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

**Butters** · 4th February 2022, 12:11 PM

G7ToWin only reads modern devices that are in preboot and also Windows Device Manager only shows them under "GARMIN Devices" when they're in preboot. Therefore for the ~30 seconds the logo splash screen is showing it's actually in preboot and can be flashed using Updater.exe to load correct fw as an RGN file. BTW, SD text commands cannot be used because the device needs to be getting much further into the boot cycle (after "loading Maps" appears on screen) before the card is recognized and Ldr.bin initialized.

So you should simply load an RGN file (named 097201000630.rgn for safety). To make that file use RGN_Tool to convert the GCD file to RGN. Post again if you need further help in that regard.

**isg** · 11th February 2022, 03:25 PM

Just for info:
That is the result from loading FW:

Spoiler: image

Any suggestions?

**Butters** · 12th February 2022, 02:50 AM

Yes, no need to give up yet. It may be that there is wrong data in region 5 (i.e. 0971's instead of 0972's) and that foreign bootloader isn't capable of booting the device.

Try to load only the boot.bin from 0972 firmware as 097201000630.rgn. Use RGN_Tool to open the GCD or RGN fw file, uncheck the second and third fields leaving only the first one checked, and then save the boot.bin using the "RGN" button. Flash that using updater.exe to see if it loads successfully and if it can then the device might boot up.

**isg** · 14th February 2022, 09:28 AM

LDR loaded successfully.
Unit behaviour after loading - same as before (abt. 30 sec. initial screen and then restart).

**Butters** · 14th February 2022, 10:26 AM

So far so good. Next steps:

1. Modify the boot.bin using a hex editor as detailed in kunix's post [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].
2. Load the patched boot.bin into RGN_Tool and save it as an RGN file observing safe naming of 097201000630.rgn.
3. Create Update.txt file with following content:

Code:

Please Login or Register to see the links

4. Open V6.30 firmware file in RGN_Tool and save the BIN files from the second (fw_all.bin) and third (resources.bin) fields somewhere convenient using the default naming.
5. Copy those 2 BIN files into a CLEAN microSD card.
6. Create in the card a root folder (alongside the 2 BIN files) named Garmin and in it create the usual Updater\0972 folders.
7. Place Update.txt solely in the 0972 folder (Put nothing else in there, that includes no Ldr.bin).
8. Force device off, insert card into the device.
9. Load 097201000630.rgn into Updater.exe and connect the device to flash it as usual in preboot.

If you aren't quick enough and the device drops preboot before the flash starts, check that there hasn't been a new file named "last_id.bin" in the 0972 folder. If it's present delete it before trying again.

Report results and contents of Update.log if it's created in 0972 folder.

**isg** · 14th February 2022, 12:50 PM

Originally Posted by Butters

So far so good. Next steps:

1. Modify the boot.bin using a hex editor as detailed in kunix's post [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].....

I could not get the correct Kunix's post or I'm an idiot (the latest will not surprise anyone

), but clicking on "here" leads me to the thread:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] - page 4 and on that page, there is no Kunix post that is connected with HEX Editor (or at least I could not find it incl. on page 3 and 5)
All the rest is clear, but please check and inform me about the exact post number.

**Butters** · 14th February 2022, 10:06 PM

It's [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] Anyway i've copied it below:

Originally Posted by kunix

I've discovered that it's possible to force update.txt execution while flashing boot.bin from RGN.
The good news is that the firmware isn't involved at all, so we can use it for curing.
You can do this it the following way:
1) Patch the boot.bin
1.1) Find bytes 0C 80 A0 E1 at the beginning of the boot.bin. Note, these bytes have to be four-byte aligned.
1.2) Replace the bytes with 0C 80 A0 E3
2) Prepare & copy update.txt into its usual place on SD card, then insert that SD card into your device
3) make RGN from the boot.bin and flash it
4) update.txt is executed

**derlangehans** · 14th February 2022, 11:37 PM

1) Bricked device MODEL, Firmware version, HWID.
Garmin Drive Smart 61, 6.00/6.30, i dont know

2) Why and how the device got bricked.
because i dont named the .rng file with my HWID
i flashed it with the wrong name

3) Symptoms: what's wrong in your device?
doesnt boot properly and pre boot did not work too.
if i start the device, the backgroundlight is "on" but the display doesnt show anything.
if i press the powerbutton for ~10 seconds the display shows me an "old TV" style picture.

4) Does your pc sees your device ?
yes, i have access to the files, windows shows me the "Drive Smart 61" drive.

5) List all the procedures you already tried to unbrick it and their results and errors messages obtained.
tried to get in pre boot and i tried it with garmin updater. Updater says: no update available

6) Do you have Garmin USB Drivers installed ? [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
yes

7) If you don't know HWID get it by [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
can not get my device in pre boot mode, g7to win fails to connect.

8) Write down if you already read or tried [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
updater.exe does not recognize my device, because pre boot doesnt work.

9) Can you reach preboot mode? If no ,have you followed this? [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
doesnt work

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

11) Once you get a reply and a procedure to follow from our experts, please give an accurate reply about what you did and obtained results.
of course

Spoiler: Big pic

**Butters** · 15th February 2022, 02:07 AM

@derlangehans
Please give a link to a copy of the RGN file you used which bricked the device. Alternatively you can compress it to several zip or rar files each no bigger than 15.07MB and attach here to your reply using advanced editor ("Go Advanced" button).

BTW, DS 61 has HWID of 2588 which it shares with DriveTrack71.