Upload issue

Hello all

I have a whole pile of Mini Pro's here..... and all of a sudden, I cannot write to any of them?
I usually connect them via an Uno using TX-RX, and that works well.
Sometimes you need to press the reset button at the correct time for a successful upload.
BUT... not they all hang halfway through the upload and I cannot work out why.
The read fine, then half way along the writing sequence, I get an upload error.
Tried 4 different Mini pros, different lead (I have a FTDI lead here that I have never got to work).
Nothing. Not sure what has changed. Never seen it hang mid upload before/
Also tried using the CH340 drivers.... no difference.
Any ideas?

Please do this:

  • File > Preferences > Show verbose output during: > compilation (uncheck) > upload (check) > OK
  • Sketch > Upload
  • After the upload fails you'll see a button on the right side of the orange bar "Copy error messages". Click that button.
  • Paste the error messages in a reply here USING CODE TAGS (</> button on the toolbar).
Arduino: 1.6.5 (Windows 8.1), Board: "Arduino Pro or Pro Mini, ATmega328 (5V, 16 MHz)"

Sketch uses 7,532 bytes (24%) of program storage space. Maximum is 30,720 bytes.

Global variables use 445 bytes (21%) of dynamic memory, leaving 1,603 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 2,048 bytes.

C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr/bin/avrdude -CC:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega328p -carduino -PCOM3 -b57600 -D -Uflash:w:C:\Users\Steve\AppData\Local\Temp\build6967324727188064902.tmp/X582_SF_PSU_controller_v14_Full_comms_rebuild.cpp.hex:i 



avrdude: Version 6.0.1, compiled on Apr 15 2015 at 19:59:58

         Copyright (c) 2000-2005 Brian Dean, http://www.bdmicro.com/

         Copyright (c) 2007-2009 Joerg Wunsch



         System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr/etc/avrdude.conf"



         Using Port                    : COM3

         Using Programmer              : arduino

         Overriding Baud Rate          : 57600

         AVR Part                      : ATmega328P

         Chip Erase delay              : 9000 us

         PAGEL                         : PD7

         BS2                           : PC2

         RESET disposition             : dedicated

         RETRY pulse                   : SCK

         serial program mode           : yes

         parallel program mode         : yes

         Timeout                       : 200

         StabDelay                     : 100

         CmdexeDelay                   : 25

         SyncLoops                     : 32

         ByteDelay                     : 0

         PollIndex                     : 3

         PollValue                     : 0x53

         Memory Detail                 :



                                  Block Poll               Page                       Polled

           Memory Type Mode Delay Size  Indx Paged  Size   Size #Pages MinW  MaxW   ReadBack

           ----------- ---- ----- ----- ---- ------ ------ ---- ------ ----- ----- ---------

           eeprom        65    20     4    0 no       1024    4      0  3600  3600 0xff 0xff

           flash         65     6   128    0 yes     32768  128    256  4500  4500 0xff 0xff

           lfuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00

           hfuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00

           efuse          0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00

           lock           0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0  4500  4500 0x00 0x00

           calibration    0     0     0    0 no          1    0      0     0     0 0x00 0x00

           signature      0     0     0    0 no          3    0      0     0     0 0x00 0x00



         Programmer Type : Arduino

         Description     : Arduino

         Hardware Version: 2

         Firmware Version: 1.16

         Vtarget         : 0.0 V

         Varef           : 0.0 V

         Oscillator      : Off

         SCK period      : 0.1 us



avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions



Reading | ################################################## | 100% 0.00s



avrdude: Device signature = 0x1e950f

avrdude: reading input file "C:\Users\Steve\AppData\Local\Temp\build6967324727188064902.tmp/X582_SF_PSU_controller_v14_Full_comms_rebuild.cpp.hex"

avrdude: writing flash (7532 bytes):



Writing | ################avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding

Problem uploading to board.  See http://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Troubleshooting#upload for suggestions.

  This report would have more information with
  "Show verbose output during compilation"
  enabled in File > Preferences.

Hmm. Well, spent the whole evening on this and I am stumped. Deleted all the USB drivers from the laptop and re-installed them... no difference.
Tried programming 4 different Mini Pro's (2 of which are new) with different known working code... all fail at the same place.
Been programming them like this for ages now. Not sure what changed.

Using programmer 1.6.5 by the way... as I always have. Could that be it? I have had issues updating programmers before on this old Vaio, so I stuck with the known working version.

Don't want to really uninstall unless its definitely that?

Well... tried 1.8.5 and that doesn't work either.
I am stumped.