Originally I thought I'll pass the expensive map updates, too expensive. But then someone here suggested that the 2015 3Q maps look much better, so I thought, okay, maybe I'll do another map update, one last time (I did the free one last year).

That was 4 days ago and since then I have tried and tried, but I keep getting stuck on the very first step, connecting an empty FAT32 USB stick and launching the sync tool to get the Radio ID onto the USB stick. So far I have tried many different variations in formatting the stick, used a PC (hoping to get rid of the invisible files my Mac puts on every volume), using a variety of different USB sticks – nothing got me beyond the error "storage media not found".

That's strange as I seem to remember last year the process was dead simple and straight forward, and everything was done in less than an hour.

The only thing I can think of that has changed since then is the 8100NEX firmware update v1.5 in December. I have no idea what else could prevent the USB stick from being recognized.

I'm on my wits end, can someone please shed some light on this perplexing mystery?

Make sure you are useing USB2

Make sure you are useing USB2

USB2? Really? Th Naviextras tech support said to use USB1... so does the instruction manual.

UPDATE: I finally managed to get this update installed, it was way more complex - and expensive - than anticipated.

After my unsuccessful attempts mentioned above I installed Windows 10 on my MacBook Pro using the free VirtualBox from Oracle, really easy and it works perfectly. Then I formatted several of my USB sticks to Fat32 within Windows, but none of them worked. I was ready to surrender and give up, when a co-worker happened to walk by with a USB stick in his hand. I borrowed it and, boom, this time the 8100 accepted it. I have no idea why.

Then it was back to my Mac, fired up the Naviextras Tool within Windows, paid and downloaded the map files. There were a few moments when I thought this process would fail as I got several script-failed-to-execute errors, but I went ahead anyway and after a while the download completed successfully.

Back out to the car and installed the map update with no further problems. And I agree with another poster, the map looks a bit better than before, but not even close to Garmin, Google Maps or Apple Maps.

BTW, to my surprise I received an invoice for my purchase from Budapest, Hungary!

This will definitely be my last map update, there is no reason why I should pay $130 every time a few streets may have been added somewhere around the world.

It's because the Mac added hidden files that start with a period...   .somefile   etc...

It's possible that it does it even with the Windows emulator....  if you had the space you could have done it with BootCamp and it might have worked.

I ended up having to use my PC through the whole thing....

I think that HERE (who makes the maps) is based out of there, that is why you got the invoice from there.

I think that HERE (who makes the maps) is based out of there, that is why you got the invoice from there.

No. NNG, who makes the iGO navigation-software, is a hungarian company.

HERE is registered in the Netherlands

It's because the Mac added hidden files that start with a period...   .somefile   etc...

 

It's possible that it does it even with the Windows emulator....  if you had the space you could have done it with BootCamp and it might have worked.

 

I ended up having to use my PC through the whole thing....

 

I think that HERE (who makes the maps) is based out of there, that is why you got the invoice from there.

@Multitask: No hidden files in the Windows emulator on the Mac.

I now believe that the Pioneer firmware is VERY picky with USB sticks and I seems I simply had bad luck with the 5 sticks I had tried initially. My final attempt worked as advertised.