Cloning method Discussion Thread: How to install a map update directly to a SD card.

I understand and will try a bit more, but I had been using a C550 -- updated to Lifetime maps -- which worked just fine for my purposes before it died.
Since this is the primary navigation unit in my daily driver, it MUST have current maps. If I can't get it to operate with current maps, it is of no use to me.
Thanks

Interesting thing happened when I updated to 2015.20 using the cloning method today.

I had left the 2015.10 maps on the SD card instead of putting them on the my 3597. Since they were on the card I had placed them in the /map folder and renamed the .img, url, and .gma from gmapprom to 2015.10.

When I used the cloning method today the new map files appeared in the /map folder and not the /.system folder as, I believe, the cloning FAQ would indicate happens. MapUpdater's installation process had simply over ridden the old 2015.10 files, in the Map folder, with the new version BUT had not renamed the files.

I renamed the 3 files to 2015.20 and all is well.

I wouldn't have expected that behavior from Map Updater. I wonder what Express would have done with it.

Someone else will need to answer that.

I'm updating my 3790 as we speak using GE but not using the cloning method on this one.

I have successfully used the cloning procedure on all 3 of my nuvi's for the 2015.20 map update. I used Garmin MapUpdater 3.3.3 for all 3 devices. The only Issue I had was with the 3597LMTHD. MapUpdater downloaded the gmapdem.img file with the name D2248000B.img. It removed the old gmapdem file, so I had to rename D2248000B.img to gmapdem.img before copying the updated files back to the 3597. Otherwise everything went without incident.

I have considered updating the FAQ to recommend the use of Garmin Express instead of Garmin MapUpdater. Garmin has definitely improved Garmin Express, but to me, MapUpdater still seems like the most reliable method for map updates?

Any thoughts on this from the POI Factory members?

I'm with you for now. I stuck with GMU for my cloned 855 just now and it worked perfectly.

The DEM rename is a minor issue and of course, the DEM map is a cute option but not really necessary. I plan to update my 3597 with GMU (std., not clone) tomorrow and know now to look for the odd Dxxx.img file and rename it.

I do also agree that Garmin Express is getting better all the time, so if it installs, updates, and works in the future, I won't be too upset if GarminMapUpdater finally bites the dust.

I'll be interested in how GE handles your DEM file on the 3597. As I've posted, I used Alan's clone method with MapUpdater for my 3597 and ran into the renaming issue, although I wonder if it still would have worked using the default name the update gave it. Maybe Alan knows?

Anyway, I updated by 3790 using GE and not cloning and didn't get an updated DEM file at all. The DEM file on my Nuvi is dated the day I installed 2015.10, back in May.

Since it was determined that the 2015.20 DEM file on the 3597 really was the same file that came with the 2015.10 update, can we assume that GE was smart enough to know that and not simply replace the file with the same file? Let's hope so.

I am becoming less and less afraid of GE. I would have used it today for both cloning and not but I originally ran into an issue with my SD card so switched from GE to MapUpdater, to eliminate GE as the problem, and although it turned out I needed to use a different card, I had GMU up and running so just let it continue to install the update.

I don't know about this map update, but for the past 1-2 or so map updates on a nuvi 3597, the Dxxxxx.img file will not display until after it's renamed to the correct expected file name.

That is interesting that GE seems to know, at least for your 3790, when the DEM file needs not to be updated during a map update. It is odd with GarminMapUpdater not only that it always replaces the DEM map file, but that in doing so, it forgets the need to simply give the file the proper name.

As an experiment I re-downloaded the 2015.20 map update to my 3790 but this time I used MapUpdater and not Garmin Express. This time I got a new DEM file but the one named Dxxxxx.img which had to be renamed to gmapdem.img.

So, at least on the 3790:

1. Using Garmin Express - you don't get a new DEM file which is fine for now as the new file is exactly the same file as the old one. Doesn't answer the question however about what would happen if there was actually a new/different DEM file in the update package.

2. Using Garmin MapUpdater - you get a new DEM file but it has the wrong name and needs to renamed gmapdem.img before it can be used as intended.

