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

**nsPerFoot** · 15th February 2025, 05:10 AM

I have a bricked Nuvi 1390 LMT which I'm 90% sure has a bad EEPROM, but I've continued to play with it. It bricked in Jan2025 at the end of the latest map update, when it stayed at the Garmin logo. I've tried:
- QuickCure3 (loads successfully, but no mass storage seen)
- GarminCure3 (won't load, get the white Updater popup saying 'could not program requested memory region, contact Garmin...')
- GarminCure3 with only boot.ini (loads successfully)

I've tried the above many times on three different PCs, all Win10 or Win11. Also tried different cables. The unit USB connector looks OK. My unit uses the same RGN file as in the posts below.

Most recently I tried the SD card-based FW approach in the thread:
"IMPORTANT! If you want HELP in case of a bricked Garmin device, please follow this", post #357.

I got a somewhat similar result to 'askelly' (a green bar, though no logo), and it went thru 'loader' and some other screens before it stayed on 'software loading' until I powered it off (after >15min).

Of note here is that a 4Mb copy of region 41 ('41.bin') was dumped to the SD card, along with an update.log file (text below) and a small 'last_id.bin' file. This may help us nail down how to tell if the HW is bad vs. a soft error of some sort.

Thanks!

update.log content:
nüvi 13xx Series Software Version 6.30, UID: 38(...), HWID: 38(...)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parsing "del,0:/.System/gupdate.gcd"
Success
Parsing "rrgn,41,1:/41.bin"
Success
Parsing "xrgn,14,1:/14.bin"
Error
Parsing "xrgn,127,1:/127.bin"
Error
Parsing "reboot"

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

**Neil** · 10th July 2024, 01:05 PM

Freezing on "Loading Maps" most likely means one of the .IMG files is corrupt. Try removing the detail map first, it's usually the culprit.

**Neil** · 18th October 2024, 02:16 AM

@Bellmac

Welcome to GPS Power and congratulations on making your first post here. Please make your next post as an intro thread in [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].

Worst case is that it's suffered some kind of hardware failure and if so, no software solution will help. Best case is that it's accessed some corrupt data while in use and that's temporarily 'soft-bricked' it. Let's assume the latter until proven otherwise.

Seems some of your info is contradictory. You say it's not "properly getting into pre-boot mode by plugging in the USB cable". However, preboot mode is required both to use G7ToWin and flash an RGN file with Updater.exe and you've been able to do so. BTW, GarminExpress uses only Mass Storage Mode or Media Transfer Proticol, neither of which are available unless a device can fully boot. Preboot is invisible to it. WebUpdater on the other hand can use preboot mode (aka "Garmin Mode") as well as MSM/MTP. Lack of MSM/MTP is also why Windows doesn't recognise it ... however when you press the upper LH screen corner Device Manager will see it under "GARMIN Devices" in preboot but only for about 30 seconds unless a flash is initiated.

It's unclear what you used to make Cure firmware. If you used the MTK version (for HWID 1104) and named 11041000630.rgn, then Updater would refuse to flash it because the file name and actual device's HWID don't match (Updater queries the device to check). Using the QuickCure RGN would flash however, if named 097201000630.rgn even though it's actually universal and HWID independent. QC3 doesn't always work to reenable MSM in all device-types and series, but in my experience, it has worked with all soft-bricked nuvi 1xxx devices to restore MSM. Keep in mind that a device with correct Cure3 or QC3 fw loaded will still appear to be 'bricked' because it sticks on the logo screen as it's designed to do, but importantly with MSM reenabled. The sole purpose of any cure fw is to stall the boot process BEFORE any essential files can be loaded. No corrupt files are used in the partial-boot even though they're still onboard.

So here's the link below to HWID 0972 V6.30 firmware. Re-make Cure3 from it named only "097201000630.rgn" and try to flash it.

Code:

Please Login or Register to see the links

If it does successfully restore MSM, follow the steps in "How to Unbrick ...." thread but keep in mind you might not need to re-format but only remove some files (see the initial post in the Cure3 thread). It you do have to re-format, use only RMprepUSB with correct settings and make a full file system backup beforehand too. If unsure, don't worry. There are no silly questions as far as i'm concerned so ask first - i won't bite ..... unless you don't make an Introduction thread in Members Presentation!

.

