Download of maps so slow....

Well I'm in the UK and my maps always update in about an hour. Something in your system is blocking the download. Does your PC put your USB ports to sleep?

This isn't the first time - every time I have to get new maps it always takes an age. I've spoken to Garmin support but the response I get is similar to a shrug of the shoulders. I can download big files from anywhere in very quick time, just not from Garmin it appears.

Is this just me, or does anyone else experience this?

I'm in the UK, on 70Mbps and the new maps do sometimes take hours to download the PC and to transfer to my 2650.

Today has been a more pleasant experience. Express started off with an estimated time of 1h20m - but it was then all over the place, changing every second or so, and ranging from 21h to 2m! In fact it took about 65m in total.

A lot of the time is taken in transferring to the device, and that will depend on your USB speed (may be slower via hubs for instance) - but in the many many years I've used Garmin, I've never been happy with their PC software (witness the varying time estimates, which are actually quite easy to get reasonably correct and useful if you know how to program properly) so it's difficult to know whether it's your download, your computer/USB or Express.

I think that Express needs to give more information about what it's doing, and if the installation is taking too long it should give some indication as to why.

What realy happen with the download.

I have looked at the downloads and it has downloaded over 11 GB of data.

Now what It installed on my 2595LMT was 4.75 GB.


If you look at how they download the maps it is different then most ways users get files from other companies.

With Garmin you get bits and pieces of files in folders.

The first folder that is made is Map_Map.EU.2016.20

Then this is what comes next:
\RMU
then
\EU
then
\2016_20
Then they make 2 folders called
\Additions
and
\IMG

Then lets look at the folder \Additions
Under that there are 17 folders and in each of those folders that is a sub folder called Rev_0B.
Each one of these folders has one file in it.
They are the JVC,ASR, and sid files.

Why they download in this setup I can only scratch my head.

Now the big in is the \IMG folder.

That has 2 other folders in it.

\006-D2755-21
and
\City Navigator Europe NTU 2016.20.gmap

Now the folder \006-D2755-21 has another folder in it called GMAPPROM
There are files in that folder also.

Plus in \006-D2755-21 you have the file GMAPPROM.IMG
But that is not made yet.

So lets go to folder \City Navigator Europe NTU 2016.20.gmap

In this folder there are many folders.

First one is \Product1

In this folder there are 551 folders.

In each one of these folders there are files like this I15F8C05.GMP.

Now Garmin checks each folder and compiles the 551 files into the GMAPPROM.IMG.



I missed one other folder.

That is the \temp folder

All of this can be found in
\ProgramData
\Garmin
\CoreService
\Downloads
\Map
and
\Temp
in there a folder called \Map.EU.2016.20
In that folder there are 576 folders with names like \f7b1d498-2a6b-406f-bd12-9eab2c7b107d
They have one file in each too.
They download there first then are moved to the first folders I listed.

All of this before you get the files installed on your Nuvi.......

We are not finished yet.

It now has to remove all the old files from your GPS Nuvi.
Then copy the compiled file GMAPPROM.IMG over along with all the other files that are needed.

So 20 of them.

Why they do it this way is the reason it takes so long to download and install an update to you Garmin Nuvi.

And this is just to install it on your Nuvi.

Want to add the Install to PC you are even talking long and more downloads.

These maps are on their server.
Why they do not just download the compiled GMAPPROM.IMG and the JVC,ASR, and sid files to your pc and then install them on your Nuvi.
This would save a lot of time.
You would not need 11 GB of files on your PC.
Max maybe 4.7GB

And why everything need to be compiled on your PC first instead of their server.

Every time...

Yep the download is yet again S...L...O...W...

And again, just to make sure it's dragged out to absolute slowness, slower than a stationary snail, a dialogue box provides a message to the effect that something went wrong with installing to PC - OK? Well, if it's all the same to you, actually it wasn't OK but "OK" was the only permitted response.

So, at 20:45:10 this evening I start again - as I write, 28% has downloaded and I'm informed there's another 2 hours of download time... yes, it's only a forecast and I know I'll have gone to bed long before the dialogue box informs me maps couldn't be installed.

However, my cunning plan this time is to leave the installation files on my PC so that I can install them myself - well, that's the plan anyway.

And when was Garmin Express modified so that it definitely will not run on Win XP? I could put up with it being unsupported - why couldn't a legacy version be left available, like was done with Basecamp...

So many questions, so few answers... hmmph!

Mick_Br

I am sorry that you are having trouble with your download. It may be that the files are getting corrupt during the download which will cause Garmin Express to download the same files multiple times. If so, the steps in the following FAQ may help:
What should I do if I am having problems downloading updates in Garmin Express?

I would definitely suggest a hard connection to your modem or router as suggested in that article. Most of the issues that I see with downloads are resolved by doing this.

Jason

@RonB624

Do you set device + Pc before download?
When i set only device for EU maps i get only 7Gb of data on my Pc not 11 like you.

ASR+ SID+ 3d+ jcv + map = about 7Gb.

The only problem that i have with garmin Express in every new map update is that Garmin express don't detect my SD card if i have previous map on it.
If i manually delete previous map from SD tzhen GE detect SD with no problem but if i don't delete manually previous map from SD, GE will delete files from internal storage and will not download ASR files.

