According to one report in the papers I saw today they did try and reload the software.
Even on a good day Heathrow is a bloodly awful place to fly from and bearing in mind that it is the first thing new visitors to the UK see, it is a disgrace that it has been allowed to become so shabby (dirty/torn seats and carpets, water stains on walls, ineffective cleaning, badly maintained plumbing etc). In addition to this we have the security hassles and stupid carry on luggage weight restrictions. Contrast this with HK, Tokyo and Singapore. They have the advantage that their facillities are run by people who care about and take pride in what they are doing.
As far as BAA performance goes people have to be held accountable and heads must roll when they screw up. Personally I favour shooting them as it stops repeat offending and is a most effective motivator for the next one in the job, but I am just old fashioned.
Rant over