Gamin Express unable to update map

But just so you know, the Garmin cable isn't simply a standard cable...

Sure it is. A standard USB cable. That said Garmin cables are generally of best quality than some cheap 3rd party ones.

Garmin power adapters and units are a little non-standard but that's a different issue.

Yes, not a good choice of words, I was really referring to the inference that the Garmin cable is simply a standard cable and so could be replaced with a longer one, which of course may or may not work as not all USB cables are the same hence Garmin's comment that USB cables supplied for other devices may not work.

I don't really want to get in a spitting match with you, so I offer this only as an attempt to be helpful. You say that the download step completed OK and the update step always fails at 18%. I can think of 2 things that could cause this .... a corrupt download, or insufficient space on the computer's C: drive. You could try to solve the first problem by attempting the download again. For the second issue, I know you said you had lots of free space but didn't indicate how much free space there was on the C: drive. The Garmin map update process takes an insane amount of free space on C: for the download, extract and install. Space on other drives isn't used (except for the final install step if you chose "install to computer" and selected a drive other than C: ).

Assuming the computer C: drive space is not the problem, you might want to try the "cloning method" to install the update directly to a SD card or thumb drive. Sometimes going through the cloning process will help you discover where the failure is occurring. If you are interested, you can find a description of the cloning process if you Google "Garmin Maps Cloning Method".

That said, your best bet for getting this resolved is to call (not email) Garmin support on Monday as you suggested.

I have the similar issue with urs. In attempt to update the maps, the garmin express stop working and stall when I click the install button. I have connected the gps to computer successfully and I also tried to reinstall garmin express several times. the issue has not been solved yet. My mode is also 2597 LMT. HELPHELPHELPHELPHELP

I too have experienced a significant number of problems trying to get Maps updated to my Nuvi 2555. On XP, the install keeps hanging, and complains about not being able to start the Map Updater service. I have tried every trick in the book found on Garmins support forums among other places. Nothing has solved the problem. On Vista, I was a little more successful. The Garmin Express install on the Vista computer just kept saying "Failed/Try Again". I went to the control panel/programs and features/.Net software products (there were several) and "Repaired" each .Net installation. After each .Net component was "Repaired", I would reboot and try the install again. The install finally completed, but I did have to hit the "Try again" button on each and every attempt.

On the XP machine, I still haven't figured it out. I was trying the latest .26 install, but I also found an older .21 version of GarminExpress. That one has the same problem (insufficient privileges to start mapupdater service)



The Event Viewer errors don't help much, but I also do not know the location of any application specific logs to check. So this is all I have to give to support:

I have rebooted XP several times and retried the Garmin Express install to no avail. I have done the .Net “repair” procedure that some of your support moderators in the forums suggested, that also did nothing to solve the problem. I am administrator on the XP machine. I have also created a new profile and tried to install with that. Still no progress. I have also modified the properties of the Garmin MapUpdater service so that it starts using the “NetworkService” account. Still did not work.

Were are the log files? Cause the Event Viewer Application log just shows:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: .NET Runtime 4.0 Error Reporting
Event Category: None
Event ID: 5000
Date: 12/26/2014
Time: 5:19:33 PM
User: N/A
Computer: NICOLE-DESKTOP
Description:
EventType clr20r3, P1 ti0tmtvdkjpcqc2rszqitumg31mtbc4k, P2 2.9.6.30, P3 5446b7cd, P4 garmin.cartography.mapupdate.coreservice, P5 2.9.6.30, P6 5446b7cd, P7 6e8, P8 15, P9 system.io.fileloadexception, P10 NIL.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

And the system log shows:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7000
Date: 12/26/2014
Time: 5:19:58 PM
User: N/A
Computer: NICOLE-DESKTOP
Description:
The Garmin Core Update Service service failed to start due to the following error:
The service did not respond to the start or control request in a timely fashion.


Garmin support responded to this information with, (and I quote): "Reboot and try again"

Honestly, I do like the Garmin a lot, even though I use my iPhone for GPS navigation in an increasing number cases. I am a Software Systems integration architect with 20+ years of IT software and hardware experience, and I will have to agree with a number of posts that the constant software failures/issues are probably doing a lot of damage to Garmin's existing and potential customer base.

No doubt Garmin has probably outsourced their software development to India, which has resulted in near fatal destruction of software products for companies around the world. What used to be solid quality products made by experienced engineers, are now virtually unusable products with the most remedial of features, and a plethora of bugs. Luckily, I got my Garmin updated because I have purchased a newer computer. But Garmin can't really expect to have decent market share if their product requires everyone to buy a new computer. AND there is an avalanche of Vista and Windows 7 users also having Garmin Express installation issues. It is sad.

Well it's misleading to say there have been an 'avalanche' of users ...

I have Win 7 on both my PCs, and XP before that, and never a problem with Express. It's true there are some users who have issues, but invariably it's due to a problem with the PC ... which is why it's suggested you call Garmin. They can look at your PC remotely to see exactly what's going on and correct it.

DavidRedWine

I am sorry for the troubles. The engineers are looking into the modest install issues we have experienced. Make sure your user account has a password and that your Windows Installer is updated to the latest version 4.5. The log files you are looking for are in the %temp% directory. Since you had an older version of Express installed use the Microsoft Fixit Utility in the FAQ: What should I do if the computer cannot find the .msi file when updating a Garmin Software Application? to completely uninstall Express and all its parts then install 3.2.26

If you continue to have troubles I suggest you continue using the Vista machine and wait until the next Garmin Express update is released.

Curt

First try the download again ensuring nothing is blocking it (AV or firewall). Ensure your SD card is formatted as FAT32, if not then Windows will see it but your Garmin won't.

If that doesn't work try deleting the relevant map folder in the C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Core Update Service and try again.