Nuvi SD card problems

Did you create directories on the SD card?

Others may need to chip in if this is wrong but I expect POI files on a SD card need to be in the card's \garmin\poi directory to be seen by the nuvi.

The nuvi won't recognize the card. It should even if there are no directories.
Wasn't there something on this forum about newer units and some setting in the nuvi to set up/check a mass storage setting?

EDIT: See if this works. Different nuvi, but...
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/35050

Was the SD card formatted in FAT32 or NTFS?

No format of either, nothing pops asking me about SD card since it does not show up anywhere.

Format the SD card in fat32. Create a folder and put the POIs in there. See if that works.

You might try this experiment.

In the older 7xx series you could put your poi's (.GPI) files on the SD card as follows.

x:\garmin\POI\*.GPI

When the Nuvi booted it see the POI's and would ask you (first time only) if you wanted them installed to the GPS or remain on the SD card.

That's the place to check. Or, if it has an adapter, the adapter may be faulty. Had that happen to me lately with a SanDisk. Changed it out to an old one, and there it was...

Not a problem with the card. As per what fishook40 wrote "I can install the POI files to the card using my computer. But they won’t show in the unit."

It does not matter if the card is formatted or anything on it. It should be seen as a drive through the nuvi.

Did you look to see if there is a mass storage setting as per my earlier post?

Since the unit is new I would call Garmin... They will walk you through it.

Yea, but if it formatted as NTFS instead of Fat32 the computer will see it and you'll think you are good but the Nuvi won't see it.

Put the SD card in the reader of your computer. Right click on the Drive letter of the SD and then left click on PROPERTIES, It will tell you size and which way it is FORMATTED. Format it to FAT32 if it isn't
Reinstall SD into Nuvi and connect Nuvi to computer to see if you can now see it.

NTFS is only for Windows 2000 and higher, I believe.

Actually, NTFS goes back to Windows NT 3.1 (1993), introduced by Microsoft after they had the falling out with IBM over OS2.

However, the main point is that the SD card for Garmin must be FAT32 and not NTFS.

I could not get my POI files loaded to my SD card to show on the GPS device until I changed the extention from .poi to .gpi.

That's what it's always been, for the unit and the card. How did it get to '.poi'?

POI Loader 2.7.0 goes to save a file on an SD card.

POI is the file name in the loader, not the extension. I've just finished loading new files, and they are indeed a .gpi extension.

I was having a problem with my 2595lmt. I changed the files and tried to reload, it was supposed to delete the old one and install the new one but it wasn't doing that. Then all of the sudden it quit seeing the card. I deleted the files but it still wouldn't see the card and the poi's were still in it even though it said there was no custom poi files. I hooked it up to the computer with usb and ran poiloader and it asks if you want to delete custom poi's. I deleted them and then used the card again and it worked and loaded the new poi. Everythings fine now again. In the future I will always connect to computer and delete files before updating custom POI's. Hope this can help you.

Robert, I'm glad you've brought this up.

I did mention this trick as well months ago, when POI Loader went to a new version, and it does work. It seemed to me the file coding was somehow incompatible.

Thanks for the reminder!

When you save to a card it will not ask to delete custom pois because it does not find any. The reason is that it names them .poi.

That then becomes a problem seeing custom poi because it is the wrong extension. This issue has become a problem and Garmin does not seem to want to fix it.

Now I get it!

I am using POI Loader 2.6.1.0 still. I've just remembered I turned off the Auto Updates feature in it a while back.

Have this file if someone needs to revert. Email me.

I run 2.6.1 also even though I have both on the computer.

It's the partitioning of the SD Card!!!
I struggled for days with my Garmin and different SD cards from all brands, qualities, speeds, specs.
Finally I found out that SD cards must be very strictly partitioned: you must have only 1 PRIMARY PARTITION on the card. Several tools on windows like Windows' disk management tool and MiniTool's Partition Editor create nested partitions... phones and gps devices can't open those.

How I found this out is when I got home and tried to manipulate some map images. Linux saved my day and now I can navigate american maps with a european Nuvi.
So the tip here is: try to see if your SD card has been partitioned to have EXTENDED partitions or LOGICAL partitions. IF that's the case you need to delete them, create a primary partition, format it to FAT32, and re-copy your maps.