Solved Using my Garmin Express

[Smilax]

I have a Garmin Nuvi 50 GPS - there is no way to my knowledge to get Garmin Express to work correctly on Linux with or without WINE - you have two options
1) run Windows from a virtualbox
2) use the map data from https://www.openmapchest.org/

for Wine issues see here - https://forum.winehq.org/viewtopic.php?t=37739

A million Thank Yous @GatorsFan for removing a thorn in my side, or more like a thorn in my eye. 2) is the solution I've been searching for to be happy with my Garmin Drive 53. It's just old enough to not have built in wifi, but does have a micro sd slot. The only official way to update this thing is with Garmin Express. I'm a Linux only user, and have wasted countless hours with Virtualbox as well as actual PCs of various makes and models, using various flavors of Win7 thru Win10 trying to update this thing with no success. I managed to get it to update one time when I first bought it using my wife's Win10 PC, but ever since then Garmin wants to update the software on her machine before proceeding, which I was reluctant to do. I had resigned myself to using it as it was without updates because I like the device.

Your solution #2 works perfectly, and I prefer OpenStreetMaps anyway. I would highly recommend to other Garmin users to try this and give up on the official updates if you can.

Oh hey, are you also a Tom Petty fan?

 

[Erik Groothuijzen]

yes, I deal with garmin and what I did was installed a virtual machine with windows 7 and installed garmin on that. It allows me to update my garmin. Use of wine or bottles you will find I am very much against it as I do not like creating an environment where windows code can operate on my safe linux system. Remember that malware and viruses are windows programs that can also potentially run now.
The virtual machine is far safer as the windows system is contained in a bubble and won't affect anything else. Plus you can back it up in a couple minutes and if something goes wrong you can restore it in a couple minutes taking you right back to where you had been. I use boxes which is qemu. Very easy to set up and far far better than wine. plus you are guaranteed to have windows software run correctly that way. Except for things that use 3d graphics or direct x. Those I have not seen supported yet.
You are not in need of those things so I suggest abandon wine and just do a VM.

I have taken the lazy man's way. I bought a bigger SSD for the computer, bought a caddy for the optical drive and now have a dual boot system with Linux Ubuntu on the main drive and Windows 10 on the secondary drive. Switch between the two when necessary and don't have to battle with snaps and boxes and terminal and VMs any more. I want to use a computer, not fight with it every time I need to use something that Linux does not do well without a lot of bother. Works for me.