How to fix steelseries firmware

[aikoels]

While many people have no use for this guide, I recently had a bootloader issue and nobody seemed to know what to do, in fact, steelseries' own help page is horribly outdated and has links to pages that no longer exist, so I thought I would post this in the hope that I can help people in the future. I had the issue with my steelseries sensei, but this should work for any peripheral.

 

Note: I did all of these things, and I am not 100% sure if any of these are not needed. Also, I did this to fix the bootloader not found issue, however, this should work with just about any issue as this completely re-installs everything. You will need two mice for this, your steelseries one, and another one to navigate while that is not usable (that is if you are fixing a mouse, if you are fixing a keyboard have two of those, ect.). 

 

1. Remove all steelseries software from the computer (Engine, firmware updater, ect.) Note: if you have both steelseries engine 3 and steelseries engine 2 (just called steelseries engine) just remove the one that pertains to what you are fixing

 

2. Make sure there is no steelseries software running (task manager > processes) if there are any, hit end process

 

3. Plug in your extra mouse/keyboard, then remove all outdated drivers from old products (this is a good thing to do anyway) (device manager > view > show hidden devices, then go down to mouse/keyboard and right click > uninstall do this to all the old drivers), also uninstall your steelseries mouse/keyboard (I was able to tell my two mice apart because my spare had power saving settings, but the steelseries did not (as it was not fully functional), also, old mice will be grayed out, connected ones will not be)

 

4. Turn the computer off, then plug in the mouse/keyboard

 

5. Turn the computer on

 

6. Let windows do its thing for a little while with the drivers (it will probably fail, mine did)

 

7. You should now have at least some functionality with the mouse (can move it and click, but maybe not use scroll wheel/click and drag), if you have full functionality that is fine

 

8. Download the steelseries engine

 

9. Go through the installer, it will ask you to update firmware, say yes

 

10. You should now have a fully updated mouse/keyboard that is ready to game!

 

Again, this guide may be useless to a lot of people, but if even one person can save themselves the 2.5 hours of troubleshooting I had to go through, then it is worth it.

[SirReallySam]

Oh thanks man, even though I don't need it right now... I might so in the future  

[InsanelySane45]

Actually, I had a similar problem 10 minutes ago. I landed on this post and it was quite helpful. However, I'd like to update this post:

 

1) Uninstall the steelseries engine, unplug your mouse and keyboard (use an extra keyboard/mouse).

2) Uninstall drivers via device managers (just like the previous post).

3) Shut down your computer.

3) Plug in your steelseries devices and restart your computer - I actually just uninstalled the drivers for the mouse AND keyboard but only the steelseries engine for the keyboard.

4) Your mouse should work when it's done booting up.

5) goto http://steelseries.com/support/downloads#keyboardsand click on your relevant keyboard and download both the engine and the firmware update tool.

6) run the firmware update tool (very simple and quick).

7) install the engine.

 

Windows tried to search windows update for the keyboard drivers but I just clicked "skip" for that.

[Voodoo Priest]

Thanks, @aikoels and @InsanelySane45. I have followed your instructions to no avail. Yes, followed them meticulously, I'm a software engineer, ex-computer science teacher, blablabla.

 

First, there's no "update tool" on SteelSeries's website. the only thing in "Drivers and downloads" is essentially made of SSE3 and SSE2, nothing else.

Second, I haven't had these:

 

 

9. Go through the installer, it will ask you to update firmware, say yes

 

 

 

Windows tried to search windows update for the keyboard drivers but I just clicked "skip" for that.

 

 

I haven't had that and I should have seen that window since the system is rather new and not burdened yet by bloatware.

 

It is a shame and I am soooo mad, because I bought the Apex keyboard from their website and received it today. Back from work, I plug it in and SSE says a critical firmware update has to be done. The update fails and the keyboard becomes unresponsive. I have to disconnect it and reconnect it before the system recognizes it and it becomes available again. At this point, I haven't typed a single character with it yet in any application, be it a Steam chat or browser window.

 

I've opened a support ticket and I'll see what they offer. In the meantime, I think I'll plug the keyboard in to my laptop and see.

