Garmin screen freezing

StillGoing

Firstly, I'm not after posts of mine works fine. If your's does, great. I'm ecstatic for you. Move along, there's nothing to see here.

Anyone else experiencing screen freezing with their device particularly the 810? I've tried to solve this by deleting all files, doing a hard reset (as per Garmin's helpful advice) and by downloading the latest firmware all without success. The result is not only lost data during a ride, but if I'm riding a course in an area I don't know, I have no idea what direction I'm supposed to be heading. Twice I've had to abandon rides rides because of this and once ended up adding further distance and elevation gains to an already long and arduous route by heading to the only place names I knew in an effort to get back to the car.

I'd be interested to read if anyone is a) suffering the problem and b) if anyone has managed to solve it without the need to obtain an exchange unit from Garmin.

It also seems that Livetrack has given up the ghost again and that linking with social media has stopped working?

keith57

Replacement .... Had this happen to an 800 and had to swap it out with Garmin eventually. Now on an 810 and so far so good. Once the hardware starts to fail you've no option really.

StillGoing

Looking at the Garmin forum it seems it isn't an uncommon problem for the 810 and the fault lies at Garmin's end with their firmware updates. One suggestion is to revert back to earlier firmware versions and avoid connecting to Garmin Express until Garmin sort themselves out.

redvision

What screen are you using at the time of the crashes? If the mapping (which reading your post I assume you are) then this is a known issue. I have had 1 freeze which I turned the 810 off by holding the power button & then back on,and to my utter surprise the device had my ride data on screen & was a simple case of pressing start to resume (I didn't dare go back in to the map screen as I wanted the ride data) .

I have read that if you have two maps loaded on your sd card it can confuse the device.
Try formatting the sd card & reload the map.

Also, try a few rides with just data displayed rather than the map. If the device still freezes then I imagine it may well be a replacement job i'm afraid

ayjaycee

Are you using any sensors with it?

I have got an Edge 500 which worked perfectly until I paired a cadence sensor with it (the latest 'magnet free' version from Garmin) after which it would usually freeze a couple of miles into a ride. In the end, I changed the battery in the cadence sensor, and all has been well since.

Sorry but I have to to add that part of me also questions the wisdom of relying exclusively on a GPS bike computer (or any other GPS device) for navigation.

StillGoing

Hasn't mattered which screen I'm using. I'm using a HR sensor and power meter (built in cadence and temperature) which all worked fine when on previous versions of the firmware. Have even had a Virb connected which I thought was the cause initially. I've previously disabled the base maps and set the default to the NT maps downloaded to an SD card. There shouldn't be any confusion for the device with mapping.

I'm trying to revert back to an older version of the firmware and have removed Garmin Express from my iMac to prevent further auto updates. So far the procedure to revert hasn't worked so am still trying. I've an event coming up in an area I don't know and where the locals are likely to sabotage any signage. Having the ability to see the route or have a TBT prompt without the screen freezing is a must.

LiveTrack and linking to social media all seemed to pack up around the same time as the firmware update so I'm guessing this is another Garmin firmware file corruption, hence why I'm trying to revert back to version 3.4 or 3.2.

redvision

I would turn off bluetooth and see if that makes a difference. If not, sounds like it will be a warranty job i'm afraid

grenw

Been happening to my wife's a lot lately. 3 times on a 60 mile ride yesterday and the same amount on last weekends longer ride. Seems to be caused by the new 4.20 firmware that went on a couple of weeks back.

I'm wondering whether it's something to do with losing the satellite signal as it seems to have a problem getting it back after a freeze. Even after a reboot.

Reading a lot of similar stories on the Garmin forums so on advice from there I downgraded to 3.40 yesterday. Haven't tested it yet.

StillGoing

I've just managed to download an older version of the firmware to my device. Trying to do it with a Mac resulted in failure every time so I dug out an old Windows lap top to go through the exact same procedure and success.

Hopefully having an older version of the firmware that didn't create problems will stop the screen freezing. I'm not interested in Strava segments being flashed up and I'll happily manually upload rides to Strava rather than have the conflict with auto uploads if it means the device works properly again.

