Garmin USB GPS

[+Puppy Dawg]

For a while my Garmin eTrex LegendCx and eTrex Venture HC have worked fine in USB ports. Today I loaded Topo US 2008 mapsource software on to my computer. I hooked up the units and got the found new hardware wizard. I followed the steps, but to no avail. For some reason the PC won't detect the GPSr's being there...or something. Is there a solution?

[+Zork V]

USB can be a pain at times.

 

You might have to load the windows drivers for the GPS'r again, even though you have already done so.

 

This has happened to me as well.

Edited May 13, 2008 by Zork V

[+Red90]

Reload the USB drivers. They are available on Garmin's website.

[jmundinger]

For a while my Garmin eTrex LegendCx and eTrex Venture HC have worked fine in USB ports. Today I loaded Topo US 2008 mapsource software on to my computer. I hooked up the units and got the found new hardware wizard. I followed the steps, but to no avail. For some reason the PC won't detect the GPSr's being there...or something. Is there a solution?

 

I will be curious to watch the responses to this one. I'm guessing that it's a driver issue and that the loading of Topo was just a coincidence. I don't seem to have any issues when I'm working on my laptop. But, sometimes screwy things happen when I connect the gpsr to my desktop. I have had issues when the computer did not recognize the device but it did trigger the new hardware wizard and then, with the driver reinstalled, it would function. The more recent issue is that, when I connect my Vista HCx to the computer, the computer recognizes the gpsr but the connection triggers the scanning wizard and I am unable to turn off the wizard and, since the wizard wants to do its thing, it won't let me do anything else. And, even if I turn off and disconnect the gpsr and turn off the wizard, it keeps restarting.

[+JohnTee]

If you put Mapsource in the default directory of C:\Garmin, then your USB drivers should be in C:\Garmin\USB_Drivers and you won't have to get them from Garmin. Just navigate your 'New Hardware Wizard' to that directory.

 

I had this happen when I tried different USB ports than the original one I plugged into and loaded the drivers for. Actually had to load drivers for each USB port.

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

[+yorelken]

Yes, it happens to me too when I switch from my pc to my laptop or back. I have to reload the driver most of the time but not every time. Go figure. I finally put a shortcut to the driver on my desktop.

[jmundinger]

If you put Mapsource in the default directory of C:\Garmin, then your USB drivers should be in C:\Garmin\USB_Drivers and you won't have to get them from Garmin. Just navigate your 'New Hardware Wizard' to that directory.

 

I had this happen when I tried different USB ports than the original one I plugged into and loaded the drivers for. Actually had to load drivers for each USB port.

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

 

I would like to delete and reinstall the usb driver for my Vista HCx. Do you have any suggestions about how to determine which of the various human interface devices that should up in "Device Manager" is the Vista? (and, I presume that the driver for the Vista is different from the driver for my Legend C??)

[+JohnTee]

I would like to delete and reinstall the usb driver for my Vista HCx. Do you have any suggestions about how to determine which of the various human interface devices that should up in "Device Manager" is the Vista? (and, I presume that the driver for the Vista is different from the driver for my Legend C??)

 

Hmmmm, that's a good question. I'm glad you asked that. (You always lead with this when you get taken by a question unawares.)

 

I don't know. I'm guessing you want to try to reinstall from within the 'Device Manager'. When I had this problem with my Vista HCx and the USB Ports (and I can't remember which OS it was - WXP or WVista . . .) I just pointed the 'New Hardware Wizard' at that directory and let it sort things out. If you delete the driver . . . restart your machine . . . then plug in the Vista . . . will the 'New Hardware Wizard' come up? If so, just let it choose from within that directory.

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

Edited May 13, 2008 by JohnTee

[jmundinger]

Hmmmm, that's a good question. I'm glad you asked that. (You always lead with this when you get taken by a question unawares.)

 

I don't know. I'm guessing you want to try to reinstall from within the 'Device Manager'. When I had this problem with my Vista HCx and the USB Ports (and I can't remember which OS it was - WXP or WVista . . .) I just pointed the 'New Hardware Wizard' at that directory and let it sort things out. If you delete the driver . . . restart your machine . . . then plug in the Vista . . . will the 'New Hardware Wizard' come up? If so, just let it choose from within that directory.

 

Cache On!

 

JohnTee

 

I just did an interesting experiment and I'm not sure what the result means. By way of background, I have two Garmin gpsr - a Legend C and a Vista HCx. When I first got the Vista, the computer did not recognize it even though I had been using the Legend on the same computer for at least a couple of years. Presumably, the older driver did not work with the newer unit and it was necessary to update the driver. Since then, I have not experienced any problems with the Legend but have had the problems with the Vista that I described earlier in this thread, i.e. the computer not recognizing the unit until the driver is reinstalled and, more recently, with the gpsr triggering the scanning wizard.

 

So, today, I connected both units to the computer (one at a time) and both are working fine. I opened device manager and, if the units are connected and turned on, a "garmin" driver shows up in the list, but the driver does not appear if the unit is not connected or is turned off. It appeared to be the same driver for both the Legend and the Vista. Based on this little test, I'm guessing that it might not be possible to uninstall the driver using device manager.

 

Oh, the frustrations of being cyber-cstupid!