Thread: IMPORTANT! If you want HELP in case of a bricked Garmin device, please follow this

Having LM maps for North America indicates that it must be HWID 1613 from the factory. Unless you or someone else successfully flashed the complete fw of a different HWID then it remains unchanged. You can check it's HWID in preboot using G7ToWin which is point 7 in initial post of this thread.

Please understand that this device's recent history before the problems occurred isn't clear. I need some answers, like these: Did you buy it in a malfunctioning state? Or was it working ok and then started not recognizing voices etc. without any apparent reason? Or did you try to update it and after a failed update it wouldn't work properly?

This is what you posted in the other thread you started:

HI,

i have GPS Nuvi 52. for some reason each time i plug it to my PC it say need to format it. i do so..

but still the same, i cannot access the memory of it..so now i lost all maps

i did install maps on SD card, but the main data have to be in built in memory the ROM.

it dose work, but no voice or other, as all deleted.

any one have idea how to fix?

You received an answer to the above from the helpful member Garmin_Nuvi directing you to the guide here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. You then posted in this current thread with this information:

i have nuvi 52, suddenly once i connected to PC it say need to format the ROM, and i did. since i can access GPS it self, but no sound or other, i had installed map on SD card and worked.

so i tried the GarminCure3, and now it is totally not working. just boot in garmin logo, tried to rest it it dose not work. i hold lower right nothing happen. i just can keep doing GarminCure3 by cure and original, if cure i can see the ROM, once original nothing happen

also used RMPrepUSB_Portable,. nothing.

Much of the information is the same in both posts, some is confusing and unfortunately regardless of numerous posts here by both of us i'm no clearer as to what's likely to have caused the fault. Best start again, firstly by you carefully reading again the document in the initial post of [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], then answer all the questions in the initial post of this thread and state if you don't understand anything about the process in the document by smokefree.

This device may be fixable and i won't give up trying to help you but i've run out of guesses and need clear, unambiguous and definite information about how it got 'bricked'. If it's not soft-bricked it may have a hardware fault. That's not so likely but it does happen and sometimes a partial failure of the flash chip can cause similar symptoms as noted in a bricking from faulty files.

HI,
this GPS i use it from time to time, and was working with no issue.
once i want to use it, it was working and booting with no issue, only if i set rout, i found no voice is there. si i plug it to my PC to see why. here i found was asking to format the memory of it, i try all thing before i do so, connect to garmin app and other, with no luck, so i did the format, still did not work and each time i plug it say same, format
that time as i have access to it, i did go to test menu in it by press the battery icon, and i get error that internal ROM have error. i don't remover exact word, but the ROM cannot be seen in it.

so then i post here for help, and i get help to go to page to do kunix's Cure3 firmware. to reinstall the SW. where i did all the step in it as it was told word by word and tried it over 20 time till now in 2 PC. with same issue. i reach here as the initial issue is become different after i did kunix's Cure3 firmware.

so the history of my GPS is = working but no voice > format did not work > did the kunix's Cure3 firmware > did not work > did cure , format RMPrep , original and did not work.

i reach this page after i get help from my 1st post for kunix's Cure3 firmware. and i did check HWID is 1613
my unit is refurbished unit i bought from eBay long back and was working for years with me. and yes i remembered i managed to install maps on SD and GPS worked but with no voice to guide .

i did read a lot, that why i reach to this point.

really thank you for your patience with me

EDIT 1:
1) Bricked device MODEL, Firmware version, HWID. nuvi 52 HWID 1613

2) Why and how the device got bricked. after i did the cure, it was 1st working but no access to ROM so no voice or lang

3) Symptoms: what's wrong in your device? was working as booting, but the internal memory was not acccple so no voice/lang and each time i plug on my PC asked to format the internal memory

4) Does your pc sees your device ? when was booting yes and ask to format, after i did the cure, no dose not. only in cure it see. stuck now on Garmin logo

5) List all the procedures you already tried to unbrick it and their results and errors messages obtained. did the cure> original did not work, then cure > format RMPrepUSB > original in 2 PC still did not work. stuck now on Garmin logo.

