mike35z

no problem....i will forward the info....

He will make a couple samples for you to look at. You can decide if you like them, and go from there. I will post them here as a thumbnail or somthing. The comleted artwork will be emailed in bitmap, jpeg, or whatever format you want. I think the bitmap 500x240 loads very fast and is the original factory graphic format used in the z1,2 and3.

thank you

Mike

My roomate is a graphic designer....he did these backgrounds for my avic z2 unit. He can make them for anyone of anything. ( for a small fee)

jpeg 500 x 240

I have noticed several upgraded hard drives available on ebay that contain the image file from an Avic Z3 hard drive. I would suggest when buying an upgraded hd to check the cache size of the hd. Most of the hd's listed on ebay are using an 8mb cache size. This is the same size as the original. A hard drive that is larger in capacity benefits greatly from a 16mb cache size. The higher cache size increases the operating speed of the hd. It allows for increased read and write speeds. The toshiba hd's that use the 16mb cache size are more expensive. It is worth paying an extra 10 or 20 dollars for this higher cache size, in my opinion. I am selling a new tosiba hd on ebay this weekend that is a 40gb hd, with a 16mb cache size. I would recommend this hd for upgrading to the Z3 map database. It is also partitioned to utilize the entire size limit. The extra capacity has been added to the music storage function for the library. This hd is being tested for one week before i sell it to verify correct operation.

I upgraded my Z1 with a new 40GB hd, with a 16mb cache, and 5200 rpm spindle speed. I loaded the z2 image onto this...then did a defrag of all the partitions. I think this helped increase the boot time too. If anyone is loading a new HD with the z2 image, be sure to do a degrag on each partiton...(only 2 of the partitions will need it). It helps a bit for the load time. My Z1 now boots up in half the time...just enough time to put a seatbelt on, and put the car in gear.

Is this a brand new Z2 out of the box? Did anyone make any changes to the HD, or is it totally a new unit. What CD are you trying to load? Is tha an update for the unit? Or is it a music cd. I can try to help you if you like.

Mike

I have bought 2 D2 units, and 2 Z1 units and installed them in 4 cars for me and friends. I know a come about the nav units from Pioneer.

Whenever I leave my car in a parking lot I put a towel over the dash and it hangs over the navigation unit. I also heard of a way to make a fake cover to go over the unit that makes it look like a cheap radio. Another possibility is to get a piece of plexiglas...crack it...and lay it over the z1 screen to make it look like its broken..no one would want to take it.

Just some crazy ideas that might work.

Just for kicks...I decided to try my AM radion on my Z1. It does not pick up any am channels......the FM works great....I never listen to AM radio, but was suprised to find out it did ot pick up any stations. I used to work on radio's years ago. Alot of AM radio's used an oscillator circuit that had to be adjusted when the radio was installed in the car. This oscillator fine tuned the antenna for max reception. I wonder if the Z1 needs this adjustment. Oh well....i really don't care about the AM anyway.

I have an oem Tosheba 30gb hd removed from my Z1 unit. I replaced it with a 40gb unit.

I installed the Z2 update on the 30gb oem hd. I have it for sale on ebay if anyone is interested. (cheap)

I guarantee it to work perfectly. It has brand new partitions and OEM files

used in Z2 upgrade.

thanks

I have a copy of the Z2 upgrade RAR files, and the decompressed tib file used by Acronis. I would be happy to send you these files if your interesed via a couple dvd disks if your still looking.

mike

I used the ftp download link to attempt to download the 8 rar files from big floppy. I was able to download all but the last 3 rar files. It says the ip address for big floppy is no longer allowing downloads. Has anyone else had this problem? Just curious.

thanks

mike

I totally agree with you on the unreasonable amount of money that pioneer is charging for a map update. If you buy a car from ford or chevy...they give you free map updates for as long as you own the car.

Pioneer should be supplying free map updates with the very costly z1 and z2 units. They are very poor business people for doing this. If they supplied free updates for the z1 and z2, they would sell alot more of these units. There greed is overpowering their thinking.

One way to update the Z1 with a new map is to purchase one of the pre-loaded HD's on ebay. However, some of these HD's are not rated for automotive use. So if you buy one of these...be carefull. To find these hard drives on ebay...go to ebay type into the search field...Avic z1 update......and you will find them.

Some of the people that are selling the Z1 upadate Hard drives are not using an automotive grade drive. The original HD used in the Z1 was built to higher specifictions. One of the specifications is the ability to run correctly in wide variences of temperature. The interior of a car or truck can often reach in excess of 130 degrees in summer and below zero temps in the winter. The hard drive is the main mechanical device used in the Z1 units. This places rigid specifications on the hard drive. The toshiba OEM drive was built for these tolerances. I have noticed that most of the Ebay replacmemnt drives are not a Toshiba automotive grade hd. Toshiba sells a 40 GB automotive hard drive that spins at 4200 rpm. MK4050GAC. The drives listed on ebay state they are 40 gb, and spin at 5200 or higher. These are not automotive grade drives manufactured by Toshiba. The Automotive hard drives are also about double in cost. The cheapest Tosheba 40gb hd, that is automotive specification, costs around 129 dollars or higher. The ebay replacment drives are standard laptop type hard drives, and will not perform the same as an automotive grade drive. I would suspect that is why your HD is not booting correctly. What can also happen is that these standard hard drives can become damaged from any rough vibration, especially during bootup, or in extreme

temperature conditions. When the hard drive is first turned on, it reads files for booting up the system. If any of these files become damaged, booting can be delayed or not boot at all. If your going to replace the hard drive, be certian it is an automotive grade drive.

