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Magellan explorist gc issues on windows 10


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Recently updated our laptop from windows 7 to 10. I can not get the laptop to recognize the Magellan explorist GC (V1.7 now. Have tried

different cords, plug slots etc . Took GPS to a computer servicing shop and had them try it on their windows 10.

Would not connect. Still connects without a problem on my windows vista and service shop windows 7 version.

Have sent note to magellan and received an answer but nothing they suggest worked. Windows 10 connects to cameras

and other memory sticks without problems.

 

Is this a common issue??- I want this thing to work with 10 because sooner

or later that will be all I have.

 

Comments appreciated.

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Thanks for your posts. We love the GPS but it is of no use to us if it won`t connect to the PC.

I sent an e mail to Magellan and tried the results they suggested but to no avail.

I sent them another e mail telling them that others have the same problem.

Hopefully you folks will too.

 

I hope the experts at Magellan pay attention to this and get it fixed.

Otherwise, we will have to buy another GPS and we know what brand it won't be.

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From this Explorist GC thread it seems like some people experienced these problems for awhile. There is one report of someone resoldering the connection, another person installed a virtual Linux program in order to use Ubuntu, another booted the unit in disk access mode and upgraded the firmware to 2.15. But it seems like the problem is not new.

Edited by geodarts
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I recently installed Windows 10 and I am not having any issues with connecting my Explorist GC. I wish I could tell you how to fix your issue, but mine just worked when I plugged it in.

 

Note: is your Magellan running the latest firmware? I could have sworn the latest and greatest was v2.15.

Edited by schrempa
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Hi,

 

I had a similar problem. It relates to the serial port driver which Windows 10 overwrites with an incompatible version.

 

I found a site that provided a compatible version, together with a fix that prevents Windows from overwriting it again. Unfortunately, I no longer have the details of the site that explained the problem or fix, but the driver it provided is Win_Driver_Prolific_3_2_0_0.exe

 

Works fine for me now

 

Edit - the site that helped me is http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/news37.html (don't be put off when you see it's called Family Software Drag Racing)

 

The details from that page are:

The only 64-bit driver I have ever found that works with all the "Prolific" adapters is Version 3.3.2.102. The below installer program will remove all of the incompatible drivers, make a change so that Windows can never update the driver without your okay, and install the Version 3.3.2.102 compatible drivers.

 

Windows 64-bit Fix for:

- All Windows 64-bit operating systems including Windows 10

.Prolific USB to Serial Adapter .

.Device using PL-2303 H/HXA/HX/X version chips

.Supported device ID and product strings: . VID_067B&PID_2303 for "Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port"

 

1. Download and Save the PL2303 Installer Program here:

 

http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/Drivers/PL2303Installer/PL2303_64bit_Installer.exe

 

You can just Save it to your Desktop to make things easy.

 

2. Unplug all USB-To-Serial adapters and Double click on the installer "PL2303_64bit_Installer.exe"

 

3. When it prompts you, plug in one (1) of your USB-To-Serial adapters and click "Continue".

 

4. Reboot your computer. That's it!

 

Windows 32-bit Fix for:

- All Windows 32-bit operating systems from XP up

.Prolific USB to Serial Adapter .

.Device using PL-2303 H/HXA/HX/X version chips

.Supported device ID and product strings: . VID_067B&PID_2303 for "Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port"

 

1. Download and Save the PL2303 Installer Program here:

 

http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/Drivers/PL-2303_Driver_Installer.exe

 

You can just Save it to your Desktop to make things easy.

 

2. Run the installer program. If it offers a choice to remove the driver, then select to remove the current bad driver. Then run the installer again to install the correct driver.

 

I'm only on here by chance, so don't expect me to reply to queries.

Edited by arm-chair
  • Upvote 1
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Recently updated our laptop from windows 7 to 10. I can not get the laptop to recognize the Magellan explorist GC (V1.7 now. Have tried

different cords, plug slots etc . Took GPS to a computer servicing shop and had them try it on their windows 10.

