Swapping map files

 

I have a problem with my Nuvi 755T. I purchased the China map set from Garmin and loaded it. Problem is that it takes too much memory and the next CitySelect update would no longer fit in the memory so I had to add an SD card. Now the City select updates are so big that the memory card only takes the Southern US and Mexico.

I would like to move the China maps off onto the memory card and have all of the US in the 755T.

How would I swap the files?

Which files would I swap?

Thanks for your suggestions.

nuvi 755T

I'm not clear on a few items. Did you buy the China map from Garmin preinstalled on a SD card or did you buy the China map and have to install it from a DVD or the internet? I'm also not clear as to where, right now, the North America and China maps are: SD card or internal? The filenames of maps will vary depending on whether it's internal or on a SD card. How do you install map updates? Do you use Garmin Express or GarminMapUpdater or do you install the map updates to a computer and use MapInstall? Have you ever installed any other map or used any other map install procedure like the clone procedure, installing a partial map, etc? When connected to a computer, how much free storage does the computer report on the nuvi and on the SD card? Can we assume you have lifetime map updates purchased for the 755T since you mention the file size of maps grows with each update? Did the 755T originally come with North America and China was added, or did the 755T originally come with China?

The nuvi 755T has 4 GB of internal storage which should be big enough to install all of City Navigator North America NT plus the Junction View file which is part of the update as long as you haven't added other files to the nuvi. It also will help if you delete the language files in languages that you do not speak:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/31186

As always, before deleting or tinkering with nuvi files, make and store a full backup of all the files on the nuvi.

The nuvi 755T certainly can't hold China and North America internally so storing one on a SD card is the way to go.

For City Navigator North America NT map updates, the 765T will automatically be offered the full map update to a SD card if there's insufficient space in the nuvi itself.

One possible thought, keeping in mind that I really am not clear as to where things are now and what you're asking: I doubt that you'll ever need to use the North America and China maps at the same time since there are no Pacific ferry services or bridges wink so keeping China on one SD card and keeping all of North America either on a 2nd SD card (or internally, if there's room), then swap out SD cards depending on which continent you're planning to travel. Using two 8GB or even 4GB SD cards, one for each continent, will all the full installation of all of North America and all of China.

For City Navigator North America NT, you can reinstall the map

map swap

As CraigW stated, if either of your maps were purchased pre-installed on a SD, they are locked to the specific SD card and can't be moved. However, if you installed both maps via download, you should be able to swap them.

The maps are contained in the \Garmin folder on both the internal memory volume and on the SD card. The map in internal storage should consist of 3 files named gmapprom.img, gmapprom.gma and gmapprom.unl. The map on SD should be named gmapsupp.img gmapsupp.gma and gmapsupp.unl.

So in theory, if neither map was a preinstalled SD, you should be able to swap the gmapprom files and gmapsupp files, then rename them so the internal files are now named gmapprom and the SD files named gmapsupp.

Note: do not move the base map gmapbmap.img or the time zone map gmaptz.img to SD. These maps must remain in internal storage. You may find one additional map file for the CN NA map named gmap3d.img, gmap3d.gma, gmap3d.unl. This contains support for the 3d building images. You will probably want to keep this map in internal storage.

When making these map swaps, if you run short of internal storage, the junction view file in \Garmin\JCV can be moved to the SD card.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Maps

kelbro wrote:

I have a problem with my Nuvi 755T. I purchased the China map set from Garmin and loaded it. Problem is that it takes too much memory and the next CitySelect update would no longer fit in the memory so I had to add an SD card. Now the City select updates are so big that the memory card only takes the Southern US and Mexico.

I would like to move the China maps off onto the memory card and have all of the US in the 755T.

How would I swap the files?

Which files would I swap?

Thanks for your suggestions.

If you do have the China maps on the internal menu along with a partial of the USA. Found the following in Garmin support. Once you copy the China maps and place them on the SD card.Delete them from the internal memory.Then run Garmin Express,and with the 4 gb of memory. USA maps should install to the GPS or you will get option to install to SD card. Note before connecting the gps to the computer you will need to set the computer to show hidden files.See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/39185

How do I delete supplemental mapping from my Camper/RV, dezl, LIVE, nuvi, nuviCam, or zumo device?

