My high school has about 600 TI-84+ calculators. I'd like to update them to the newest OS, but that would be a pain using TI-Connect.
Could I, using gCn or another piece of software, do a (semi-)mass update of these calculators?

I am not entirely sure, but I believe that the OS can be updated calculator to calculator, so if you could somehow get everyone to link their calculators together, it should be pretty quick.

TIOS only supports a single calc hooked to a single calc. Cn2.2, im not sure if it has the ability to modify the OS, and if it does, then you still need an application to do it.

I think, in this case, *IF* someone made a program that would assist with updating a group of calculators, the best way for them to do it is by having one calc serve as the master, and all other calcs are set to mirror it. may take a while, but then all the calcs have exact same RAM and Flash contents as that one.

My question is: why update to 2.55MP? Other than mathprint, the only additions are bugs when running assembly (specifically with mathprint enabled)

If they aren't 2.43, it's understandable that you would want to upgrade them, but I advise that the OS be 2.43 and not 2.55 if you are considering running any assembly on them.

EDIT:

On a more on-topic note, I think it is possible, but I don't think it is likely that it will be done due to the way that the OS gets installed. It replaces the existing OS entirely, which means that the install "software" (don't that is what it's called, exactly) runs at either the hardware or firmware level, which means that you would need to do what calc84 did with ti-boy: bypassing the OS entirely at execution. Not only that, but gCn relies on DoorsCS, which means that you can't really do that without having DoorsCS run in a way that bypasses the OS entirely.

Long story short: possible, but only with more work it is worth.

You cannot rewrite the OS while it's in use. It's a bad idea. Not only that but gCn isn't a magical link. You still need a computer and the hardware for each gCn client. Most computers have about 4 USB ports.

So say you can get 2 calculators plugged in to each computer in a computer lab where there are 30 computers. You can update 60 calculators at a time. How do you push the update? The software for the computer is just a server, there's no method to click "Send to..." on one computer that then sends a command to the calculators to download a file. You might be able to make a program on each calc to fetch the OS over gCn but then you'd have to run the OS to update it, which calculators aren't capable of doing. Computers can at least boot off a USB, a disk or a second partition to perform such low-level updates. Which is why Windows & Mac need to restart to perform system updates, it simply can't rewrite itself (and parts of it) while it's running.

You're better off asking for community service to update the calculators or just letting the issue go. There's likely methods to mass-update calculators but the school (or district) would need to buy a special cart or dock. Plus the software to recognize more than one calculator if it isn't included. But 600 calculators...? I'd just say "Sorry, but I bit off more than I can chew."

First thing's first, what operating system do they all have?
Second, Is it possible to send an operating system over I/O (now that I think about it, I think I've done it over that port before)
Third, would it be possible to splice a bunch of those cords together and send an operating system through that, or would it screw up the calculators?

Woah, we got quite off topic!
Anyway, these are high school math calculator, they won't be running asm programs often, if ever.

I have NO idea what OS these calcs are running.

It seems that gCn wouldn't work, and if I made a client program, I would have to put it on all ~600 calcs, which brings us back to my orignal problem: Using a computer (PC/Mac) to mass send an OS (maybe Even programs) to calcs.

I know I'd have to upgrade them in units of 10 or so, using hubs, but I can figure that out later.

Would someone be willing to make a piece of computer software that would send an OS to many calcs at once?

I think that once you started working, the whole process would get easier as long as you have enough link cables. Let me go to jsTIfied for a sec to make a graph.

2.55 doesn't only bug when running asm programs. I installed it for a week, tried 8/3 once (I don't remember which bar it was, whether the normal fraction bar or the bolded one or the mathprint one) and my screen got all shifted. I had the upper half at the bottom and the lower half at the top. And once again, no asm involved, just Mathprint. I got the good old 2.43 back as soon as I could.

The fraction glitch is actually caused by a flash unlock exploit accidentally overwriting part of the OS, so it's not TI's fault.

The school WANTS and maybe NEEDS Mathprint.
I guess students are too dumb to remember to use parentheses.

First: Mathprint is not inherently bad. It's a very useful feature that is helpful for people that actually use their calculators for math.
Second: Amass a huge supply of link cables. That will make the process much easier as more calculators are able to send more OSes.

Willwac: when my school got it's calculators, it sent one of each cable for each calc talk about linking cables...
They also had the manual for each calc, so my homeroom teacher (math teacher who had all that stuff in her room) just gave me one of the little booklets.

For TI-83s and 84s, Press [2nd], [+], then 1:About (or push [Enter])
The opperating system will be right under the title, ex. "TI-84 Plus Silver Edition" or "TI-83 Plus Edition" ect.
The most current operating system for the 83 family is 1.19, and the 84 monochrome is at 2.55MP. (that I know of...)

From what I remember from when I was using it, I was typing faster than Mathprint could bear (due to it refreshing the whole screen each time you type one character or something like that) so I had to either type more slowly or correct all the mistakes I made, which means that writing my calculations "the complicated way" (without Mathprint) would have been a lot faster.

And why not show about 10 people or so how to do it? It'd probably make the process easier. And, it's not like it's that hard to show people.

I know what you mean, but no matter what you guys say, I am updating the calculators to OS 2.55MP.

If I remember correctly, 2.55 also adds logbase and an enhanced solver command.