CN 2008 NT/2720 unlock help required

[Bumpkin]

Don't know if there is anything in this thread that helps:http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cach...SP2720+deleting+maps&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=uk

Thanks Dave, one of the many threads I read over the past 24 hours.

CN 2008 NT is 1389.9 mb according to my laptop

I thought it was more, but stand to be corrected.

Have removed everything Garmin from my PC and just about to re install everything again... living in hope...

 

[John Armstrong]

Have removed everything Garmin from my PC and just about to re install everything again... living in hope...

And from the registry, as that was one option that Garmin were thinking off?

 

[Bumpkin]

And from the registry, as that was one option that Garmin were thinking off?

Yes, after uninstalling everything I deleted the c:/Garmin folder, ran a registry cleaner, restarted and ran it again. Did a factory reset on the GPS. All for nowt, did exactly the same.

Now the odd thing is I was under the impression that upgrade disks would only install over an existing installation where Mapsource was present but it just went straight though and installed Mapsource, the USB drivers, the mapping etc. Almost as if it were the retail disk you get with a new unit that has the same mapping already on the GPS. Both the disk and DVD case are marked as upgrade disks though.

 

[navig8r]

I used to have problems with early Mapsource versions locking the CD/DVD drawer shut until a reboot and even reg cleaners do not remove all references to Garmin,and is most likely why you could install from the update disk.I have found that I had to use regedit to search for and delete everything relating to "Garmin"and "Mapsource" ..Just to see how much stuff is left after running a cleaner ,open Regedit and and search for the offending entries and if there delete them but back up regestry first ..sorry if i am trying to teach my Granny and all that!!
Edit

Make sure unlock codes are safe as reference to these will be deleted
I save the .unl file to pen drive
Dave

 

[Bumpkin]

Final attempt with Garmin tech support. The guy I spoke to didn't seem to know the unit either, suggested that I write to the SD card I then made the mistake of telling him to go and speak to someone who knew a bit more about the 2720. He insisted that he knew all about the 2720 but got confused when I talked about the preinstalled primary mapping and the secondary memory that could be used for user uploaded mapping. Eventually he said he would go and check something out (probably went to kick the water-cooler), and then came back saying it was impossible to overwrite the preinstalled US mapping.

Over my past 3 contacts with Garmin tech support I get the distinct impression that this is now being dealt with by an external outsourced call centre. The product knowledge appears to be very scant which is not my experience previously and the willingness to give a fob off answer increased whereas in the past they would work with you to find a solution. This is a major step away from the customer service I have come to expect from Garmin. But then maybe it's me being p*ssed off because they didn't sort my self inflicted problem out.

So, I'm left with sticking with the situation as it stands; 500MB for a chunk of Europe and 1.4GB of redundant out of date US mapping. This isn't as bad as it sounds but not really what I want. Or; finding a hack to get me into the closed off memory in the unit and risk toasting the GPS.

Might get the Knoppix and Ubuntu CDs out this evening and see if there's a way in.

 

[araspitfire]

I'm sure there would be a way to hack it... but it may be that no one has made the effort to figure it out... Someone at Garmin could do it, but they won't...

They charge a premium for GPS's bought in Europe... hence the effort made to keep you from buying a cheap one overseas and changing it to a Europe model...

Al...

 

[Bumpkin]

I'm sure there would be a way to hack it... but it may be that no one has made the effort to figure it out... Someone at Garmin could do it, but they won't...

Absolutely, I'm convinced that it's possible though I'm weighing up the risk of making my 2720 into an expensive paper weight in the process. If there was a mass storage mode that would enable me to back-up the files on the unit first then it would make the decision much easier as well as giving me a path to access/change the files. 2730 and 2820 both have mass storage capability. As it's a very similar GPS I tried the firmware for the 2730 this morning but it didn't introduce a mass storage option and everything else appeared as with the 2720 firmware.

I've fired of a last chance email to Garmin tech and hope that it doesn't wind up in Mubai...

They charge a premium for GPS's bought in Europe... hence the effort made to keep you from buying a cheap one overseas and changing it to a Europe model...

Although with a 2730, 2820, Zumo or Nuvi this should be possible as the mass storage mode means you can 'lift the bonnet' and poke around.

 

[beemerboy9]

...

They charge a premium for GPS's bought in Europe... hence the effort made to keep you from buying a cheap one overseas and changing it to a Europe model...

Al...

In the USA, maps of that continent are available free on the public domain. In Europe, each country's equivalent of the Ordnance Survey charges Navteq for the priviledge of using their mapping data. Navteq pass on the cost of that to Garmin and Garmin pass on the cost to the consumer.
That is why American satnav units have to be cheaper than European ones. Naturally there are other factors like selling for what the market will bear, distribution costs, profit markups etc, etc....

 

[araspitfire]

This fact is irrelevant to the subject at hand.... the cost of the maps is not absorbed by the cost of the GPS.... You can buy expensive European maps in the US too...

So you get a GPS with cheap NA mapping?... You buy expensive Europe mapping and put it on... Seems easy and logical no?... After all GPS stands for GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM.... But the Garmin Carpet Baggers want to capitalize on rip off Britain (and Europe) like everyone else it seems...

I've owned Garmin GPS's since the very first handheld unit... still have it... the company hasn't changed in all these years... Excellent engineers... excellent after sales support... lousy parasites in charge of the sales department... (where they decide exactly exactly what information to make public for people to know who are trying to make an in formed decision on what GPS to buy).... Since Garmin is #1 in the world of consumer GPS, I guess it never will... but I would submit that they do so well DESPITE the efforts of the sales guys...

This should be a rant...

Al...

 

[Bumpkin]

It took a while but my dilemma has now been resolved.

It appears, from my experience, that there is something specific within the Garmin update process for NT mapping that prevents you from overwriting the primary mapping with an update from another region.

Up until last night I was stuck with outdated complete mapping of the US and only partial coverage of Europe on my 2720. However, thanks to two kind souls (both of whom signed up to post an answer) I can report that it is now possible to perform an update of the primary mapping and effectively convert a US import 2720 to a full European version (well, as good as anyway).

See the thread on SmellyBikers forum here

Please note that I have done this with mapping that I have paid for an unlock code for. Garmin, no doubt, knew that this conversion technique exists yet refused to help me saying it was impossible to convert the primary mapping from US to European. Smacks of protectionism IMHO.

Please note that this method is only really useful for Garmin NT units that lack a mass storage mode, namely; Quest II, StreetPilot 2720 and BMW Nav III. For the likes of the 2820, Zumos and Nuvis, these have a mass storage mode that permits access to the files on the unit via USB making the process much easier.