PC will not "See" Garmin Etrex Vista

townsbg · 03 Jul 2021

I see according to the specs that your computer does have a serial port. https://i.dell.com/sites/csdocuments...spec_sheet.pdf Have you checked and identified it? There is a good pic here. Definition of serial port | PCMag If you have one of those have you tried to use it? If it is extremely old software it is probably 16 bit and 16-bit software isn't compatible with 7 64-bit without a work around. Have you checked with one of those forums? You might try XP mode but I don't know if that software will work on XP and personally I've never been able to get XP mode to work. I just don't know enough about it to advise you further.

BuckSkin · 03 Jul 2021

townsbg said:

I see according to the specs that your computer does have a serial port. If you have one of those have you tried to use it?.

Thanks.
As the supplied cable is serial port type, I did find and attach to the serial port.

In messing around with this, I discovered that in the BaseCamp software program, even though when I try to do anything else, it tells me that there is no device connected, when I choose the option "Update Device Software", without any hesitation, it lists my device and allows me to go through the steps of updating the software; and, during this process, the screen on the device says "Updating Software"

Even after that, the program still insists there is no device connected.

I did learn one thing; when it lists my device in the update wizard, it calls it by name, "Etrex Vista"; and then, "(Com1)", like this "Etrex Vista (Com1)"

I remembered seeing a "Com1" listed in Device Manager > Ports; so, my Serial Port that the device is connected to must obviously be Com1.

I am beginning to wonder if possibly I have a much too recent version (the latest) of the Garmin BaseCamp program and maybe it no longer has the capability to deal with the serial port connection.

I am going to seek out a version of the same vintage as my device and see if I don't have better luck.

townsbg · 04 Jul 2021

Com1 indicates a serial port. I don't know about it enough to help you further. Good luck.

Barman58 · 04 Jul 2021

Back in the ~~Good~~ Bad old days before the rise of the Universal Comms packaged into Universal Serial Bus (USB) ... it was quite normal for manufacturers to modify the pinouts of the "Standard" Serial port and cable, some say this was just to make people purchase cables from the manufacturer only, but the fact was there was no true standardisation with serial coms except for the purely physical one.

For your reference I did find this webpage where it discusses the two "standards" used by Garmin in the Serial Connectors WeetHet - GPS - Serial connection for your Garmin eTrex.

We have things easy these days with USB as this is a standard but with older serial cables you may need a specific one supplied by the manufacturer. and often the only way to see what you have is to trace the cable with a meter. This was something that we got used to back in the day so unfortunately, you may need to check the cable that you have to identify the type ensure the device is set to use the one you have.

I have often cursed the USB standard over the years for being a little limited in it's connectivity, it's a result of standardisation. Strangely enough I still carry a Soldering Iron and a Meter in my GO-Bag, and Ironically the Soldering Iron is USB powered

BuckSkin · 04 Jul 2021

Success finally --- and from the last place I would have (and did) thought of.

I found and installed the predecessor to the BaseCamp program = MapSource; and, as soon as I launched it, there was my device listed and ready to go.

It just came to me in a vision; I got to thinking, even though my device was brand-new-in-the-box and never used, it was of 2001 vintage.
I figured people who bought these things new in 2001 surely didn't have to pull eye teeth to get them recognized on their computer; and, the only variable I could think of was that those people were using 2001 software.

So, I searched out a copy and version of the software that would have been available at that time; installed it; and, like magic, it worked.

I want to thank you guys for having the patience and taking the time to help me dig out information and get this situation resolved; it has sure been a puzzler.

SIW2 · 04 Jul 2021

Good news

Do you have a link in case somebody else needs it ?

townsbg · 04 Jul 2021

I'm glad it worked. That later version must not be set up for your model. You would think the issue with be later models not recognized by earlier versions of the software. They must have decided to stop supporting your model by then. It makes sense that if the software doesn't recognize it that it wouldn't work. Windows won't have drivers for those devices natively. Especially then. They barely had enough drivers to run a computer. That reminds me of "back in the day" when I had a palm pilot I could connect to my computer through it's serial port using it's software. Fun times.

BuckSkin · 07 Jul 2021

SIW2 said:

Good news

Do you have a link in case somebody else needs it ?

Seeing as how at this point no one will have a MapSource CD-ROM, you have to come at it from a different angle; instructions here: (I used 7-Zip instead of WinRAR)

Download Garmin MapSource for Free and Install Without Media - Tech Journey

The last and final version of MapSource can be found here:

https://www8.garmin.com/support/down...ils.jsp?id=209

I hope this helps someone else who may find themselves in the same predicament.