Would not connect. Still connects without a problem on my windows vista and service shop windows 7 version.

Have sent note to magellan and received an answer but nothing they suggest worked. Windows 10 connects to cameras

and other memory sticks without problems.

 

Is this a common issue??- I want this thing to work with 10 because sooner

or later that will be all I have.

 

Comments appreciated.

 

I had the same problem. I tried several fixes before I found a fix that worked. When I had the problem, my Magellan was running version 1.8. After logging on to the Magellan support/download page, I downloaded the most recent version. After updating my Explorist GC to version 2.5, the GPSr was able to communicate with Windows10. Check to see what version you are running. If you are not running at least 1.7, you'll have to update to 1.7 before updating to 2.5. I hope this information helps everyone having difficulty.

 

Magellan support/download update

http://support.magellangps.com/support/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=view&parentcategoryid=62&pcid=24&nav=0,18,24

Edited by muddinchemist
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Hi,

 

I had a similar problem. It relates to the serial port driver which Windows 10 overwrites with an incompatible version.

 

I found a site that provided a compatible version, together with a fix that prevents Windows from overwriting it again. Unfortunately, I no longer have the details of the site that explained the problem or fix, but the driver it provided is Win_Driver_Prolific_3_2_0_0.exe

 

Works fine for me now

 

Edit - the site that helped me is http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/news37.html (don't be put off when you see it's called Family Software Drag Racing)

 

The details from that page are:

The only 64-bit driver I have ever found that works with all the "Prolific" adapters is Version 3.3.2.102. The below installer program will remove all of the incompatible drivers, make a change so that Windows can never update the driver without your okay, and install the Version 3.3.2.102 compatible drivers.

 

Windows 64-bit Fix for:

- All Windows 64-bit operating systems including Windows 10

.Prolific USB to Serial Adapter .

.Device using PL-2303 H/HXA/HX/X version chips

.Supported device ID and product strings: . VID_067B&PID_2303 for "Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port"

 

1. Download and Save the PL2303 Installer Program here:

 

http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/Drivers/PL2303Installer/PL2303_64bit_Installer.exe

 

You can just Save it to your Desktop to make things easy.

 

2. Unplug all USB-To-Serial adapters and Double click on the installer "PL2303_64bit_Installer.exe"

 

3. When it prompts you, plug in one (1) of your USB-To-Serial adapters and click "Continue".

 

4. Reboot your computer. That's it!

 

Windows 32-bit Fix for:

- All Windows 32-bit operating systems from XP up

.Prolific USB to Serial Adapter .

.Device using PL-2303 H/HXA/HX/X version chips

.Supported device ID and product strings: . VID_067B&PID_2303 for "Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port"

 

1. Download and Save the PL2303 Installer Program here:

 

http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/Drivers/PL-2303_Driver_Installer.exe

 

You can just Save it to your Desktop to make things easy.

 

2. Run the installer program. If it offers a choice to remove the driver, then select to remove the current bad driver. Then run the installer again to install the correct driver.

 

I'm only on here by chance, so don't expect me to reply to queries.

 

This did the trick. Windows 10 now recognizes my GPS. Instead of showing drive e in explorer it says Megellan. Thanks

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We purchased a new computer with Windows 10 that had the same problem. Communicator plug-in detected the gps but we could not get a geocache to load onto the gps. I got it working after trying this....

 

Open IE

Go to TOOLS

Then INTERNET OPTIONS

Click on SECURITY tab

Select TRUSTED SITES

Click on SITES button

Add https://www.geocaching.com to trusted sites

 

Hope this all works for everyone else.

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A friend who owns 2 Magellan Explorist GC could not get them to connect to her computer. I tried to connect to my laptop with windows 10 and the computer did not recognize the gps. Later I connected to another computer running Vista and it connected fine.

 

If you are stuck with only Windows 10 there is a workaround. You can download caches to GSAK and then GSAK will talk to the Magellan just fine. GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) is a versatile little data base program that costs a one time fee of $30. We have used it for years and found in invaluable.