Seems like an expert input.

I want to clone garmin system to my 8G sd card because my onboard 4G main drive got 95% full with last map update, and now device is buggy.

1. I don't have an sd card reader. Can I put my sd card in my camera and use that as a reader to clone the data to the sd card -- will mapupdate find that sd card?
2. Not sure I understood from FAQ what I could then delete from the main drive to free up operating space.
3. After cloning and all well, can I use the main drive as a folder for music files to play on the 885T player? thanks

Welcome to The Factory.

I have a nuvi 855, and like your 885T, the nuvi 8x5 series is one of the oddest of the older nuvi models around. Luckily, the cloning faq by alandb is exteremely complete and gives the two or more extra hurdles we must jump to clone a City Navigator to a SD card for use with our nuvi 8x5 devices. The big issue is the back and forth moving of the ASR files from nuvi to SD to nuvi. And if I mess up any of the following, watch the thread for corrections that was appear very quickly.

If this is your first attempt to install a map to an SD card, remember that the SD card is now an integral part of your nuvi (holding the map) and the SD needs to be in place when the nuvi is fired up. Also, the map on SD is locked to your particular nuvi device. The map will not diplay if the SD card is transferred to any other Garmin device.

1) I expect your camera could work to connect your SD card to your computer. But it may be easier to use your nuvi to hold the SD card during the update. In any case, be very careful when told to format or delete a file from the SD card so that your don't mistakenly format the nuvi!

2) If you successfully install a cloned map to your SD card, you can remove your older City Navigator map from the nuvi. It is strongly suggested on this site to always make a full backup of all files on your nuvi to a computer before tinkering with nuvi files. You can also free up lots of space on the nuvi by removing voice/text/help files in languages you do not speak and will never use. There are faqs on this site discussing cloning and freeing up space on your Garmin device.

3) Once you have the new City Navigator map update successfully loaded to your SD card, the free space left on the nuvi and SD card can be used for mp3 files.

Lastly, as with many recent City Navigator map updates, the Junction View file you receive is very low-quality and tiny. Do a search through the forums and faqs for the "large jcv" file. It is very well worth downloading and replacing the tiny default file received with this large jcv file. Note that the large JCV file is map version-specific and you need to download the correct JCV file. Also, with each map update in the future, you will need to download the new JCV file meant for the new map.

Be sure to shout if you need more help as you get underway.

What I'm hoping is that this procedure will turn my Nuvi back into a fully working device. Once I did the 2015 map update earlier this summer, weird behavior began. The keypad sticks on certain letters. Wait 30 seconds and then you can type the next. Sometime the machine refuses to boot, not great when you need to get home from a strange location.

Thanks for telling me I can use the Nuvi as the sd reading device. The card is already formatted so no problem with that. And many thanks for such a quick reply.

The main problem with doing this is that both your nuvi internal storage and the SD card will show up in Garmin Map Updater as your nuvi 885. It is very difficult to tell which is which, and you may select the wrong one to apply the update to. It is much better to disconnect the nuvi from the computer when cloning so you can be certain you have selected the SD card and not the nuvi internal storage as the target of the map update.

If you have a 4 GB or larger USB thumb drive, you can substitute it for the SD card, then when the update is complete, simply copy all the files and folders from the thumb drive over to the SD card on the nuvi.

Weird behavior like this can oftentimes be fixed with a hard reset or clearing the track log. I can't prove this, but I have the distinct feeling that I had fewer lags and freezes, etc. on my 855 after I freed some space in the nuvi storage. Also, the 8x5 series doesn't really turn off with a short press of the power button. A good reboot is to remove and replace the battery.

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/26136

If experiencing weird behavior, especially after a software or map update, I'd try the battery out/in first, clear the track log second, and the hard reset as a final option if the other two don't help.

alandb offers great advice on how to write to the SD card in the absence of a SD card reader while avoiding the dangers of using the nuvi as the card reader. Another option is to buy (Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Radio Shack) a SD/SDHC card reader than plugs into a USB port on your computer. These readers can be found for less than $5 and sometimes are even offered as part of a SD card/reader combo for just cents more than the SD card alone. If you have lifetime map updates for your 885T, you're going to be going through this procedure 4x/year so investing in a card reader that fits into a USB slot may simplify your life a lot every few months.

