Garmin Zumo 550 and SD card question

Sadlsor

Sadlsor

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With an old (new to me) Zumo 550, I'm running software version 7.5 (7.7 is now available), and get the usual error:

The latest version of these maps have so much new information that we're not going to be able to fit it all on your device's internal memory. Please contact Product Support, yada, yada.

Well I've inserted a 16gb SD card, all empty except for a backup folder of the actual device files. Garmin Express tells me I need a card up to 32gb, so I should have room, and it DOES recognize the SD Card Storage. The Device Storage (Zumo 550) is 81% full / 242mb Free. And I don't even need the latest update, but I need a different region (like east coast USA) and not the entire US, but the card should have enough room for all of it.

I'm not seeing the option to install to the SD card, and I've seen the answer around here before but Search shows me dozens and dozens of posts.

Thanks for any and all help!

Meanwhile, I'll try this idea:
https://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.p....&text=Select the regions you want to install.
 
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What I have done in the past with other Garmin devices in order to get all the maps onto a SD card is as follows:

1) Connect the device, without the card installed, to the computer.
2) Install the card into a SD slot in the computer.
3) Proceed with the map install process, selecting the SD card, rather than the device, as the target.

If I recall correctly, I was able to accomplish this using Garmin Express. But, you might want to consider downloading all the maps to your computer, then running a Garmin utility program called Map Install to move the maps onto the SD card.

I cannot imagine that you would need a card bigger than 16 gigs. The current full load of North American maps is only about 3.7 gigs, the full load of Europe maps is 4.1 gigs.

Michael
 
Sadlsor said:
I'm running software version 7.5 (7.7 is now available), and get the usual error:
Click to expand...
Just a postscript - you might want to update that system software (I assume you are referring to the software in the device) - sometimes, system software updates do not introduce any new functionality, but they do fix oddball problems such as the one you have reported.

Michael
 
I have a 550. Same thing, no option to install to SD card. In never do anyway. I always install the complete map update to my computer. Then I use MapInstall to install parts to the 550 internal memory and the rest to the SD card. Gives me more options.
 
Andrew Shadow said:
I always install the complete map update to my computer. Then I use MapInstall to install parts to the 550 internal memory and the rest to the SD card. Gives me more options.
Click to expand...
Makes sense - I think that is by far the best way to go about things. It meets the needs of every rider, except perhaps those participating in the Iron Butt rally who need the entire continent on their GPS and can't afford the 30 minutes it takes to re-load a different mapset into the device from the full mapset stored in the computer. But, I suspect that Iron Butt participants will have purchased newer GPS devices with sufficient internal memory to hold the entire continent.

Michael
 
CYYJ said:
Makes sense - I think that is by far the best way to go about things. It meets the needs of every rider, except perhaps those participating in the Iron Butt rally who need the entire continent on their GPS and can't afford the 30 minutes it takes to re-load a different mapset into the device from the full mapset stored in the computer. But, I suspect that Iron Butt participants will have purchased newer GPS devices with sufficient internal memory to hold the entire continent.

Michael
Click to expand...
I have the entire continent available to me. I install a certain radius around home to the GPS internal memory and the rest of North America to the SD card. This shows up as two different map sets in the Map Inf. menu. I select only my local mapset if I am only riding around home, or if I want all of North America I select both.
 
The last time I updated my zumo 550, none of the map regions would fit in the zumo's internal memory at all, and Garmin Express does not provide an option to install on the card only. Here's what I did:

- Download the map update and choose to install on computer only using Garmin Express with the 550 attached to the computer and the SD card inserted into the 550. Wait for this to finish then:
- Download & install Garmin Mapinstall if you don't already have it.
- Open Map Install and with the 550 still connected to the computer and the SD card still inserted into the 550, Map Install should present a drop down to select the zumo 550 or SD card that's in the zumo, pick the SD card. It will show up as a drive letter. There's another drop down menu to make sure you're selecting the latest map you just downloaded.
-Now zoom and scroll about selecting all the maps you want to transfer to the zumo's card. Just click to select (yellow outline appears, right click to deselect) Watch the bar at the bottom to make sure everything will fit.
- Once all the maps you want are selected, transfer them to the zumo's SD card (takes a while)

I think you can do this from Base Camp too but I've never done it so not sure. I used a 8GB card and was able to put all of the North America update in there including Hawaii, Alaska and the US Caribbean islands (just in case ;)).
 
Last edited:
Last weekend I updated my Garmin 550 GPS to the newest version of Garmin Maps 2022.20. I loaded the entire Lower 49 states on the SD Card and then, with a few steps, it was recognized by the GPS. The process was accompanied using Garmin's Garmin Express.

See Post #13 here.

https://www.gl1800riders.com/threads/zumo-550.424977/

The "cloning" process copies the internal memory of the Zumo 550 to a freshly formatted SD card. Then the garmin mapping program thinks the SD card is the Zumo 550 and you can load the map. Then you have to make some changes to the map files (change the names) and then put the card back in the Zumo and it will see the maps.
 
Sadlsor said:
With an old (new to me) Zumo 550, I'm running software version 7.5 (7.7 is now available), and get the usual error:

The latest version of these maps have so much new information that we're not going to be able to fit it all on your device's internal memory. Please contact Product Support, yada, yada.

Well I've inserted a 16gb SD card, all empty except for a backup folder of the actual device files. Garmin Express tells me I need a card up to 32gb, so I should have room, and it DOES recognize the SD Card Storage. The Device Storage (Zumo 550) is 81% full / 242mb Free. And I don't even need the latest update, but I need a different region (like east coast USA) and not the entire US, but the card should have enough room for all of it.

I'm not seeing the option to install to the SD card, and I've seen the answer around here before but Search shows me dozens and dozens of posts.

Thanks for any and all help!

Meanwhile, I'll try this idea:
https://www.vstrom.info/Smf/index.php?topic=18942.0#:~:text=xml file from the SD card and eject the card.&text=Place the card in the,USB cable to the Zumo.&text=Select the pull-down menu,unit this was the default.&text=Select the regions you want to install.
Click to expand...
I load the maps to my lap top then from the lap top i upload the maps to my SD card.
 
SteveST1300 said:
I load the maps to my lap top then from the lap top i upload the maps to my SD card.
Click to expand...
Me too. Much easier.

I don't understand what the benefit of going through the extra steps of this cloning process is.
Installing the complete map update to your computer is fast and easy. Then using Garmin MapInstall to install the complete map update to the SD card is also fast and easy. Unless of course you are not installing the map update to your computer, although I can't imagine why a person wouldn't.

This method allows more flexibility in how you choose to use the maps data as well. The complete map update can be installed to your SD card. Or, only the states/areas of the maps that you want can be installed to the GPS internal memory, or the SD card, or any combination of the two that you would like.
 
jfheilman said:
Last weekend I updated my Garmin 550 GPS to the newest version of Garmin Maps 2022.20. I loaded the entire Lower 49 states on the SD Card and then, with a few steps, it was recognized by the GPS. The process was accompanied using Garmin's Garmin Express.

See Post #13 here.

https://www.gl1800riders.com/threads/zumo-550.424977/

The "cloning" process copies the internal memory of the Zumo 550 to a freshly formatted SD card. Then the garmin mapping program thinks the SD card is the Zumo 550 and you can load the map. Then you have to make some changes to the map files (change the names) and then put the card back in the Zumo and it will see the maps.
Click to expand...

Interesting, another way to skin this cat!
 
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