MD Crab

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A friend who owns 2 Magellan Explorist GC could not get them to connect to her computer. I tried to connect to my laptop with windows 10 and the computer did not recognize the gps. Later I connected to another computer running Vista and it connected fine.

 

If you are stuck with only Windows 10 there is a workaround. You can download caches to GSAK and then GSAK will talk to the Magellan just fine. GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) is a versatile little data base program that costs a one time fee of $30. We have used it for years and found in invaluable.

MD Crab

 

On the other hand, if GSAK talks to the Magellan just fine, the computer is recognizing the device and a user can save a gpx file directly to its "geocaches" folder (or try to get the communicator to work through other methods).

 

This is not to say that GSAK and other caching managers are not helpful. However, as long as the computer (or iPhone/iPad/Android) recognizes the gps unit then GSAK is not needed to transfer files in lieu of the communicator. If Windows 10 does not recognize the gps because of driver error or other issues, then GSAK could not solve the problem.

Edited by geodarts
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A friend who owns 2 Magellan Explorist GC could not get them to connect to her computer. I tried to connect to my laptop with windows 10 and the computer did not recognize the gps.

...

You can download caches to GSAK and then GSAK will talk to the Magellan just fine.

This is confusing and contradictory. If GSAK can send caches to the device, then the Magellan is successfully connected to and recognized by the computer. GSAK doesn't have any special communication software built-in; it uses whatever access the computer has to the device. If the computer wasn't recognizing the device, GSAK wouldn't be able to do anything with it.

  • Upvote 1
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I have been  having  the  same problem.  Geocaching.com  treats  me like  they have  never  heard  of  this.  They  give  a  bunch  of  junk  solutions that  have NO  relation to the  reality that  Windows  10  just does  not  recognize  my  Magellan  Explorist  anymore.   I  have  tried  contacting  Magellan  and  they  give  the  same  run around with  junk  solutions.   They  even  told  me  to  get a computer  with  a  lesser  program  so  I  could  download  onto  my  Explorist  again.   Great  solution.   MICROSOFT  IS  THE  PROBLEM.   THEY  KEEP  RUINING  THEIR  PROGRAMS  AND EXPECT US TO  HAVE TO DEAL WITH  THEIR RESULTS.  THEN  THEY SPEND SEVERAL YEARS CORRECTING THEIR NEW  PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN  CREATED  UNTIL THEY  MAYBE GET THEM FIXED.   THEN  THEY  COME OUT  WITH  THE  NEXT VERSION  OF MICROSOFT  # WHATEVER  AND  START THE PROCESS ALL OVER  AGAIN.   I   HAVE  ABSOLUTELY  NO  RESPECT  FOR  MICROSOFT !!!

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Just so we're all on the same page - when you say that Windows 10 doesn't recognize your Explorist anymore, you mean that it's not mounting as a mass storage device so that you can access the folders and files on it.

If you're talking about geocaching.com not recognizing that your device is plugged in, you really mean that the communicator plugin isn't detected - because all of the browsers (MS Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari (on mac)) no longer support plugins built on the NPAPI platform, of which all of the GPS communicator plugins were made. This is not unique to Magellan, as Garmin's communicator plugin is also no longer useable. The "Send to GPS" button is effectively dead. Use "Save to GPX" instead, or better yet, use pocket queries because you really shouldn't be loading caches one at a time anyway.

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I have had the same problem. Almost ordered a new unit but I really liked this one. I DID FIND A WAY TO DOWNLOAD TO IT.  You can not use a new web browser. you need to use the old internet explorer the one with the e, NOT THE NEW EDGE. Still only loads one at a time but hey it works. Hope this helps someone out.

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I have had the same windows Ten problem. After reading some of the fixes given i decided to take my tower to my local computer shop . Even the tec-was getting frustrated with it!

After awhile he figured out the problem! He said and I Quote! that Magellan Comunicator will not work with certain browers on your comuter with windows ten. Firefox and Googlr  Chrome will not let it work ! It does work using Windows Explore! he loaded it in and my computer works with Magellan every time.

