Flashed My Sat Nav System Tonight

[sambusik]

Put the disk in there, and the screen displayed a note that it was loading the software from the CD. The screen has been blank for half an hour, and the unit won't let me eject the CD!

I'll forget about it for now, and see what it does in the morning.

[Yfoiler]

Hey, here's an idea for those that want the Brit Female voices instead of the American female voice.

Someone mentioned that they could see the British voice files in a folder or directory when they viewed the Nav DVD's file directory tree on their computer, but their Nav software version would not play them in the Nav receiver...well, here's an idea...

Copy the Nav DVD to your hard drive. Rename the folder with the British files to the American folder's name, and the American folder to the British forlders name.
Then burn a new DVD with these renamed folders.

Then reflash your Nav unit with the newly burned DVD. When the software goes to find the American voices, the British voices will be there in the Amerian voices place...

It's worth a try, and if it doesn't work, just reflash it back with the original DVD.

BTW, if it DOES WORK, and, if these are standard audio .wav files.... you could cut your own custom words and voices.... (just need to find the sample and bit rate).

Like instead of the voice file for "prepare", as in "prepare to turn right"... (prepare.wav) Using that same file name, cut a wave track that says; "Hey Sh#*Head Wake UP!" and name that prepare.wav. Don't forget your cross reference sheet!

This could be the start of some VERY interesting Navigation Help!

Have fun.

[Yfoiler]

My appologies guys...
If I hadn't been so hasty with my file renaming scheme and read ALL THE POSTS in this thread I would have known OctaneGuy already has this covered on page two of the thread...sorry.

However, since it appears they ARE wave files, I see some creative Nav help on the near horizon!!

Thanks...

[MINImotor]

I only see one option so the site may have deleted it I've attached the screenshot of the options. If its gone can you email to me or post your "British Voice" modified copy on the web?

Originally Posted by OctaneGuy

Are you trying to get ver 24.1 or ver 24??? Ver 24 downloads very quickly on broadband.

[sambusik]

My Nav seems to be dead ... Mine's an MKIII, and last night I tried to upgrade the software. I stuck the upgrade CD in the unit, and it prompted me that it was updating the software. The screen then went blank, and stayed blank. I left it on for about an hour, then figured out something wasn't right. The unit wouldn't even eject the CD.

This morning, it finally ejected the CD. But the unit now remains blank. I tried putting the update CD back in but nothing happens.

Any tips?

[sck_nogas]

I had the same MK III problem as you did. But, if you burn a normal version of the CD and insert that it'll fix the screen and then everything's back to normal.

Now, I just need to figure out how MKIII's can get back the Brit's and we'll try again.

Scott

[OctaneGuy]

I was referring to the BMW x5 page which lists the different versions.

http://x5world.net/nav_os.htm

Originally Posted by MINImotor

I only see one option so the site may have deleted it I've attached the screenshot of the options. If its gone can you email to me or post your "British Voice" modified copy on the web?

[sambusik]

Originally Posted by sck_nogas

I had the same MK III problem as you did. But, if you burn a normal version of the CD and insert that it'll fix the screen and then everything's back to normal.

Now, I just need to figure out how MKIII's can get back the Brit's and we'll try again.

Scott

Exactly! I was just coming online to post that I fixed the issue by re-installing a CD made from the unmodified ISO.

I'm bummed that I can't get the British voice back.

At least now, we can experiment knowing that we can bring everything back to normal by installing the V24 again from an unmodified ISO.


There's a langMK3 folder in the root of the ISO

\langMK3\0501\

there's a bunch of sound files in there. Gonna try the renaming trick and report back

[sambusik]

Nope, no success. Doesn't seem like the MKIII likes the modified ISO.

I went into the \langMK3\0501\ folder and switched the gb_f.csf, and usa_f.csf files.

(I first renamed the usa_f.csf to usa_f.csf.bak, then renamed the gb_f.csf to usa_f.csf, then renamed the usa_f.csf.bak to gb_f.csf)

So technically, I didn't change the structure of the ISO.


My next experiment is to take the working V24 I burned, copy the folders to my PC, and modify them there (instead of modifying the ISO).

Then I'd burn a new CD using Roxio or Nero ...

[OctaneGuy]

Not sure if it matters, but why not try renaming USA_F.CSF to USA_F.bak as opposed to USA_F.CSF.BAK??

To me there is still potential for it to see the CSF file this way rather than completely ignoring it since it doesn't have the extension at all.

Just a thought.

Also there are 2 places the files need to be modified---they have CSF and TSF extensions. You didn't clarify in your post whether you modified both sets of files.

