How to Perform a Hard Reset of your Garmin Nuvi 205 and 205W

Does your Garmin Nuvi 205 or 205W Freeze at Loading Maps?
Does it lock up or stop working?

This tip will describe how to perform a hard reset of the device, and how to backup your 'Favorites' in case the hard reset erases them. The next step in fixing your Nuvi when it doesn't start properly is to update its system software using Garmin WebUpdater.

A hard reset (or Clear All User Data)has been known to resolve unit quirks and strange behavior after firmware updates. It's generally recommended to perform it after a firmware update but is not required by any means. However, if you're seeing quirks and strange behavior with your unit after the firmware update, it is a good idea to do a hard reset of the unit. It's also one of the first things that Garmin will have you do when contact tech support regarding quirky unit behavior.

Backup and Restoration Procedure for Favorites:

The Hard Reset procedure has been known to delete your Favorites, so back them up beforehand.

1. From the Nuvi drive, copy '/Garmin/GPX/current.gpx' to a backup location on your computer.
2. After the hard reset, copy your backed up 'current.gpx' from your computer back to the '/Garmin/GPX/' folder on the Nuvi, but be sure to rename it 'temp.gpx'.
3. On the next power cycle, the Favorites will beread from 'temp.gpx' into the non-user accessible memory area on theNuvi where they are actually stored.

1. Power the unit off.
2. Remove the battery and wait several minutes.
3. Install the battery.
4. Press and hold (and continue to hold) the bottom-right corner of the screen while powering the unit on.
5. Continue to hold the screen until the "Do you want to erase all user data?"prompt appears.
6. Press "yes" and the unit will reboot. This resets all your location settings and user preferences.