 

EDIT (2015-07-29): The ticket I've opened yesterday is turning into a typical support nightmare, which I hate more than anything else. The ticket I opened yesterday had a reply in which they essentially said "you need to open an RMA" as if I had strayed to the wrong section of the support. This is what I replied today:

 

Sorry, but I don't feel like anyone read what I wrote to even KNOW what the problem is.

 

I bought the keyboard, it arrived yesterday and as soon as I plugged it in, I was instructed to perform a critical update, which fails consistently no matter how many times the computer system is restarted or how many times I tried the update procedure. When I reported the problem, I was instructed to go to support and click "GO TO RMA". I did just that and now, I discover that "RMA" means shipping the product back.

 

The questions I've asked have not been answered. The problem I reported has not even been acknowledged. And the instructions I receive look like a generic cure-it-all solution.

 

I'm having a firmware update failure on a Windows 8.1 system that normally ran SSE with a Sensei mouse attached. Does that **necessarily** mean that the brand new keyboard is out of order and must be replaced? If so, I would have appreciated a diagnostic. If not, won't I be having the exact same problem with the "replacement"?

 

Then I signed off with a "greetings". Anyway, this ends my relationship with Steelseries products because I can't stand support that doesn't even bother to understand the nature of the problem.

 

EDIT (2015-07-30): I have succeeded in updating the firmware by using an old laptop running Vista 32-bit edition with no problem aside from rebooting twice, ie once after the Apex was first connected and its driver installed and once more after SSE tried the update and Vista installed a driver for sth called "Apex bootloader". After that, the keyboard has been working fine on the desktop machine for which I bought it in the first place. No further reply from the Steelseries support other than what I've reported here yesterday.

[VOodoo123]

i go through ur procedure ....all is fine till the start on the computer  but after having firmware update on sse3 i got stuck,my mice is stillworking but a u say nt scroll is not working nd clicks r also nt working , because i m having trouble in fimware update it stucks on 0% nd i think when i will have firmware update then my mice will work perfectly ,,can u help me in updating firmware

[Haytam]

I just faced this issue with my Diablo III Mouse and I thought it was pretty much dead until my friend told me I could do a Firmware update and see if it fixes the issue and I went on the internet -of course- trying to find that firmware update thingy and also tried a couple other solutions but didn't work actually and decided to full uninstall the current engine and use the Firmware update tool which I couldn't find anywhere until I finally found it and used it and VOILLA my mouse is back.
Anyways here is the link to the Firmware update tool: http://downloads.steelseriescdn.com/drivers/engine/SSEFix_1.27.0.0.exe
Here is a screenshot.

 

 

I got an error while updating the mouse's firmware but it said I should just unplug then replug it again and it went smooth.
Thanks whoever tried to help in this post including OP of course.

[kombajn]

If somebody have problem with this piece of crap Steelseries mouse firmware this is what happed to me and how I repair it:

I try to update firmware on Stealseries Kana but instead it went into "broken mode" meaning rapidly blinking scroll and mouse not recognized by PC. In "broken mode" I was unable to restart the mouse by any mean that I could think of ( above tutorial included). I try many different SSEFix tool version from many different SS engine 2. I try plugin the mouse to every usb port on my PC nothing worked every time it shows bootloader error at 11%. As I found online this error believe it or not mens that SSEFix cant connect because SS Engine doesn't recognized the mouse. This system had to be written by some genius programmers from Stealseries if the very program designed to fix hardware that can't communicate with SS Engine required that Engine to recognized the hardware in the first place. Grrrr.

   Finally I connect this piece of shit to second computer and install  steelseriesengine-2-8-176.exe. This time SSEFix somehow just worked, mouse scroll stop blinking and mouse came out from "broken mode" hurray. Most interesting thing is exact same version from exact same file field to do anything on my primary computer. 

Tip for the future:

1) stay away from Stealseries

2)If you have to use its hardware stay away from firmware update

3)if you have to use firmware update just order the masses in the nearest church in intension it will go smooth and you wont spend 3 hours fighting with your computer because Stelseries software developers are morons.

