Garmin Nuvi Memory

At least for the 350 and 360 I think your problem maybe a result of the 2GB file size limit.

Don't know if the 500 has that same limit.

I have not tried it but using MapInstall it may be possible to install a portion of NA to the device and the remainder to the SD card.

The Nuvi 500, IIRC, is the same as the 855 without a battery and a 5 inch screen running on a Linux based OS. I'm pretty sure it will handle the full map update if you do the cloning method to an SDD card.

I have the Garmin Nuvi connected now and I downloaded Garmin MapInstall. It gave me the option to download onto the installed memory card, so I am giving it a try right now.

Thank you for the replies.

Here's a FAQ on the 2GB limit suggesting the nuvi 500 may be the only device being tried by Jim1348 that has a chance of working with the entire North America map in a single file:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/42561

The nuvi 500 does not support the Garmin automatic switch to SD card map updates:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/44310

so the cloning method may be best:

http://www.poi-factory.com/node/39231

The other alternative is to put the largest map possible into the nuvi itself with the full North America also being installed to the computer, then use MapInstall to install the portion of North America not in the nuvi to the SD card.

If going the clone route, be sure to follow the clone procedure specific to the model being cloned and also follow each step exactly. A good backup of a functional device before starting to fiddle with nuvi files is always great advice.

A bit different and unorthodox too !

As I had mentioned elsewhere I have my old unreliable 855 with me in Mexico. I have a micro SD card in the unit withe the cloned 2019.20 maps.
I do not have a card adapter with me but wanted to update to 2019.30.
So I plugged the 855 into my laptop, SD card and all. Then I renamed the xml file which has the GPS info.
Have the same xml file on the SD card. Now GE recognized my SD card and let me download 2019.30.
When I was done I renamed the 3 files to "supp, moved the ASR files and voila I have 2019.30 in my 855.
Re-renamed the xml file in the GPS and also on the SD card and all is well. Sorry I cannot remember the correct file names but they are in the cloning instructions.

I can report that 2019.30 is the first map update that would NOT load the lower 48 states, and just did part of lower 48.... In my Nuvi 660, on a 16GB SD card.
Due to the 2Gb Limit

Ran into this problem several years ago of not enough space to update. Was told here at POI Factory if you have a computer do a complete backup of the gps then look in the system folder of the gps and delete the very large img file gmapprom.img. Then do the update. It worked then and still works for me. I was told later here at POI Factory you didn't have to do that Garmin would remove it for you. That didn't work for me...

Just to add to this, during a map update Express will remove any map file it put there if it's where it put it and hasn't been renamed, otherwise all bets are off