Thread: Using USB stick (a.k.a. stunt-double) to download map updates

I thought I know how this would work, but for some reason I have nothing but troubles.

Since I travel to Europe a lot I finally decided to buy device there, instead of updating my NA based GPS with maps downloaded from this forum. I got 2589LMT, left it with my family there and took copy of GarminDevice.xml file with me, thinking I'll use USB stick trick to download map updates and install them on my 3590LMT (lifetime map updates for North America).

I formated USB stick with FAT32, created Garmin directory in root, and placed 2589LMT's GarminDevice.xml file into Garmin directory. Fired up Map Updater v3.3.4. It recognized "device", said it's going to update software and map, downloaded software (3 ZIP files into Garmin directory, created .System directory, and gupdate.gcd and gmaptz.img into .System directory), and then asked me to to reboot "device" to update software. Since you can't reboot USB stick, all I can do is pull stick out and reinsert it. So, I did that, and made it to the next step, where it tries to update maps. Surprisingly, it offered to install 2015.40 version, not 2016.10.

OK, fine. I'll try that. But, shortly after I get the following error message

Searching here further, I find other people have this problem and solution is to try latest Garmin Express instead. So I do that. GE also wants to perform software update in addition to installing 2016.10 maps. In Step 1 it downloads software to stick and then in Step 2 it expect "device" to be restarted. Again, all I can do is pull stick out and reinsert it, but GE just sits there, and waits, not recognizing any change.


Does anyone know what can I do to prevent GE or Map Updater to try and do software update before they attempt map update? Looking at GarminDevice.xml, gupdate.gcd is already marked with version 5.40, which is, I believe, latest. So what other update GE needs before it can download updated maps?