Just to complete this discussion, there is a way to do it and reliably have Map Updater recognize the SD card instead of the internal storage as the target of the update. It takes a couple of extra steps. Here is the procedure if you want to try it:

First, connect the nuvi with the SD card inserted to your computer. The internal storage will be one drive letter and the SD card a different drive letter. After you have copied the \Garmin\GarminDevice.xml file over to the SD card, rename this file in the internal storage to GarminDevice.sav. Now run Garmin Map Updater, and the cloned SD card will show up as the only instance of your nuvi to Map Updater. Start the update running and while the download is taking place, go back and rename the file in internal storage back to GarminDevice.xml.

Ah, I had forgotten that part.

So, unless you follow the above, users that don't have a USB thumb drive or a SD card reader and don't want to buy either, then the nuvi is probably the worst device to use with the SD card for a cloned map. Therefore, for rmbel48, the original thought of using a camera as a card reader is the best option if no standalone card reader or USB thumb drive in available.

I'm going to try it using my camera. When the sd card is in the camera, the drive shows up as a drive letter and I think it will probably be OK. I don't have a big enough thumb drive, though I could buy one I guess if I have to. I will try with the camera and report how I do. It may take some days as I am busy until mid week. Thanks again everybody for the caring hand-holding.

I downloaded CN North America full version to my Nuvi 2460LMT that has voice command.

I never used the Cloning method so I thought I'd give it a try. Using Map Updater V3.3.3 instead of copying the entire map to the SD card (in the card reader) I decided to download the lower 49 states only.

I was surprised when a message appeared stating by choosing the lower 49 only I would lose voice command. If I wanted voice command I would need to choose the full North America map or US and Canada only. By eliminating Mexico and Canada voice command would be inoperable. I found that quite odd.

The clone method worked perfectly downloading the lower 49 states, it did download the JCV file but no voice command files (ASR).

I wonder had I tried not using the clone method, but the normal map update to the Nuvi if I would have received the same message. I didn't want to risk trying it to avoid potential problems.

@muell9k ... I don't think the problem is related to cloning, although there is a possibility it is tied to Garmin MapUpdater. Express may handle it differently. However, I suspect the issue is explained in this Garmin FAQ: Why is voice command not working on my automotive device?, especially the paragraphs that read:

[quote=alandbThe only exceptions to this rule are the North American nuvi 2460, 800, and 805 series devices. Voice command on these devices will work when either Full Coverage of North America or US & Canada are installed to the device. All other North American devices that have voice command may only use voice command when Full Coverage of North America is installed.

I bought a thumb drive and used that to clone my drive and then transfer to an 8G SD card. I have looked -- maybe I missed somewhere in the FAQ or in this thread -- so see which files I should delete from the main drive before I start up the Nuvi again. I have a screen grab of what's on my main drive, but I don't see a way to upload here. Here's the list:

Folders:
ASR (this is the new one I made using the faq)
Demo
Diag
ExtData
GPX
Help
JCV (will replace with the large one but keep on SD card, right?)
LEX_PKG
POI
RemoteSW
Update
Vehicle
Voice

Files
006B048201.bin
.express
.express_lang_packs
gmapprom.gma
nuvi_drive.ico
gmapbmap.img
gmapprom.img
gmapbmap.sum
gmapprom.sum
gmapprom.uml
fs_image.ver
GarminDevice.xml

Thanks for helping a newbie out, rmb.

This is for your 885T and not the 2557, right? It matters since the 885T has some back and forth needed. After a quick skim, I see the following. It may be best to wait for alandb to confirm my thoughts or point out something that I missed.

