6.3.3 How to Use the Hardware Tool Emergency Boot Firmware Recovery Utility

Warning: Only use this utility to restore hardware tool boot firmware to its factory state. Use only if your hardware tool no longer functions on any machine.

The debugger may need to be forced into recovery boot mode (reprogrammed) in rare situations; for example, if any of the following occurs when the debugger is connected to the computer:

If the debugger has no LED lit.
If the procedure described in How to Invoke the Bootload Mode was not successful.

YOU MUST USE MPLAB X IDE V4.15 OR GREATER TO USED THE EMERGENCY RECOVERY UTILITY.

Carefully follow the instructions found in MPLAB X IDE under the main menu options Debug > Hardware Tool Emergency Boot Firmware Recovery.

Figure 6-2. Selecting Emergency Utility

The figure below shows where the emergency recovery button is located on the MPLAB PICkit 4 In-Circuit Debugger.

Figure 6-3. Emergency Recovery Button

If the procedure was successful, the recovery wizard displays a success screen. The MPLAB PICkit 4 will now be operational and able to communicate with the MPLAB X IDE.

If the procedure failed, try it again. If it fails a second time, contact Microchip Support at support.microchip.com.