If anyone wants to know how to go to an older version of the firmware using a Windows PC:

1. Make sure you have disabled Garmin Express and connect the device.
2. Go to http://gawisp.com/perry/edge/
3. Click on the firmware version you want to download it.
4. Drag the download to the Garmin folder.
5. Find the downloaded file in the folder and rename it gupdate
6. Unplug the device and reboot. You should then get a prompt asking if you want to load an older version of the firmware.

topcattim

I have the same, and I haven't managed to work out what is causing it. Like you, I've contacted Garmin and they advised me to delete all the old files (annoying as I sometimes use them as courses for when I want to repeat a previous ride). This made a marginal difference to the sync problems I'd also been having, but not reliably so.

I've discovered that it is more likely to freeze if I'm asking it to do something, i.e. if I'm changing screens, but it can still freeze even if its just chugging along. It doesn't make any difference what screen it is on.

My only solution is to stop, do a hard reset (i.e. hold down the power button for approx 5 seconds) and wait for it to reboot. Usually it will then come back on, but sometimes I have to reset twice. Invariably, it has lost GPS, and I find that the best way to get it to refind is to switch GPS navigation off and on again. Then it needs the elevation to be entered manually.

Although in the early days of this problem (it has been doing this for about 2 years), it was prone to losing the track from the ride I'd been doing, more recently this is still stored, so I just need to press start and it continues from where I left off. If I was following a course, however, it needs to be told which course I am on, and therefore resets the VP.

I'm desperately anticipating the day when there is a proper alternative, so that I can switch to it. There are few products/brands out there that I actively hate, but I'm afraid that Garmin is one of them. I can't rely on it - when I go on rides in areas that I don't know, I still have to take a map as backup for the probable failure.

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19708043#p19708043]topcattim[/url] wrote:

I have the same, and I haven't managed to work out what is causing it. Like you, I've contacted Garmin and they advised me to delete all the old files (annoying as I sometimes use them as courses for when I want to repeat a previous ride). This made a marginal difference to the sync problems I'd also been having, but not reliably so.

I've discovered that it is more likely to freeze if I'm asking it to do something, i.e. if I'm changing screens, but it can still freeze even if its just chugging along. It doesn't make any difference what screen it is on.

My only solution is to stop, do a hard reset (i.e. hold down the power button for approx 5 seconds) and wait for it to reboot. Usually it will then come back on, but sometimes I have to reset twice. Invariably, it has lost GPS, and I find that the best way to get it to refind is to switch GPS navigation off and on again. Then it needs the elevation to be entered manually.

Although in the early days of this problem (it has been doing this for about 2 years), it was prone to losing the track from the ride I'd been doing, more recently this is still stored, so I just need to press start and it continues from where I left off. If I was following a course, however, it needs to be told which course I am on, and therefore resets the VP.

I'm desperately anticipating the day when there is a proper alternative, so that I can switch to it. There are few products/brands out there that I actively hate, but I'm afraid that Garmin is one of them. I can't rely on it - when I go on rides in areas that I don't know, I still have to take a map as backup for the probable failure.

Might be worth going back to an older firmware version? I've gone to ver 3.2 although 3.4 might be better as I think that sorted an issue with LiveTrack. 3.6 to 4.2 seemed to be aimed at auto uploading to Strava and live segments. I am quite happy to manually upload to Strava if it means the device will work and I couldn't have any less interest in live segments. It looks as if the 520 OS is the same as the 810 and the adjustments they keep making are aimed at that and the rumoured 820. Trouble is they're screwing up the 810.

itboffin

I think i have a workaround to all these crashes, i've tried pretty much every combo of options on/off and the one that seems to ensure no crashes is disable bluetooth and delete all segments.

Garmin works perfectly even with 4.2

sounds to me that Garmin once again launched something poorly tested using us to find the issues, gits!

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19708815#p19708815]itboffin[/url] wrote:

I think i have a workaround to all these crashes, i've tried pretty much every combo of options on/off and the one that seems to ensure no crashes is disable bluetooth and delete all segments.

Garmin works perfectly even with 4.2

sounds to me that Garmin once again launched something poorly tested using us to find the issues, gits!

Disabling Bluetooth removes one of the advantages of the 810 over the 800 though, namely LiveTrack. If you're not interested in LiveTrack or linking to social media (I use social media links so event sponsors can see progress if they want) I'd sell the 810 and buy an 800 instead which has none of the glitches the 810 is suffering.

