Garmin Edge 800 - location memory full

[caerau]

Hi GPS gurus,

couple of times now this error message "Location memory full" has appeared on the screen of my device.  But there have been no apparent negative consequences.

Does anyone know what this means and is it something I need to worry about?  I've googled a little bit and have found no obvious comment on this.

[Feanor]

'Locations' are Edge-speak for Waypoints.

Go to 'Where to' -> Locations.

If there's a bunch of stuff, hack it back a bit.

Select each redundant location in turn.
In each location, do not select 'go', but tap the location name in the bar at the top.
This brings up some details of the location.
Tap the pencil icon at the bottom.
Tap-n-scroll till 'Delete Location' becomes visible.
Delete it.

[caerau]

Great, cheers 

Any idea what the consequences of not doing this would have been?

[Ningishzidda]

A good idea is to have the Routes, Tracks and Waypoints for a particular ride on a GDB file. After a while, you will have a library of GDB files which are for Calendar events, perms, DIYs and fun rides.
To prepare the Garmin for a ride, clear it and then upload the Routes, Tracks and Waypoints for that ride.
In the Routes list will only be the routes appertaining to the ride. Likewise Tracks and Waypoints.

Any Waypoints, Tracks and Routes that you wish to be on the Garmin for ‘everyday use’, are kept safe on their own GDB file and after the Audax ride, the Audax ride stuff is deleted and your ‘everyday use’ stuff reloaded.

[caerau]

Yeah that sounds like a good plan (without knowing what gdb file is mind )   - I think what I have done is fill it up with audax routes past, present and future and just rammed it full.

I started deleting waypoints last night but quickly got bored since there are (in my best cockney) thaaaasands of them sir!  So I took to deleting large audax routes which are already saved on ridewithgps anyway.

Got a fright this morning though when I thought this may have screwed it and it didn't work first thing (first time I've used iphone mapmyride for some time).  But have just plugged it in at work and found that the battery was at 0%.  Not sure how that happened but at least it's still alive  - phew.

I don't really need most of the routes on it anyway - all my commuting routes I could do with my eyes closed anyway - and I never actually bother to follow them gpx trackwise.  Even some of my longer training rides I can do without gpx track now.  It will have The Dean as its sole route shortly.... 

[caerau]

Just to resurrect this thread and share some discoveries.
 I've been getting this problem again (not sure it is a problem to be fair).  I've discovered that deleting routes does not delete locations and vice versa.
Hence to clear the locations memory without going through the mindnumbingly tedious route of deleting them all individually I have found that you can just delete the locations.fit file when the unit is connected to your computer and it self-recreates when you turn the 800 back on with a nice clean empty locations folder.  Lovely.

[billyam998]

great info thanks.

[Quint]

Just to resurrect this thread and share some discoveries.
 I've been getting this problem again (not sure it is a problem to be fair).  I've discovered that deleting routes does not delete locations and vice versa.
Hence to clear the locations memory without going through the mindnumbingly tedious route of deleting them all individually I have found that you can just delete the locations.fit file when the unit is connected to your computer and it self-recreates when you turn the 800 back on with a nice clean empty locations folder.  Lovely.

                            Sorry to be dense but how do you do that, Laptop with Windows 7

[Feanor]

Plug the edge 800 into your computer.
After a short while, it will become available as one or two drives on your computer, with drive letters like E: and F:

Go into windows explorer ( Win-key + E ).
Find the Garmin drive.
It will usually have a blue triangle icon, and be called something like 'Garmin Edge 800 (E:)'.
Double-click on the Garmin drive to open it.
In there, there is a folder called Garmin.
Double-click the Garmin folder to open it.
Then double-click the Locations folder to open it.
Inside here is the locations.fit file.
Delete it.

[Quint]

brilliant, thank you

[chrisbainbridge]

one more point.
After you delete the files, empty your waste bin.  I am not sure about windows but Mac does not completely remove the files until you empty the waste bin it simply marks them as not visible.  This leads to your Garmin getting more and more full but you cannot see the files!

[Quint]

Waste bin 

[caerau]

Trash talk

[caerau]

After you delete the files, empty your waste bin. 

I have those old email jokes about computer help phone lines going through my head 


('Right sir, now close the window'  *hears over the other end of the phone, stomp stomp stomp, 'sound of an actual window closing')

[fuaran]

one more point.
After you delete the files, empty your waste bin.  I am not sure about windows but Mac does not completely remove the files until you empty the waste bin it simply marks them as not visible.  This leads to your Garmin getting more and more full but you cannot see the files!

Its not really an issue with Windows, it should actually delete things when you tell it to. Though it is a good idea to use the "Safely remove hardware" or "Eject" option, to make sure it has actually finished reading/writing to the drive.