Thread: Problem Updating DriveSmart50 using GarminExpress

Originally Posted by Butters

It's often caused by some physical damage. Flash drives and chips fail..... Do the LLF using that tool, if it fails it's all over probably but still got some tricks to try.

Originally Posted by fchody

Well i performed the LLF but in vain. It didn't help. Still the samen problem..... What more can i do?

Originally Posted by Philipych

only a physical replacement for the memory chip can help here
memory chip is dead

@fchody
Philipych is correct however it depends on what lengths to which you're prepared to go in future to use this device. It's shown that reading from card to dump regions is possible maybe we can at least update firmware with txt commands and you can download maps to a media card and use them from the card too. It's messy and tedious but it can be done. It you want to try updating the fw let me know and i'll make a kit to flash. If it won't even allow the fw regions to be written to then it really is pointless... plus the device will likely die at some point anyway, refusing to even turn on or boot.

Replacing the chip requires it to then be properly reprogrammed. Not for anyone, only for one with advanced skills and the correct equipment.

Thanks all for your thinking and help. However, after some tryings and googling i believe the issue is not in the device but in win 10 i think. I made a test. I deleted the whole directory of the device. Everything was removed. I checked it again in explorer before disconnect the DS from the PC. Than i disconnected the device from the computer, started up the device. The device started up normaly. Than i reconnceted the device to computer. Once connected i openened explorer. What did a i see? Every map and every single file was back on place. Unbelievable but true. I checked the propreties of the files. Als files and maps where set as read-only. I unchecked this for all the files and repeated the test, remove the whole tree, disconnect the device, start-up the device, connected back at the PC. Again everything was restored and the files and map propreties are set to read-only again. The files and map propreties where set as read-only again. It seemes like the device dont allow any changes in the flash memory. Its about the same as Aspirin264 says in post 39. The more , my Brother in Law confirmed me the device worked properly before he gave it to me. I have never tested before but i assume he is wright. So the device doest seem to accept anny changes.; It restores deleted files and delete added fils. That is what it does. I feel very bad i bricked in some way the device by connecting in to GE in win10. Also i meen to remember i ever read this could be an issue in win 10 after an update. This bug caused several flash memories and usb sticks to prevent to make any changes anymore. Now it's time i think to look how to fix this problem? Any body any idee?

Francis

From the Garmin Website:

Check a Garmin Mass Storage Device for Errors

A check disk is run to ensure the integrity of the files on a device. To run a check disk:

PC:

Connect the device to the computer
Press the Windows key + E
Locate the Garmin device and see what drive letter Windows assigned to the device
Press the Windows key + R
Type cmd
Click OK
Type chkdsk x: /f (Where 'x' is the drive letter assigned by Windows)

The check disk will now run on the Garmin device

Answer Y for Yes if you are prompted to convert orphaned fragments into files


Contact Product Support if you receive the message "The type of filesystem is Raw. CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives."

@Asprin624
If the device was otherwise completely healthy but the DS's file system rgn83 (a garmin region is kind of like a partition) did have bad blocks then running chkdsk /f will not fix them them because the /f option only looks for errors in the file system data. Using the /f option, chkdsk isn't a physical repair tool. It collects orphaned files and fragments and isolates them but afaik it won't isolate the bad blocks or replace them from an invisible reserve of blocks called a 'provisioned area' which is invisible in normal use. I think that latter function is done by /r only, not /f. Blocks of solid state memory can go bad but not like in a hard drive, although gates wear out and memory pages or blocks can fail. The drive firmware/memory controller if working detects these and uses reserve memory pages/blocks instead from the memory set aside provided it hasn't already been depleted (it's limited) and it also controls writing or erasing of data. If a low level format is used successfully then it will do exactly that too but in the OP's case neither RMPrepUSB nor Low Level Format Tool completed successfully to wipe the file system visible memory so it would not prompt to replace blocks either, even if there were any. It's quite irrelevant regardless, because the problem seems to be that the DS's memory chip itself is kaput so bad blocks or corrupt files are not even relevant.

Originally Posted by Butters

@Asprin624
If the device was otherwise completely healthy Format Tool completed successfully to wipe the file system visible memory so it would not prompt to replace blocks either, even if there were any. It's quite irrelevant regardless, because the problem seems to be that the DS's memory chip itself is kaput so bad blocks or corrupt files are not even relevant.

Hi, Butters.
ergn,83
if this does not help and all the files remain in place, then the chip is definitely dead

Yes i know. That's why i qualified "was otherwise completely healthy". It's not in any way healthy with a busted memory chip of course.

Well with everything that has been tried a couple of times.
Time to say the unit is past any manual recovery.
It would be up to users now to maybe buy a new SmartDrive or a used one if it is really needed at this point.
The cost of getting the SmartDrive 50 repaired would be to high as opposed to buying a new unit.