I was a bit slow on the uptake on this one but my good friend Richard Payne pointed me in the right direction, Panasonic have updated the firmware on the AF101 and have done the following improvements :

Here are a couple of tips…

1. You can not do anything till you run the camera from the mains.

2. Mac users need to install a patch which gets rid of a duplicated file, Panasonic provide the patch.

3. Your LCD will go blank for about 2mins then a message will appear “UPDATING SYSTEM PLEASE WAIT” this will continue for about 8-10mins then your LCD will return to normal.

https://eww.pavc.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/cs/csregistp2m/ep2main/soft/upgaf100_e.htm