I don't have a 6000, so this is probably a worthless message, but on my 8100, when you power it up, it first says something about "Loader" or something, and I *THINK* it does this when it's in it's mode where it can download firmware. What I'm getting at, is that if it says Loader xxxx first, then goes to the 8888 display, then the odds are you can fix it by having it download new firmware. If it goes straight to the 8888, then either the 6000 is different from the 8100, or else it has a problem with the loader program, in which case I think you have a more serious problem. Maybe some 6000 owners can comment on whether the things say Loader like the 8100 does.
Re the attempts to download firmware, are you sure that you selected download, and not upload? Ie the download/upload terminology is generally from the standpoint of the receiver, not the computer, so it's counter-intuitive.
Also, too late now, but it's nice to make sure you have the proper cable and serial capabilities by uploading channel data when these receivers are working, because serial communications are often frustrating if you have the wrong parameters, or wrong port number, etc, and with these new USB serial ports, it's even more troublesome sometimes.
One nice thing about the 8100, is that there is NO timing issues as mentioned above. With the 8100, you just start the program on the computer, and you can take your time with respect to turning on the receiver.
