How do you cancel a Map Update?

It is rather strange behavior. 3 days to download map update isn't estimated even during biggest rush after map release. Did you used laptop computer? If yest, did you disable power sawing mode? It usually force computer into sleep or suspension mode. This effectively kills all downloads. It may be that download was done only when computer was woke up from sleep/suspension, when you were checking progress. Some programs are able to prevent this behavior, but I don't know if GE can. Sometimes it required to activate option in program itself.

Problems with downloading over MiFi can signal poor quality connection with many data being corrupted on the way. In this case computer downloads them again. This may explain extremely low speed and bigger data usage.

You have this same model of GPS as your wife? If not, additional download may account for differences in extra files needed for this particular model. And installing map to both computer and GPS makes bigger download. There are some differences in computer and GPS files.

Does he mean that he was connected to that high speed connection for 3 days while at his brothers and not that it took 3 days to download the map update? That's how I read it.

and what updates they need

and how big each of those updates is.

GE is supposed to download the updates in the background, without my GPSes connected so the files are on my computer when I am ready to do the installation. That is how it is supposed to work when you set the GE Update Schedule to "Anytime" and set General Settings to Always keep Garmin Express running in the background, as I did when I brought my computer to my brother's house to connect to his high speed cable internet.

GE didn't download the files it was supposed to, which caused me to burn up a significant percentage of my monthly data allowance when I returned home. That is unacceptable and can cost people significant data overage charges.

I'll wait for others to confirm how you think GE should work but your description isn't how I have ever heard it explained. On the other hand I'm no GE expert.

The update schedule for "Anytime" is for the Garmin Express software itself, not for the GPS software or map update. Updating the GPS always requires a manual start.

Each GPS has to be connected to the computer individually while Garmin Express is connected with the Garmin server to download the software update or the map.

The software update is different for different units, and also depends on what past updates have been done.

The map update cannot be used for more than one GPS. If it could, pirated maps would be able to be used and Garmin will not let this happen. The Garmin server must be connected to the GPS during the map update for just this reason.

dobs108

Thank you dobs108, that is exactly how I understood how GE operated.

Here is a short recent thread on trying to use the same map files to update two GPSs:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/47504

I updated my 3 units with 2018.20 using Garmin Express & first started with my 3597.

I then connected my 255W to the computer & Garmin Express did not download a second time the mapset & almost immediately wrote it onto the SD Card (I use the Alandb clone method).

I then connected my 2nd 255W GPS & it was the same as the previous unit.

I believe that Garmin leaves the maps & other files downloaded on the computer in the C:ProgramDataGARMINCoreService for additional updates and to avoid massive data downloads.

When I did my second & third GPS & Garmin confirmed they were legitimate, they probably just had the unlock key code downloaded & thats why it was a matter of seconds before the maps were written onto the SD Card.

I also think that if I would have started with the 255W & then proceeded with the 3597 then Garmin Express would have had to download the files needed & not initially downloaded ( ASR, SRX, SID etc).

Thats also why a cleanup is in order once your maps have been downloaded to the unit and/or computer as the downloads are of no further use and take up disk space.

I do the same with my three units (3597, 2495 and 260) in the same manner: first 3597, followed by 2495 and then 260 for all map updates. I observed the same as canuk.

Once or twice I had the order switched while not thinking and GE had to download additional files for the newer units.

Just a note: GE does remember all the Nuvis I have registered. It detects the unit that is connected to the computer automatically and download only the software updates and map files it needs for the connected Nuvi and generates the required unlock code (.unl) and the authentication (.gma) file for the connected unit.

This also would confirm that you NEED the GPS attached to the computer for Garmin Express to properly update each individual device.

And that is the problem for people like Werewolf who was trying to update his old 276C before Garmin enabled the 2018.20 map for Map Updater. Garmin Express is not compatible with some older units like the 276C, so it will not download the unlock code files even if you have already downloaded the map files for another device.

It used to be that there was a way in myGarmin to get the unlock code for a map as a standalone method, You could then create the unlock file manually (it was a text file) or apply the code with MapSource or MapInstall when copying the map file to the device. I think that process may no longer exist. I never had a reason to use that process myself, but I remember reading about it in the forums a few years ago.

I know GE downloads maps automatically in the background from experience.

I first had to install GE in 2015 to register my newest nuvi. I didn't know that it is set to download in the background by default. It used 6GB+ of data without my knowledge or approval downloading the 2016.2 maps, costing me significant data fees.

That is why I now keep the schedule set to Never. Even so, there is no way to prevent GE from updating itself.