I want to back the standard firmware and mess around with map updates.

I am afraid to mess around with anything in fear that the unit will become USELESS and since I don't have a warranty, I must be careful.

A link to a thread would be good enough.

well the "hacks and mods" section of the forum would probably be a good place to start

http://avic411.com/index.php?/forum/26-hacksmods/