I asked him if i could give out his name and phone number and he ok'd it!

Jeff's Computer at 1E.Main Street ,Webster, NY.

Phone -585-265-2550 ask for Patric!

PS: He said he would try to talk you through it for those who live far away!

Good Luck- From the JARTeam!

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3 hours ago, OldTinCan said:

wow just found this site after 4 days of having the same issue...I am running Windows 10 and have the same problem...Has there been any info on how to fix

Can you give more detail about exactly what isn't working? This discussion contains posts with a number of unrelated issues, including devices that can't be seen by the operating system, browser plugins that can't write to the device, and a few others.

  • Upvote 1
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Hello everybody!

 

I have the Magellan Explorist GC and it worked very well. now i have the problem that the explorist will not work together with Windows10.

 

Does anybody know what i can make that i can install the magellan communicator to get my caches from the pc to the explorist?

 

Thanks for every helping answer.

diehofkos@gmail.com

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GSAK doesn't have any magic spell here. It's "just" writing a GPX file to the device, pretty much like a drag and drop from file explorer or any other copy operation.

OK, *technically*, GSAK might pick up the straws from a GPX file and arrange them into slightly different bales. But any case where that actually matters is probably hitting a defect somewhere - and I'm carefully NOT saying there are no defects.  If you can copy a GPX file to a USB thumb drive or other removable storage, I'd expect a similar copy to work to Explorist.  But if that copy doesn't work from the draggy droppy file browser, I wouldn't expect it to work from GSAK because at some level, that's basically what it does for these devices: copying a GPX file to an external drive. Yeah, it might know to unzip it and it might know the right directory in that drive to place the GPX, but the resulting bag of bytes on the device is *probably* the same.

But this IS a three year old post with a bunch of unrelated topics dumped into one, so expounding on any of them here may not be productive. Perhaps best for anyone still having problems to look at the volumes already written and perhaps post a clean help request with enough details that other users of that same combination can help.

 

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I am having the same issues.   MY GC is not being recognized by my windows 10 machine.    it thinks it is the F: drive and wants me to insert a disk.   so I guess I need to dust off my old XP machine, try to get it connected to the internet to download new firmware to my Explorist GC.  My GC is on version 1.4xxx, so it sounds like I need to try and update to 1.7, then up to 2.5.   hopefully this works to get it connected to Win 10 machine.  Overall I loved how easy it was to connect and download caches in the past.  I hope that I can make it work with my new PC.    Once I can get it recognized by my win 10 machine, then I should be able to get GSAK to see it as well.    However, once it is connected, I also should be able to run my pocket queries and save them to my PQ folder, where I will unzip them and copy to the geocaches folder on the GC.  Fingers crossed that I can get my old machine to connect still.  

 

So... sounds like folks have two separate issues here and I have both.

 

1.  GC is not recognized by windows 10 and therefore cannot access the storage on the device.

2.  Communicator software not working with windows 10, thus can't use the Send to GPS function.

First step is to establish the connection, then worry about communicator.   if I have the connection, I should be able to copy/paste the .gpx files directly to the geocahes folder on the GC.   

 

 

SUCCESS!!!!  Had to get a little creative.    my old PC would not connect to Magellan gps site.   so, I went to new PC, downloaded both the V1.7 and 2.1 install files and copied to a Thumb Drive.   then, went back on my old pc and executed the install files from there.   the old PC recognized my Magellan GC just fine and did the V1.7 install with no issues.    So, repeated the process for V2.1 and it also worked.   Now my GC is up to version 2.1.   So, went back to my windows 10 PC, plugged in my GC and bingo.   It was immediately recognized.   copied over my .gpx files from the pocket queries I ran and downloaded on the windows 10 machine and just like that, back in business.    I was really thinking that I needed to go buy a newer unit, but this saved me several hundreds of dollars.    took it out for quick field test and all is well.   I am  a happy camper once again.

