Interesting! It implies that simply replacing a bad flash IC and/or the controller will go nowhere without reprogramming at least some of the firmware into the new flash. Without a JTAG programmer, fixturing, and other resources - oh well! Thanks for the info; it says Garmin keeps everything completely programmable on their side, which isn't a bad strategy for a consumer device that will likely get updates, etc. as well as optional paid features like maps.