I do agree with you that Garmin are taking the wee wee with this consumer testing now, as they are not responding to complaints or making any haste in sorting them out.

itboffin

I think you're slightly missing my point re disabling Bluetooth, this is a workaround until garmin fix the very well reported issues brought on by live segments.

I'm sure they will eventually, also the 800 isn't the same functionally as the 810 Bluetooth aside.

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19709487#p19709487]itboffin[/url] wrote:

I think you're slightly missing my point re disabling Bluetooth, this is a workaround until garmin fix the very well reported issues brought on by live segments.

I'm sure they will eventually, also the 800 isn't the same functionally as the 810 Bluetooth aside.

Fair enough. Downloading an older version of the firmware also sorts the problem though without losing Bluetooth functionality. Considering this fault has been going on since version 3.6 and Garmin have yet to address it (see the dates of the complaints on the 810 forum) I can't see Garmin pulling their finger out any time soon. The 820 is rumoured to be being released early next year and with the 810 new price dropping through the floor, it kind of looks as if they've given up on it and will leave it with the current versions of the firmware.

There is also a way of preventing the device from auto downloading updates from Garmin Express if anyone does go back to older version of the firmware.

grenw

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19709487#p19709487]itboffin[/url] wrote:

I think you're slightly missing my point re disabling Bluetooth, this is a workaround until garmin fix the very well reported issues brought on by live segments.

Would disabling BT for the length of the ride and then switching it on when you're finished to upload the activity would do the trick? Assuming you're not using Livetrack then you don;t really need to use BT when on the road.

redvision

I wish garmin would start to address the issues people are reporting, but after years of seemingly ignoring the problems I don't imagine they will any time soon.

Fwiw I am still on version 3.6 and haven't experienced the screen freeze apart from that 1 time (mentioned in earlier post).

I do think switching off Bluetooth could be the short term fix. I know it detracts the main perks of the device but hey, livetrack rarely works & the 810 had no call alert functions anyway.

I will be staggered if garmin choose to replace the 810 with a new version (820).
It seems to me that the launch of the 520 was to combine the 500 & 810 into 1 device, thus far more profitable for garmin & only 1 device instead of 2 having multiple software problems.

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19709654#p19709654]redvision[/url] wrote:

I wish garmin would start to address the issues people are reporting, but after years of seemingly ignoring the problems I don't imagine they will any time soon.

Fwiw I am still on version 3.6 and haven't experienced the screen freeze apart from that 1 time (mentioned in earlier post).

I do think switching off Bluetooth could be the short term fix. I know it detracts the main perks of the device but hey, livetrack rarely works & the 810 had no call alert functions anyway.

I will be staggered if garmin choose to replace the 810 with a new version (820).
It seems to me that the launch of the 520 was to combine the 500 & 810 into 1 device, thus far more profitable for garmin & only 1 device instead of 2 having multiple software problems.

Call alert functions can be sorted by assigning specific ringtones to important callers. Does the 520 do mapping?

redvision

Well, the 520 has map display. I think garmin aim to push people to the 1000 if they want full mapping.

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19710059#p19710059]redvision[/url] wrote:

Well, the 520 has map display. I think garmin aim to push people to the 1000 if they want full mapping.

Interesting. I've just seen DC Rainmakers video of the 520 and he intimates you can download the OS maps to it so I'm assuming it has mapping capability. Could be a contender for a replacement for the 520 considering the price against the Wahoo Elemnt

itboffin

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19709644#p19709644]GrenW[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19709487#p19709487]itboffin[/url] wrote:

I think you're slightly missing my point re disabling Bluetooth, this is a workaround until garmin fix the very well reported issues brought on by live segments.

Would disabling BT for the length of the ride and then switching it on when you're finished to upload the activity would do the trick? Assuming you're not using Livetrack then you don;t really need to use BT when on the road.

That's what I've been doing.

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19710059#p19710059]redvision[/url] wrote:

Well, the 520 has map display. I think garmin aim to push people to the 1000 if they want full mapping.

Have had a read up on the 520 and it doesn't do true mapping like the 705/800/810/1000. It's a map but no turn by turn for courses, just a bread crumb trail albeit with a map as the background.

redvision

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19710225#p19710225]philthy3[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19710059#p19710059]redvision[/url] wrote:

Well, the 520 has map display. I think garmin aim to push people to the 1000 if they want full mapping.

