Error 80040390 or Hang While Updating Firmware on CompactRIO Controller

Updated Jul 1, 2026

Reported In

Hardware

  • CompactRIO Controller

Software

  • Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX)

Driver

  • NI CompactRIO

Issue Details

  • When updating the firmware of a CompactRIO (cRIO) controller to the latest version in NI MAX, I encounter the following error message:

Error 80040390: There was a problem updating the firmware for this device

In some cases, repeated attempts appear to start the update process, but the device remains stuck on the message:

Transferring firmware image

The update does not complete successfully. How can I resolve this issue?

 

  • When I try to update the firmware of my CompactRIO (cRIO) controller to the latest version using the Hardware Configuration Utility, I'm getting the error:
    Failed to update firmware. Exception of type 'NationalInstruments.SystemConfiguration.SystemConfigurationException'

     
    My cRIO is brand new but it comes with an older version of firmware and this error is not allowing me to upgrade to the latest version. How can I resolve this issue? 

Solution

The root cause of this issue is that older firmware versions (6.0.0 and earlier) do not allow firmware images larger than 50 MB to be transferred. 

The discussion below assumes you are attempting the firmware upgrade while the controller is in safe mode. If rebooting into run mode is an option, do that first and then try the firmware upgrade again. If that is not possible, or if the upgrade still fails, continue with the guidance below. 

How can I fix the issue? 

There are several ways to resolve this issue. The following options are listed in the recommended order. 

  1. As mentioned earlier, if your system already has a base system image and software installed, it is likely new enough that this issue will not occur. In that case, reboot into run mode and try upgrading to the default firmware image available. 

  1. If you are using CompactRIO 2026 Q2 or later, upgrade to the latest installed firmware image, which is the highest version shown in the default dialog that appears when you click Upgrade Firmware. 

  1. If you have CompactRIO 2026 Q1 or later installed, upgrade first to firmware version 25.0. When you click Upgrade Firmware, a dialog should appear with two firmware file options: 25.0.0 and the newest available version. Select 25.0.0 first. After that, you can either upgrade to the latest version or remain on 25.0.0 until a newer upgrade is required. 

 

  1. Follow the steps in https://knowledge.ni.com/KnowledgeArticleDetails?id=kA0VU00000039Jh0AI&l=en-US to upgrade the firmware by using SSH. Although this is not the most user-friendly option, it is the most robust because it avoids the file size limitation entirely. 

  1. Perform the upgrade in two stages by using an intermediate image. Install a CompactRIO version between 2019 and 2025 Q2 (25.3) and upgrade with the default image provided there. In most cases, installing the latest image directly should not be necessary, but this workaround can still help when you need an intermediate step. The main drawback is that it requires installing the full software stack just to obtain that firmware file, instead we recommend the other options above.  

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