the results, you are welcome to contribute.


 * It does not work
 * Have you followed the steps in the Help Page and checked if your screen looks like the What Should I See diagram? We have reports that the Silverlight application is blocked on some work networks, does it also not work from home?


 * Can I revert to Original Nikon Firmware
 * Yes, just like a normal Nikon update. To date Nikon has done nothing to stop you changing to any old/new firmware for any model DSLR camera (as long as it’s done correctly) so you will have no issues.


 * Will this damage my Camera
 * The patches/changes on the Release Patch Tool, have been tested on other peoples gear, and we have had not issues reported, so you should be OK, the patch might not work, but your camera should be able re-flash the Nikon original firmware. The BETA patch more risky, anything labeled ALPHA you should consider as ‘has never ran on hardware’ and your camera might not survive.


 * Are any patches dangerous?
 * Yes – The non-brand battery patch, allows you to use batteries that are from third parties, these may not be safe from a fire hazard perspective. Also the patch tells the camera the battery is ‘all good’ which 100% safe except when flashing new firmware, as the battery charge level is fiddled with, if the battery run low the camera will turn off mid flash, and your camera will be ruined. So never flash firmware with third party batteries and always use genuine Nikon batteries that are fully charged. For the same reason never use the external power supply while re-flashing, as that power source can also be interrupted, with the same bad results.


 * I have a Mac OS X system
 * Microsoft have a Silverlight plugin for the Mac, it works.


 * I have a Linux system
 * I understood Moonlight works, but I also hear this is a pain to install. Do you have any friends with a Mac or Windows system. I know, weak answer.


 * I still haves issues, Help
 * Sure, come to the NikonHacker.com Firmware Forums and ask your questions there.


 * What does the contributions get spent on?
 * To date:
 * $400USD to replace Simeon’s D5100 after bricking it testing Alpha changes, see it happens. The original camera is being used to learn how to recover dead gear, but presently is still dead.
 * $165USD to replace 4cc3ss's D3100 after bricking it testing Alpha changes.
 * $590USD IDA license
 * $40 RawDigger license


 * Why is the D5100 get changes and model X is ignored?
 * This is hard work trying to understand how the code works, we have made the most progress on the D5100, so we mostly stay on the model as that's were the knowledge is.


 * Why the feature I want is not available at the latest firmware version?
 * Every time Nikon compiles the new version of source code, the compiler may reorganize the binary structure depending on increased code base or data structure. Thus the same patch for version A may not be in the same location for version B. Reanalyzing takes time. If you want it, you might be the one to start looking at the latest firmware!


 * When will new Model X be supported
 * Until a firmware update is released by Nikon, there is not much we can do.
 * Yes we can dump the memory from some camera models, but it's so much safer to base work off an full release. Also using a dumped release would be Copyright infringing, so really not going to happen outside core team.


 * I want feature X but you guys keep working on Y
 * We are doing the work, so what interests us is what we do
 * See Why is this taking so long
 * We are working on things that are based on what we have discovered/learnt
 * It's not easy to inject new code, so it's not just a matter of wanting.


 * Why is this taking so long
 * We work on this in our spare time
 * Simeon for example also like to take pictures and play Xbox and spend time with his family (as do the rest of the team)
 * The processors are not standard x86/ARM processors
 * There is more than one processor, of different types
 * We are working by trying to understanding the assembly code, based from working from known edge pieces (jigsaw puzzle reference) like USB, File operations, Menu text, or HDMI protocol
 * This is like trying to understand how a master photographer takes pictures by only looking at the foot prints the make in the sand.


 * Why is the D3100 Movie time restriction 17:28 instead of more?
 * The D3100 had a 10 minute limit, and the counter for this limit fits inside a 16-bit number, where-as the other models with their 20 minute limit require a 32-bit number. Due to this ~18 minutes is the largest time that the movie engine can handle, but the assembly code that set this limit does it using a method that allow set the exact max thus 17:28 is the largest value that can be loaded in, without too much changes. So the effort to increase the time counter form 16bits to 32bits is more than the collective interest the current developers, so has not happened.