1) the ASR folder: The old ASR folder and contents need to be removed from the nuvi, then the new ASR folder and contents moved from the SD card to the nuvi. (This is part of the cloning faq designated only for nuvi 8x0 and 8x5 devices.) If copied rather than moved, the ASR folder can then be deleted from the SD card. In fact, the old ASR folder and files should have been copied to your thumb drive, along with the GarminDevice.xml file before you started to clone the thumb drive. Did you do this? If not, wait and see if alandb finds that to be a problem for cloning your nuvi 8x5 device.

2) JCV: If/When you do download the large JCV file, you will need to delete or disable the small one that came with the map update. The old JCV file still on the nuvi is tied to the earlier map and should be deleted when you delete the old map from the nuvi (see below). The new small JCV file on your SD needs to be deleted when you replace it with the separately-downloaded "large JCV." Between the nuvi and the SD card clone files, you want just a single JCV file, and it needs to be one designed for the 2015.20 map, whether the small one that came with the 2015.20 map update or the "large JCV" for the 2015.20 map that you manually downloaded.

3) The three map files (gmapprom) on the SD card will need to be renamed gmapsupp on the SD card. On your nuvi, you will also find these three gmapprom files which are your old previous map. These can be deleted (or saved to a computer backup in case you ever want to use the old map again; e.g., in case the new map on the SD card doesn't work for you). I assume when you called one gmapprom.uml that it's a typo and is really gmapprom.unl. I wouldn't delete these from the nuvi until you know the new map files on SD card work. But keeping them on the nuvi will show you on your Map Info page two City Navigator NA maps: the 2015.20 from the SD card, and the older 2015.10? from the nuvi. Be sure to uncheck the older map and just have the new 2015.20 checked. When you delete the old gmapprom files from the nuvi, your Map Info page will then only show the one new City Navigator map, the 2015.20 one on the SD card.

4) Once everthing is working as it should for you with the new 2015.20 map on the SD card, you should delete the GarminDevice.xml file from the SD card.

Just to double-check: Do not delete the gmapbmap.img file from your nuvi as it is your BaseMap. It's not necessary, especially if your nuvi storage now has lots of free space, but you can look to the files inside the Voice folder and delete the ones in languages you will never use to gain space--this is not part of the cloning method but is a way to gain space on the nuvi.*

Rememeber to either have a full backup of both the nuvi and SD card before starting what I suggest, especially if you go by my suggestions rather than waiting for confirmation from alandb! What I write above has you deleting and moving/overwriting files--and if I missed something or you deleted the wrong files, you really want a backup to go to. Your existing nuvi files on the nuvi device are especially important since if something needed for use is removed, your nuvi won't work until it's been replaced.

Once your nuvi and SD card files and folders are good to go, I suggest removing the battery from the 885T, then inserting the SD card, then finally reinserting the battery to boot everything. Don't pull or replace the SD card with the nuvi powered up. Also, "safely disconnect" or "eject" your thumb drive and SD card from the computer before removing them.

Hmm, did the "camera as a SD card reader" method not work for you causing the purchase of the thumb drive? Just curious.

* The only voices I have kept on my nuvi 855 are:

English American
English British
Jack
Jill
Michelle
Karen
Lee
Daniel
Emily
Matilda
James
Kate

Craig has given the correct advice for completing the map update.

Regarding the files in the ASR folder, you will find some files with the file name extension of .srd and others with the extensions of .ASR and .SRX. The map update will download new .ASR and .SRX files, but you will not get new .srd files. Do not delete the old .srd files!

If you don't use Cloning, MapUpdater or Express will automatically remove the old .ASR and .SRX files and replace them with the .ASR and .SRX files for the new map. When cloning, you need to do this manually. In other words, delete the old .ASR and .SRX files from the previous map and replace them with the new ones that were downloaded to the SD card.

Hope that makes sense.

I will follow the instructions from the two most recent replies, thanks. I used a thumb drive instead of camera because I found one for 6 bucks and it looked like it would be easier than fiddling my sd card in and out of the camera and in and out of the nuvi -- less confusion for a first timer. I haven't downloaded the large JCV file yet but now that I know which one to choose will do so. It takes a long time for the download. I will let you guys know how it all works out, tomorrow. Many thanks.

