Sd card question for Updates

First, welcome to POI Factory!

I don't really see a question in your post. Are you asking if Garmin Express will use the SD card if you use it to do a map update? Assuming you are asking about the 1490 nuvi, yes, it should, as that nuvi does not have enough space in internal memory for the current NA map.

If you want to show us your screen shots, you will need to upload them to something like photobucket and include links to the images in your post.

Incidentally, do you have the lifetime map subscription for your nuvi? If so, Garmin Express should automatically offer the update if one is available (unless you have waited more than 2 years to do an update ... that will cancel your lifetime map subscription according to Garmin policy).

is on point here. We need to know what you are trying to accomplish.

If it is a map update, then yes, Garmin Express will handle the job splitting the update between the unit and your SD card. He is also on point in asking about your map upgrade status. If your unit came with lifetime updates, you should be able to load the latest version EXCEPT you haven't updated in more than 2 years. Garmin will have canceled your updates due to inactivity. That was a change to the Terms and Conditions for lifetime updates.

Thank you to the two posters above. You are right, I wasn't clear about my question.

What I am trying to tell is why my device itself said I need to update, last update 2014, but Garmin Express says I am up to date? It thinks two different things.

Also why do I have an Sd card Ive used and put Garmin "stuff" on, but the device seems to be filling internal memory which is almost full. As if there isn't an Sd card... There is I have already put Garmin stuff on it.

It seems that my Garmin thinks the internal memory is almost full and suggests I add an Sd card.I have already added an Sd card and used it. I have also updated my Garmin before so that isn't the problem and, yes it was updated in 2014and yes, I have lifetime updates when I purchased it.

I don't know how to put the scren shots I took on photobucket, I'llsee if I can Google that. I did save then to my desktop and I have picassa if that helps.

I fought to mention, about a year ago I was having update problems and took a whole bunch of languages I wouldn't use off the device, Id found instructions to do that to free memory.

2014 maps could be almost 2 years old. The 2014.10 map was released on June 12, 2013, but you should still be OK for an update. You should look at the Map Info on your nuvi to see exactly what map version you have installed. I am not sure where it is on a 1490, but it should be somewhere under Tools or Settings.

Note that just having an SD card doesn't necessarily mean anything is installed on it. You can plug your nuvi into your computer and use Windows Explorer or FInder (Mac) to see what folders and files are stored on it.

Once we know this information we can offer more specific help on how to proceed with a map update.

But in any case, you can just plug your nuvi in to your computer, run the latest version of Garmin Express and see what it offers for updates. If a map update is offered and the SD card is formatted correctly, Express will recognize it and offer you the option to use it.

Garmin Express said my device was up to date. It was the device itself that said it wasn't.

The Garmin F: location has the following files

GPX
Garmin
Screenshot
Voice
Text
.System

The Garmin H: Location has the following files

.VolumeIcons.icns
nuvi-drive
autorun
.System
Garmin
GPX
help
Text
Voice
Map

Garmin Express said my device was up to date. It was the device itself that said it wasn't.

The Garmin F: location has the following files

GPX
Garmin
Screenshot
Voice
Text
.System

The Garmin H: Location has the following files

.VolumeIcons.icns
nuvi-drive
autorun
.System
Garmin
GPX
help
Text
Voice
Map

There are two different things at work here. Garmin Express stating your device is "up to date" is referring to the unit software and operating system files. What the unit is saying when it says your maps are out of date is the system software looking at your map version and noting it is more than a year old.

There are a couple of things to do, one is to switch the unit from MTP mode (which it appears you may have done if you can see the directory structure) and the other is to enable viewing of "hidden" system files (those folders contained in the .system folder.

Between the two pieces, your unit's internal memory and the SD card, you will need about 3 GB of free space to do the map update. The new map will take over 2 GB of space and the rest is needed for working space.

In addition to the unneeded voice files, delete the associated text and help files that go with any unused voices. This will also reclaim free space.

As to Base Camp, the only advice I will give is start learning it. There are tutorials available both from Garmin and from a POI-Factory contributor, Norwood. Once you past the hump in the learning curve for Base Camp, you will begin to appreciate the way it can build a route and then transfer that route to your unit exactly as it was shown on the computer. I know I haven't looked back to MapSource even though I still have it on my computer.