Why do all of my GPS locations get erased with every firmware upgrade?

Hello John313,

You did not say what unit you are using. On my 705 there is an easy solution.

I use WinXP. Before updating I connected the 705 to my computer. When the Garmin folder came up I clicked > File > Send To > My Documents. Now I have a complete copy of all the files and software that runs my 705.

Go to "My Documents" and open the Garmin folder there. The GPX folder has a sub folder named "current" and it contains a file named "current.gpx". That file has all the "My Locations" waypoints that I have entered into my 705 plus 3 others that have been put there by Garmin.

If I double click that gpx file it opens in MapSource and shows all the waypoints on the map. Click the Waypoints tab to see/change the details for each waypoint including the symbols.

At this time I can select the map I want to use and then add any extra waypoints I want by using the "Waypoint Tool" and clicking on the map wherever I want. When finished click "Save As" and select GPX. When you close MapSource it will ask if you want to save the changes and I click "No" because otherwise it will save the file again as a gdb file that I cannot use in the 705.

I have found that my most accurate map is "CityNavigatorNorthAmericaNT2010.1". That means that when I make a waypoint at a street intersection with that map and then physically go there with my 705 the coords will usually be within 10 meters. My old Topo West map is off sometimes 30 meters.

After updating the unit (or at any other time) I can connect the 705 to my computer and "Copy" the "current.gpx" file from "My Documents" and "Paste" it into E drive (705) > Garmin > GPX > current >. It will ask if I want to over write and I click "Yes". All "My Locations" waypoints are now back in the 705 without having to hand enter them in.

Note: I find it much safer to disconnect my 705 before using the computer to work on the 705 files I have saved. It prevents me or the computer from accidently messing with the files in the 705 until I am sure I want to.

That sounds great, Don.

I'm using a 310XT. It connects to the computer via an ANT agent wireless device receiver. In "my computer" there is no drive associated with the device. If there is ant way to do what you have detailed, I would love to figure it out.

Any further ideas?

I'm using a 310XT. It connects to the computer via an ANT agent wireless device receiver. In "my computer" there is no drive associated with the device. If there is ant way to do what you have detailed, I would love to figure it out.

When you do a master reset or update the firmware of the 310xt, it erases everything and restores it to the factory settings. Besides GPS points, that also includes personal information, data fields, accumlated totals, and so on. It's a bit of hassle reconfiguring the device, so many people have asked for a way for these settings to be saved on the computer (e.g., in GTC) so that they can be restored onto the 310 after a reset or firmware update. I don't know if Garmin is planning on adding this feature or not.

Thank you. That is exactly where I am coming from too. It certainly would be a factor in my decision of whether to buy another when the time comes to replace this one.