06/17/2015

Supplemental maps sent directly to the internal memory in a Camper/RV, dezl, LIVE, nuvi, nuviCam, or zumo will remain on the device until the file(s) are deleted.

To delete supplemental maps from a Camper/RV 660, 760, dezl series, LIVE 1695, LIVE 2300, nuvi 30, 40, 50, 60, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1690, 2200, 2300, 2400, 2405, 2407, 2408, 2505, 2507, 2508, 2509, 2609, 2707, 2708, 2709, 3400, 3500, 3507, 3508, 3700 series device, nuviCam, zumo 220, 350, 390, or 665 device:

Connect the device to the computer
Open My Computer, Computer, or Finder(Mac)
Open the Garmin icon
Open the Map folder
Delete the map file(s) - Some maps files are named gmapsupp.img while others may have a product specific file name
Empty the Trash - (Mac Only)
Disconnect the device

To delete supplemental maps from a nuvi 200, 205, 295W, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 705, 800, 805, 5000 series device, zumo 450, 550, or 660 device:

Connect the device to the computer
Open My Computer, Computer, or Finder(Mac)
Open the Garmin or Nuvi icon
Open the Garmin folder
Delete the gmapsupp.img file
Empty the Trash - (Mac only)
Disconnect the device

The supplemental maps will no longer be available on the device.

--
Charlie. Nuvi 265 WT and Nuvi 2597 LMT. MapFactor Navigator - Offline Maps & GPS.

Contact...

Just contact Garmin CS team, I had similar issue with a map set like this and they walked me through the process.

Thanks for the help.First,

Thanks for the help.

First, the China map was a download from Garmin, not a card. In BaseCamp, when I remove the SD card, I see in internal:

CN North America NT 2016.20 3D

When it begins the update, it's Southern US and Mexico 2016.20

Once complete, the message is Express is:

Your maps are up to date.

Full coverage of North America 2016.20

The gmapprom.img file is 1.26G.

When I plug the SD card in, BaseCamp shows:

CN NT 2011.40 ENG

CN North America NT 2016.20

The gmapsupp.img file is dated 5/7/2012 and is 1.075G

(That's about when I purchased the China map)

And the gmapsup1.img has today's date and is the exact same size as the internal gmapprom.img file at 1.26G.

Second, here's the file list on the SD card:

gmapsupp.gma
gmapsupp.unl
gmapsupp.img

and

gmapsup1.gma
gmapsup1.unl
gmapsup1.img

and gmappupdate.gsd

Now the internal storage \Garmin directory:

gmapsupp.gma
gmapsupp.unl
gmapsupp.img

and

gmapprom.gma
gmapprom.unl
gmapprom.sum

also

gmapbmap.sum
gmapbmap.unl
gmapbmap.gma

and

gmap3d.img
gmap3d.sum
gmap3d,unl
gmap3d.gma

Hope this helps.

It seems like the China file is on the SD card but why is the other file being shown on both?

I would like to be able to remove the China file and have the complete US file in the internal storage.

I would also like to use the China file on another Garmin but that may or may not be possible.

Unable to tell

You can not tell by file names which map is which. Perhaps file dates and sizes could give you some indication. It is certaily possible to have gmapsupp and gmapsup1 files in both internal storage and SD card. gmapprom can only be in internal storage.

My guess is that you not only have a US and China map, but perhaps some remnants of older versions and/or partial regions.

Does Garmin express still offer reinstall for both your China and NA map? If so, you may be able to clean this mess up using cloning.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Backup!

Before tinkering, have a backup made of all files on the nuvi and the SD card and stored in a computer or external hard drive.

First, the nuvi's sets of gmapbmap and gmap3d files are needed and where they need to be. Keep them as is.