**Bellmac** · 18th October 2024, 09:13 PM

Thank you for getting me straight on the differences between pre-boot and MSM terminology.

So, I used GarminCure3 to generate both cure and original rgn files from the gcd file link you provided (I think that is what I used before).

Although I can initiate flashing of both files using Updater with it showing 100% upload, when it goes to erasing, I always get the attached error message
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I have tried used Webupdater. It finds the Nuvi1350, but stays stuck on updating. I am not sure where the update file should be in order for Webupdater to access it. I assume Webupdater is looking for the RGN and not the gcd file. But again, where is it looking?

When I remove the flash drive, there is nothing in the drive except for the hidden System Volume Information folder that was created when the drive was formatted using RMPrepUSB.

**Neil** · 18th October 2024, 10:42 PM

Did you make a copy of the file system at anytime prior to doing the re-format? If so, look at the Garmin folder to find the file named GarminDevice.xml and open it in a web browser or text reader to look for this: <Model><PartNumber> near the start of the file. Behind it will be either 006-B1104-00 or 006-B0972-00 (my emphasis).

Can you say which 4 numerals written there please.

**Bellmac** · 18th October 2024, 11:17 PM

No, I have no copies. However, g7towin64 indicates HWID 0972.

**Neil** · 19th October 2024, 02:29 AM

Yes i understood that's what is shown by G7ToWin now. However, if you'd checked it with G7ToWin only after you attempted any flashing but had inadvertently used the wrong firmware, then the HWID may have been changed because the region layout could have been fully or partially re-mapped in an attempt to conform with the 'foreign' HWID. My query was made solely to determine whether it's original HWID was in fact 1104 but now changed to 0972.

Let's try another way. Have you ever used GarminExpress on your PC to update firmware on your nuvi 1350?

**Bellmac** · 19th October 2024, 05:12 AM

Yes, I updated numerous times with Express, including in 2024. Express currently shows a version 2025.20 City Navigator North America and Version 37.00 Time Zone Map available for installation.

**Neil** · 19th October 2024, 10:54 AM

On your PC go to your Windows system drive > (normally hidden folder) ProgramData > Garmin > Logs > Express where you'll see at least one log file named "Express.log" and perhaps several more named Express_00.log; Express_01.log etc. in date order. If you can't see the ProgramData folder, check below (*).

Starting with the latest (it should be named Express.log) open the files in turn in a text reader and simply search for ".gcd". In the pic behind the spoiler below you can see i've found ".....PrimaryFirmware.006-B1697-00.5.60\software\nuvi55_56_560.gcd" which discloses the last fw loaded by GE to a nuvi 55 with HWID 1697.

Spoiler: click

You should find in one of your log files either
"....PrimaryFirmware.006-B0972-00.6.30\software\nuvinuvi13xxand14xxseries_GCDFile__630.gcd"
or
".....PrimaryFirmware.006-B1104-00.6.30\software\nuvi13xxand14xxseries_GCDFile-MTK__630.gcd"

That will definitively confirm the original HWID of your 1350 when it was made.

*If you don't see "ProgramData" folder listed in your Windows C:/ drive, you can make it visible and browsable by reading here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. In later versions of Win OS, "Folder Options" is named "File Explorer Options" but the required settings are the same to uncover hidden folders/directories.

Once we're certain of its factory-set HWID we can know how to proceed safely, hopefully without causing more damage to it.

**Bellmac** · 19th October 2024, 11:21 PM

When I search the ExpressDetaled.log files on my W11 PC using "nuvi13xxand14xxseries" as the search term, I get ""https://download.garmin.com/software/nuvi13xxand14xxseries_GCDFile__630.gcd"

I used to run updates from an older W10 PC. I took a look in those log files and this search term produced nothing. However, I have a number of Garmin devices, so I am not sure any Nuvi1350 updates are reflected in those log files.

As you can see, I have little understanding of how Garmin creates these log files and whether they are overwritten with each attempted device update.

I did a search of the ExpressDetailedLog files on my current W11 PC using "nuvi13xxand14xxseries" as the search term and always found "https://download.garmin.com/software/nuvi13xxand14xxseries_GCDFile__630.gcd"

I previously did updates of this Nuvi1350 and other Garmin devices on an older W10 PC and searched those log files, but there was no result on the above search term. I'm not sure how Garmin creates and deletes these log files so those files may be the result of an update of another device.