Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've had a StreetPilot C330 since 2005 and absolutely love it. Twice I've updated the maps using the DVD method, but I'm thrilled that they now have 1) life time maps, and 2) the ability to update directly from the internet. I will comment primarily on the update method because the updates will never have every new road, and some POI's will be closed or not updated. That seems to be the same for all GPS systems, and there is no point in moaning about it here. Technology is not perfect, but given my total lack of a sense of direction I would be lost without my Garmin. Before you begin it helps to know a few technical things. 1) You should go to the Garmin website and register so that you have access to the latest operating system for your particular gps (mine was outdated), have the proper USB drivers installed to recognize your gps, have the latest web updater software installed, and have the latest communicator plugin installed. This took about an hour overall, but is time well spent as it streamlines the upgrade process later on. 2) After installing/updating everything you can find, connect your GPS to your computer via a USB cable. NOTE: Many systems have USB 2.0 connections only on the back of the computer. The ones on the front panel are very often only 1.x USB connections. Using a 1.x connection will drastically increase your update time, if it works at all. My computer would not recognize the Garmin C330 until I connected it to the back USB sockets which I know are USB 2.0. 3) If you have updated and installed the necessary programs and connected your GPS, your computer should recognize it as soon as you plug it in. Run Garmin's webupdater program to ensure everything is the very latest. I updated my GPS O/S (operating system) but declined to update the voices since they were all foreign language updates. 4) Now go and purchase the online update from Amazon. If you are using IE8 you may need to run the browser in compatibility mode. Also, because this is a digital download be prepared to answer extra security questions related to your Amazon account. When you purchase, you will "hopefully" be shown a screen with your Garmin online map code. I think because of a problem with how IE8 renders, the map code was not shown in my web browser. This is not a major problem because you can go to your Amazon Software Libray and retrieve the code there. You will need this to activate your "map upgrade download". 5) Go to the garmin website, to the map update section and enter your map code. You must activate this first before you can proceed. It will require your GPS to be connected so that this code will be keyed to your specific GPS serial number. This will then allow you to either download the update file direct or install the Garmin File Downloader. AGAIN PLEASE NOTE: IE8 must be run in compatibility mode or the Garmin File Downloader probably will not operate. The Garmin servers support the resume function so you can use any downloader if the Garmin downloader doesn't work for you. I never did get it to work, but since I already use a file downloader (IDM - Internet Download Manager). A file downloader is HIGHLY RECOMMEDED because the file is over 2 gigabytes in size, and you don't want to have to start over if the download gets interrupted for some reason. Also, when you initiate the download, you will be given another software key. This key is for the specific map upgrade you are downloading and must be recorded to extract the maps and install to your GPS. 6) If you've made it this far, you've now downloaded the large map upgrade file. Again, connect your GPS to the USB port and double-click on the update file. It will require you the enter the second key you received, and then will allow you to install the upgrade to your GPS as well as install a desktop version (MapSource) onto your computer if you so choose. As others have said, depending on how old your GPS is, you may not be able to install everything directly onto your GPS. My C330 is old enough that I either have to add memory via a MMSD card (~$10) or else install only a portion of the maps. Other comments - Base system was 32bit WinXP SP3. I have Hughes Satellite Internet so I can only download large files from 1-6am CST. It took ~4 hours to download the 2+gig file. Using the USB 2.0 connection require slightly less than 1 hour to install the upgraded maps to the GPS, but I only installed the Lower 48 states portion. Even though I upgraded everything I could prior to beginning, I still had to upgrade one more component just before I started to download the large file. This was the latest version of the communicator Plugin, I believe. Garmin has tried to make this a painless upgrade, but it will still require some patience. I was very pleased with the process, but I am fairly comfortable with computers and believe that less technically oriented individuals might become flustered during the upgrade process. Just remember to be patient and not rush the process and you should have no problems. I gave this 5 stars in spite of the complexity involved because everything worked for me with hardly any difficulty. While it is a little confusing as I've noted, I'm not sure they could do much more to simplify the process.