 

[majsta]

Hi, I need some help with the windows 10 and steelseries firmware update. I installed the software plugged in the steelsereis sensei wireless mouse and it was detected but needed the frimware update. I started the update and it failed. Now the mouse is blinking blue and it says not connected in the software. Any help is good now I am kinda desperate i just got the mouse

 

[MegasXLRsebas2]

On 9/16/2016 at 9:33 AM, kombajn said:

If somebody have problem with this piece of crap Steelseries mouse firmware this is what happed to me and how I repair it:

I try to update firmware on Stealseries Kana but instead it went into "broken mode" meaning rapidly blinking scroll and mouse not recognized by PC. In "broken mode" I was unable to restart the mouse by any mean that I could think of ( above tutorial included). I try many different SSEFix tool version from many different SS engine 2. I try plugin the mouse to every usb port on my PC nothing worked every time it shows bootloader error at 11%. As I found online this error believe it or not mens that SSEFix cant connect because SS Engine doesn't recognized the mouse. This system had to be written by some genius programmers from Stealseries if the very program designed to fix hardware that can't communicate with SS Engine required that Engine to recognized the hardware in the first place. Grrrr.

   Finally I connect this piece of shit to second computer and install  steelseriesengine-2-8-176.exe. This time SSEFix somehow just worked, mouse scroll stop blinking and mouse came out from "broken mode" hurray. Most interesting thing is exact same version from exact same file field to do anything on my primary computer. 

Tip for the future:

1) stay away from Stealseries

2)If you have to use its hardware stay away from firmware update

3)if you have to use firmware update just order the masses in the nearest church in intension it will go smooth and you wont spend 3 hours fighting with your computer because Stelseries software developers are morons.

 

This. I just went through the same problems, but it took 3 computers to fix it. No logic to it, just downloaded engine 2 on yet another computer and it finally worked.

Firmware updates bricking perfectly functional hardware is unacceptable. To any future people affected by this b***s***, this may be the solution.

 

This thread saved me from buying a new mouse. Thanks guys.

[TuffJohan]

On 1/28/2017 at 4:49 AM, MegasXLRsebas2 said:

I just faced blue blink light on a Steel Series Sensei mouse. Don't know exactly what happened before it got stuck in a Firmware upgrade loop.

 

Plugging in the mouse it was recognised but had a blue blink light. Mouse cursor moved but scroll wheel and extra buttons did not work and the display under the mouse, it said Upgrading 1.13 . I thought it was pretty much dead until I found this forum. When tried the latest version of SteeI Series Engine 3 SSE3 it said it needs to upgrade firmware but it could not upgrade the firmware it just hanged.

 

Downloaded the SSEFix below, virus scanned it because it looks totally fishy pressed the Update Sensei mouse and Voila 2 minutes later firmware was restored. Mouse working properly with latest firmware. SSE 3 now recognises the mouse again no new upgrade firmware hanging problem. This probably fixes other firmware and Steel Series mouse problems too.

 

PS: I had to run this software on another computer with Windows 7. I could not get SSEFix to work on the original Windows 10 computer of some reason. Maybe it works for you remember to run SSEFix as administrator DS:

 

Quote

 

Download Link: http://downloads.steelseriescdn.com/drivers/engine/SSEFix_1.27.0.0.exe
Here is a screenshot.

 

[latiasfan]

Ok I had this problem occur with my brand new Arctic 5's I got. Was driving me insane trying to find a solution but the steps outlined by aikoels worked PERFECTLY for me. So if you have the same problem where the lights just don't seem to work or settings/sound quality is all over then his steps fix it (at least for me they did). Just had to say something as I had tried easily 20 other solutions with no success. 

[Edbroski]

Hi, guys 

 

Anyone have any idea how i can factory reset the steelseries stratus XL controller to its original firmware, as when i just received it everything was working, but as advised in the manual, i updated it on my windows 10 laptop, now it only connects to the steelsseries Engine 3 software using the usb cable, but i cant pair it any more.

 

when i disconnect it from the laptop and try to connect it using the Bluetooth option using the batteries, the four lights are not flashing and i don't get no pairing, but when using the cable connecting to the steelseries Engine 3 software all the lights come on, am in so much need to get this to work, as i have spent nearly a week trying to resolve this issue any help will be much appreciated please.