Nuvi 300 - UK Map Data Has Disappeared!

bigmikeymike · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 13, 2006 Posts: 6

I recently updated mu Nuvi 300 to version 3.6 and over past few days had no issues. Today, however, after poppng into the car, I turned it on and as usual just put it onto the map screen to look out for safety cameras. Oddly, the road I was driving along was not shown; zooming out, only the main trunk roads were shown, in my case the A12 and M25; the map data was not there?

When I go into the Settings/Map display, the Map Info button is disabled, which implies to me that the map data is no longer there!

I have performed a reset and a reset of user data but there is still no detailed map data. Oh hell!

Anyone got any ideas?

adamf · Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 7:49 pm Post subject:

well the only thing to do is contact garmin the unit is under warrante if i sent you my map it wont work due to garmins excellent coding etc which no one has cracked well done garmin...... :D

bigmikeymike · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 13, 2006 Posts: 6

I actually took a backup of the internal storage when I first got it (and had forgotten) which I found today and one of the files, I think gmapprom.img was not on the device (/garmin directory). I suspect that this file is actually stored on the internal rom and that this is now dead. The file is about 170Mb so there is not enough space for it on the available internal memory so I deleted the mp3s, etc and cleared enough space. Having copied the file to the /garmin directory, the unit now works although I only have about 20Mb of spare space left. I will be returning it under waranty shortly. Why this happened is a mystery to me but at least I am up and going again.

bluka · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 03, 2005 Posts: 21

Seems you are not alone in missing maps.

On another forum, this is the reported reason why Garmin have withdrawn the 3.60 update (they are back to 3.30)

Apparently a revised software is 'days' away but how many the forum didn't quote.

It is possible that the revised software will resolve the issue, or it is possible it will only prevent it happening again!

I'm now concerned that my 350 with 3.60 is abouts to do the same thing and wipe out all of Europe!

Ian

bigmikeymike · Occasional Visitor Joined: Mar 13, 2006 Posts: 6

I have tried contacting Garmin 3 times now and still have recieved no reply. I am minded to return the unit for replacement under warranty and see what happens then. I will hold on for a few days. If this is indeed the result of the 3.6 upgrade it is inexcusable that Garmin do not publish any information on their site to provide guidance to those either experiencing problems or for those that have dome the upgrade when I guess it might be possible to revert to 3.3?
I hope they resolve this soon before you encounter any problems.

bluka · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 03, 2005 Posts: 21

bigmikeymike

Still no problems with mine so fingers crossed.

Sorry same can't be said for yours.

I should have stated that at this point it is rumour that 3.60 causes the problem you are experiencing.

It may equally be that 3.60 fault was something completely different.

Apparently, though not tried myself, you can overwrite 3.60 with the previous version (3.30). You may get a warning that you are trying to install older software, but you select the option to allow it and it will.

This option is, naturally, at your discretion, but if it is a case of it can't get any worse...

I suppose waiting for a response from Garmin is the safest option though.

Ian

sunman · Lifetime Member Joined: Mar 03, 2006 Posts: 3

im trying to get garmin to answer the phone at this very moment , the garmin web site states 5 to 7 days for a reply via email.

Ive finaly got through and with a support techy i downgraded to 3.3. As if you go back to V3.3 hopefully it will work if not ( like in my case ) you will have to send the unit back to Garmin and they will reinstall the software and mapdata this takes about 4 days

they know of this "bug" but dont have a full fix other than returning the unit to them. the support guy was helpfull and knew what he was doing.

erikla2002 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 5

Still no solution to this problem other than sending it to Garmin?
I doubt that I will buy a Garmin device next time...

Snipedales · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 05, 2006 Posts: 2

I've just had the same map data problem happen to me on my Nuvi 310 after doing an update of only GPS & Bluetooth that was offered to me by the web updater tool. All detail has disappeared from maps - I tried to plot a route from Lincoln to Mablethorpe and it looked to be trying to send me up to the Humber and down the North Sea to get there! Also, COUNTY instead of COUNTRY appears when inputting addresses and it will not accept any input.

Garmin say that the map data has been lost and the only fix is to send it in to them. I pointed out that this does not inspire me with confidence for trying any further updates and was told that this happens 'only very rarely'.......... hmmmmmmm Question

n4nick · Regular Visitor Joined: Jun 30, 2006 Posts: 136

Snipedales

Sorry to hear about your problems, if you have a back-up of the original Garmin folder on the Nuvi you may be able to copy and paste this back. Which version were you updating to when the problem occured?

Cheers - Nick

Snipedales · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jul 05, 2006 Posts: 2

N4Nick

I was running 2.70 & the web updater informed me that there was no main software update available but that there were updates for the GTMxx Traffic Receiver, GPS & Bluetooth. I chose the last 2 (don't have the Traffic addon). The updates seemed to download & install OK and the unit went through the usual updating of itself after unplugging it from the PC.

Unfortunately I didn't take a copy of the original contents of the unit so am unable to do a restore via your suggested method.

The gmapprom.img file is reported by Windows as being corrupt. I've just tried running chkdsk on the drive (nothing to lose as Garmin will have the unit back and it reports:

Volume nuvi created 9/1/2005 2:42 PM
Volume Serial Number is 4317-599D
Windows is verifying files and folders...
The \Garmin\gmapprom.img entry contains a nonvalid link
The size of the \Garmin\gmapprom.img entry is not valid
File and folder verification is complete.
Bad links in lost chain at cluster 139 corrected.
Bad links in lost chain at cluster 140 corrected.
Convert lost chains to files (Y/N)? y
212992 bytes in 3 recovered files.
Windows has made corrections to the file system.

435,814,400 bytes total disk space.
8,192 bytes in 1 hidden files.
253,952 bytes in 31 folders.
108,503,040 bytes in 756 files.
327,049,216 bytes available on disk.

8,192 bytes in each allocation unit.
53,200 total allocation units on disk.
39,923 allocation units available on disk.

As a result of this the size of gmappron.img has drastically reduced from some 170,000kb to just 7016kb. Needless to say the problem wasn't fixed - the unit still thinks there is no map data!

erikla2002 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 5

Do you tI took a backup of my Garmin after I got it. I just dragged all the files from it to my harddrive.
And now since my unit is

and I can't see the map...do you think it's a good idea to format it using fat32 and put my backuped up files on it. DOes it matter that I have upgraded it a few times after I took the backup? When you do an uppgrade, do you only update files on the internal "drive" on the nuvi or do you update a BIOS or something similar too?

swing · Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 10:42 am Post subject:

Before you go doing things you need to understand what works and what doesn't work - if the only thing that doesn't work is the map, you may find copying back just the two maps files will solve your problem.

You may find you need to take a copy of everything else, then format it and then put back all these files plus the working map files.

However, if your unit is truely broken "Missing Software" type errors, then no amount of playing with the map files will fix it.

It may well be worth a call to Garmin to discuss the best approach.

erikla2002 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Aug 14, 2006 Posts: 5

swing · Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:15 pm Post subject:

You need to take another backup of all the files (including the hidden file(s)), then take the two maps files from your previous backup and create a new "combined" backup with the elder map files (the map files have not yet been changed by any firmware updates, so are completely compatible), and then perform the format / restore process.

However, if you are unsure of this, I would send the unit back to Garmin...

	PocketGPS
	Web