Deleting the preinstalled maps via a hack?

It appears that the preinstalled maps are all stored as files on the inReach Explorer+.

The file system for the inReach Explorer+ shows up as a drive letter only during a long map sync.

It appears possible to browse/copy/delete files from the device if it is doing a long map sync.

I have copied off all the preinstalled maps, but want to know if anyone else has tried to delete them. Did it cause any problems?

Has anyone tried to free up space by deleting the preinstalled maps? I would rather use the OSM maps than the built in maps and I don't like having to constantly add/remove maps because there is not enough space to put all the preinstalled maps and the OSM maps for the us on at the same time.

I drive/hike/fly all over and would rather not have to be adding removing maps before each trip. Sometime I don't know exactly where the trip is going.

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MartinDWhite over 5 years ago +1

I decided to just try it, and it worked. I made a copy of the preloaded maps to my computers harddrive and then deleted the preloaded maps from the inReach. Then I loaded the OSM maps via the webpage and…

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0 4389383 over 3 years ago

I'd be interested to know happens when a software update is done on the unit after the preloaded maps have been deleted using this hack. E.g., does the update fail, or are some of the user's 12 GB of maps wiped out?

0 MartinDWhite over 3 years ago in reply to 4389383

I have updated many times over the last few years and the default maps have never been put back.

Updates haven't failed either.

The little "lock icon" on the default maps is gone from the webpage when I look at the available maps, so I think at this point the only way to get the default maps back would be to restore them from my backup copy I made when I deleted them.

0 4389383 over 3 years ago in reply to MartinDWhite

Thanks!

0 MartinDWhite over 3 years ago in reply to 4389383

I have done a few software updates and they haven't effected the installed maps.

0 3ABOTIN over 3 years ago in reply to MartinDWhite

May be you did something else besides deleting preload maps folder? I have deleted preloaded maps and synced twice or more but web page explorer.garmin.com still shows only 2Gb of free space on my device. When it'll updates info? Windows shows 13,1Gb of free space.

0 3ABOTIN over 3 years ago in reply to 3ABOTIN

The problem was in language settings in explore.garmin.com. In rus language there was 2Gb of free space, in eng us lang free space is 12 Gb.

0 MartinDWhite over 3 years ago in reply to 3ABOTIN

LOL. As a programmer that makes me laugh. Glad you got it working.