Map Details option not showing in GE 7.8.1.0

Which map is it? Not all maps are undateable via Express and if not it can't be used to install the map to the PC. If not this may help www.javawa.nl/virtualdevice.html

Yes, I should have said that the map in both of our devices is City Navigator North America 2022.20.

I also forgot to mention that I have the lifetime subscription to City navigator whereas he does not and just buys an update when he wants.  I don't know why he did that but it too late for him to do the lifetime subscription now.  I don't know if that makes a difference. When I do an update it gets loaded on my PC and I use mapinstall to put it on the device.  When he does an update it get loaded on his device. Now he wants to get it on his PC.

That is the issue. Express can install lifetime maps to a computer but not separately bought map updates. He will need to use the method in the link I posted.

OK, understand. But, why in the world would they not let you do this?  He paid for the map and should be able to put it where he wants without needing a funky workaround.  Sometimes Garmin baffles me.

Is there any reason I could not copy my map data from ProgramData\Garmin\Maps\City_Navigator_North_America_NT_2022_20.gmap to an equivalent path oh his PC and use Basecamp on his PC to unlock the map using his device?  Should be all the same data??

Mainly because the map files installed to his device aren't in an appropriate format for BaseCamp to use if installed to a PC. It's clear when you buy it that it cannot be used with BaseCamp.

I have no idea whether what you're proposing will work but I suspect not. Try it and let us know.

OK, thanks for the information.  When we next get together we'll try it and see.  

It took a while and a fair amount of clicking to find this one liner on the Garmin site:

"To view and use the maps on this card, you must have a device with a microSD/SD card slot. Maps on a microSD/SD card require a unit to be viewed on a computer with BaseCamp or HomePort, depending on the type of map."

As to how clear this is is up for debate.

Well, it worked.  My friend brought his laptop over yesterday.  I had already cloned my Montana 600 with lifetime maps onto a USB stick.  We installed the stick in his PC, launched GE and added my new device. We now had the option to "Install Map to computer".  It must have done a new download from Garmin as it took about 20 minutes.  I was expecting it to just get the map data from the stick. Once done, we ejected the stick and launched BC and had a working CNNA 2022.20.

He plugged in his Montana 610 without lifetime maps and BC now showed up 2 maps, one on the device and one on the PC. He created a route on BC downloaded to the unit and all was well. He's a happy camper.

I guess I'm still not clear on map locking. I thought that maps were locked both to the unit serial number and the PC.  It seems that the lock applies only to the unit itself.

Possibly it will only keep working as long as Garmin Express on his laptop has your Montana 600 as one of its devices.

That's an interesting idea.  His laptop does not have my USB stick installed so the only instance of my unit is via whatever data GE keeps on the PC. I suppose the only way to find out is for him to delete my device from GE. Since he's currently happy and not threatening to throw the device away I'll approach this cautiously:)  Since my device doesn't actually exist on his PC I suppose we can just leave the GE breadcrumb. 

That's what I meant. I should have said "... has the details of your Montana 600 ...". I expect it is the serial number that is required for map eligibility.