Thanks for all the info, guys. Here's what I've done so far:
(1) I clicked on "Download update" on the blue banner on the top right of the Ledger Live portfolio page. The progress numbers started quickly rising, until it said "100% complete". However, on the top left of the banner, it said "Downloading update", with a loading loop next to it. This is obviously contradictory, so I allowed it to continue "downloading", but nothing happened. After nearly 2 hours, It looked exactly the same as when it started "downloading".
(2) So, I tried connecting my Ledger Nano S, anyway, but wasn't able to, just as before.
(3) I then decided to restart my computer and opened Ledger Live again. I figured this would reset any changes or updates made, but, to my dismay, the blue banner at the top of the page now read "Update to Ledger Live version 2.38.2 is available". On the top right of the banner it read "Download update".
Great. So, I wasted 2 hours of my time and, despite claiming "100% complete, it actually didn't update shit.
(4) I ignored this, and tried to connect my Ledger Nano S again, but again, couldn't do it.
This is incredibly annoying, and it's one of the reasons why I've always been hesitant to invest a large chunk of my money in crypto. It's one thing to accept volatility risk, and the risk that an asset could go to zero, but it's quite another when you also have to sustain the ancillary risks associated with actually storing and accessing you funds. This shouldn't be an issue at all.
You really need to post more information about your device, what exact model of ledger you have, nono S or nono X?
Don't expect that updating wiNd0ws is ever going to solve any issues you have.
I am using a Ledger Nano S, as I stated in my OP. The firmware version is currently 1.6.1.
I am doing everything on my desktop computer.
-snip-
There is a message at on the top of my Ledger Live screen that says "Update to Ledger Live version 2.38.2 is available".
On the right of that, it says "Download update".
A few weeks ago, I clicked on this (without connecting Ledger Nano S, obviously), and it just kept going in circles, and never updated. It was useless.
If the in-app updater doesn't work, download the latest version of Ledger Live from their website instead, the install it over the old version.
Link:
https://www.ledger.com/ledger-liveIf updating Ledger Live doesn't work, then you'll have to update the firmware by other means.
Install the latest version of Ledger Live from the website as explained above.
Make sure all your USB and external device drivers are up to date.
Try running Ledger Live in compatibility mode (I assume this is still a thing on Windows?)
Is there a risk that I can really mess things up irrevocably, or make matters much more complicated for myself, by reinstalling Ledger Live from their website?
I'm not very tech savvy, so I don't want to make my life more difficult than it already is.