Lifetime maps problem

Problem please guys: I bought the Lifetime maps thingy and can't get them to unpack. I've searched here and also on the Zumo Forums. I've asked Garmin but don't understand why I need to do what they're saying. Is this a common issue (not my lack of understanding; my ability to unpack the product)?
I have a Zumo 550. I use Firefox and Zone Alarms and, whilst my PC isn't top of the range, it's not shabby. I have shed loads of memory space left. Zone Alarms tells me that I'm getting an Internet intrusion about one per hour on average. Garmin say that I have to disable my Firewall/Anti-Virus. Really?
Before I import a zillion v*ruses onto my PC, any suggestions please guys?
Many thanks,
Penf

My question to Garmin: "After 2 hours it downloaded but it wouldn't "launch". After another hour of waiting for it to do something (the CPU was running full-on which prevented me from doing anything else) I shut down the PC. I went back in and tried to "open" the application in order to run it and after 30 mins of staring at me it eventually opens an "extract" box and sits at 0%. On the second occasion now, I have waited for 4 hours to do something more than 0%, but to no avail." I've deleted it twice and downloaded it twice, and exactly the same (lack of) result.

Garmin's reply: "I apologise for the delayed response but we are experiencing a large number of emails on back log.
I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing problems with the update download which I am more than happy to assist you with.
I would like you to delete the 2009.exe file and start again but before
please note the following:
A. Temporarily Disable the Fire Wall or Anti Virus Software.
B. After disabling the above software(s) please follow the directions below to turn off the power management on the computer.
1. Right click on the desktop where there is not already a folder or icon.
2. Left click on Properties
3. Left click on the tab labeled Screen Saver
4. Change the screen saver to NONE
5. Left click on the button at the bottom of the screen labeled Power?
6. Change the Settings for power scheme to Never
7. Make sure that all of the settings are set to Never
8. Click on OK which will save the changes and close the window
9. Try to do the download again using the Internet Explorer

Perform the update again by following the below:

-Log into your 'MyGarmin' account, https://my.garmin.com
-Click on Manage Maps and Downloads,
-Click on Map Downloads,
Within this section you will see the download which you can download as many times as you like until the expiry date is exceeded.

Hi sorry to hear about your problems. I am afraid I am no computer expert but just to say I have just done this upgrade and it took me 10 hours to download and install with a 2mbps conection I did it twice as I put it on our lap top as well and that took about the sametime. Not sure if I could have just copied the files across without downloading them again.

I can't believe it took so long and I have to do it again 3 more times this year. Hope you get it sorted sorry I can't offer anymore help. Goodluck.

I have done it and it is a pain takes for ever and really pushes a PC when unpacking. I have an unpacked version (mine) which I would happily forward but I think during the unpack process you have to enter your purchase code.

I think it is a bit sad that an "update" should be 4gb when unpacked why can't they just do the actual bits that need updating they must know want they are.

Now given up after trying all over again overnight. I'll wait until they can get it fixed. They have been really nice and helpful about the problem, and are refunding my dosh, but I'm still using a device with out of date maps. "We do have a lot of customers experiencing initial problems with the download but in 90% of the cases we are able to resolve the problem." Must be just me then. Hey ho.

I am no PC whiz, that's for sure, relying on Judge of this parish to sort loads of bits out for me. I can say:

(a) He took Zone Alarm of my PC and replaced it with avast. The gist of what he was saying was that he had been having loads of problems with Zone Alarm of late. I must say it did seem (to an innocent like me) more and more complicated with each new free addition.

A friend of mine runs Zone Alarm and has to turn it off each time he tries a simple Garmin software update. I also found that big automatic system scans by ZA, running in parallel to Microsoft doing their scans and updates were slowing the whole thing down. All that seems to have stopped. there agian that may just be PC numpty twadle.

(b) I'm running a pretty good laptop, Firefox and tapped into a central London broadband speed. The download took about two and a half hours. That is not much longer than installing the full new mapset from a DVD, if I remember rightly.

(c) I have my laptop set so that it never powers down when on mains power.

We (or more exactly, Judge) did find that if it was just quietly chuntering itself on a big download and doing nothing else, the laptop was switching into sleep mode, almost as if the brain did not know it was doing anything and went to sleep.

(c) I have always found calling Garmin very helpful, often better than email.

Thanks for the advice Wapping.
Garmin were really nice and no way am I knocking their support service, particularly as they are so busy. Unfortunately, the only chance I get to do this is after work, which is usually about 2300, so email is really the only way I guess.
The downloading wasn't really the issue (even once I braced myself and turned-off the Firewall) and I think the Garmin guy got a bit sidetracked by that. When eventually downloaded for the third time (or fourth, I rather lost track - good job I'm not limited in the amount I can download per month) and changed the power settings it still wouldn't Unpack, even when running all (for what was left of) the night and with a big fan shoving copious amounts of cold air into the box just in case. My main worry was that I couldn't turn the Firewall back on again as the CPU was at 100% on the Unpack (even though it never moved from 0%) and I couldn't do anything else.
I'll leave it for a bit and have a think about the Firewall in the meantime.
Cheers,
Penf

Garmin have just sorted me a map update for my Nuvi (old model but only just bought from a major retailer). I went to my myGarmin account to get it, installed Garmin's download manager as instructed then left the computer (2.4GHz twin-core Athlon, 3GB or RAM and Windows Vista) to download 3GB of a very large .exe file. Clicking "Launch" when the download finished was neither use nor ornament so, assuming that the download had hiccuped, I started it again, this time ticking "Launch when downloaded" to autostart the install. It didn't start this time either so in the end a right-click to bring up a list of options then "Run as Administrator" kicked the nightmare into life. Running this monster used up the entire cpu for several hours assuming everything goes well. At several points I thought the computer had crashed (screen flickering as if it couldn't even make a BSOD) but it eventually reached the stage where it was trying to copy maps to the Nuvi. This (to cut a long story short) found a fault with the Nuvi which is currently with Garmin for fixing. I had ZoneAlarm Free and AVG Free running all the time the unpacking and installing was running and had no reason to shut them down. I can't remember how much Internet access the Garmin install required but if it asked for it I allowed it. Sorry for such a long post but it was a long job.

Hi Bear, thanks for the post. Sounds really familiar mate. I even Unzipped the folder and found a "read me" file. This said: "If you have manually extracted the compressed file run Setup.exe in the Windows subdirectory to begin the update process." So I did. Fingers crossed, went to "run", clicked on what looked like the relevant file, and it started. Then stopped and the very nice Windows man said there had been an error and would I like to send an error report. What the hell, why not?
At Wapping's suggestion, I have now dumped Zone Alarms and am now running Avast, which seems to allow stuff to run quite smoothly, so cheers Wapping!
I'm waiting for my refund to arrive and MIGHT try again in the summer, before the 'big trip', in the hope that Garmin will have tidied things up a little by then.
Penf