Thread: Problems on my Garmin Nuvi 65LM

Yes it does have some hallmarks of a hardware failure and it seems you've already ruled out the USB port connections to the board being the problem. However, there can be other explanations for such behaviour and it's likely to be either (1) another kind of hardware failure such as a bad PCB component or the flash memory is failing; or (2) severe software corruption; or (3) a corrupt file that's required for properly loading during the boot cycle.

1. Is likely fatal, in that it's certainly not economically repairable.
2. Is easy to fix by deleting any existing gupdate.gcd from .System folder and directly flashing required fw regions using a media card (see below*).
3. Is also easy to fix if preboot mode is available..

Check if you have preboot available. Try all the methods in the following link, however holding the top left screen corner works for most nuvi devices: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

If it's 'soft-bricked' it won't have access to Mass Storage Mode so cannot be seen in Windows File Explorer or Disk Management. However in preboot mode it will be listed in Device Manager under "GARMIN Devices". Preboot is useful for recovering bricked devices using cure fw.

If the device is simply bricked by a corrupt file you can follow this guide: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] However usually such devices don't boot far enough to load anything from a media card so that may not be the case with yours seeing it actually can use the card.

*If you want to rule out a firmware problem and it still reads a card in its current state, you can use the SD kit behind the spoiler below to delete gupdate.gcd (if it's present), dump a copy of the non-volatile memory region 154, and properly reflash the 3 fw regions 14, 127 & 158.

Spoiler: Click

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Originally Posted by Neil

*If you want to rule out a firmware problem and it still reads a card in its current state, you can use the SD kit behind the spoiler below to delete gupdate.gcd (if it's present), dump a copy of the non-volatile memory region 154, and properly reflash the 3 fw regions 14, 127 & 158.

What's the use of this? My Garmin nuvi 65lm is currently still on software v.4.50, will running that bring my Garmin to very early firmware?

Oh yeah, my Garmin can't enter preboot mode, I've tried it and it only goes into calibration mode.
I tried the preboot mode method and nothing like "software loading" etc. appeared, it just said garmin and entered calibration

Originally Posted by zaicopx

What's the use of this? My Garmin nuvi 65lm is currently still on software v.4.50, will running that bring my Garmin to very early firmware?

No it will UPDATE it to V5.60. It will also delete an onboard gupdate.gcd if present and dump a copy of the device's non-vol memory region as 154.bin (which you should keep a copy of, because it might save your device in the future).

Oh yeah, my Garmin can't enter preboot mode, ....

Yes it can and you've confirmed that by the rest of your statement :

..... I've tried it and it only goes into calibration mode.
I tried the preboot mode method and nothing like "software loading" etc. appeared, it just said garmin and entered calibration

The device can ONLY enter the white calibration screen AFTER it's been in preboot mode. If there's no flash initiated in the allotted time for preboot to be held, it will then show that screen. After re-calibration it will unilaterally reboot (or try to if it's soft-bricked).

More recent devices such as your nuvi 65 are more difficult to flash in preboot because the time spent in that mode is so brief and sometimes even hard to attain initially. Hence a bricked device is easier to flash via SD card if it sill manages to read from it (many bricked devices can't use an SD, depending on why they can't start).

You can confirm it's in preboot by having Windows Device Manager open and you'll see the list populated with GARMIN Devices when it's recognised by the PC. That's when it's in preboot and flashable with Updater.exe but if no flash is initiated, it will drop out and go to the white screen. You must be very quick to flash it that way.

From your additional information it's clear that it CAN enter preboot, but if it's not being seen in Device Manager as said above and you've properly reflowed the USB socket connections then it has some other hardware fault.

Please advise if your device still "bootlooping" like you said in initial post, and if so have you ejected the SD card with Garmin\gupdate.gcd on it?

Originally Posted by Neil

No it will UPDATE it to V5.60. It will also delete an onboard gupdate.gcd if present and dump a copy of the device's non-vol memory region as 154.bin .......

Wow, thank you so much. My Garmin nuvi 65lm is already v. 5.60

Does it still bootloop or is it booting normally now? Also can you see it in Device Manager when it's in preboot?

Even if you've fixed it, it would be helpful for others to know what was wrong and what you had to do to recover it.

My device can boot normally, but it still cannot be detected on my laptop.
For Pre-boot, there is still no "Software loading" message. After I pressed the power button and held my finger on the top left of the screen, Garmin appeared and entered the calibration menu. I tried connecting to the laptop and computer mode appeared. After about 15 seconds, computer mode disappears and reboots. Device not detected on laptop.

"Software Loading" usually only appears when it's being flashed. "Loading" may or may not appear briefly before it enters calibration mode however. The actual on-screen message or lack of it is device-dependent when in pre-boot mode. Preboot mode is available only for the time from it powering on up to the white calibration screen appearing, old devices were 30 to 60 seconds, modern devices can be annoyingly fleetingly short. Once a data packet is received from Updater.exe it will hold preboot and show "Software Loading". If nothing is received it drops preboot and goes to calibration.

It notable that many devices on entering preboot will immediately show "System", or "Loader" while other types will just freeze on the Garmin Logo screen with nothing else on-screen to indicate they are in preboot.

However if it also cannot be recognised in MSM i.e. Mass Storage Mode or MTP i.e. Media Transfer Mode then it indeed has a hardware fault. Please state specifically whether it can or not be seen by PC normally, after you've read the rest of this post

If you CAN see it in MSM or MTP but NOT in preboot then check the following:

• Load (or re-load) Garmin USB Drivers: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. The specific USB drivers are essential for preboot but not for MSM/MTP connection.
• Try a different computer, some laptops can be flaky with Garmin Mode and preboot mode devices. Use a Windows desktop PC, even an old slow one with XP will do provided USB drivers are on it.
• Use only a REAR port on the PC, USB2 direct on motherboard only. Avoid using a front port, a USB3 port and definitely no hub or add-on card port.
• Put the device in MSM as per [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] before attempting preboot.

If after doing all the above it's still not showing up in Device Manager in preboot, or if it in fact can't even be seen in MSM/MTP then it's certainly got a hardware fault.

Although as said in Post #3, a device without any data connections via USB can still be updated with GarminExpress using an SD card/flash drive to mimic the device, if such a device ever 'bricks' due to a corrupt file it likely won't be recoverable. Because most soft-bricked devices don't boot far enough to see an inserted card, they can only be recovered using Cure firmware loaded via [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] in preboot (Updater.exe can't be used in MSM and GarminExpress can't be used in preboot).