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

@MichelDumont
Please confirm that by "50 LMT" you mean that it's a Drive or DriveSmart 50, because there is also a nuvi 50 (LMT only means Lifetime Maps & Traffic). Additionally please confirm that you've removed the microSD card from the device before your attempts to attain preboot.

"System" and "Software Loading"/"Loader" on screen means the device is in preboot mode required to flash firmware as an RGN file. Modern devices are much more difficult to put into preboot and they also hold that state for much shorter time than older models, but once a flash is properly initiated and data transmission commenced they do hold that state until Updater.exe finishes.

G7ToWin only works in preboot/Garmin binary protocol mode. Seeing you have a backup of the file system, look in that for Garmin folder containing "GarminDevice.xml". Open the XML in a web browser or text reader and look for "<PartNumber>006-Bxxxx-00</PartNumber>" near the start of file info. "xxxx" is the four numerals of your device's HWID. Certainly it's 2267 for your device if it's a Drive series "50" however.

I don't have a Drive series device to hand, however if my memory is correct the spot for preboot is over the G or thereabouts. Use your left thumb rather than a finger on the screen with your fingers behind the device as you'll be more likely to find the correct spot for pressure that way and also be able to handle the device more effectively to plug the USB cable into it. Follow this:

• Plug a 'known-good' USB cable directly into a REAR USB2 port of a Windows desktop PC (don't use a Mac or Linux computer and avoid a laptop/all-in-one if possible), don't use a USB3 port, front port or a hub to connect. Don't connect the device just yet.
• Have the Cure firmware loaded into Updater.exe with the radio button (dot) next to "USB Device" selected, leave Updater's GUI clearly visible on the desktop screen with the mouse curser positioned over the GUI's "OK" button.
• Ensure the device is fully OFF, not just in standby. Hold the power button down to force it off if necessary.
• Hold the device in your left hand applying pressure with your thumb and with your right hand plug in the USB cable to the device's microUSB socket.
• At that same time watch the window next to "USB Device" and move your right hand quickly to the mouse. When you see the device details appear instantly left-click the mouse (alternatively you can hit the Enter key on the PC's keyboard).
• Keep firm steady pressure on the device screen until the flash completes indicated by Updater message that it was successful. Usually it's sufficient to hold the screen until after "Loading" or similar message appears on the device screen but continuing to hold is safer.
• Once you've successfully loaded the Cure fw and restored Mass Storage Mode you can remove any offended files if you know what they are or just clean everything off and load your backup if it's complete and you're sure it's not also corrupted.
• Finally, load original firmware as an RGN file in Updater.exe following the same procedure as above then connect to GarminExpress to update the device. Don't insert a media card until it prompts you to do so.

Originally Posted by MichelDumont

I have made some progress: I have been able to load the update in the unit but there is no change in the behavior of the unit, still just showing splash screen. It showed "software loading" while update.exe was working and it said "the update was successful" at the end but the gps still won't connect to windows or to Garmin Express on a different computer. One thing I noticed is that when the update executes, the first progress bar that appears shows the procedure t be completed, it then starts again showing a progress that takes maybe 30 seconds to complete after which it says "The update was successful". Am I looking at a hardware issue with that gps or is there something else I can try? The software (5.90) is the correct one as this is what Garmin Express has in memory when I did the last successful update on it.

Thanks again for your help.

I was able to upload the software to the unit and there is some improvement but still won't connect to windows unless put in preboot mode where I can reflash it. If I choose "cure" when updating the unit with Garmincure3, it ends up cycling to computer connection to black screen to computer connected again. I can see the drive on windows but not the files. The drive is 4.47 GB of data with 2.54 Gb free. The preogress bar when updating through updater.exe restarts a few times and takes approx 30 seconds to complete, seems short... I have confirm that the software I am attempting to load is the right one (5.90). Many thanks for your help.

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@MichelDumont
That post you made quoted above wasn't visible to me when i answered last.

I suspect there's a software update file on the device which tries to update it over and over causing the problem. Probably it's the main firmware file, gupdate.gcd in hidden .System folder, but it could be another minor update file.

I'm having a little difficulty following your steps, maybe you're doing it right but i suspect you don't fully understand the process and implications. To be clear, what you should be doing here is loading Cure fw in preboot via Updater.exe to re-enable Mass Storage Mode so you can remove any likely corrupt file from the device (maybe gupdate.gcd in this case), and finally re-loading original firmware with Updater. If the culprit file was removed the device will then boot fully and operate normally. If it still plays up after removing the GCD file from .System, repeat the cure process but this time take a full backup of the file system, reformat it with RMPrepUSB only, load original fw and then connect to GarminExpress to replace what you can. Read the first post of Kunix's Cure3 thread again carefully and ask if you still don't understand everything before proceeding.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] both run fine for me using Win10 32 bit and 64 bit and even in Win11_x64 so the problem's elsewhere for you. Forget using the Win7 Notebook and just concentrate on the Win10 Desktop. Check that your Windows settings or antivirus program isn't blocking Updater.exe running in Win10, even try temporarily disconnecting from the internet and then turn off AV protection completely while you run Updater. Ensure you have the latest version of [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] too.

