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Neither Map Updater or Garmin Express will 'find' my Nuvi
XrayTrain
0 Points
it used to be as easy as opening the program and plugging in my Nuvi 1450LMT. now only my computer finds the nuvi but i have no idea how to update the maps. i looked in the sticky threads about to manually update maps but didn't find anything. how can i get the programs to find my Nuvi?
Comments
http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.exe
or here for Mac
http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.dmg
Go here http://software.garmin.com/en-GB/gcp.html and see if your plug in is working and detects your nuvi?
i tried to install the latest map update but got a message that the internal storage on the device didn't have enough space so i got a 4gb storage card. that was when i started having trouble, even without the microSDHC card installed in the slot. could this card be the problem? does it have to be formatted or something?
thanks for the replies everybody :)
Do you see the message saying Device is detected? If it's not being detected let us know.
o Supports Windows XP SP3 and later.
o Supports Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox 3.6+, Safari 5+, or Chrome 8+.
o This download only supports Windows computers. For the Mac download of Garmin Communicator Plugin click here.
o This software requires Windows Media Player 11 or greater (a free download from Microsoft).
Sorry, should have mentioned it was for the Communicaor Plugin V 4.0.4.0
referenced in Sussamb's post. This is the latest version. I'm not sure if earlier versions had the Media Player 11 requirement.
I agree why is Media Player 11 or above required, it is what it is from Garmin's standpoint.
See specs here:
http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=3607
The 2nd one does exactly as Xray's does, it loads as an extra drive on my computer but none of the Garmin apps even can tell it's plugged in. I've worked back and forth with Garmin to try all the troubleshooting you guys have mentioned and they mentioned. Garmin apps just do not see the identical NUVI but sees the other one. This is very frustrating since I bought these specifically to not have to pay for new maps.
Xray - did you find any answers that finally worked or did you just leave it like I did and retry every so often? :shock:
Hallelujah!!
I refuse to use Garmin Express until the bugs are worked out. I,ve never experienced a problem when using MapUpdater.
Here is the link forum member sussamb posted for running MapUpdater (for PC):
http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.exe
For Mac
http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.dmg
Let us know if it worked.
Could you answer my previous post, as without knowing your response to that we're shooting in the dark. Is the Plug-in installed and does it recognise your device :?
"i installed the garmin plug-in but once again when i plug in the nuvi nothing happens."
MapUpdater is what i used in the first place.
My apologies for suggesting Mapupdater, after re-reading all the posts I see XrayTrain did try that program and it failed.
I think possibly your problem lies with your PC's operating system, have you tried tp disable your anti virus program?
I agree though, it sounds like maybe his AV or firewall could be blocking the download. The other thing he could try is to delete the GarminDevice.xml file in the Garmin folder, then reboot the nuvi so that that file is recreated. A corrupted xml file can also cause problems.
Excellent suggestion on deleting the GarminDevice.xml file. Easy enough to do and no harm done if it's not the problem.
I fogot to memtion to disable the firewall as you suggested, another good point.
I use Eset Smart Security as my AV and firewall. I have the firewall set to manual, this enables me to control what programs or sites are trying to access my PC. In the beginning it's a bit time consuming since you must either permit or deny access, but once learned it remains in memory.
- Delete the file and reboot the Garmin device causing the file to be recreated
- Manually install a new version of the firmware
- Delete voice and text language files that you don't need freeing up space and restart the device
Deleting the xml file and rebooting the device did not correct the issue.Garmin no longer provides firmware files outside of its unreliable web browser plugins or MapUpdater programs.
So, before I called support, I decided to try deleting non-English text and voice files. My available space on the device went from 14MB to over 125Mb. I'm not sure how much was really needed, but when I restarted the device this time, GarminExpress immediately detected it correctly and correctly updated the firmware and maps.
I had tried the fixes above on both Windows and Mac versions of the Garmin software with the same results. The Mac version worked correctly with my Nuvi 1450LM after deleting non-English files from Finder (Windows Explorer on a PC).
-mdc
2. the files are available although Garmin doesn't publicise this or the location :wink:
Note: MapUpdater only updates maps, not software, I suspect you meant WebUpdater
3. always worth doing regardless of whether you wish to recreate the xml file :)
However, if you register your device with Garmin on their website and connect the device using the dashboard on the Garmin website, you then get an option to install updates to the SD card (if your device has one, which the 1450 does)- You can then go ahead and update your maps directly to the SD card with no problem-
No idea why Garmin doesn't give the apps, such as mapupdater, webupdater, or garmin express, the option to select a device's SD card, but apparently (at this point) they can't or won't, but the web site updater - installer that you access through your online Garmin dashboard works just fine with SD cards-
[edit for inappropriate language -- mod]
http://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId={e908ee90-c6c1-11e1-dcef-000000000000}
I was having the problem as most here, but I discovered on the initial plugin of the unit to my laptop in that pop up box that asks what you want to do if you click open a file, those funky hieroglyphs with 0 size must be removed, so I right clicked on the removable disk and formatted it, then unplugged and turned it off. Once I plugged it back in and started the WebUpdater, Shazzam!!!. All is well with the world again.
