help with nuvi 50lm (change maps)

Tell us in more detail what you have done, please.

Yes, please give us more info. Some specific questions for you:

-The 50LM is sold with either the Lower 48 states or a full US/Canada model. Which do you have?

-When doing a map update, if the full map you're entitled to (48 or US/Can) won't fit in the nuvi, you'll be offered the full map on the SD card. Was this offered and accepted—or did you choose a smaller map installed to the nuvi? The nuvi 50LM only has 1.76GB of total memory:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/34375

so you really need to install maps to a large enough SD card if you want the full map update.

-What size SD card do you have? It needs to be at least 4GB and 8GB is cheap enough that you could go that way. You can't fit all of the US/Canada on a 2GB card.

-You say you have 50 states right now which means you should already have all the western states. If you truly have 50 states now, your model must be the US/Canada one and chose to have the USA installed to the nuvi rather than the full USA/Canada to the SD card. Yes?

-Go to your nuvi's myMaps page and tell us what maps you see and which of them are checked.

-Why do you think you don't have some western states right now, especially since you say you have 50 states installed?

If you have a large enough SD card (4 or 8GB) and connect the nuvi with its SD card to your computer, Garmin Express should give you the option to reinstall the current 2015.40 map update, either Lower 48 states or US/Canada depending on which model 50LM you have, and the full update requires you to choose the update to a SD card (at least 4GB).

Stick with us and we'll most likely get you up and running with your full map. Welcome to The Factory.

Hello,
I said I had the lower 50 states because that is what the map is called on Garmin express. to clarify I didn't say I had the entire map. When I update, it only gives me the option to update the lower states that is already loaded. This is why I posted bc I need the whole map for a trip to the west.
I have at least a 4gb sd card.
thank you

I'm still confused. The biggest of several questions I have is trying to understand your statement that your nuvi has a map with 50 states with your desire to add some western states. If you have 50 states now, you have all of the US states. What makes you think you're missing some western states? It appears that you're currently in Illinois. Tell us what happens if you try to create these routes to a Destination using your nuvi:

1) Tap Whereto, then select a city, say Tampa Florida, then tap Go.

or

2) Tap Whereto, then select a city, say Seattle WA or San Diego CA, then tap Go.

In each case, is a route created? If there's an error message, tell us exactly what it says.

When Garmin offers a North American map update of less than the entire map, I expect you to be offered one of the update regions as described in this faq:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/42542

There is no offering for "Lower 50 states."

The official Garmin FAQ with clickable maps showing what's offered with each option:

https://support.garmin.com/support/searchSupport/case.faces?...

There is no such thing as "Lower 50 states" as the 50th state is Alaska which isn't "lower" than anything except the North Pole.

I admire your effort to find out what this issue is all about as so far it really is confusing why a Nuvi with all the states on it but Alaska wouldn't work the same way whether you asked for a route to Chicago ot Seattle.

I'm wondering if it's possible the OP updated the maps at some point and only installed the Lower 49 NE instead of the full lower 49 states map. If he lives in Illinois and normally doesn't travel to the west very far, Lower 49 NE would be all he needed on a day to day basis and would have saved him a bunch of internal storage space on the 50.

The 50th state was Hawaii. Alaska was the "49th star" resulting in a flag with 7 staggered rows of 7 stars to which Hawaii's was added.

Actually I'm aware of the historical reference to the 49th and 50th states but as far as Garmin is concerned the 50th state is Alaska. Hawaii is included in their full Lower 49 State mapset, while Alaska is not.

I think you pinpointed the problem. If I'm not mistaken when using Garmin Express when you try to update the map again it will revert to what the last download was when you updated that map version.

To confirm that this is what occurred, please report back what the Nuvi shows as the loaded map.
To do so - Touch Settings, Touch Map, Touch Info

A solution may be to backup the gmapprom.img, gmapprom.unl, and gmapprom.gma to your PC, then delete those files from your Nuvi. Next make sure you have the SD card inserted and try to download the map again and this time choose the SD card as the destination.

A safer method may be to use member alandb's method of cloning to an SD card, instructions are here:
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/34914

You guys are putting up theories without getting any "real" answers from the OP. what little "info" he has supplied does not make sense & he has not responded to queries for more details.