Hi all.

I was referred to this thread from another where I asked for some guidance on getting features enabled on my US 2457. I tried modifying region 140 both with a hex editor and the GUI tool and didn't get very far. I saw discussion about a lack of icons on 2013 models, so this isn't totally surprising. However, it seems to be more than just the icons. My motivation for browsing this forum and learning more about these units was so I could work on updating maps and potentially do more customization to the Garmin-supplied nav module integrated in my car. I picked up the 2457 to use for general experimentation and learning about how Garmin does things and also as a donor for map files (which I know work). Unfortunately, my lack of knowledge led me to purchase a model without ASR, so I do not have updated files and will lose ASR in my car if I upgrade the maps without them. This latest attempt to enhance the feature set started as a way to get ASR files and that would still be a victory, but I am also now motivated by the challenge of modifying this to see what I can make it do.

From what I understand, the firmware for my model and the 2597 is the same. Also, I don't fully understand the significance of the HW ID, but mine is 1582, which is apparently shared with 2597 models. This gives me hope that if I could somehow convince the firmware that it should do 2597 things on a 2457 or make it think that my 2457 is a 2597, I might get somewhere. Just for kicks I found the hex value for "2457" in my region 41 and modified it to "2597". Truth be told I'm new to this and not sure if this made any sense at all, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. My unit now shows it as being a model "2xx7" and forces me to select my language and agree to terms on every startup, but that's it. I do have the original data backed up, so I'm hoping I can fix it by writing it back. If not, it isn't the end of tne world.

So, if anyone has any suggestions or comments, please let me know. I'm new to experimenting with the Garmin devices, but I work as an embedded firmware engineer and have developed GPS devices before, so I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and mess with things at a low level.