wow, all these instructions for such a simple request.
It's easy to manually update the firmware. And works like a charm. Just download the firmware.
http://download.kobobooks.com/firmwa...rade-1.9.9.zip
Unpack the zip file into the .kobo directory on the Kobo, eject and unplug, and the Kobo should update itself.
Edit: I wish someone would stickty that. These instructions have needed much repeating.