How do I update firmware on extreme

If the AirPort Extreme is set up and working, then it should be a simple matter to update the firmware on the AirPort Extreme if you wish to do so.

Open up AirPort Utility, click on the AirPort Extreme and click Manual Setup

Then, click directly on the word Version on the summary page.

Ok, I don't think you are understanding my problem here. On my Mac, when I open up Airport Utility and click on the Airport Extreme I do not have the option of doing a manual setup. Clicking on it in Airport Utility brings up the image I included in my original post. I can do absolutely nothing with the Airport Extreme from the Mac since I have version 6.3.2 installed, which apparently refuses to play at all with the older Airport Extreme. Here's the full image.

Now, as I said, if I use Airport Utility from my Windows PC I can interact with the Airport Extreme. In fact, it will even let me try to update the firmware. However, unlike the Mac version of Airport Utility which just has an "Update" button next to your firmware level, the Windows version of Airport Utility attempts to search your hard drive for the firmware bundle to load. As far as I can tell, Windows version of Airport Utility isn't equipped to just update the firmware automagically like it does on the Mac version.

Ok, thanks for the clarification. So I went to my Windows PC, since that is the only place I have the back level Airport Utility (5.5.3) installed. When I click on my Airport Extreme and select "Manual Setup" I see this. similar to what you see:

My problem, I still can't update the firmware. If I click on Version, next to the 7.2 above, Windows opens a new "Open File" window and is waiting on me to point it to the spot on my hard drive where the firmware is located. From the screenshot you pasted in, it looks like you are using a Mac. I'm just curious, on the Mac version of Airport Utility, if you wanted to update to a newer level of firmware, what do you do from here? On my Mac, when I use Airport Utility for my Time Capsule, it has an update button next to the firmware and then just automagically downloads it for me. I'm not asked to save the firmware image to my hard drive first. Clicking the "Update" button on the bottom right of Airport Utility on my PC version does not force it to update its firmware, so I'm assuming that only updates any changes you might make to other settings.

So to summarize, on my Windows PC there does not appear to be a way to update the firmware without first downloading the firmware image onto my PC. And Apple does not appear to give you any way of downloading the firmware image by itself, that I can tell.

If you look at this link which is specific instructions about how to update firmware, nowhere does it give instructions for how to do it from a Windows PC. So I wonder if I'm screwed and can't do it.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1218

Ok, I know the exact screen you are showing. I get a screen like that on my PC, but its not populated with any firmware versions, only the option of "Other" (see image below). When I select that, then it opens the "Open File" dialog and asks me to point it at the firmware bundle... which I don't have.

Bob, you are the man! If I could buy you a drink I would. You pointed me in the right direction and I think I finally got it to work. I'm going to document this with pictures for posterity sake, and hopefully to save any other poor sap that has to do the update via a PC.

On my Windows PC, running the old 5.5.3 version of Airport Utility.

1. Clicked on 'File' in the upper left hand corner of the app, then selected "Check For Updates...". Note I did not click Alt or Ctrl or any of the suggestions you made. Just a straight forward left-mouse click.

2. That brought me to an update screen for the Airport Utility itself. I didn't want to update Airport Utility, so I selected 'Cancel'

3. After hitting Cancel, I got the following two screens. The first told me there were updates available for my devices. On that window I selected the "Show Details" button. That brought me to a screen showing all of my devices and the firmware that was available for them. I selected my Airport Extreme and hit the Download button.

4. That downloaded the firmware for me. The next thing it asked me is if I wanted to update the device to the new firmware. I hit "Update", but it failed immediately. No worries though, back at the main Airport Utility window, I clicked on 'Version' again next to 7.2. Now I get a window similar to what you posted earlier. Previously my only option was "Other", now I have the option of 7.6.2.

5. Click OK on the screen from above and after about 5 mins, this is what I see:

BOOM!!! Bob is the man!!!!