Fenix 3 vs Garmin Express ("servers unavailavle for this moment" message)

Obtained personal answer going to try this night

I got an answer to my question above,

I will be able to spare an hour for that tonight. May be it would be of some use for other people with same problem. In case of success please let us know what DOES work of this "endless" list of possible solutions. Good luck to us all.

Thank you for contacting Garmin Europe.

I am happy to help with your enquiry.

Garmin Express connects to the Internet to download software and map updates for GPS devices. Internet connectivity and network connection issues can cause problems in Garmin Express. This can manifest as:

"There was a problem downloading the update" error messages
No visible progress over time
Progress periodically reverting to an earlier value
‘Problem connecting to Garmin Servers’ error message
If this occurs:

Ensure that the Internet connection meets the system requirements for Garmin Express. A high-speed Internet connection is required. Garmin Express is not intended to be used with mobile broadband (such as MiFi, AirCard, or cell phone tethering), satellite, fixed wireless, or dial-up Internet connections
If applicable, disable any VPN (Virtual Private Network) or proxy that is in use. If this is not possible, use a different computer and/or network connection
Add an exception for Garmin Express to any third party firewall. Please ensure you have the following in your antivirus/firewall software's exceptions list for safe websites:
.garmin.com
.garmincdn.com
*It is not necessary to disable the built-in firewalls in Windows or Mac OS X

If using WiFi, disable WiFi and connect the computer directly to the modem using an Ethernet cable
Reset the modem and leave disconnected for 5 minutes
If the issue persists, adjust the computer's LAN settings:

Windows:

Press the Windows key on the keyboard
Type Internet Options
Press Enter
Click the Connections tab
Click LAN Settings
Select the box "Automatically detect settings"1
Clear any boxes for use of a proxy server
Click OK, then OK again
Mac:

Click the Apple icon
Click System Preferences
Click Network
Click Ethernet
Click the Advanced button
Click the Proxies tab
Select the box "Auto Proxy Discovery"
Click OK
Corrupted GarminDevice.xml

It is possible for Garmin Express to read a partial GarminDevice.xml file from the device. This can cause Express to display the error connecting to the services. Ensure the device has enough free space and regenerate the GarminDevice.xml on the device. To do this follow the steps below:

PC
Connect the Garmin GPS to the Computer
Press the Windows key + E
Open the Garmin drive listed
Open Internal Memory (MTP devices only)
Open the Garmin folder
Right click on the GarminDevice.xml file
Select Delete
Disconnect the device from the PC and boot it up
Attach the device back to the PC once the device is loaded up
Mac
Connect the Garmin GPS to the Computer
Open Garmin drive in Finder or on the desktop
Open the Garmin folder
CTRL + click on the GarminDevice.xml
Select delete GarminDevice.xml
Disconnect the device from the Mac and boot it up
Attach the device back to the MAC once the device is loaded up
The map update can also fail to progress if the time and date are not set correctly on the computer. To correct this, adjust the clock on the computer to the correct date and time.

Windows:

Right-click the clock on the lower right-hand corner of the taskbar
Click Adjust date/time
Click Change date and time
Adjust the clock to the correct setting
Click OK
Mac:

Click the Apple icon
Click System Preferences
Click Date & Time
Adjust the clock to the correct settings
Close the window
After the settings have been changed, run the update in Garmin Express again. The update should now progress normally.

1No action is required if this is already selected

If the above troubleshooting was unsuccessful I suggest you update Garmin Express.

You can uninstall Garmin Express by following the steps below:

Windows:

Click Start.
Click Control Panel (Windows 8 users will need to access the Control Panel from the Apps menu).
Click Add & Remove Programs or Programs in Features for Windows Vista/7 users.
Click on Garmin express
Click on Remove or uninstall.
Mac:

Open Macintosh HD.
Click on the Applications folder.
Drag the Garmin Express to the trash.
You can then download the latest version of Garmin Express from the following link:

http://download.garmin.com/omt/express/B/GarminExpressInstaller.exe

I would recommend removing the device, completely closing the application and then reopening it and re-associating the device. This procedure can fix a variety of issues. I have included information below on how to complete that process:

Windows:

Open Garmin Express.
Click Tools
Click Remove Device
Disconnect the device from the computer.
Close the Express window.
Now that the device has been removed, we will need to close the application.

Right click the Garmin Express icon in the system tray (lower right hand corner, next to the clock on your computer).
Click Exit.
On your keyboard, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
Click Start Task Manager (Windows XP users can skip this step)
Click Processes.
Right click ‘Garmin.Cartography.MapUpdate.CoreService.exe’.
Click End Process.
Close the Task Manager.
Click the Windows Start icon.
Click Programs/All Programs.
Click Garmin.
Click Garmin Express.
The application will now launch, reconnect your Garmin device to the computer and follow the on screen prompts to associate the device to Express.

Mac:

Click on Tools
Ensure your device is listed
Click remove device
Now that the device has been removed, we will need to close the application.

Click the Garmin Express icon in the top menu bar (black triangle).
Click Quit.
Disconnect the device from the computer.
Now reopen Garmin Express, reconnect your Garmin device to the computer and follow the onscreen prompts to associate the device to Express.

You should now be able use Garmin Express without any issues occurring.

If you still experience the same error, can you provide me the following information so I can open a case with our software team:

Error message or problem you have received
Screenshot of error
What you have tried so far
Device Serial Number
What version of Windows or Mac you are running
What version of Garmin Express you are running
Your internet Browser
There are also a couple of files we will need to help our team with resolving your issue.

Firstly we will need you to collect the logs from the computer using Garmin Express:

Windows:

Open Garmin Express
Click Settings in the upper right-hand corner (Gear icon)
Click Send logs to Garmin
Enter the following code:RV9J5
Click Submit
Mac:

Open Garmin Express
Click the black triangle icon in the Mac menu bar (gray bar at the top of the screen)
Click Preferences
Click Send logs to Garmin
Enter the following code:RV9J5
Click Submit
We also require the Garmindevice.XML file. To locate the Garmindevice.XML, please do the following:

Windows:

Connect the unit to the computer
Open my computer
Open the Garmin Drive
Open Garmin Folder
Mac:

Connect the device to the computer.
Open the GARMIN drive on the Desktop.
Open the Garmin folder.
Can you please email me the file called GarminDevice.XML.

Please help us improve the service we offer you by taking our Customer Support survey. Please click the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GarminCustomerSurvey
If there is anything else I can help you with then please let me know. Alternatively you can search for a solution here: http://www.garmin.co.uk/support

Kind regards,

Nicola

Garmin Europe

had same issue with F3 .. what helped me was correct date at first initial setup i did choose to maually setup time but i was unable to setup date , i did have correct time but not date ... i did perform "restore defaults" and next time used set time by GPS it took 15 min to do that but after that time + date was correct to my surprise garmin express start working very well :)

FW 3.10

cheers
Karol

Thank you Karol,

I just tried to do the 1st step of the instruction sent to me - added web-sites to internet explorer and rebooted internet explorer. Started the Garmin Express and YES! is connected to server. For ppl who still struggles with this issue here what I have done, because I don't know what did work and which step made a real impact. May be servers just started working on Garmin side-)
So,
1. I set time for New York (-4 GMT)
2. I was on WiFi connection
3. Added garmin web sites suggested by support team

thanks to all, problem solved. Total lost time 24 hours, not that bad...