Colorado 400t USB Driver Installation Failure

[+quintios]

I am using Windows XP SP2. I installed the Trip & Waypoint Manager and it did not install the USB driver. I downloaded the USB driver from Garmin and installed that. (BTW, the instructions given me during the installation looked like what I should expect from a Windows 98 installation and not Windows XP.) Essentially, halfway through I am instructed to connect the unit. XP goes through the recognition process and I now see two new drives in My Computer. However, when I click 'Next' on the installation window, it gives me an error (apparently the installation software doesn't realize that the USB driver is now installed) and tells me to go to www.garmin.com/usbgpsfaq. So I have to cancel out.

 

Questions:

1. Unit appears in My Computer and the Waypoint manager. I have downloaded two cache files through the communicator software from Garmin. I see two new removable drives in My Computer. Is there a problem?

2. Has anyone else had this problem??

 

Thanks!!

Edited June 21, 2008 by quintios

[+coggins]

I think that T&WP installed the drivers, you didn't need to download and install them again.

[+quintios]

I should have mentioned... When I clicked on the 'About' under Help and clicked the USB Driver button, it said that no drivers were installed. Furthermore, when I connected the unit, Windows gave me an error.

 

I installed the Waypoint manager on three different machines and none of them indicated an installed driver.

 

Also, it appears that the unit is not USB 1.1 compatible, as the software/usb driver only worked on the computers with USB 2.0. The USB 1.1 machine would not see the unit.

[+Red90]

You don't need any drivers with a Colorado. It is just a simple mass storage device. It works fine with USB 1.

[+quintios]

I wish that were true. But, because I'm a bit afraid of trying to use the unit without the proper driver I've already installed it on all 3 XP machines. Like I mentioned, 2 of them worked, one did not. And the one that didn't would not work with nor without the driver.

 

Anyway, looks like no one else has had this issue with the T&WP software.

[+g-o-cashers]

You don't need any drivers with a Colorado. It is just a simple mass storage device. It works fine with USB 1.

 

To do normal transfers to/from the Colorado you don't need the USB driver (mass storage is all you need) but to use things like WebUpdater and Spanner mode you do need the USB driver installed.

 

GO$Rs

[+quintios]

This might not be the appropriate place to ask this, but what exactly is Spanner mode? I've seen it but not seen any documentation on it.

[+g-o-cashers]

http://garmincolorado.wikispaces.com/Tracking, question TR2.

 

GO$Rs

[+quintios]

That wiki is near useless for a newbie like me. All these acronymns they toss around need to be linked to their definitions. It's extremely confusing. I need more basic instruction. I think if I keep reading it over and over and over again I might learn something, but reading the help file from Mapsource has been more helpful, it seems.

 

I hope that doesn't come across as harsh. I signed up so I can, hopefully, provide more of a "HEY I'M A BIG NEWBIE AND THIS IS WHAT I NEED" type of perspective.

Edited June 24, 2008 by quintios

[+g-o-cashers]

Spanner is a program that allows the Colorado and other Garmin GPS's to be be used with PC-based software to do "Tracking". Tracking just means that you use a GPS connected to your PC (normally a laptop) as a way feed your location into a piece of software which tracks your location on the computer. Garmin's nRoute software is an example, there are many others.

 

Spanner allows software programs that understand the NMEA protocol (an old by very commonly used protocol) to talk with the Colorado for the purposes of tracking.

 

So if you have tracking software that only uses NMEA and you want to use it with your Colorado you'll need to run Spanner. Note that some tracking software can talk directly to the Colorado without needing Spanner as an intermediary.

 

GO$Rs

[+quintios]

Ooo, awesome explanation. Thanks!

 

Can Mapsource be used as tracking software? I've gotten somewhat spoiled by the large screen from Streets & Trips & the USB GPS gadget that came with it. It would be great if I could use Mapsource with the Colorado and the City Navigator in the same way.

[+g-o-cashers]

Ooo, awesome explanation. Thanks!

 

Can Mapsource be used as tracking software? I've gotten somewhat spoiled by the large screen from Streets & Trips & the USB GPS gadget that came with it. It would be great if I could use Mapsource with the Colorado and the City Navigator in the same way.

 

I believe S&T supports NMEA GPSs. I don't have it to confirm but if it does there shouldn't be any reason why you can't use the Colorado with Spanner and Streets & Trips. Note: Spanner does work with a Colorado running 2.51 but several people (myself included) have reported frequent disconnect problems to Garmin using Spanner without much help from tech support.

 

GO$Rs

[+quintios]

No no, what I meant was, essentially, can I use Mapsource with the Colorado to show me where I am on the map in Mapsource? The purpose would be that I now have a large laptop screen to look at where I am, versus the small screen on the Colorado. Will Mapsource+Colorado function like S&T+Included-GPSr?

[+g-o-cashers]

Yes, but you'll need to download nRoute. It's a free add on to Mapsource.

 

GO$Rs

[+quintios]

Dang you are helpful!

 

I would have thought that Mapsource would do this all on its own. I guess not? I would have been quite upset if, after getting the City maps, it did not auto-route for me.

[Dosido]

I believe S&T supports NMEA GPSs. I don't have it to confirm but if it does there shouldn't be any reason why you can't use the Colorado with Spanner and Streets & Trips. Note: Spanner does work with a Colorado running 2.51 but several people (myself included) have reported frequent disconnect problems to Garmin using Spanner without much help from tech support.

 

GO$Rs

 

I was trying to get nRoute up and running with my Colorado on the laptop. So far, while Spanner is working (albeit with tons of drops), both nRoute and Streets & Trips 2006 have no problem connecting.

 

(Edit to say that nRoute is finally working too...)

Edited July 15, 2008 by Dosido