Cheers
Deleted non GB languages, and a few vehicles and so on.
Re-tried the garmin express and it 'found' it straight away.
Have to say that I'm not terribly impressed with Garmin for this pathetically minimal approach to device memory. Will seriously make me think when it comes to replacement.....
Can I have my two hours back please Mr Garmin?
I have always felt that Garmin was way too stingy with internal memory as well. But they are in a very competitive business where every dollar they save on hardware counts. And microSD cards are very inexpensive, so it's not that big of a deal.
And of course with iPhones you pay more upfront for more memory :D
My nuvi is recognized by Windows Explorer and also by the Garmin Communicator plugin.
But not by the Garmin Express or by the WebUpdater.
When I open the folders (TFAT and GARMIN) with Windows Explorer I see no files at all! All the files magically disppeared. So I have a lot of empty space :)
Still don't know how to make this thing working...
Do you have an idea what can help?
https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId=%7B9b0aa260-3f4b-11e4-eaba-000000000000%7D
April 2013 Flag
I found my problem. Finally. I was looking at the garmin as a drive and did properties on it, it was totally full! Once I removed some of the languages I didn't need, the Garmin apps found it. There must not even have been enough room to run a program to see my Nuvi.
Hallelujah!!
Thank you Terrigrrl for the only answer which solved my problem of Windows recognizing the drive of the Nuvi, yet Garmin update would not recognize the drive. It is sad that the Garmin website fails to list your solution. Thanks again as your solution still is applicable over three (3) years later.
My sat nav would be detected by Windows and I could see the internal and external storage.
But Garmin Express would not detect the unit and neither would Map Updater. The latter would in fact crash out.
I tried various fixes that I found all over the Internet. Nothing made a blind bit of difference.
Tonight, I actually tried the only thing I had not done before which was to clear all user data and essentially factory reset the device.
Yep, you guessed it, it didn't work...
Then I looked more closely into what was stored on the internal drive. There was a little over 2Gb free of around 7Gb total space.
But when I used treesize, there was a large discrepancy and I could only account for around a gigabyte of files.
After changing MTP mode to file and setting hidden and system directories to be visible, I then found a .system directory on the internal storage. There were four files all starting with "gma" dated the 2nd of February this year and these accounted for the majority of used space that I had previously been unable to see.
I wondered if that last map update had perhaps not been totally successful and decided to move them out of the internal storage and put them onto the desktop of my PC. I've been in the computer game too long to just delete anything anymore...
It took a few minutes to transfer the files.
Then I took a deep breath and fired up Garmin Express.
To my astonishment, the device was immediately detected and I am in the process of updating to the latest map!
Unfortunately, it is estimating a couple of hours to download. Oh well.
I will update this post afterward with the results, good or bad.
@alanb
I had previously set the unit MTP mode to mass storage before and it did not make any difference. :)
Removing all the gma*.* files from the internal storage within the .system directory was what allowed Garmin Express to actually recognise my device again and allow me to update my map(s) to the latest version.
Thank you for the suggestion of leaving my device in mass storage mode, I think I shall do just that.
gmapprom,img
gmapprom,gma
gmapprom,unl
gmaptz.img
TrafficProvider.xml
Took these out because they all had the same datestamp of the last time I managed to successfully use Garmin Express...
What can I say? I was getting desperate and took a calculated risk! :))
When encountering errors such as "No Map Data Available" and Garmin Express does not recognize your Garmin nuvi, check to see if your Garmin nuvi is out of storage space from your computer. Solution related to the fact that when brought up as the E: drive in windows there were 0 bytes free space on the Garmin nuvi. To get Garmin Express to recognize a unit which is full, do a search on the Windows Drive (E:) for "gmap" then choose "Open file location" This will get into the hidden ".system" directory. From there, delete the largest file map, such as "gmapprom" (or move this file to your hard drive). Afterward, reboot your computer to have Garmin Express software recognize your Garmin nuvi. On older units, also purchase a microSDHC card to be able to store the newest maps, such as the US & Canada 2.6Gb map file, which will not fit on the internal unit alone or a 2Gb card. The Garmin Express software will recognize 4Gb to 32Gb microSDHC Class 10 or UHS-I cards formatted to FAT32 and install the newest maps automatically to them. Some have reported that 4Gb cards are not large enough. I had used a 16Gb SanDisk Ultra PLUS UHS-I card ($10.88 Walmart) successfully on my Garmin nuvi 1450LMT.