Here are some guesses on my part:

The nuvi's gmapprom.img file and SD card's gmapsup1.img file are both the 2016.20 Southern US and Mexico.

The gmapsupp.img file (both in the nuvi and the SD card) are or may be the China map. Are the nuvi's and SD card's gmapsupp.img files the same size?

It's unclear to me how the possibly Southern US/Mexico file ended up both in the nuvi and SD card.

The China map may be the gmapsup1.img file on the SD card and the gmapsupp.img file in the nuvi if they're the same filesize and possibly file date. If so, it's unclear to me how the China map would have ended up on both the nuvi and SD card. Is there any chance you installed the China map more than once?

The fact the there's a gmapsupp.img file in the nuvi which I expect is quite large explains why your North America map update to 2016.20 is a file only 1.26GB in size and contains only the Southern US and Mexico—it's because the gmapsupp.img file on the nuvi is taking up space that would be needed for a full North America map file.

All in all, it seems that you have two maps and they're each installed twice. Once it's figured out what can be deleted as a duplicate, you should be able to have China installed (ideally on the SD card) using the files you already have, and then to be able to reinstall the North America 2016.20 (all of North America, not just SouthernUS & Mexico) most likely internally in the nuvi, although it's also be acceptable to have it installed on a SD card. We may be able to figure out what files can be deleted if you give us the four .img exact file sizes and file dates from the nuvi and SD card. By doing some experimenting by disabling maps one at a time, we may figure out what sets of map files are not needed. (To disable a map file without deleting or moving it, you can rename a set of files from, for example:

gmapsupp.img
gmapsupp.unl
gmalsupp.gma

to

gmapsupp.img.disabled
gmapsupp.unl.disabled
gmalsupp.gma.disabled

Does anyone else have a better idea on how to identify the extra map files better than this?

All your four map sets (.img, .unl. and .gma) have an unlock file which ties it to your nuvi's serial number so your wish to be able to use the China map on a SD card in another Garmin device is highly unlikely. It will only work on the nuvi it was installed to, even though it's on a SD card.

For all, is there any chance that the BaseCamp software on the computer could be responsible for copying duplicates of the NA and China maps?

PS: I was confused in your lists of files in that there was no gmapprom.img file. But in reading your text, you mention a file in the nuvi named gmapprom.img so I'm assuming your just forgot to list it in your list of nuvi files and that it's really there.

Thanks for the add'l info.

Thanks for the add'l info. Since that post I tried something else. Cloned an SD card with the xml file. Express identified it and downloaded the full version of the city navigator. 2.52G.

So it seems that the file may be split?? Is that possible? Part on the Nuvi and part on the SD?

Now that I have the full version on another SD, can I whack those same files on the Nuvi and copy the new files over (space permitting)?

Map file split.

The only way I know of to split a map file is to download the map to a computer, then use MapInstall. One way is to let Express or MapUpdater install a partial region to internal memory, then use MapInstall to install the remaining regions to SD. Another way is to install the map to computer only, then run Map Install twice to split the map between internal storage and SD.

There may be other methods to split a map file, but I am not aware of them.

Yes, you can copy the map files from the SD clone over to internal storage. You should name the primary map in internal storage as gmapprom. The map files on SD card must be named gmapsupp or gmapsup1.

Incidentally, I think cloning was probably your best choice for getting this straightened out. It allowed you to get clean map files on SD, then manually delete the old map files from your nuvi and control which maps you want copied back to internal storage.

--
Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Thanks again. Got it all

Thanks again. Got it all going now. Shows 175Mb available after the upload so the next update may be too much. Need to delete a few more files.

Can the JCV folder be moved to the SD card? That folder is 850Mb.

Answer is Yes

kelbro wrote:

Thanks again. Got it all going now. Shows 175Mb available after the upload so the next update may be too much. Need to delete a few more files.

Can the JCV folder be moved to the SD card? That folder is 850Mb.

You can move the JCV file to the SD card, just make a folder Garmin\JCV and copy it there on your 755T. Be sure to delete the one on your GPS.