I believe the folders to modify are:

langMK3/0501

and

language/BMWOCN

Richard

Originally Posted by sambusik

Nope, no success. Doesn't seem like the MKIII likes the modified ISO.

I went into the \langMK3\0501\ folder and switched the gb_f.csf, and usa_f.csf files.

(I first renamed the usa_f.csf to usa_f.csf.bak, then renamed the gb_f.csf to usa_f.csf, then renamed the usa_f.csf.bak to gb_f.csf)

So technically, I didn't change the structure of the ISO.


My next experiment is to take the working V24 I burned, copy the folders to my PC, and modify them there (instead of modifying the ISO).

Then I'd burn a new CD using Roxio or Nero ...

[sambusik]

I'll give that a shot.

To clarify, I didn't leave the file named usa_f.csf.bak. That was an intermediate step so I could switch the gb_f and usa_f files with each other.

[MSFITOY]

Thanks a MILLION Octane Guy Msfitoy has British accent Now I can't wait till you geniuses figure out how to make her sound "sexier" (just for me of course)


My five year old boy who can spot every little change I make to Msfit will surely be the first to ask, "Does that girl in your navigational system sound different Dad?"

[OctaneGuy]

Hahah, you're welcome!! Glad you got it working. Now I hope the guys with the MKIII CD based navs can start saying the same thing soon!

Originally Posted by MSFITOY

Thanks a MILLION Octane Guy Msfitoy has British accent Now I can't wait till you geniuses figure out how to make her sound "sexier" (just for me of course)

[mlebeau]

Well I finally finished downloading the 24.1 software (I already had 24 but hadn't gotten around to burning it yet) and finally went out and got my CD-R's, so I think I'll give this whole thing a shot now.

-mike

[MSFITOY]

I like the idea (forgot who started it) about having a wav voice telling you when you miss a turn to say, "turn around ya dip sh&t!!" Just for passenger entertainment of course Or, "beam me outta here" to come on at random

[mlebeau]

Yeah, except that the files are not actually in WAV format, so that's gonna be very difficult to hack up. You'd need specific info about how the data is laid out.

-mike

[MSFITOY]

Originally Posted by mlebeau

Yeah, except that the files are not actually in WAV format, so that's gonna be very difficult to hack up. You'd need specific info about how the data is laid out.

-mike

Man...you're not lettn me get away with ANYTHING are ya I'm just a lowlife designer...don't know about computers

[mlebeau]

Originally Posted by MSFITOY

Man...you're not lettn me get away with ANYTHING are ya I'm just a lowlife designer...don't know about computers

lol.. sorry, didn't mean to come down on you. ;)

-mike

[sambusik]

I've tried a bunch of things, and nearly 10 CD-R's later, nothing has worked.
It seems the MKIII simply doesn't like it if you do anything to the ISO image and re-burn the CD.

Here's what I tried:

#1 I extracted the files onto my PC. Then I renamed the files. I burned a new CD using Roxio (and also later using Nero). The Nav actually told me an incorrect CD format was in the unit.

#2 I renamed the files inside the ISO using UltraISO, then burned the CD right out of there. I get the whole Nav-dead blank screen thing.

At least I'm able to get everything back to normal by sticking a normally burned CD into the unit.

If anybody figures this out, please let me know!

Thanks!

[newyorkcitymini]

how does one find out if they have a mk III of not? i have a 2005 cooper.

many thanks - drew

[sambusik]

Originally Posted by newyorkcitymini

how does one find out if they have a mk III of not? i have a 2005 cooper.

many thanks - drew

MKIII's are the old CD-based system. Yours should be the MKIV

[1996 328ti]

There is a dimmed out selection named 'TRAFFIC INFORMATION" also MAGNET. Anyone know what these are?

[mlebeau]

Originally Posted by 1996 328ti

There is a dimmed out selection named 'TRAFFIC INFORMATION" also MAGNET. Anyone know what these are?

"Traffic Information" is likely TMC, which is not available in the US. Do a search on TMC in Google or something, basically it's a radio transmission which carries traffic info in Europe and elsewhere so that navigation systems can automatically reroute around accidents and traffic jams.

-mike

[1996 328ti]

Thanks. That led me in the right direction.
It looks like Acura will be incorporating TMC into their Navs.
Sirrus <I think> will be transmitting traffic reports.
Sure would be nice to have traffic reports flash across the nav.

[newyorkcitymini]

Originally Posted by sambusik

MKIII's are the old CD-based system. Yours should be the MKIV

THANKS!