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Garmin Express Rarely Recognizes Device

Garmin Express rarely recognizes my Garmin Edge 705. I'm using the original cable, have tried multiple USB ports, and have the same situation on my Mac and on my PC. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. To get it to work, I usually have to shut down the Garmin, restart it, restart Express, restart my computer, and if I'm lucky it'll work.

The device seems to (otherwise) work perfectly and has the latest software (3.30).

By the way, this link Why is my Garmin mass storage device not communicating with Garmin Mac applications? claims you need to be able to see the Garmin device in the Finder, but whenever I can connect and synch I do not see it there. I never see it there.

Finally, when I plug an unplug the USB cable the Garmin makes a loud beep, so they do recognize each other, and the Garmin charges.

Any ideas?

0 EXPRESSCUSTOMERCARE over 9 years ago

andrewpatterson_

I am sorry for the troubles with the Edge 705. Since you are having the same issues on both a Mac and PC it sounds like a hardware or device issue but since it works sometimes it is very difficult to diagnose via the forum. I would start with the ability of the computer to see the device when it is connected. The Edge 705 is a mass storage device so it will mount as a drive just like a USB Flash drive when connected. It will show up in the Finder Sidebar under Devices and/or the Desktop on the Mac and in Computer/This PC on a Windows computer. If you do not see it in Finder or the Desktop on the Mac you may need to change your Finder Preferences.

1. Activate Finder
2. Click Finder in the Menu bar (upper left corner)
3. Click Preferences
4. Click General icon
5. Select External disk to show the drive on the Desktop
6. Click Sidebar icon
7. Click External disks under the Devices section

Once these changes are made the Garmin drive will display under Devices in the Sidebar of a Finder window and on the Desktop when the Edge is connected and properly communicating with the Mac. This is the basic fundamental method for the Edge to connect to the computer.

No settings need to be changed on a Windows computer. The Edge will display as a drive letter, usually Garmin E:, F: or G: in the Computer or This PC section on a Windows computer.

It is important that you give the Edge time to properly start up in between attempts. If you disconnect and reconnect immediately the Edge doesn't have enough time to start up and the computer may not detect or communicate with it. Powering it off before connecting is a good way to ensure it will communicate with the computer properly. It will power on then go into Mass Storage mode.

You might also check out the suggestions in the FAQ below:

What can I do if my fitness mass storage device is not being recognized by the computer?https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId={e9a42540-68cd-11e3-f27b-000000000000}

I recommend you contact Product Support by phone if you continue to have troubles.

Curt

0 djousma over 9 years ago

I had this problem at one time, and it was due to some add-on software I had installed on my mac that allowed the mac to recognize windows ntfs disks. I could plug/unplug my garmin 20 times and the mac might have recognized it 2 of the 20 times. Once I uninstalled that software, things were a lot better. Now it connects every single time.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

I had this problem today on my Mac with my gpsmap 62s and spent 4 hours trouble shooting it today reading forum posts and trying different things. Finally tried a new cable (not Garmin - cable came with my GoPro ) and it worked flawlessly.

Symptoms of faulty cable:
1. After connecting cable, device switched to USB mass storage mode and displayed USB image.
2. After several seconds, USB image on device disappears and device displays boot messages (loading waypoints, maps, blah blah blah), then starts normal operating mode.
3. Device never recognized by Mac