Were you able to get the China map to the SD card to display in the map info screen?
Since you downloaded the China map from Garmin it will not include a JCV file, I'm not even sure the China map comes with a JCV file.

--
Nuvi 2460LMT 2 Units

It does

muell9k wrote:

...
Since you downloaded the China map from Garmin it will not include a JCV file, I'm not even sure the China map comes with a JCV file.

Looks like it does.

http://www.garmin.com.cn/products/ontheroad/

Thanks

Pillowcase wrote:
muell9k wrote:

...
Since you downloaded the China map from Garmin it will not include a JCV file, I'm not even sure the China map comes with a JCV file.

Looks like it does.

http://www.garmin.com.cn/products/ontheroad/

Thanks, pillowcase, that's good to know. But as muell9k states, I also believe that when the China maps is added to a US-mapped nuvi, the Chinese JVs will not be seen since Garmins states that things like JVs are only offered for the map originally supplied with the GPS device. Assuming Garmin is correct rolleyes , this is always something to consider when a US nuvi owner wants to add Europe, China or whatever to their existing device. If JVs are desired, the purchase of a stand-alone Europe (China, or whatever) device may be better for them—and given the price of a 1-time purchase of a Europe, China or whatever map and knowing that updates for the purchase are not part of the price, buying a new or used European, Chinese, Malaysian or whatever device with the corresponding maps and JVs and probably lifetime map updates may be a better deal.

And for others considering adding a new country or continent to their device, know that another option is to buy the Garmin-manufactured Map-on-SD and this will avoid the need for dowloads, etc. Oftentimes used Map-on-SD cards for the country/continent you wish to have can be found at quite a discount on eBay. Just make sure that before buying/bidding, you know the date of the map being offered and especially confirm that the SD card being offered is the official Garmin-made SD card with the map.

China Map

The link provided by pillowcase for the China Map does not display properly on my PC. To the best of my knowledge any of the one time map purchased from Garmin that is either a download or SD card WILL NOT have a JCV file. It also will not include files for model specific options such as voice recognition files. I believe the only way you can have a JCV file for China is to purchase a GPS in China with the China maps on it.

Here is a link for the China Map for purchase that worked for me:
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/maps/on-the-road-maps/city-n...

Under Requirements it shows as follows:

Download Requirements
File Information
The file size of this download and space required on device or microSD™/SD™ card is ,strong> 2.17 GB.,/strong> If this download does not fit on your device, data may be saved on a microSD/SD card (recycled microSD cards may be used to program map data).

Please note, these full-version maps do not contain premium content such as Lane Assist and junction view. These features only are available on the preloaded maps within your device or through a specific update for the mapping region of your device.

Use with 1 Device Only
This product may be unlocked and used on 1 compatible device. If you want to use this same map on subsequent devices, you must purchase a new map for each device.
Data downloaded to a microSD/SD card is associated with the device you select during the download process. Please purchase additional quantities for additional devices.

SD Card Requirements
microSD/SD card Requirements

Make sure your device is compatible with this product before purchasing.To view and use the maps on this card, you must have a compatible device with a microSD or SD card slot. Maps on microSD/SD cards can only be viewed on the computer with BaseCamp.

Reduced price map updates are not available for these cards. If you want to update the maps, you must purchase a new card that includes the latest map data.

Please note, these full-version maps do not contain premium content such as Lane Assist and junction view. These features only are available on the preloaded maps within your device or through a specific update for the mapping region of your device.

The microSD/SD card package includes a microSD card and an SD card adapter.

I know if you purchase the SD card version from Garmin, they will send it to you and you can use it in any device, but you CAN'T copy it's contents to another SD card since it's locked to the serial # of the purchased SD card.

Please help me out here. I'm somewhat confused to the wording if one chooses to download the map to an SD card. I interpret it to mean it will only work in the GPS it was downloaded for. Is my assumption correct?
If that's the case, you are better off purchasing it that comes on an SD Card. It's the same price and Garmin provides the SD card and an adapter if needed for older units.

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Nuvi 2460LMT 2 Units