That's great. We always like to know when you succeed--and are around if more help is needed.

As you have found, the 2015.20 full-screen JCV file is D3060150A.JCV. The great news is that for the past year or so, Garmin offers the new JCV file very soon after the new map comes out--and in addition to hearing here first that the new map is out, someone will offer the link to the new correct "large JCV." If you have just used the small default JCV provided for your 885T, you will be amazed at the added JVs and their image quality!

Actually you don't have to wait for someone to offer the link to the new large JCV file when a new map update is released. You can easily figure out where it is by referring to our FAQ called:

How to find and download Garmin's Large Junction View file

which is at:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/42659

I knew about the procedure but didn't know it was a faq. I continue to be amazed at the quantity of quite-recent Garmin faqs that are now offered. My problem is that even with a browser page "search," I still succeed only about 50% of the time in finding a faq I need--or 80% of the time if I remember that the faq I want does exist--which makes me look longer and harder to find it.

Then, too, there are the folks who read the faq, then report that the links to these files don't work . From the faq:

2015.30 - will be found at http://download.garmin.com/support/2015_30/NA/JV/D3060160A.J...

2015.40 - will be found at http://download.garmin.com/support/2015_40/NA/JV/D3060170A.JCV

Of course one has to read the FAQ and understand that it was written to assist folks in finding the large JCV file once it's corresponding map update had been released.

The link works fine today as you get a File Not Found message. That's because there is no large JCV file for 2015.30 or 2015.40 as neither of those map updates have been released yet.

New map shows up as 2015.20. Typing on keyboard no longer freezes some keys -- though will need to see long term if this is fully repaired. I couldn't have done it without all the kind hand-holding here. This is what I love about the web -- the generosity of folks like you guys. Gratitude to all.

However when I booted up the first time, there's was a message: Detail map does not support routing. I took out battery and replaced and booted again and didn't see the message. Do I need to check something? Thanks, rmb.

As far as I know, the "doesn't support routing" message occurs only when you have a locked map or when you have unchecked the City Navigator map in your nuvi (making the nuvi use the BaseMap which is not routable).

Assuming the error message doesn't come back and that you can route yourself to a destination with 2015.20, you're set to go. If the message does come back, the only thing I can think of checking is your MapInfo page on your 885T (or the MyMaps page of your 2557LMT) to confirm that your 2015.20 City Navigator map has a check mark by it. If not, check it and the error should go away. You can route to a destination with the 885T and the new 2015.20 map now, right?

If you are looking for a FAQ on our site, you might try the Index.
http://www.poi-factory.com/faq/index

If anyone thinks of words or "tags" that need to be included to make searching easier, they are easily added.

Now the Map Info says NONE. Not sure what I did wrong.

Double check the file names of the map files in the \Garmin folder on the SD card and make sure you have them named correctly as gmapsupp.unl, gmapsupp.gma and gmapsupp.img.

They are correctly named. The JCV file is in a JCV folder also on the SD card. Nothing else on SD.

Figured it out. I had old JCV folder still on main drive along with new big JCV on SD card. Now device shows 2015.20 map.

Glad you got it working, but the extra JCV folder and file in internal storage should not cause the map to disappear from MapInfo. That is one of those "head scratchers" that is hard to explain. I hope you don't have a flakey SD slot in your nuvi.

In any case, it sounds like your 885 is now functional with full NA map and full coverage JCV. Keep us posted on how it performs over time.

Have to wait and see. My previous sd card (also 8G) could not be seen by the Nuvi but could by my camera, so who knows. I've been transferring mp3s to the main drive. Guess Ill wait to see how the device operates before I continue. As always, gracias. rmb

I'll give it a try. Thanks.

Thank You Alandb for such detailed instruction, this sounds like a very useful procedure.

DavidH

So, to update, I've abandoned the 885s as just too wonky for my constitution, and have gone back to my trusty 765Ts - both of which I have now updated to 2015.20 using Alan's cloning method.