Have had a read up on the 520 and it doesn't do true mapping like the 705/800/810/1000. It's a map but no turn by turn for courses, just a bread crumb trail albeit with a map as the background.

That's right. The 520 doesn't have turn by turn, only breadcrumb but that displayed over the map would be enough for most riders - for those which want turn by turn the 1000 is probably the best device.

I don't plan on changing my 810 any time soon. I do get frustrated by the features which constantly either play up or don't work (livetrack is my biggest gripe), but at the same time I like the touch screen & would be lost without it.
This said, if the 520 had touchscreen I would have bought it by now.

StillGoing

I'll keep the 810 for now. The 1000 is simply too big for me although I accept that for others it is fine. The 520 would be fine other than the breadcrumb trail and lack of TBT. I don't want to spend a ride on a course I don't know having to constantly watch the screen. If I was going to change and be willing to lose the LiveTrack feature, I'd go to an 800.

Having said that, there are other apps that will do LiveTrack (Cyclemeter and Glympse to name 2) meaning I can disable Bluetooth on the 810 if reverting to older firmware still results in problems with routing and TBT. Garmin Connect is virtually worthless so getting rid of that wouldn't pose any problems.

itboffin

View ranger is also very good for mobile mapping and has a buddy following feature like live tracking

StillGoing

Tested my 810 today with a combination of the following:

Cache cleared of all courses and activities.
Reverted to firmware 3.2
Route created using Ride with gps.
Route downloaded as a gpx file rather than a tcx file.
TBT activated, bluetooth switched off.
ANT+ sensors all connected.
Cyclemeter used for LiveTrack.

Result; no screen freezing no matter which screen was on display.
Turn prompts worked and Cyclemeter worked faultlessly for LiveTrack.

Can't be specific as to what made it work, but happy it did.

grenw

Good to know. Tomorrow we'll be riding with :

Firmware 3.40
TBT on
Bluetooth on
Route will either be from a downloaded GPX or Connect created
No segments on the Edge

So only real change will be the firmware. We'll also be riding the identical course which crashed badly 2 weeks ago. Should help to pin things down.

redvision

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19711212#p19711212]philthy3[/url] wrote:

Tested my 810 today with a combination of the following:

Cache cleared of all courses and activities.
Reverted to firmware 3.2
Route created using Ride with gps.
Route downloaded as a gpx file rather than a tcx file.
TBT activated, bluetooth switched off.
ANT+ sensors all connected.
Cyclemeter used for LiveTrack.

Result; no screen freezing no matter which screen was on display.
Turn prompts worked and Cyclemeter worked faultlessly for LiveTrack.

Can't be specific as to what made it work, but happy it did.

Glad you have got this sorted. Hope it holds.
If it does hold then turn off auto update on garmin express!

StillGoing

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19711308#p19711308]redvision[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19711212#p19711212]philthy3[/url] wrote:

Tested my 810 today with a combination of the following:

Cache cleared of all courses and activities.
Reverted to firmware 3.2
Route created using Ride with gps.
Route downloaded as a gpx file rather than a tcx file.
TBT activated, bluetooth switched off.
ANT+ sensors all connected.
Cyclemeter used for LiveTrack.

Result; no screen freezing no matter which screen was on display.
Turn prompts worked and Cyclemeter worked faultlessly for LiveTrack.

Can't be specific as to what made it work, but happy it did.

Glad you have got this sorted. Hope it holds.
If it does hold then turn off auto update on garmin express!

I've deleted Garmin Express. There is a patch you can add that prevents GE doing auto updates. I'll put it up if I can find it again.

grenw

Firmware downgraded to 3.40. TBT active but BT switched off.

Rode the same course as 2 weeks ago and everything was perfect. We'd have tried it with BT but were riding a a sportive so not the best time to be tempting fate!

No crashes. TBT worked fine. All over 60 miles of riding.

StillGoing

I tested my device with a course again yesterday leaving Bluetooth switched on. Not far into the course the screen froze. The device was switched off and turned back on letting me resume the course as usual. Instead, I turned Bluetooth off and never had another problem. itboffin's suggestion of disabling Bluetooth seems to be the winner along with downloading courses as Gpx files if you want TBT to work.

If like me you want the functions of LiveTrack and linking to social media, if you have an iPhone, Cyclemeter does the same job without the need for Bluetooth to be activated on your 810/510.