Example:

- on SD is map 2016.10
- when i run GE they never detect my SD ( don't open window about detected SD and that map will be instaled on it )

if i do this:

- manually delete map 2016.10 from SD
- run GE and get window that SD is detected and map will be installed on it

Don't know why GE don't automaticly detect SD when old map is on it.

When i have only 8Gb SD i was thinking that problem is that GE don't know how to automaticly delete old map and that don't have enough space to install new map beside old.

But now when i have 16Gb SD card i see that problem with GE is that SD is invisible for him if you have old map on it and GE just automaticly erase files from internal storage and install map there but becouse not enough space, they don't install ASR files.


So Garmin team, can you please repaire GE so they will detect SD and detect and delet old map on SD?
Now GE detect SD only if we manually delete map from SD and then run garmin express tool.

POPOTNIKPP428

If Garmin Express updated and installed the maps to the SD card, the next update will automatically go to the SD card. Garmin Express will not prompt again that the SD card will be used since the SD card is now the default install location. There should be no need to remove the older mapping before installing the newest map update.

If Garmin Express does not install the newest mapping to the SD card then more in depth troubleshooting is needed and it would be best to contact Product Support by phone to do so.

Lisa

@RonB624

Do you set device + Pc before download?
When i set only device for EU maps i get only 7Gb of data on my Pc not 11 like you.

ASR+ SID+ 3d+ jcv + map = about 7Gb.

Only tell it to download and update my Nuvi.

It takes to long to do both.



This is what is left after I clear my temp files.

9,91 GB (10.641.655.058 bytes)

Plus it never deletes the temp\Map.EU.2016.20 folders of total of 576 empty folders.......

Still more than you.


But I must say it does a lot of work that should of been done on the Garmin server.
To stay connected the whole time I find a big waste.
They should just download the compiled Map and what files are needed extra and be down with it.
And unlock key.
Then you can disconnect from Garmin and install it yourself.

That is the way most programs work but not Garmin.
They need to move into the 21 century with their install.

Most user's here can download large files from other websites in 45 mins max.
That includes myself.

They always go on and on about the problem is on the user's side.
Internet in not fast enough check with your provider.
Connect with a cable and do not use WIFI.
You USB connect went into sleep mode. (The install is one of the last things it does.)
That has nothing to do with the download of the files.
etc etc etc.

Which is a lot of hot air.
It is the way the files are download to your PC or Laptop then compiled while you are still connected to Garmin server.
Then they Garmin copy the files to your Nuvi still being connected.

Let the use install to the Nuvi........

HI,

I went to upgrade my maps on my 3790nuvi (life-time maps), last Friday 7/feb/2020, as I was travelling from Ireland to England on Saturday. 

When I connected the sat-nav, on Friday night @ 20:00, I got an estimated download time of 3hrs. 

At time of writing, it is now,Tues 11/2/2020, @ 01:40 am (I have flown to England from Ireland, (Through Storm Ciara/130kph winds/sleet/snow, hired a car, visited my Daughters, seen my new Grandson (3mths old :)), flown back to Ireland, driven to Tipperary, unpacked (had a glass of wine), prepared to go to Dublin for exams in morning at 07:00 am

I (through Garmin Express), am now getting a message of 16hrs, still left to complete the download (28.8% complete, and a download speed of 20kph). (Garmin Express was showing 28.8% complete when Ieft home Sat eve); 

I have had to leave my pc running since Fri (7/2/20)-Tues morning (11/2/20), and the download is still only 28.8% complete.

I have unlimited fibre broadband.

In the past, I have had to leave the pc running overnight, but have never experienced anything like this.

I also have the sat-nav directly connected to the pc (not through a usb hub etc).

I have also connected (and disconnected), phones, lap-tops (upgrading apps/using the products, etc), to see if this would effect the speed of the download (in case the prob was with my modem speed etc), but this has not made one blind-bit-of-difference to the download speed, as stated by "Garmin Express" (20kps).

I would like to suggest that Garmin, in the future, send me out a pencil and piece of paper, for the next upgrade, (as I believe, I could, more quickly, manually draw the maps :)) :)).

So, it's a good-night (from Tipperary, yep, it's a long way, if I was dependant on my sat-nav :)) (coz, the last time I used the Garmin (even though I had "choose fastest time", "no unpaved roads," etc, from the navigation menu, my sat-nav insisted on taking me off the motorway, and into every little village, then back onto the motorway; resulting in a journey that should have taken 50 mins max, taking 4hours.

I have set my Garmin the same journey, as I have set my phone (using Google Maps), to see what happens (e.g. I know the quickest/fastest/safest way to go), and, without fail, the Garmin tries to take me in-and-around/up-and-down, through local housing estates, down country lanes with grass growing down the middle.

I have also tried changing "fastest time", to "shortest distance" (while driving the same route, and trying all variations in the navigation menu), to see if there was any improvement in the performance of the Garmin nuvi, NO THERE WASN'T.

I have lost faith in my Garmin sat-nav, and I wonder, why should I continue to use it, when my phone (Samsung s10+, with Google Maps), consistently provides a better, more reliable service.

Hi Garmin,

Best Wishes,

Pat

Well something is wrong somewhere within your system as my map downloads generally complete in under 30 minutes.  You could try the steps in this FAQ https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=GuclsqmdI02dC0ULxHR2T6

As for using your phone, my wife has Google maps via her Samsung that comes up on a display in her car.  While it's fine for getting from A to B it's useless at more complicated routes, so I'd never willingly give up my Garmin