255W Re-starts like it is connecting to a computer
Sun, 11/27/2011 - 9:33pm
 17 years
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I have a Nuvi 255W with firmware 7.5 and the latest maps for North America that I keep plugged in on my car. When I used to turn the car on, the GPS would turn on and loaded the maps fairly quickly. But now, when I turn the car on, the GPS is acting like it is first connecting to a computer, with the horizontal status bar progressing to the right. It eventually loads the maps, but the whole thing now takes about 4 minutes before the unit is ready to navigate.
Any ideas on how to fix this? The last change I made was updating the maps about 3 weeks ago. Thank you,
Bad power adapter?
Garmin power cables and adaptors connect 2 of the wires on the mini USB connector with a resistor, which tells the GPS to go into navigation mode, not USB mode. Normal USB cables do not have that resistor, so the GPS goes into USB mode and appears as a drive on the computer and can have maps and software updates installed. If you search around this forum or gpsreview.net you will find more detailed explanation.
Maybe your car power adapter is failing, or the resistor or connection are not working causing the GPS to think it is connected to a computer. Luckily the 2x5 series will go into navigation mode after a period of time. Some other Garmins are not so easy to put into GPS mode when attached to a USB source without the proper design.