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

Yes a hardware fault is always possible with a malfunctioning device and it's looking very likely with this one. Of course when a device will at least turn on we usually go with the assumption that it's not. If it is physical flash damage and the device is out of warranty then it's best just stripped for parts to sell separately. However, the vast majority of devices which boot to the logo screen can be saved because they only have a software fault or a corrupt file or memory region. Seeing you were able to get V5.90 cure firmware to load as an RGN file in preboot but there is still no MSM available is very concerning however. All cure fw does is prevent the firmware from loading any of the usual files IMG, GPI, VPM etc so that a faulty file cannot 'brick' the device and importantly allow MSM again. However because those files aren't loaded the boot sequence freezes at the splash screen as intended. Although cure fw has apparently loaded, your device either turns off or boot-loops rather than proceeding as far into the boot process to stick on the logo splash screen. My feeling is that at least region 14 where fw_all.bin is flashed isn't actually being re-flashed, so it does strongly indicate a hardware problem.

About the screen messages: "Loader" indicates that preboot is engaged and locked in due to initialization with Updater.exe, "Software Loading" indicates that the device is receiving data to its memory regions from Updater.exe. However despite Updater indicating that the data transfer was successful the subsequent device behavior (no MSM and turning off/bootlooping) indicates either it wasn't actually loaded to the device (likely flash memory fault) or there is something else preventing it from booting. That 'something else' should not be a bad file because they aren't even loaded with cure fw onboard. Regardless i don't think it's even getting as far as trying to load files before the boot process ends which explains why cure fw makes no difference.

So, summing up from the info you've given:
This device cannot read from microSD card so we can't use Update.txt commands to flash BIN file to regions or erase regions; and
It seemingly accepts V5.90 cure fw however MSM is still not available because booting is interrupted by something very early in the process.

This really does seem like a physical flash failure. If it is 'something else' other than flash damage I have no idea as to what that might be. In some cases with a boot-looping device, leaving it on charge connected to a USB port on a running PC for an extended period of time, like for a day or more, might eventually "fluke" a complete enough boot to enable MSM giving access to the internal filing system. I don't know if that will happen with your device but if it does you would be able to take a backup of it's files and reformat using RMPrepUSB. If it's not a corrupt file causing the problem which I strong suspect it's not, then that won't achieve anything anyway.

Maybe someone else has some other thoughts or suggestions to contribute.

1) Bricked device MODEL, Firmware version, HWID.
Garmin Drive 40 LM, fw ver 5.60, HWID 2267, never cured or modified

2) Why and how the device got bricked.
I left the navigator turned off for 6 months, with the battery in low level.

3) Symptoms: what's wrong in your device?
When turned on, after that I charged the battery over a night, the message SYSTEM SOFTWARE MISSING appears on screen
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

and the navigator permanently remain in this state and isn’t recognized by Garmin software (GarminExpress, BaseCamp, WebUpdater)

4) Does your pc sees your device ?
Not in Mass Storage Mode, but appear in Device Manager as "Garmin Device"
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

In other words, navigator is in pre-boot mode.

5) List all the procedures you already tried to unbrick it and their results and errors messages obtained.
Many and many:
* changed PC, USB cable, OS

* GarminCure3 + Updater
with different (older, equal, latest) firmware, cured and original.
The strange thing is that Upload recognize the navigator with an ID 0
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

and:
a) if for uploaded file I leave proposed name (226701000590.rgn), Updater refuse to upload it
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

b) if I rename uploaded file as 000001000590.rgn, Updater seem upload the file but, after some seconds, a timeout message appears
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

c) if I use a modified rgn file (that contains only boot.bin section, obtained with RGN tool), Updater upload the file

but in both b) and c) case, navigator go (and remains) in SOFTWARE LOADING… state
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

The time between starting uploading process and the message SOFTWARE LOADING is short (1-2 secs). I guess, too short for an real upload… When in SOFTWARE LOADING state, navigator disappear from Device Manager (but non appear as Mass Storage Mode)

Note that Updater communicates with navigator, because, if I use an old or a equal version of fw, before to upload the file, Updater ask me a confirm and show me a different message. If the fw version is newer, Updaer don’t ask nothing.

* SD + Update.txt method
used with this files:
02/03/2017 21:25 22.720.256 0E.bin
02/03/2017 21:25 4.208.212 7F.bin
02/03/2017 21:25 1.135.808 9E.bin
02/03/2017 21:25 1.106.428 ldr.bin
01/03/2017 19:50 125 update.txt
and other similar packages, provided me from other users.

I also tried with ldr.bin obtained from official firmware and RGN tool (boot.bin renamed to ldr.bin).
And modifing ldr.bin as described in [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]


SD formatted with Windows and with RMPrepUSB_Portable_v2.1.727 tool.

Also in this case, the only way for some oucome is that I rename SD folder tha contains files from
<SD UNIT>\Garmin\Updater\2267
to
<SD UNIT>\Garmin\Updater\0000

The outcomes is that navigator enter (and remain) in LOADING SOFTWARE state and that in the SD appears a folder JOURNAL that contains a JEFF.BIN file (32.768 byte, that contains all zero)

Note about pre-boot mode

Surely I forgot to mention some other trial or test that I did, but I will add it if remenber it.

6) Do you have Garmin USB Drivers installed ?
Recent and less recent version

7) If you don't know HWID get it by*Use program G7ToWin to retrieve your HWID
I guess that the HWID is 2267 (I can’t access to GarminDevice.xml), reading on this and others forum (Drive 40 LM), and through GarminCure3 reading original fw.
G7ToWin can’t read the device.

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
See point 5

9) Can you reach preboot mode? If no ,have you followed this?*Garmin devices preboot mode
See point 5: the navigator remain permanently in pre.boot mode

10) Probably no , but do you have NV backup?
No, because Update.txt method not works (see point 5).
I have used this update.txt file:

rrgn,154,2:/BUP_154.bin
reboot

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.

Sure