I googled it, went to a site that had hot links for both; neither one worked. All I got was "page not found". Couldn't find them in the above sticky topic, DCS information. HELP please before I go nuts!
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This came up when I searched.
https://www.mthtrains.com/dcs-software-downloads
My Search: dcs loader mth
@Up & Down the Monon posted:This came up when I searched.
https://www.mthtrains.com/dcs-software-downloads
My Search: dcs loader mth
OK that seems to work fine thanks!
Yes, that’s the place! It has been so long since I was there, I’m glad Up & Down the Monon saw this first, Rod! 😃
@Mark Boyce posted:Yes, that’s the place! It has been so long since I was there, I’m glad Up & Down the Monon saw this first, Rod! 😃
Mark the last time I re-flashed TIU's and handhelds was in 2016 when I first upgraded to V5.0. 9 years ago, yikes! I managed after much cursing and fooling around to re-flash two TIU's and two handhelds, and they all work fine. Then there is one other handheld that would not load past 2% and now it won't even turn on. No idea what is up with it or what it needs. Does MTH service handhelds at all? Or anyone?
After 9 years I had also forgotten what a cantankerous piece of software that DCS loader is. (Patience is a virtue, and I am little short in that department!) Loading and opening the software is no problem, that goes fine. Then you have to unzip the upgrade files and put them somewhere where the loader can find them. Desktop is good. It won't find and unzip them itself. Then when you launch the loader you go through the list of setup items, which are laid out pretty well. Then you click on start and you tell the loader where to find the appropriate upgrade file. The TIU upgrade goes well enough, after you unpower and re-power the TIU and unplug and re-plug the USB cord into the PC a few times. And if the planets happen to line up for you the software starts loading and takes only about a minute. Then you unplug everything and it's done.
Then there is the fun handheld! Oh boy. I found a Rev L TIU works best for this exercise, the one with the square shaped USB port added. I had no luck at all using an older TIU with only the RS-232 jack. Don't forget the 1/8" audio cable plugged in between proto-dispatch and proto-cast ports; nothing happens without that! Oh and if it's a Rev L TIU, you don't power it up with the aux power input, go figure. Just leave it. Once you click on start and locate the load file, then you get caught in endless cycles of "hold down the startup button" and "release the startup button" messages until, maybe, just maybe, it finally catches and starts loading. Then the software ponderously loads, in 1% increments, while you are holding the button down for what seems like an eternity, until all feeling in you finger is lost. (If you accidentally release the button you have to start all over) Then after several minutes, if all goes well, you hit 100% and it tells you how to power everything down so as to finish the loading. Whew. If successful you will then see the updated software version on the screen when you power the handheld up. Yay! But if something goes sideways you get to start all over from the beginning. (Meanwhile your wife has run out of the house to go shopping because of your foul language!)
It is a "fun" process for sure, and you need to allow plenty of time. And it's best if you are alone with no outside interruptions! 
Rod, I remember what you are saying about the loader. I didn’t remember specifics, just that I had trouble and followed the advice of a supervisor I had long ago. Step away, get a cup of coffee, and then go back to it. That advice has served me well in layout construction, model building, not to mention electronics and software applications.
