I might be the exception here but before getting a USB cable (~$15) for upgrading the 990 you might want to consider to get a RS232 cable (~$3). The reason I am saying this is that I a tremendous problems (in fact it didn't work at all) to install the new firmware using my laptop (centrino CPU, XP OS) and USB2.0. Steve from Outlaws sent me a RS232 and I managed to get the update done without any problems in less than 10 minutes. Credits go to Steve here who was patient and helpful all the way.