Updating Garmin maps - A RANT!!

[paul08]

I am not sure whether this should really belong in the 'Rant' section of 'Beakchat & Bollox', but I just need to get it off my chest!!!!


i own two Garmin satnavs: a Nuvi 3490 for the car and a BMW Nav IV for the bike. Yesterday, Garmin Express flagged up automatically that there were map updates available for both (2014.10 I think). Both had 2013.41 loaded at that point.

Anyway, I updated the Nuvi using Garmin Express, with no problems, other than the interminable wait whilst it downloaded the 529 files. Took about 3 hrs I believe.

So, that update done, I turned to the NAV IV. As I also wanted to update the maps on Basecamp, I turned to Garmin Map Updater to do this update. All seemed fine. I selected the Nav IV and the computer to receive the update and off we went! It announced that the download was 5GB+ !!! Oh well, i thought, so I rejigged the settings on my laptop so that it would not 'go to sleep' during the download. That was Monnday 6pm. Sunday midnight it was still whirring away, although the Garmin Map Updater software gives you no indication of progress. They just like to keep you waiting/guessing!

Anyway, I gave up and went to bed, leaving the download still running. Tuesday 8am and the thing was still bloody downloading!!!! I gave up and shut down the Map Updater.

I left it for the day. It was safer, than carrying on and getting more irate. So tonight I have tried to do the download/update again. I gave up and defaulted to Garmin Express as I thought that I know that that will at least update my Nav IV, and I can worry about updating the maps on the computer/basecamp later. How wrong I was!!!

garmin Express recognises the Nav IV when I connect it and confirmms that a map update is available. it then runs and informs me that the Nav IV has insufficient storage and that they 'recommend' downloading to a Micro Sd card with at least 3Gb of free storage. I have a 16GB SD card in the Nav IV for music etc, but I checked and it has 5.2GB of free storage. So I selected the SD for the download, and all I get is a screen telling me that the software is "checking the SD card". That's it. It goes no further. Have tried aborting and retrying, all with the same result.

Any suggestions? or do I risk ringing Garmin Support and losing my rag with them?

 

[Giles]

I had problems last week loading all my new garmin stuff.

I relented and phoned their help desk. Yes, it took me nigh on 20 mins to get through, but I have to admit, they were really helpful and knew what they were talking about. problem eventually solved ..

 

[swissrob]

3hrs for an update!@!! I downloaded a hacked update and had it installed in under 15 minutes.


Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Sleepy]

Try using the old 'Garmin Map-updater'

Garmin express is pants... (normally).

 

[spm0912]

You're not alone. Had a 550 for years, never bothered updating it, odd new motorway appeared on some trips otherwise worked faultlessly.

New GSA came with the BMW navigator, so I thought I'd update it as it has lifetime updates. Feckin thing has driven me nuts for the last few days. Not helped by my just over 1mb broadband speed!!!

Eventually had to get a bigger micro SD card, managed to load new maps on device but couldn't get them onto basecamp. (I've done it now) but even though it's showing the same maps on both the device and basecamp it still shows an error when transferring routes saying maps are different and wants to recalculate route, though if you ignore it routes appear OK.

Don't think I'll be updating maps again!

 

[paul08]

Try using the old 'Garmin Map-updater'

Garmin express is pants... (normally).

I did and that is what ran for 12 hrs plus with no success!!

But I have just re-read some other threads and was reminded of this one from GrinningGSer:

http://www.ukgser.com/forums/showth...=2&highlight=ridiculously+separate+components

and then look at post nr 32


As he recommends, I easily downloaded the map updates to my computer. The download was quite quick too, so his comment about slow downloads to the SD card was correct.

All I have to do now is get the maps from my computer to my Nav IV, which might not be so easy as I am not sure that I understand his directions!

Watch this space

 

[GrinningGSer]

It not easy getting a secure faultless download. Be prepared for several failures.
I'll watch this thread over the next few days.
Report when new map is successfully installed on your Mac/PC and I'll talk you through the next stage

 

[Pablo1]

how to install the update map onto the pc.

The zumo had the latest map installed on the device with a memory card so when garmin express trys to install or I click reinstall a map it install to the zumo.

I disconnected the zumo remove the memory card and plugged it back in.
Start Garmin express and select reinstall maps, it then says there isn't enough memory whick make it show a different screen asking to install partial maps. At the bottom there is a box that says device. Change this to pc instead of zumo and select full coverage map. It will then install onto the pc.

 

[GrinningGSer]

That is correct. Your Zumo does not have enough internal memory to store all of Europe cos it's now a much bigger file that when Zumo was produced.
You can insert a 4 GB sd card, or better still 8 GB and save any new maps to that, BUT Zumo is an old USB1 and therefore painfully slow and will be a bottleneck for the tortuous Garmin map update, probably causing a fail more often than success.
Save the lot to your computer, then stick that SD card in your computer sd slot, which should be USB2 or USB3 nowadays and use mapinstall to save the lot to the sd card.OR use mapinstall to send selections of Europe to Zumo. That's your choice and surely you don't need all of Europe anyway ?
Sometimes mapinstall gets confused and won't install by removing the old map , I.e keeps saying not enough room, in which case I manually remove the old Zumo map first. That's easy to do.Google it.

 

[GrinningGSer]

Also, Zumo looks for any maps during its boot and therefore will see the new maps IF you've saved to your sd card. I can't see the point in having old and new at the same time though, so get rid if your old maps and move onwards.