GPS Unit's "Extraneous" Files?

Although it is for a somewhat older model than your nuvi, the tutorial referenced in this thread is still a good place to start for information on deleting unneeded files: http://www.poi-factory.com/node/34132

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/30394

I have successfully removed all foreign-language files, voices and help files from my nuvi 2455 and 2555 without adverse effects.

@ekeith,

In my opinion, deleting files will have no impact on the unit's effeciency in any way. The memory is solid state and directly addressed - so other Garmin loaded files are not a factor.

That is not to say that there may be files that you have placed on the device that will be looked at during startup - and should be deleted. For example, .gpx file that you have loaded from Basecamp, Mapsource, etc. will be inspected to see if their "timestamp" is greater that the last (written each startup) "Current.gpx" file. If the "timestamp" indicates that it is "new", then the file will be read and merged with the internal memory cache of "Favorites/Saved Places" and "Tracks/Trip Logs". So - deleting these files will have some minor impact.

Also, you ought to periodically clear out Tracks/Trip Logs as they can get quite big. indeed, they will be "archived" once they reach a certain size (about 1 Meg). It will take extra boot time as the device writes out its "cache" to "Current.gpx"

John

@eKeith,

Deleting Unnecessary Files on a Garmin

Some Garmins have limited internal memory, so deleting unnecessary files (such as those for foreign languages) may allow some units to load all of the desired map set without having to choose which regions to load.

Before you delete ANYTHING, please make a complete backup of your unit by following the instructions at Backing Up Your GPS (Garmin) {G} or
Backup Using ISO File {G}

Once you have a backup, you can play around with deleting files from the Garmin device. Also, bear in mind that you can move file to a SD card.

Some of the Folders you may want to inspect are:
(Note: your unit may or may not have these folders - depending on the model)

Archive Folder (note: this folder is a sub-folder of GPX) As your Favorites, Tracks and Trip Logs accumulate, the unit will "archive" the older Tracks/Trip Logs. These files will be numbered and take the form 1.gpx, 2.gpx, etc. If you want to keep these older Tracks/Trip Logs, then copy them to your computer. Then, having copied the files, remember to go into your unit, when you "safely disconnect" it, and clear your Tracks/Trip Log.

Audible Folder Units with MP3 players used this folder to hold audio files. If you are short on space, these can be deleted.

EULA Folder (in the .System folder) Delete all languages other than your default language

GPX FolderAny file in this folder whose contents have been moved into "Current.gpx" may be deleted.

Help FolderAny "Help" file in a foreign (to you) language may be deleted.

JPEG Folder Anything in this folder may be deleted

Keyboards Folder "en_US.kbd" is the American English version.

LEX_PKG Folder If you do not feel a need for bilingual translation, delete these files.

Picture FolderAnything in here may be deleted.

POI FolderInspect this folder for previously loaded "Custom POI" files that may be unused or duplicate and delete them.

Screenshot Folder Anything in here may be deleted.

Text Folder On most units, American English is the default language. Other languages may be deleted.

Tracker Folder You can delete languages other than your preferred one.

Tutorial Folder You can delete languages other than your preferred one.

SQLite Folder (in the .System folder) You can delete the files in this folder.

Vehicle FolderYou can delete all the vehicles other than the one you are using.

Voice Folder For safety sake, pick the voice you are using now - and one other voice for backup - and delete all the rest.

John

@eKeith,
In my opinion, the number of .gpi files you load to your unit will not have any impact on the operating system.

Consider that the unit already has nine (I think) million or so built-in POIs.

I would say load all you want. Most of those I have on my unit, I will never use. However, if I am on a trip and need a Subaru dealership for some car problem - or need a Sears for a tire or battery problem - I will be glad I have them there.

John

At best you will gain 40-50 MB. And if you have lifetime map updates that will chew that up soon. So in time you will to put the updates on an SD card anyway.

I did a test on my 765 and 2595 and found

765
Used 3.15G
Free o.52G

I could save space by deleting
Help 11MB
LEX_PKG 2MB
Text 10MB
Voice 341MB (quite surprised at this)

2595
Used 4.40G
Free 2.79G

I could save space by deleting
Audible 5MB
LEX_PKG 2 MB
Help 33MB
Text 53MB
Voice 57MB
EULA 1MB
SQLite 10MB

Now obviously, I have not deleted anything (and I have several backups of both units) because I think I will be able to load maps for some time to come. But still, I could delete a fair size chunk from both if I wanted to.

One file that I don't see mentioned for deletion is the Junction View file. It's not required by the unit (at least up to the 34xx series) and if you don't like the Junction View taking up your screen for ~13 seconds, you can remove it from the unit (make a backup of course) to save ~750MB *if you're using the full-screen JV file* (usually updated with a map update on the nuvi 765, manually downloaded for other units). In some cases with very closely spaced junctions (there are many here in SoCal), the JV can actually hinder your awareness since it takes over the screen and may in fact block the moving map unless you intervene and bypass it. If the JV file is not on the unit, the unit will simply not display the JVs. Naturally, if you're using the smaller JV file, you'll gain less space. You can also (instead of deleting) move the JV file to an SD Card in your unit and have the unit read it from the SD Card.

OTOH, if you're going to move the JV file to the SD Card, you may as well move the map files(s) there as well.