Common Problems and their Solutions (Garmin)

1. Sound file (.mp3/.wav) is not named the same as the POI file (.csv/.gpx)
The character string to the left of the extension must be the same for the POI file, the sound file and the Icon (.bmp) file, if used.

2. Double extensions.
Many computer come with Windows Explorer set to "Hide extensions of known file types". So, when you follow the instructions to name your sound file the same as your POI file to the left of the extensions, what you think is
mylocations.csv
mylocations.wav
is really
mylocations.csv.csv
mylocations.wav.wav
and "mylocations.csv" is not the same as "mylocations.wav"

The solution is to follow the instructions in
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30393

3. Unit will not accept .mp3 files
The early GPS units had .mp3 players built in. At some point Garmin decided that the expense of licensing the ability to play .mp3 files was not profitable. Even though it is not documented by Garmin, .wav files can be used in place of .mp3 files.

HOWEVER:
3A. To use .wav files, a particular version of sox.exe must be in the same folder as POI Loader. Get the required version at
http://www.poi-factory.com/images/csv/sox-14-0-1.zip

3B. Most sound files at the poi-factory are .mp3 file. Thus they must be converted to a .wav file. You can do this by using MediaIO (to convert one format to another, say .mp3 to .wav)
http://media.io/

3C. It has been said that the .wav file must be PCM, 44.100 kHZ., and 16 bits, Mono and that a stereo wav file will not work. If you have a stereo wav, there is a portable, freeware software package that will convert it to mono.
http://www.musetips.com/free-mp3-cutter-and-editor.html

However, my testing indicates that - with the correct version of sox.exe - most all wav files work fine.

An excellent FAQ on how to set up Categories can be found at
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/25721

Some of the "Gotchas" are
* There must be at least two sub-folders to create categories but there can be any number of sub-folders.
* There can only be one level of sub-folders
* There can not be more than 32 file sets in a sub-folder. A file set can include a sound file and/or an Icon file
* .gpi files in a folder other than the POI sub-folder on the device will be read in the alphabetic order of the folders on the device. (see "Can't get rid of POIs" above)

David King reported that if you are using no sub-folders (ie. only one root folder), then there can be more that 32 file sets.

There was an excellent post by bear009 that should bear on this subject of the order of folders and files that appear on the device.

But what about order on the device if one does not use sub-folders. Box Car tells us in a post that

This lead to determining that the order in a single root folder will be in "Creation Date" order.

If Downloadable Content (DLC) fails or freezes at 50%, there is a problem copying files to the device's internal memory or microSD/SD card. This issue can occur on both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems.

To correct this problem, follow these suggestions:
* Ensure the GPS device has the latest firmware version using Garmin Express

* Ensure the latest version of the Garmin Communicator Plugin is installed

* If the SD card you are using has a write-protection switch, verify the switch on the SD card is in the unlocked position

* Take steps to ensure the computer's USB configuration is as simple as possible:
a. Do not use a USB hub
b. Use the USB ports on the back of the computer if using a desktop PC
c. Unplug any other unnecessary USB devices except for the mouse and keyboard, reboot the computer, and try again

* Use a separate microSD/SD card reader instead of inserting the memory card into the device

* If the issue occurs using Internet Explorer on Windows 10, run Internet Explorer as administrator and try again:
1. Click Start
2. Type Internet Explorer
3. Right-click Internet Explorer
4. Select Run as administrator

* Windows users may need to reset Internet browser settings:
Open Internet Explorer
1. Press Alt + T on the keyboard
2. Click Internet Options
3. Click the Advanced tab
4. Click the Reset button under Reset Internet Explorer settings
5. Click Reset
6. Click Close
7. Click OK
8. Close all Internet Explorer windows and try again

* Windows users may need to clear the Windows temp directory:
1. Press the Windows + R keys together
2. Type %temp% in the text box
3. Click OK
4. Press CTRL + A to select all files
5. Press Delete on the keyboard
6. If prompted, confirm the deletion
7. If prompted, skip any files that can't be deleted
8. Close the window

* Once the web browser can consistently communicate with the device's memory or microSD/SD card the DLC download should complete.

Garmin Map Updater Mac:
http://download.garmin.com/lmu/GarminMapUpdater.dmg

If Express does not fit on the screen or content within Garmin Express is cut off, follow these steps.

