1) Did you install the latest version of emplode, and are you sure the EmpegUpgrade.exe you're running is the correct one from that version?

2) Did you leave the player power unplugged until it asked you to apply power?

3) Did you get a fresh copy of the upgrade file using GetRight to be absolutely certain the file was not corrupted?

4) Are you sure the cable and COM port are good? Can you type things into hypterterminal and have the player respond? Just seeing the boot messages is not necessarily enough. The communication needs to work both ways.