HELP!! I formated the Nuvi!!!

One other issue is that the web-updater doesn't find the nuvi.

Call GARMIN tomorrow and ask for automotive technician. Mentionned your problem and he will give you some instructions by phone and do some test with you.

And for your SD Card ,next time check what you have on it on PC before playing with this into your GPS. Format a SD with your PC and not when inside your GPS DEVICE.

The SD CARD is not the fact here. Never format anything if you are not sure how to do it.

It will be fix easily if you did not erase the GARMIN files. I will be very surprise you did ? Dont worry your format process of your SD CARD seems to be not acheived properly causing the GARMIN to shut down and protect is files. I hope you are familiar with computer and you did not touch to GARMIN FILES as mentionned everywhere into the user's guide!!

Question ?
When you try to read directly your SD card via your PC only , do you see anything on it ?

I would format the card in the PC but it doesn't show up when I connect it. It's like its not there in the Mac and in the PC it crashes the explorer browser. As for the Nuvi, the firmware is there so it operates, it just has no data, maps, addresses, waypoints, nothing. Not even other vehicles. When I connect it to my Mac, it doesn't show up, so the web updater doesn't find it. Anyone heard this happen before?

Maps could not disappear if you did not go to GARMIN FILES and delete thoses files. Connect your GPS with USB without webloader of course, check if you see GARMIN FILES ON Your PC.

So dont worry it will be fix, Please call tomorrow and it will be fine.

For your SD card , IT'S normal that your PC could open this one again. Corrupted files inside.
Restart computer and try again to format(property) via your PC without trying to open it.

For now try a master reset on your GPS device with the proper procedure if you know how to do it.

And so please dont try to recovered with web updater ,it will stuck again and more.
Who give you that wrong hit. Web updater is not good to repairs but its build to update your device.

Please stop playing with anything else before contacting the team.

Wich product and model you have?

Check to be sure that the maps didn't get deselected.

Wrench/Settings > Map > Map Info

Be sure that the maps are listed and that the check box is checked.

Otherwise, a call to Garmin is your only option unless you backed your nuvi up to your computer first.

Just another reason to BACKUP your GPS before doing anything else! I bought a 4GB SDHC card, which the card reader in my PC couldn't read. Since my 750 did recognize it, I decided to format the card from my NUVI. Unfortunately, I hit the NUVI drive instead of the card drive and proceeded to format the GPS. Fortunately, I had made a backup of the contents and was able to reload them, so all is well.

I am not going to try it, but I don't see how formatting the SD card inside the nuvi erased everything on the nuvi.

I bet he formated the nuvi by accident.

Attention Good Info.

Well I talked to a Cust. Service rep. and they told me the unit was not fixable by phone. Gave me a RMA and told me to ship it. Just shipped it. Sucks because I'm going on travel next week and the following weekend and was looking forward to using it. I guess I'll have to use my mapless, prehistoric GPS III Plus, and hope I don't get in an accident trying to see the tiny screen...:\

One thing the rep told me was that you can’t really back up ALL the info stored in the units internal memory. So for those who back up, be aware there are other things in there that if erased/formatted will render the unit inoperable. Furthermore, this problem is not covered under warranty! Because I just purchased mine recently the rep. processed it as a warranty, but you may not be lucky if it happens to you.

In summary, do not attempt to format an SD (SDHC) card using the unit as the connection between the card and the computer. Although it will appear as its own storage volume, formatting it will erase the volume it’s mounted under (the GPS). And don’t count 100% on unit internal memory back-up when fooling around with the unit.
Thanks to all for your help.

I was using a Mac and the application that does the formatting shows the nuvi memory and the mounted SD card as options. I selected the SD card and began the process. After I was done. the card was still unreadable buy the Mac, and the unit had loss all data.

Wow... what application were you using?

I use Disk Utility to format SD cards on a Mac.

Thats the one. If you look at the unit from that app you'll see both the unit and the card.

It seems like Garmin should rethink architecture of the filesystem and only expose the directories which are non-essential so problems like this do not occur. I would imagine that this problem happens alot.

Agree. You can easily mistake the volume you are dealing with and erase stuff from the unit, thinking it's stuff in the card. Also noticed that hidden files such as .trashes and .DS files are generated in both the card and the unit. So if you are using a Mac and erase stuff, it stays in memory. I noticed this after I deleted all the help files and languages from the unit, the memory used did not decrease. I have a special app that searches volumes for that kind of file but if you don't have it or do it manually, you will have it floating around occupying space. If you set you're file browser to view hidden files you'll see the .DS files in a MAc but not the .trashes. In a PC you will see them both and you can manually get rid of them. They will be created every time you access the volume via a PC/Mac connection though.

So I got my 650 back from Garmin today... well not exactly.. They sent me a dam referb, and it has a very deep noticeable scratch on the top right screen and a few in the center. Ahhh! I am so anal with that kind of thing that I don't ever wipe my sunglasses with a cloth, I wash them with soap and blow dry them. .

Call them to report that your item was not scratch like this.They will send you a new one.

I certified.

Best regard