Windows PC

Express requires a resolution of 1024 x 768 or greater. To adjust the resolution:

1. Press the Windows key + R
2. Type Control Panel, then click OK
3. Click "Adjust Screen Resolution" under "Appearance and Personalization" (If this option does not appear, select Category in the View by: menu at the top right.)
4. Select a resolution equal to or higher than 1024 x 768 with the drop down menu or slide bar and click Apply
5. Click the Keep or Revert button depending on the result

If the screen resolution is at or above 1024 x 768 and Garmin Express does not display correctly, make sure the computer is not set to artificially magnify text:

Windows 10:
1. Right-click the Start button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click Adjust Screen Resolution under Appearance and Personalization1
4. Click Make text and other items larger or smaller
5. Click the option to set a custom scaling level and adjust the scaling level to 100%, then click OK
6. Click Apply

Windows 7 and 8:
1. Right click on the Desktop
2. Click Screen Resolution
3. Click Make text and other items larger or smaller, then set to Smaller - 100%
4. Click Apply
5. Click Log off now for changes to take effect

Windows Vista:
1. Right click on the Desktop
2. Click Personalize
3. Click Adjust Font Size (DPI) and set to Default scale (96 DPI)
4. Click OK
5. Click Restart Now for changes to take effect

If the screen resolution is at or above 1024 x 768 and text magnification is turned off, the Garmin Express window should fit in the available area. However, if the necessary resolution is not available and changing the DPI settings does not make the entire window visible, a different computer must be used.

Mac OS X
A resolution of 1440 x 900 or greater is required to use Garmin Express on Mac OS X.

To adjust the resolution:
1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner
2. Click System Preferences
3. Click the Displays icon
4. Select Scaled
5. Select a resolution equal to or greater than 1440 x 900 (hold the Option key when clicking Scaled for more options)

The Dock may need to be moved to the left or right side of the screen if changing the resolution does not resolve the issue:
1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner
2. Click System Preferences
3. Click Dock
4. Select either the Left or Right radio button in the section titled "Position on screen:"

If the screen resolution is at or above 1440 x 900 and the Dock has been moved to either the Left or the Right, the Garmin Express window should fit in the available area. However, if the necessary resolution is not available and moving the Dock does not make the entire window visible, a different computer must be used.

1. Press the Windows key + E
2. Type %localappdata%
3. Delete the folder named Garmin_Ltd._or_its_subsid
4. Try launching Garmin Express again

Thanks to metricman for posting this solution

See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/34375 for the memory size of various units.

The device's internal memory/storage space varies by model and by the software that is loaded to the device (e.g., firmware, maps, vehicles, voices, etc…).

To view the amount of available free space your device, follow these steps below. Note that some devices are not mass storage mode devices and will not support the steps outlined in this article.

Windows:
1. Connect the GPS to your computer with a USB cable
2. Double-Click on My Computer or Computer. A Removable Disk Drive will appear titled Garmin or nuvi, depending on the model
3. Right-Click on the drive and select Properties. Note: some devices require you to open the drive, right-click on the Internal Storage folder, then select Properties
4. A properties window will appear and it will display Free Space - which is the amount of memory left on the device to load additional information.

MAC:
1.Connect the GPS to your computer with a USB cable
2. Go to your Mac Desktop. Your device will be mounted on the Desktop and appear as a new drive
3. Highlight the Garmin or nuvi drive on your Desktop
Hold down the CONTROL key on your keyboard and click once
4. Click on GET INFO
5. Look under the GENERAL section for the Capacity and Available for the size information

If you need more space than what is available, an SD (Secure Digital) card may be purchased to extend the memory, but note that SD cards are not compatible with all devices.

Currently, the latest North American map (2014.2 at this writing) is 1,715.0 MB; the basemap is 49.3 MB; and the 3D map is 186.4 MB. Adding this up, it is obvious that a unit with only 2 GB of memory can not contain the entire map.

There are many good FAQs on getting maps onto SD cards. These include:
How to install additional map regions to a blank microSD/SD card after the map update
and
Clone a Map Update Directly to the SD Card.

POI icons will show on the map when it has started moving or is in an active route.

The zumo 350, dezl 760, and nuvi 2405, 2407, 2505, 2507, 2707, 3400, 3500, and 3507 series devices will only display POI icons when you have that map layer selected. For more information on map layers, view the article
https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?caseId={69477cf0-cabc-11e0-cf56-000000000000}

Garmin says that POI icons will NOT display on the map if your map view is set to either North Up or Track Up (but some members have found this to be false for Track Up)

If you are having trouble getting .BMPs to display, you should do an experiment to make sure that they were compiled by POI Loader. CraigW suggests you run POI Loader on a folder that only contains the csv and gpx files, then check the file size of the gpi compiled on the device. Then add the bmp icons to the folder, run POI Loader, and again check the gpi file size in the device. If bmps are not being loaded at all, the gpi files in your two experiments will be the same size. If the gpi created is larger for the Custom POIs loaded with icons, then the icons are being loaded (but apparently not being seen by you on the map).

Routes can be created on the computer in programs such as BaseCamp 1 or MapQuest, and then transferred to certain models of Camper, nuvi, LIVE, dezl, RV, or zumo devices.

Once the created routes have been transferred, you may access them on the device. On certain models, the routes must be imported before they can be accessed.

To access transferred routes on a nuvi 465, 500, 700, 705, 800, 805, 1400, 1690, 5000 series or a zumo 220, 400, 500, 600, or 605 series:

1. Touch Tools 2. Touch My Data or User Data 3. Touch Import Route(s) from File 4. Select the routes you would like to import 5. Touch Import

The device will now import the selected routes. The routes that were imported can be found in the Routes option under "Where To?".

