Installing new VESC firmware/Bootloader, Error: Serial port error: The I/O operation has been aborted"

Hello All,

I have been experiencing problems with my electric long board lately and am desperate to get it up and running for the summer! I have done a little research about VESCs and have a background in mechanical engineering, but don't know too much about software and firmware. I would be extremely appreciative if anyone could help me with my issue that I describe below. First, let me get into the hardware I have in my setup:

Hardware:

• Torque VESC v4.12, with v2.18 firmware (Bought from DIY Electric Skateboard.com, https://diyelectricskateboard.com/products/torque-esc-bldc-electronic-speed-controller)
• Torque Motor 6335190kv (bought from same place)
• Traditional LiPo batteries (2x 3S 5000 Mah in series, https://hobbyking.com/en_us/zippy-flightmax-5000mah-3s1p-30c.html)
• On/Off Switch from DIY
• Torque Boards 2.4 ghz nano remote controller and receiver (https://diyelectricskateboard.com/collections/remote-controller/products/torqueboards-2-4ghz-nano-remote-controller)

Problem:

I noticed one day after turning on my board and hitting the acceleration on my controller, the motor starter wigging out, moving back and forth rapidly with no control . I was not able to ride it and it couldn't provide the power to push the board forward. At first I started inspecting all the hardware and electrical connections and nothing seemed wrong so I figured it was the hardware. I plugged my board into the VESC tool 1.16 and tried messing around with installing new firmware without watching any tutorials (first mistake I know). I have updated the firmware once before and remember it was pretty simple, so I figured it wouldn't be an issue. I went to either (I can remember) the firmware tab or the boot loader tab, and installed the 4.12 software. I understand that if I installed a new boot loader, it messes everything up in the VESC, but idk if this is the problem or not. The board wouldn't reconnect after the upload, wouldn't update firmware, and I would have to restart the process. For a video of the problem that I made for someone else, see this link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/besltzxo3foiw11/AADTVztIPGvxTrXfEBYtLHLva?dl=0. For a more solid procedure, please see my exact steps below:

Update Procedure:

1. I downloaded the VESC tool free windows. Upon connection it told me that my firmware is too old, so I selected from the HW tab the 4.10&4.11&4.12 item, in the firmware tab is said "VESC_default.bin" and I uploaded that.
2. It did erase and upload and then said "FW Upload Done" and error message: "Serial port error: The I/O operation has been aborted because of a thread exit or an application request.". 
3. The VESC will not connect, even after waiting 10+ minutes.
4. I disconnect the USB, reconnect, and it is still running the old firmware.

Questions:

• Do you have any guesses on what the problem is?
• Does the motors freaking out have to do with the motors hardware/electrical connections or the firmware being wayyy to old?
• Can I just get an STLink to erase the existing boot loader and find the right boot loader to install from Github? (like this one https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ST+Link+V2&i=electronics&ref=nb_sb_noss_2, purple one, third one down?)
• Can someone link to a good STLINK v2 or the correct hardware I need to fix the issue?
• Can someone link a good tutorial on how to use the STLINK?

Thank you for investing time into finding a solution. I am really excited to get this thing back up and running and don't want to have to buy a new 110$ VESC...Thanks!