Edited by Hav42
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On ‎7‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 12:05 PM, Hav42 said:

I am having the same issues.   MY GC is not being recognized by my windows 10 machine.    it thinks it is the F: drive and wants me to insert a disk.   so I guess I need to dust off my old XP machine, try to get it connected to the internet to download new firmware to my Explorist GC.  My GC is on version 1.4xxx, so it sounds like I need to try and update to 1.7, then up to 2.5.   hopefully this works to get it connected to Win 10 machine.  Overall I loved how easy it was to connect and download caches in the past.  I hope that I can make it work with my new PC.    Once I can get it recognized by my win 10 machine, then I should be able to get GSAK to see it as well.    However, once it is connected, I also should be able to run my pocket queries and save them to my PQ folder, where I will unzip them and copy to the geocaches folder on the GC.  Fingers crossed that I can get my old machine to connect still.  

 

So... sounds like folks have two separate issues here and I have both.

 

1.  GC is not recognized by windows 10 and therefore cannot access the storage on the device.

2.  Communicator software not working with windows 10, thus can't use the Send to GPS function.

First step is to establish the connection, then worry about communicator.   if I have the connection, I should be able to copy/paste the .gpx files directly to the geocahes folder on the GC.   

 

 

Your post said that your GPS is listed as "Drive F:".  The drive letter means it is recognized by the system.  Right-click "Drive F:", click "Explore" and you'll see the directory structure and files on your Magellan GPS (I hope).  One of my old PCs is like that.  The file explorer won't open the drive (the main hard drive!) unless I use the menu item "Explore".  It's repairable, but not worth the work for me, so I don't bother.  It doesn't affect file movement, except for the popups and the workaround when necessary.

 

Anyway, if the files and folders are accessible, you can (probably, depends many things) place Pocket Queries (a Premium Feature) or individual GPX files into the Geocaches folder of a Magellan GPS.  Don't bother with "Send To GPS" once it breaks.  It's the "Communicator plug-in" that breaks, "plug-ins" in general are going away, and the warnings say "the device is not recognized".  But only the plug-in is broken, the GPS can be manually loaded as always.  I suspect it applies to most of the posts in this thread.

 

But it also seems like Magellan GPSs require the most recent firmware as you mention.  If you can load the firmware by any process, post what worked.  Yeah, even switching to a different OS if that's what you had to do.  This may help other Magellan owners who were surprised by recent sudden weirdness.

Edited by kunarion
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fast forward 3 years, and learning this the hard way. It's definitely not the Magellan, and despite what Microsoft says, it IS Windows.  I was lucky to get a Win 8.1 laptop to recognize the GC, but only doing the age-old repair method. unplug it, wait, then plug it in when the computer shows it as a disk drive with partial free space.  So-far, both GSAK and Vantage Point see the GPS. super slow on transfers (a 5000 database takes over 15 minutes with GSAK, haven't really tried feeding it with VP yet.). I haven't tried making Windows look like its running Win-7, as I had to with a Garmin eTrex Vista.   I guess Satya Nadella, ceo of Microsoft, isn't much of a geocacher.

  • Funny 1
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1 hour ago, gelfling6 said:

I guess Satya Nadella, ceo of Microsoft, isn't much of a geocacher.

It's not about the Microsoft employees being geocachers, it's about geocachers refusing to give up their outdated equipment. I get that these old GPS receivers still connect to the satellites and will still provide you with a position, but their interface with the computer is a combination of outdated/unsupported (Garmin no longer uses its proprietary serial interface, magellan no longer makes handheld GPS devices.) and being insecure (the communicator plugins were built on a outdated platform). Since Garmin now uses a universal USB interface with mass storage mode, there is no need for them to invest in re-building a communicator plugin when you can just save files directly to the device as if it were a hard drive.

As much as I hate to say this, maybe it's time to retire the magellan (definitely time to retire that eTrex Vista) and either switch to using a cell phone or a "modern" Garmin GPS (ie, something released in the last 12 years which has USB mass storage mode, GPX file support, and paperless caching). These devices don't even need special software or drivers to be installed.

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