To access transferred routes on a nuvi 295W:

1. Touch Where To? 2. Touch Routes 3. Touch the menu button (three horizontal lines) 4. Touch Import Routes

The device will now import the selected routes. The routes that were imported can be found in the Routes option under "Where To?"

To access a transferred route in a Camper 760, nuvi 2400, 2405, 2407, 2408, 2505, 2507, 2508, 2707, 2708, 3400, 3500, 3507, 3508, 3700 series, dezl 560, dezl 760, RV 760, zumo 350, and 390 device:

1. Touch Apps or Tools 2. Touch Trip Planner 3. Allow time for the device to automatically import the trip/route

The import will automatically begin, but no message will appear on the device indicating that the import is happening and may take several minutes to import the trips. Once the import is complete, all transferred routes will be displayed under a category called Unscheduled Trips in the Trip Planner. 1 Until the trip(s) show up in Trip Planner, please do not turn off the device or connect it to a computer.

*Please note: When routes are imported to your Garmin device, the route may change due to navigation settings within your device.

1 The Camper 760, RV 760, nuvi 2407, 2408, 2507, 2508, 2707, 2708, 3507, 3508 series, zumo 350 and 390 devices can send routes created using Trip Planner to BaseCamp. The remaining devices that create routes using Trip Planner cannot send routes to BaseCamp. However, devices that utilize Trip Planner will be able to receive routes from BaseCamp, with the exception of the nuvi 2200 and 2300 series devices.
form Garmin 10/07/2013

The solution is to look for and delete any extra .gpx files on the unit. Then follow the instructions for deleting some or all of the Favorites.

Garmin says:
If you have loaded any custom POI's that are speed or red-light cameras, you will notice that you will not receive an option to hit 'Go' to those locations.

Such locations would not be selected as destinations to travel, but just areas to be alerted of, which is the reasoning behind this design.

We are assuming that if a user has the Garmin Cyclops safety camera file that the above Garmin statement holds true.

NOTE, however, that several devices like the 2455, 2595 and the 2597 will indeed "route" you to one of the poi-factory's redlight cameras but not speed cameras. AND, a 765 will route you to both of poi-factory's redlight and speed cameras. We will be testing other devices to see which will route. Thanks to Charlesd45 for finding the fact that some devices will route to poi-factory camera files.

If you have used a number because you wanted to control the "order" that the POI files will take when viewed, use starting letters instead.

There are several reasons why you may not be able to see the folder in Windows Explorer.
1. Your folder settings may not allow you to see it. You should follow the instructions in
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30393
to make sure your folder setting are correct for such work.

2. You are not in Mass Storage (MS) mode but are in Media Transfer Protocal (MTP) mode. To change to MS mode
A. Start NUVI by itself and go to Volume Screen.
B. Press the upper right hand corner of screen for 10 seconds.
C. The Developers Screen will pop up
D. Scroll down to MTP SETTINGS
E. Change from AUTO DETECT to MASS STORAGE
F. Shut down NUVI and hookup to Computer USB cable
G. The computer should recognize it is hooked up to the computer.
H. Explorer will now see all files in ROOT directory and the .System directories.

or perhaps
In the map, touch the speed to get to the dashboard screen.
Touch the speedometer for a few seconds (about 5).
As above, scroll down to the MTP setting and select Mass Storage.

Note: if you are in MTP mode (newer models only), your device will look different in Windows Explorer. It will not be assigned a "drive" letter and will contain "internal storage" at the first level of expansion.

Also, when you connect your MTP device to your computer, the Icon will be in color on the front of the device. If it is in MS mode, the icon will be in white.

For Mac user, there is this suggestion from

Next, there must be a sound file whose file name to the left of the extension (.wav or .mp3) is the same as the .csv or .gpx name.

Newer versions of POI Loader permit the user to "name" the .gpi file that it is about to create. Get the latest version from
http://www8.garmin.com/support/collection.jsp?product=999-99...

Note: JG added 6x to list on 5/30/2014

The long answer:
The fix is a three step process.

1) Uninstall BaseCamp

2) Now go to your computer's folders and look for the BaseCamp program folder (probably c:Program Files(x86)GarminBaseCamp or c:Program FilesGarminBaseCamp) and delete the BaseCamp folder. Garmin's uninstaller should have done this during the uninstall but it didn't.

3) Now redownload and reinstall BaseCamp from Garmin.

You will now succeed. Without performing Step 2, you will receive that error message.
(thanks to CraigW for these instructions)

It does not make any difference what the name is to the left of the extension .img so make the name recognizable to you. But, the file must be in a folder named "map" (not case sensitive, by the way) on either the Garmin or a SD card.
(Thanks to t923347 and muell9k for this information)

Then go to
http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/
and download the latest version.

Then, install POI Loader (it will put itself into C:/Program Files (x86)/Garmin/POI Loader.

Finally, download the required SPECIFIC version of sox.exe from
http://www.poi-factory.com/images/csv/sox-14-0-1.zip. Unzip the download and copy sox.exe to C:/Program Files (x86)/Garmin/POI Loader