Garmin Express refuses to install maps on sd card

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ConiKost
Posts: 947
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:08 pm

Garmin Express refuses to install maps on sd card

Unread post by ConiKost »

Current Garmin Express seems to have some troubles with installing map updates on sd card, if GPSr device is using the new map management feature, like Montana 700 series or Zumo XT (>= firmware 5.9).

My Montana 750i is using firmware 8.20. Garmin Express is 7.5.0.0. SD card is a Samsung Endurance 32GB (MB-MJ32GA). I also tried a different 32GB card from Sandisk, which didn't changed the situation. Note: This only affects Garmin Express! Montana 750i itself is happy and works perfectly fine!

1) Start Garmin Express
2) Attach Montana 750i via USB
3) After some time, Montana is connected and Garmin Express reports, that it found my conncted Montana.
4) Choose "Montana 750i" in Garmin Express to open device in Garmin Express.
5) I choose "manage maps" and Map Manager opened in Garmin Express.
6) I choose "removable media" (as I want to install on sd card)
7) I choose on left side TopoActive, after that, I set a mark on "TopoActive Europe".
8) I click on "apply changes", so "TopoActive Europe" should be installed on sd card.
9) I accept the popup with terms of condition.
10) Garmin Express asks, if I really want to install "TopoActive Europe" on "Removable media", so I choose "continue"
11) Process starts with 0% and works some time and % increases with time.
12) After about 20 minutes passed with about 77%, it aborts and says, that some changes could not be applied. It says "removable media" and "TopoActive Europe 2021.10".
13) If I press retry, nothing happens and I am stuck at this message.
14) If I press close, it says, that map changes failed and I am back the main menu in Garmin Express.
Hint: You can trigger that issue also with City Navigator instead of TopoActive.

What happend actually? Instead of installing on "removable media", it installed directly on internal storage, but I didn't choose that! ExpressDetailed.log indicated, that the internal storage run out of free space, which is normal, as there is not enough memory. That's the reason, why I choosed "removable media" (which is correctly detected by Garmin Express), so the TopoActive map will be installed there. So basically, Garmin Express always installs on internal storage in the new map management, even, when I did choose removable media aka sd card. Sounds like a bug for me.

Please Note: The installation of additional bought maps via Garmin Express is NOT affected and sd cards install works perfectly fine here. It only affects the installation of pre-loaded / lifetime maps, which are included with Montana 750i.

@gpsrchive: Maybe you could help me somehow to get this passed to the developers, as support doesn't seems to take me seious here. I am just geting advices like to choose a difference sd card. I am pretty sure, that this is only related to this new map management in Garmin Express, as it works fine in "older" functions of Garmin Express.
Garmin DriveSmart 86 MT-D (FW 6.80, HW V8, GPS 9.00.50, 32GB SD)
Garmin Montana 750i (FW 19.00, HW V6, GPS 2.90, Touchscreen 85.07, ​64GB SD)
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GPSrChive
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Posts: 3881
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2017 11:29 pm

Re: Garmin Express refuses to install maps on sd card

Unread post by GPSrChive »

I am also having map installation issues with Garmin Express on multiple devices, and do not believe this is isolated to any one map or device. I have been reporting these issues to Garmin for some time, yet Garmin Express continues to be 'broken'. Does not appear these issues are very high on the priority list....
ConiKost
Posts: 947
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2021 4:08 pm

Re: Garmin Express refuses to install maps on sd card

Unread post by ConiKost »

I think, that this issue is specific to the new map management, at least based on my observations. But I wouldn't be suprised, if there are more problems.
Garmin DriveSmart 86 MT-D (FW 6.80, HW V8, GPS 9.00.50, 32GB SD)
Garmin Montana 750i (FW 19.00, HW V6, GPS 2.90, Touchscreen 85.07, ​64GB SD)
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