# Flash success but actually not **URL:** \ **Category:** Troubleshooting\ **Created:** [November 22, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443 "2016-11-22T13:03:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zhywu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6a8cbe/32.png) [@zhywu](https://community.particle.io/u/zhywu)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/1 "2016-11-22T13:03:51Z")
I have an electron and an app compiled locally and flashed via serial port. The compilation finished successfully, however there is a problem with the flashing. After I issue the following command: particle flash --serial firmware.bin I get: Flash success! But the app is still functioning as it would with an older version. I did flash an older version into the electron a while ago. but suddenly I can’t flash any new build. Anyone has this kind of things happened before? ---
**Author:** ![ScruffR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/scruffr/32/6952_2.png) [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 1:07pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/2 "2016-11-22T13:07:56Z")
Try the more reliable ```nohighlight particle flash --usb firmware.bin ``` in DFU Mode. You can also do ```nohighlight particle binary inspect firmware.bin ``` to see what kind of binary you’ve got there 😉 ---
**Author:** ![zhywu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6a8cbe/32.png) [@zhywu](https://community.particle.io/u/zhywu)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 1:17pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/3 "2016-11-22T13:17:00Z")
Unfortunately the same, this is what I get from running the inspect: firmware.bin CRC is ok (6fb6d674) Compiled for electron This is an application module number 1 at version 4 It depends on a system module number 2 at version 21 Any problem with it? ---
**Author:** ![ScruffR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/scruffr/32/6952_2.png) [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/4 "2016-11-22T13:21:50Z")
What was the output of `particle flash --usb firmware.bin`? What does `particle serial inspect` give you in Listening Mode? What does the RGB LED do after flashing? Can you try to flash another binary (e.g. simple blink)? ---
**Author:** ![zhywu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6a8cbe/32.png) [@zhywu](https://community.particle.io/u/zhywu)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/5 "2016-11-22T13:47:12Z")
I did an ota to push blink, the app did update. and then I did locally flash using: particle flash --usb firmware.bin output: * * * Found DFU device 2b04:d00a checking file /home/build/firmware.bin spawning dfu-util -d 2b04:d00a -a 0 -i 0 -s 0x08080000:leave -D /home/build/firmware.bin dfu-util 0.8 Copyright 2005-2009 Weston Schmidt, Harald Welte and OpenMoko Inc. Copyright 2010-2014 Tormod Volden and Stefan Schmidt This program is Free Software and has ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY Please report bugs to [dfu-util@lists.gnumonks.org](mailto:dfu-util@lists.gnumonks.org) dfu-util: Invalid DFU suffix signature dfu-util: A valid DFU suffix will be required in a future dfu-util release!!! Opening DFU capable USB device… ID 2b04:d00a Run-time device DFU version 011a Claiming USB DFU Interface… Setting Alternate Setting #0 … Determining device status: state = dfuIDLE, status = 0 dfuIDLE, continuing DFU mode device DFU version 011a Device returned transfer size 4096 DfuSe interface name: "Internal Flash " Downloading to address = 0x08080000, size = 5832 Download [=========================] 100% 5832 bytes Download done. File downloaded successfully Flash success! * * * The app did switch to my app, but it is an older version… So I think there might be a problem with the build caching. I did run “make clean” and delete all the previous build files. Here is my script: ``` #!/bin/bash echo BUILD_TYPE="build" FLASH_SERIAL="no" if [[! -z "$1"]]; then BUILD_TYPE=$1 fi if [["$2" == "flash"]]; then FLASH_SERIAL="yes" fi echo build type: $BUILD_TYPE echo BASE_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "")"; pwd)" APP_DIR="$BASE_DIR/src" OUT_DIR="$BASE_DIR/build" OUT_FIRMWARE_NAME="firmware" echo output dir: $OUT_DIR echo CURRENT_DIR=$(pwd) FIRMWARE_DIR=$BASE_DIR/firmware/main echo change working dir to: $FIRMWARE_DIR cd $FIRMWARE_DIR echo ERROR=0 continue_to() { if [["$ERROR" == "0"]]; then ($1) ERROR=$? fi } if [["$BUILD_TYPE" == "clean"]] || [["$BUILD_TYPE" == "rebuild"]]; then continue_to "make clean" continue_to "rm -rf $OUT_DIR/*" fi if [["$BUILD_TYPE" == "build"]] || [["$BUILD_TYPE" == "rebuild"]]; then continue_to "make PLATFORM=electron APPDIR=$APP_DIR TARGET_DIR=$OUT_DIR TARGET_NAME=$OUT_FIRMWARE_NAME" fi if [["$FLASH_SERIAL" == "yes"]]; then continue_to "particle flash --usb $OUT_DIR/$OUT_FIRMWARE_NAME.bin" fi echo change working back to: $CURRENT_DIR if [["$ERROR" != "0"]]; then echo build error fi cd $CURRENT_DIR ``` I ran ``` ./build.sh rebuild flash ``` Is there any command that I missed to clean up build? ---
**Author:** ![ScruffR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/scruffr/32/6952_2.png) [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 2:01pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/6 "2016-11-22T14:01:12Z")
You should use the Particle `make` files. ```nohighlight make clean ``` would be the cleanup command ---
**Author:** ![zhywu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6a8cbe/32.png) [@zhywu](https://community.particle.io/u/zhywu)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/7 "2016-11-22T14:04:01Z")
I did… the md5sum of the firmware.bin is always the same no matter how I change my code. Sorry, I know I sound silly now ---
**Author:** ![ScruffR](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/scruffr/32/6952_2.png) [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/8 "2016-11-22T14:14:51Z")
Have read through the docu here? > You need to put your app code in a designated directory or reference the path correctly and you need to execute the command from the _correct_ folder too. ---
**Author:** ![zhywu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6a8cbe/32.png) [@zhywu](https://community.particle.io/u/zhywu)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/flash-success-but-actually-not/27443/9 "2016-11-22T14:25:35Z")
I did read it. It seems that the build.mk doesn’t detect source files outside of the folder. While I can do: ``` make APPDIR=/path/to/application/source [TARGET_DIR=/path/to/applications/output] [TARGET_FILE=basename] ``` to target my source files. But the “make clean” doesn’t delete the build/target folder under the firmware root folder probably doesn’t make sense. After deleting the firware/build/target folder I can see something else now. My code builds but there is a make error. probably I should start another thread.