Zumo Switching itself off after being switched on

[davidr]

Today and yesterday my Zumo developed some strange behaviour whereby it kept switching itself off automatically after being switched on. As this was the second time I've seen this problem, I thought I would outline how I resolved it so if someone has the same problem they can use it.

Resolution 1: Check your unit battery is fully charged.
Sounds obvious, but you'de be surprised! Also check the battery itself isn't loose from the unit.

Resolution 2: Reset Firmware version
This is most simply done by updating your Zumo to the newest version of the Firmware from Garmin.com. Garmin recommends that you use the web updater to do this but I prefer not to as I find it slow and sometimes does not work correctly, so I usually just go straight to the updates page here:

Garmin: Updates & Downloads

Please also note that if you are simply trying to re-install an identical version of the firmware, I have seen that sometimes the unit compares the installed version with the version that you are trying to install, decides it's the same and does nothing. To avoid this problem and get a fresh install of the correct software, I usually first install and older version of the software on the unit and then re-install a newer version (this has also helped when resolving problems with StreetPilot devices), on the Garmin site, there usually isn't an archive older version of firmware available, so I've added one to this site and linked it here:

http://www.motorcycle-navigation.net...0_26_04_07.exe - Zumo 550

http://www.motorcycle-navigation.net...0_26_04_07.exe - Zumo 500

Resolution 3: Copy all of your data off the unit and do a hard reset:
As with all software, Garmin software has some memory leaks. This means that over time, (particularly if you ride or simulate many very long trips). the units useable memory becomes full and either complains or crashes. To do a hard reset of the unit, do the following:

Turn off your Zumo
Press your thumb on the bottom right hand corner of the touch screen, it needs to be your thumb as if you press too small an area, this command won't be recognised.
Keeping your thumb on the bottom right hand corner, press and hold the power button of the unit until the unit starts with the splash screen, then release the power button but keep pressing the bottom right of the screen for about 10 more seconds, until you see the prompt : Do you really want to reset all data? then click yes.

David