OK, in case somebody is stuck the same way I was: I couldn't put my F500HD into the flashing mode. so I couldn't use the browser to flash it. It had to be done by Japhar Flasher and ToySoft helped me get it done - this is how...

Thanx to ToySoft for directing me to the right place...

http://www.ourdreambox.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=15122#Post15122

...and to the necessary reboot of my PC, after the drivers did not install the first few times around, plus a bit of exercising of my little grey cells... After a bit of wrangling - I succeeded... This really does work, unlike the previous versions I tried long, long ago, when I was stuck in a similar fashion...

So, I recovered my F500HD, thanx also to somebody saying to untick the "LAN/Network" box in the Flasher GUI, i.e. to have the cable plugged in (possibly to detect the box) but not to use the network to flash it, I suppose...

The flashing is done by a mini USB cable, I presume and it is slow - but it worked!!! BRAVO, whomever wrote that! I is 'appy clappy chappy now, having my special box back!

One must install the drivers first, then the flasher starts, and if it can't connect - restart your PC, unplug everything USB-wise, try again. It worked in my case.

The trick was to retry: direct the reinstallation of drivers by choosing the C partition, then it found the drivers and then it all worked as described above!

I managed to flash my F500HD with PurE2 from this cool forum, then I deleted a few things (Blindscan, Cable etc.) and mounted my USB stick.

I restarted and I INSTALLED THE OPEN MULTI BOOT (OMB) PLUGIN from the feeds. I.e. IT IS POSSIBLE to have OMB installed!!!