For reference and perhaps assistance to others, I wanted to post some 'oddities' that I experienced. Note that one 765T was being updated from CN NA 2015.10, and the other from a much older 2010 version of CN NA. Both were updated using Garmin Express, and both originally had the maps residing on the unit's internal memory (the 2015.10 unit was nearly full, the 2010 unit still had plenty of space on it). This was the first CLONE for each (although I had successfully used the cloning procedure to update maps on one of the now-abandoned 885s).

On the 765T that was updated from CN NA 2015.10, when rebooted after the successful clone (with 2015.20 maps now properly residing on the SD card), three maps appeared in Tools>Maps>Map Info: 2015.20, 2015.10 and 2015.10-3D. All three were checked. Odd. The 2015.20-3D map did not appear in Map Info, even though the GMP3D files were indeed on the SD card.

So I went into the device's internal memory and appended the letters OLD to the end of each of the 2015.10 .img, .gma, and .unl files for EACH of the 2015.10 and 2015.10-3D files. Rebooted, and Map Info then properly showed 2015.20 and 2015.20-3D maps, both now checked. I also appended OLD to the end of the JCV file on the device, as a new one had been loaded onto the SD card.

Questions: 1) Wonder why both old and new regular maps showed up, and only the old 3D map? 2) To free up space on the device (it's nearly full), can I now simply delete the old 2015.10 map and JCV files from the device, or must they be used by Garmin Express to verify lifetime map eligibility or something?
3) The JCV file that was downloaded with 2015.20 seems to already be the large 750+MB file. I thought that this file was only to be had if specifically downloaded separately, and that the update would install the small abbreviated JCV file - no? That said, the old 2015.10 JCV file is also a large 700MB+ file. Confused.

With respect to the OTHER 765T that was being updated from the older 2010 maps, I noticed that the files downloaded to the SD card were different (and more) than those that had been downloaded to the first unit's SD card, and included some .SUM files and perhaps some bmap files. In any case, when booted up with the updated SD card inserted, two maps appeared - 2015.20 and the old 2010 3D map. Both were checked. The old 2010 non-3D map did not appear. Nevertheless, I went into the internal device drive and again appended OLD to the applicable files, as above, and all seems well - I now show the 2015.20 regular and 3D maps as checked.

Another question: What are .sum files and bmap files, and do they need to be altered? I did not disturb any of these files.

Out of curiosity, why do the update file names need to be changed to SUPP? If the OLD is appended, as above, is the renaming then unnecessary?

Finally, if I do not intend to remove the SD card from the device, except for cloning when updates become available, is it actually necessary to delete the garmindevice.XML file from the SD card? If not, will future updates be as simple as removing the SD card (with its resident .xml file) and letting Garmin Express find and update that card, or will additional steps need to be taken, i.e. removing the OLD appendages, etc? Clearly, I could not swap cards between units.

Thanks so much for this method, Alan, and for the support. I'm disappointed that the 885s did not work out, as Garmin really nailed the Voice Recognition and I was getting accustomed to it, but apart from that and the brighter screen on the 885, there is nothing about it that I like better than the 765T.

Yes you can delete the 2015.10 files from your Nuvi and it will not interfere with future updates. I believe the file that determines what maps etc. your eligible for is the GarminDevice.xml file.

I suspect that you will continue to receive the large JCV file as long as the update process determines there is sufficient room on your SD or Nuvi to old it.

The .sum file is a checksum file that is used to determine if the .img file was installed correctly. I do not think it's really required.

I'm not sure what bmap files you are wanting to know about but depending on your device they could be:

gmapprom.img - main map file

gmapsupp.img - supplementry map files other than the maim map file

gmapbmap.img - basemap map file used when a detailed map is not available

gmaptmz.img - time zome file used to display the correct time and arrival times

gmap3d.img - map file for displaying 3D buildings

gmapdem.img - map file used to display terrain on map screen

There may be other gmap files I'm forgetting but these are the main ones.

