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The Scientific Atlanta 8300 is a television DVR (digital video recorder) used to record programming from your cable or satellite receiver. Although the DVR typically runs without any issue you may find the receiver, at some point, fails to run properly.This is due to the firmware being out-of-date. To correct this you must download the updated firmware and upload the information onto the DVR through the provided USB port (built into the rear of the receiver). Firmware is similar to a driver installed on a computer, as the information informs the hardware exactly how to use connected equipment.Download Scientific Atlanta FirmwareDownload the firmware updates from the Scientific Atlanta.com website (select your Atlanta 8300 receiver, then choose the download link and the information downloads directly to the computer system). The firmware update now downloads directly to the computer in a zip format.Right-click the files and choose “Send To” followed by "Unzip." Once the extraction program loads choose a location to save the files to and click "Unzip." The files now extract directly to the selected location.Upload the Scientific Atlanta FirmwareInsert the USB flash drive into a USB port on the computer, then click "Start," (My) "Computer" and double-click the removable device icon. A window loads with all of the information currently saved on the flash drive.Click-and-drag the firmware update folder (the information you just extracted) into the open window, then close the removable device window once the file has finished uploading, right-click the icon and select "Eject."Disconnect USB Flash DriveDisconnect the USB flash drive from the computer then insert it into the USB port on the back of the Scientific Atlanta 8300 receiver (the receiver must be off at this point). Power on the receiver and the Scientific Atlanta 8300 automatically detects the connected flash drive. Wait while the receiver uploads the updated firmware. Once complete, a message appears stating you may disconnect the flash drive. Remove the drive and restart the DVR receiver. The Scientific Atlanta 8300 is now completely up-to-date.The Scientific Atlanta 8300 series of digital video recorders is used by a large amount of cable and satellite providers, so knowing how to upgrade the hardware is extremely important. If you don’t, you are going to rely on customer service technicians you contact over the phone to mail you the most recent update. This often takes days (if not weeks) to receive, causing you to miss out on some of your favorite programming.