You can also check that the device is connected in preboot by opening Device Manager. Use Windows Search to look for it and set "View by:" to either Large or Small Icons in Device Manager. Watch to see if "GARMIN Devices" appears in the alphabetical list of devices after you connect the device while holding the screen. You should also hear the Windows 'duh-dum' connection tone if you have sounds enabled. Keep holding the screen and time how long it it stays in the list before it disappears because that's the period your Drive/DriveSmart stays in preboot. Whether that's 5 seconds or 30 seconds (i'm thinking it's no more than 10 for Drive series) that is the MAXIMUM time you have to properly establish a flash from Updater before the device drops preboot.

Like Updater, G7ToWin also only sees Garmin devices in preboot with Garmin USB Drivers loaded to the PC.

Some bricked devices do indeed reboot spontaneously when forced off by holding the power button and with them preboot can only be attained during that brief couple of seconds when it's actually OFF. Others thankfully remain in the fully-off state rather than boot-cycle. Devices that (a) boot-cycle; and (b) are tricky to get into preboot; and (c) remain in preboot for a very short time do make the user's workload very high. Your DS50 was all 3, so the luck, timing and skills levels required for success in flashing via Updater.exe are similar to getting a good outcome while juggling two live monkeys and a running chainsaw in one hand while tapdancing and eating a full bowl of runny custard with the other. So good work you!

Seeing you've reformatted it, you may need to add a base map because GarminExpress won't supply that like other map entitlements. The one from your backup should be ok to use because never have i had one of those get corrupted like detail maps easily do. It'll be an older one in of your backup or just get the latest version 6 from here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. It must be named gmapbmap.img and placed only in .System folder to work however the version isn't too important.

@Maldonis
It may be that the device has a failing flash chip causing the bootlooping. If so then it's not recoverable by software means. While it's possible with the right kit and skills to do so, it's just not economically viable to replace and reprogram the chip.

However, it's also possible that the dezl 580 is one of the Garmin devices with cannot boot if the file system is completely empty. While most can boot empty (but of course not navigate or even show a map), some devices require at the very least an empty Garmin folder created in the root of the internal memory before they can completely boot, and some others require actual files onboard. Read about that in initial post in Kunix's Cure3 thread: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. Just be sure you don't copy from a recent backup any files that may have caused it to bootloop initially.

The device 'extracts' (or executes if you like) a GUPDATE.GCD from the (normally hidden) .System folder of the internal memory. In some outdoor devices the file is then automatically deleted but not in automotive devices.

It is possible to start GUPDATE.GCD from a Garmin root folder of the card. In a heathy device it will be read at the end of the normal boot cycle, and if the device determines the firmware in the GCD is a later version than is presently loaded it will flash it from there. The process is the very much same as if the GCD is in the internal memory which also requires that the device can boot. Note the use of 'heathy' and 'normal'.

It's also possible to write individual firmware BIN files from the card directly to the relevant regions of the flash memory but it's not possible to initiate (i.e. run) firmware directly from the card to start the device as you ask. Certainly some map IMG files and some other files such as points of interest GPI files can be used from the card. Even the initiating of BIN file to flash them from the card requires the device to be able to boot almost fully (usually just after the point in the boot cycle when maps would be loaded) to even examine the card. That process requires the system software (aka firmware) in region 14 to initiate enough to in turn initiate from SD the boot.bin renamed as ldr.bin (i.e. the ramloader). It's also possible to directly initiate flashing of firmware BINs from the SD in preboot using a modified boot.bin as an RGN file.

Regardless, i don't think such processes are helpful in your case because you can access preboot normally and appears to successfully flash the original fw that way although it then will boot-loop still. It flashes the Cure fw to allow MSM however but Cure fw doesn't fully boot the device, it intentionally stalls the boot-cycle before essential operating files are loaded. Therefore if it still boot-loops when empty or when 'known-good' folders and files are on-board the problem's elsewhere and most likely of a hardware nature. You can read about flashing from SD here: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. Info about modding ldr.bin in [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. Try it if you want but if it doesn't work then a hardware fault is confirmed absolutely, sorry.