The other day I found that the remotes weren’t working, the 2- and 6-button keypads weren’t working… no timers, no logic… uh-oh!

So, bust out Composer Pro (1.7.4.36 – yes, my system is still pre-Zigbee Pro because I wish to administer it myself and not pay a dealer… which is what I thought I would be able to do when I bought the system and had it installed!) and… umm, where’s my controller? It’s not on the network! Can’t connect to it, even through the System Manager window of Composer. WTF?

At this point I notice that the HC-1000 is showing a single blue light on the front panel… and it’s not the Link light. So even it doesn’t think it’s connected to a Director!

Eventually I decide… “Well, if it’s dead then there’s no harm in trying to run a USB Restore!” At least I have a backup of the project… but I’ve never done a USB Restore before.  So, here we go… both feet in! I run the Control4 USB Stick Creator program to make a Director 1.7.4.36 USB Restore stick, plug the stick (a 4GB drive; 1GB is too small) into a random USB port on the back of the HC-1000, and I power cycle the sucker.  Soon after powering up I note that two of the blue LEDs are lighting up in sequence.  This is good, right? Even better, after a few minutes (no more than 5) I’ve got two solid LEDs which, according to other posts on the ‘net, indicate the restore is complete.

Power off, remove the USB stick, and power ‘er on. It’s going to work, it’s going to work, it’s going to work!

So, then why are the two blue LEDs now flashing in near-unison?  Should they be flashing at all?  Oh, damn… it’s dead.  I just know it’s dead.  =(

The lights blink like this for ten to fifteen minutes while I contemplate murdering somebody from Control4… but actually spend most of my time looking online for clues as to what the hell is going on with this expensive box.  Then… lo and behold… I notice that the lights are lit up per normal.  The Link LED is illuminated, and there’s no flashing going on.  Check with Composer Pro… and it’s online!

I hit the System Manager and adjust my network settings (I like certain devices on my network to be on fixed IPs rather than DHCP) and reconnect… and then it’s just a simple matter of restoring the project!

Voila.  Done!  And hopefully my tale helps somebody out there…

Cheers!