How to bypass The Spectrum factory test

We are aware that a very small number of The Spectrum have been shipped while still in the factory test state.

To rectify this for people who see the factory test when powering on The Spectrum, we have developed a software fix that is easy to apply by downloading a small file and placing it on a USB stick formatted with the FAT32 filesystem.

You should only apply this fix if you see the factory test on a brand new The Spectrum.

If you are not sure if your USB stick is correctly formatted or how to do this, see Why is my USB stick not detected and Using a pre-prepared USB stick image for further information.

Disable the factory test

If you see the factory test when powering on The Spectrum, the steps to disable it are:

  1. Download the zip file containing the special firmware update, linked below.
  2. Unzip this zip file and extract the file thespectrum-mini-upgrade-v1.0.0.rup.
  3. Copy the file thespectrum-mini-upgrade-v1.0.0.rup onto the root directory of a FAT32 MBR formatted USB stick. Do not place it in a folder.
  4. Make sure The Spectrum is powered by a high quality power supply. For an update we recommended 2A. Do not power The Spectrum from the television while performing an update.
  5. Power off The Spectrum so the LED is not lit.
  6. Place the USB stick into the USB socket next to the HDMI cable.
  7. Power on The Spectrum by pressing and holding the power button for a minimum of 10 seconds, until you see the update screen.
  8. Release the power button
  9. The Spectrum will reboot with the factory test removed, and you will see the initial language configuration screen.
thespectrum-factory-test-disable-update.zip 896 B
SHA256 checksum: 2a3ebe945ae45b6560f3522424f71d84b9b8c9818ba9fe47b8b590fb3411602b