6) Do you have Garmin USB Drivers installed ? Garmin: USB Drivers Updates & Downloads yes all is there

7) If you don't know HWID get it by Use program G7ToWin to retrieve your HWID it is 1613 US model

8) Write down if you already read or tried GarminCure3 tool - the new way to create cure firmwares for Garmin devices
How to unbrick a nüvi - step by step guide yes did it more than 20 time in 2 PC

9) Can you reach preboot mode? If no ,have you followed this? Garmin devices pre boot mode yes i do reach by cure and see ROM, and i created .system and Garmin folder still no boot, stuck now on Garmin logo

10) Probably no , but do you have NV backup? NO

EDIT 2:
I MANGED TO make it work at last

what i did, in cure fase, i format the memory from my PC it self, and make it fat, then install the .system, Garmin and GarminDevice.xml.

and once i boot, it become alive again.... don't know why this worked..but this was the only thing i did now and it worked. and it boot as new..

thanks alot....

Maybe RMPrepUSB's GUI had a wrong setting, or the Portable version you mentioned using in Post #180 isn't playing nice with Garmin for some reason. Windows built-in tool usually works ok with Garmin devices but sometimes isn't acceptable, Mac formats fail very often with Garmin devices however RMPrepUSB (with recommended settings) has not had a failure for me personally, ever (that's literally hundreds of formats). It was because of the 'hit & miss' nature of the Windows tool that we started to recommend only using PMPrepUSB.

Anyway, you're sorted eventually so that's good.

yes...was nice to test and try....thanks

@ComradeLily
That symptom of Updater.exe failing with that message may indicate a partial-failed flash chip at worst. Seeing the device is still booting to the logo screen there's still some hope however. Some more information please: During the failed update were you using GarminExpress or did you copy an IMG file manually? If it was with GE, exactly at what point did you notice a problem? If you copied a map manually give details of the file itself, i.e. its source, file naming and where you placed it.

Thanks for the reply 😊 I was planning on using garminExpress to update maps, but the gps bricked itself as soon as I plugged it into my computer. I didn't even get the program to recognize the gps before it stopped booting.

Bricking when attempting to access Mass Storage Mode is somewhat troubling.

When it tries to boot is there any message appearing on the base of the nuvi's screen below the Garmin logo? Like "Loading Maps" or the Copyright details for instance.

Nope, its just the garmin logo for a while, then it flashes white, then the garmin logo again. That's how it was acting before I used garmincure the first time so I thought I was just going to have to redo the process when it started happening again. Then only time I get anything but the garmin logo on the screen is when I'm running the updater.

A boot-looping device makes it hard to initiate a flash because it'll always drop out of preboot very quickly. Timing is crucial as is speed in initiating the flash. Most boot-looping devices will hold preboot when Updater.exe communicates with it but if it's got a failing flash chip the flash will inevitably fail even after initiation.

Use this method for best chance to catch the moment:

• Load the cure RGN into Updater.exe;
• Enable the radio button for "USB Device", position mouse cursor over "OK" button and leave the GUI open and visible on the PC's desktop;
• Connect a 'Known Good' USB cable directly (no hub) to the PC's USB port (use only USB2 if available rather than USB3 and if using a desktop use rear rather than front port);
• Ensure the device is fully OFF. Hold the power button down to force it off if necessay.
• Hold the top LH corner of the nuvi's screen firmly (left thumb works best for me usually) and plug the USB cable into the device's socket with your right hand and quickly move it to the mouse while watching the window next to 'USB Device';

(This is where it gets interesting and you must move very quickly)

• The instant you see the device information appear in the window next to 'USB Device' Click 'OK' button on the GUI and keep the firm steady pressure on the device screen

If you miss it start allover again. Persistence is key if this is a software bricking. If it catches the flash initially but keeps failing repeatedly with Updater's message 'unable to program memory region' it might be hardware failure and there's no software cure for that.

No luck unfortunately. I get the same error not matter what I try. Strange that it died when it did but I guess there's not anything more I can do about it 😕