I'm sorry to report that I had the exact same experience once updating my 885 to the new larger maps, and that putting these much larger maps on an SD card and clearing out all unnecessary files on the unit itself made absolutely no difference. I too thought, reasonably, that a maxed out hard drive was the culprit, and that freeing it up would give the 885 a little breathing room to operate correctly. I also tried the reboots, battery removal, etc. that CraigW mentions above -- all to no avail.

I've now come to the disappointing conclusion that the LINUX-based OS on the 8X5 series is simply too puny to handle the newer large maps and function correctly, as when I went back to the old smaller (2010?) maps all was well again.

Some of my issues (including the text entry issue you are experiencing, plus reboots, plus reverting to default languages, plus music player problems, plus hangups, plus . . . you name it) are actually discussed earlier in this thread if you care to look through its 4 pages.

The inability to update to current maps renders the 885 useless for me, which is particularly disappointing as I had just purchased Lifetime Update for this 885; I loved the excellent and reliable Speech Recognition; and I prefer the brighter screen.

My post located two posts above is related to all of this - as I've now gone back to the 785T and all seems well. It has a much more capable processor.

I really don't want to be a black cloud here, but you may want to adjust your expectations.

That said, if you have success, I'd LOVE to know how you did it!!

Thanks for this info. Very helpful. Still learning.

I had assumed the 3D image was for 3D view in maps, but now see it's for 3d building renderings, which I never use.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure I even know how to select that option. I'll look at the manual - and may very well delete the 3D image files if they are not integral.

@Kimolaoha ... I have also seen some anomalies when both old and new maps are left on the device and SD card. The way the nuvi handles multiple versions of the same map seems to be inconsistant across different models and even on the same device across different map updates. So when cloning, it is best to do as you did and rename or remove the old map files before you boot up with the new maps on the SD card.

In regard to the 885 problems, I have observed the sluggish key entry on my 855 after a map update too. But it seems to clear up after it has been used a while. I suspect when you first boot up after an update, the processor is busy processing the new files.

Hmmm . . . maybe I'll raise it from the dead yet again for testing, though the processor did have several days of use during my last go-round with it.

But goodness, there just seems to be so much 'wrong' with these 8x5s.
No true power down, just a sleep mode??
We throw a fully charged 255W in my wife's glove box as an emergency spare and it is always ready and willing to help. That wouldn't be so with the 885 - unless we removed the battery - right?

The 8x5's definitely have their quirks. That said, my 855 was my "daily driver" until I upgraded to the 3597LMTHD in Jan. The 855 served me well for 4 years and took me on many road trips. I also have a 755T, and while it has fewer glitches than the 855, the screen is just not bright enough to see in bright sunlight. So I always used the 855 and left the 755 in the glove box as a backup.

So far, the 3597 has been a delight to use and has had very few problems.

Thanks Alan.

Yes, I do wish the screen was a little better in the 7X5 . . . and that it had the 8x5's voice recognition capability.

And I'd certainly jump on one of the newer models in a heartbeat if they'd re-incorporate audio out, external antenna, and microphone IN jacks again.

Wish I'd read back through all the pages of this thread before posting, might have shed light on my situation -- but I admit to being a little overloaded as a first timer with just understanding how to clone at all.

So far the 885 seems OK, though I did notice such a long wait time for a name search that I gave up. No sticky keys, though. I just received a 2597 sent as a replacement for a wonky previous 2557. My thinking is that if the 885 functions OK, I'll keep that and return the other for credit. Guess I need to watch what's going on for a good while to be sure before I do. The 885's sleep mode only, is pretty weird. When I got the device several years back, the previous OS didn't do that. It was an 'improvement' that came with a later system update. I have to remember to charge via outlet before I leave on trips, a drag. But I have no other music player, so I like that function a lot. Have to weigh all the pluses and minuses. Thanks for sharing your POV. rmb

Wow, you predicted accurately, Kimolaoha. My 885T keypad froze again -- and froze so long that I had to turn off the device, so my description of success was way too premature. So, I can either give up and keep my new 2597 or try to install an older, smaller map onto the 885. I will search this forum to see if there are instructions on how to do that. rmb