Toshiba is selling a new automotive grade hd (MK4050GAC), that is 40 gb and 4200rpm, with rugged specifications. Will be availabe in april of 2008. This is an excellent upgrade for the Avic Z1 unit.

http://sdd.toshiba.com/main.aspx?Path=H ... ifications

Some of the people that are selling the Z1 upadate Hard drives are not using an automotive grade drive. The original HD used in the Z1 was built to higher specifictions. One of the specifications is the ability to run correctly in wide variences of temperature. The interior of a car or truck can often reach in excess of 130 degrees in summer and below zero temps in the winter. The hard drive is the main mechanical device used in the Z1 units. This places rigid specifications on the hard drive. The toshiba OEM drive was built for these tolerances. I have noticed that most of the Ebay replacmemnt drives are not a Toshiba automotive grade hd. Toshiba sells a 40 GB automotive hard drive that spins at 4200 rpm. MK4050GAC. The drives listed on ebay state they are 40 gb, and spin at 5200 or higher. These are not automotive grade drives manufactured by Toshiba. The Automotive hard drives are also about double in cost. The cheapest Tosheba 40gb hd, that is automotive specification, costs around 129 dollars or higher. The ebay replacment drives are standard laptop type hard drives, and will not perform the same as an automotive grade drive. I would suspect that is why your HD is not booting correctly. What can also happen is that these standard hard drives can become damaged from any rough vibration, especially during bootup, or in extreme

temperature conditions. When the hard drive is first turned on, it reads files for booting up the system. If any of these files become damaged, booting can be delayed or not boot at all. If your going to replace the hard drive, be certian it is an automotive grade drive.

I would suggest returning this drive for a refund if possible, and using the original drive with the Pioneer update disk, or purchase an automotive grade drive that has you update pre-installed.

Toshiba is selling a new automotive grade hd (MK4050GAC), that is 40 gb and 4200rpm, with rugged specifications. Will be availabe in april of 2008. This is an excellent upgrade for the Avic Z1 unit.

http://sdd.toshiba.com/main.aspx?Path=H ... ifications

I want to thank you so much for posting this info on upgrading the z1. I think the $ 250.00 pioneer is charging is a bit high. I would think they would keep the price reasonable for the owners of the z1 units since they are costly to begin with. I am a computer repair technician and computer builder. After I upload the new data to my Z1 HD...I am going to purchase several more exact replacement hd's. Then I will set up these hd's and swap them to anyone that wants to do a simple and quick upgrade to their Z1 and a reasonable price. If anyone is interested...I will post more info later.........(if this works), I need to test it out completly first, so we won;t have any problems. Has anyone tried this yet? Does anyone have any suggestions for this.

later

mike

I would love to have a copy of the Z2 image. If anyone has it...please email me. Maybe i can make it worth your time.

thanks;

Mike

thank you.........that is exactly what I meant

Pioneer is being slow to release the Z1 update disc to usa so they can modify the security features with each bundle of discs they sell. They will probably sell a hundred or so.....then modify the security alog rhymy or whatvever its called. That way if some one cracks it..........it will only work on selected discs from whatever batch they produce. Pioneer is being very greedy with the Z1 release for some reason. The D1, D2, and N1...etc...are simple backup copies that will work. I do not understand why they are being so greedy with the Z1 upgrade...with security features,

that are not used on their other series. In my opinion the map update should be free. Ford gives out a free upgrade disc every year to owners of their cars and trucks that have the nav system. They do this as a safety issue. Pioneer should do the same and stop being so greedy, piggy, money hungry, and just poopy.

Just wait a couple months and numerous backup discs will be availabe via the internet to upgrade the Z1. The abundance of computer hacks and guru's will eventually produce the product for the frugal consumer to purchase.

Crutchfield told me an avic Z1 would not fit in a Mercury Mariner. However....it does fit...had to buy a universal mount and do some cutting on the inside of the dash panel, but it does fit. What Crutchfield means is if it will be an "Easy installation fit", with no modifications needed.

yes...please add me...send info...

I sent an email to Pioneer customer service today requesting information on the update for the Z1 (map and misc info). The customer service rep sent me an email that stated I had to find a Pioneer dealer to load this information into the Z1. That is a big rip off. The informaiton can easily be provided thru a DVD disk, to upgrade the unit. Going to a dealer is a waste of time and money. I also have a Lincoln Zephyr with the navigation unit. Lincoln(ford) provides a free disk upgrade every year or so for this unit. Pioneer should be supplying the navigation upgrade free of charge. I believe this is a safety issue. The data base needs to remain current in order to reduce safety issues while driving. Most of the portable navigation units can be upgraded free of charge over the internet. Pioneer is being very greedy and charging for this upgrade when it should be supplied free of charge to anyone that paid for the Z1, Z2, D2 units. I believe a class action lawsuit may be possible since this is a safety issue, and Pioneer is to blame.

Whenever I park in a questinonable area, I sit a broken piece of plexiglas in front of my Z1 screen...it fits right into the screen perfectly....it is cracked with a 1 inch diameter hole in it....this makes the Z1 to appear as if it as damaged or vandalized. I have never had a breakin or theft while doing this....can even leave my windows down! Its fast and easy to put this in place...and remove it.

The Z1 works perfectly in my car....no problems with mapping or routing on multiple routes. The comparison to the Z2 is minor in upgrades.

Why would anyone want to disable the safety guards placed on the Avic z1 units. You should not be watching a movie while your driving....similar to not using a cell phone while your driving. Pioneer is wise to place the safety features on the units. It may save your life. Pay attention to driving, and watch dvd's when your parked or at home. Several laws are being proposed to make it illegal to watch movies while driving a motor vehicle, truck, or trackter trailer.