The Columbus unit in my 09 Superb has suddenly failed and is going through the constant start screen which seems to be quite common. I have seen the posts regarding changing the firmware to a later type and tried the sites but all of the links have said file removed. I tried the only link that worked on an Australian site but did nothing. I have seen an e bay company in Devon that says it can repair these units but means removing and sending off with me refitting afterwards with the worry that the sat nav will have lost maps. I have not got the original disc with car.

The dealer claims they have never heard of this happening!

I just want it sorted quickly and am happy to pay. Would you try the dealer and see if they can repair, the evidence on this forum is not good, or is there anybody else in the know who wants a job?

I do not fancy paying Skoda 2.5K.

Tim

You need to re boot with the SWL dealer discs. You don't needs new Columbus, there is nothing wrong with it. Mine did this last year and it was sorted very easily.

After mine was re booted I hadn't even lost the radio, satnav or hard drive music.

I posted this on 16/11 and all is still good:

I recently had the dreaded constant reboot problem with my Columbus, the one where the software fails to load properly and just goes into an endless cycle of re-booting. Most commentators on this site will say that points to a duff HDD and they might be right. However, I've got it working again, at least for now.

My Columbus is a 2009 H11 unit, originally with 1164 firmware and V3 (I think) maps. I first upgraded to V8 maps, but couldn't, of course, get 7-digit postcode functionality. Baffled and dismayed by the reams of conflicting advice about upgrading the firmware in steps, I decided simply to take the plunge and upgrade to 4024 with a disc I acquired from... somewhere.

It worked.

I now have fully functioning 4024 firmware with 7-digit postcodes, maps, POIs and music and have recently upgraded to V9 maps (which definitely DOES have more recent mapping than V8).

Now, when the above fault appeared, I first tried SWL_FIX, again widely available from all good stores via Google. The unit accepted this and completed its actions but this did NOT fix the problem. My next step was to re-install the 4024 firmware.

This DID fix the problem.

Lesson 1: by all means fear the worst, but don't re-mortgage your house to get a new Columbus until you have tried a few options.

Lesson 2: seek and ye shall find. Try Frost**re.