Skoda portal has been down for ages. Done a bit of reading and looks like i can use to VW download.

 

My car is an Octavia VRS TDI 2014 - Not sure which unit i have. Think it might be columbus. I only have a samsung sd card (32gb) as my car didnt come with a genuine Skoda one. Ive got 2x SD card slots, a CD slot. Also noticed i have some sort of HDD for storing media (only noticed the other day)

 

On VW portal Ive selected Golf > From 2015. Not sure if its 'Discover Media' or 'Discover pro' - Any help?

 

I believe i can use any SD card with columbus. If so, and i download the VW files to it, how can i back up my current system incase anything goes wrong?

 

That's a Columbus.

 

Go to the VW site and select Discover Pro.

Thanks. I've done that. 

 

Maybe a stupid question but do I really need to copy over mib1 folder? I've just done mib2. 

 

Doesn't seem like there is a way to back up my existing software incase anything goes wrong. Can't see any option for it

5 hours ago, Dowsett said:

I believe i can use any SD card with columbus. If so, and i download the VW files to it, how can i back up my current system incase anything goes wrong?

 

There are direct links in several posts here to the Skoda maps.

With Columbus you can use just about anything to update the maps (SD-card, USB stick, USB harddrive).

Theres nothing to back up with the Columbus as the map files are stored on the internal harddrive.

 

The system copies your files onto the hard-drive (the existing maps are not removed & navigation is available during this process.)

Once they are copied it verifies the checksum of the files is ok & then it will prompt you to restart the system where it switches to using the new maps (and presumably deletes the original files).

 

I've not heard of any users having problems after installing files & I've done it probably 10-12 times myself.

1 minute ago, Dowsett said:

Maybe a stupid question but do I really need to copy over mib1 folder? I've just done mib2. 

 

I've never tried it but theoretically, it should work, only MIB1 files are needed.

It will give an error before installing if the required files are not present.

Just now, Gabbo said:

 

I've never tried it but theoretically, it should work, only MIB1 files are needed.

It will give an error before installing if the required files are not present.

 

But I think mine is mib2

Thats an MIB1 unit,  MIB2 was from 2016 onwards, no point in using the the MIB2 files as they may not work.

Thanks guys for stepping in. I wasn't sure as I've only got an Amundsen (cheapskate).

Edited 5 November, 20196 yr by TheWanderer

Can confirm that's an MIB1.

MIB2 doesn't have physical buttons.

 

The official way is to copy all files to the SD-Card (both MIB1 & MIB2 folders) and the devices chooses the files it needs.

However it can't hurt to delete the MIB2 files & try it.

Will perhaps save you 5 minutes copying but the install time in the car is the longest time (approx 45mins to 1 hour).

16 hours ago, Gabbo said:

Can confirm that's an MIB1.

MIB2 doesn't have physical buttons.

 

The official way is to copy all files to the SD-Card (both MIB1 & MIB2 folders) and the devices chooses the files it needs.

However it can't hurt to delete the MIB2 files & try it.

Will perhaps save you 5 minutes copying but the install time in the car is the longest time (approx 45mins to 1 hour).

Tried it last night with just the mib1 files on the sd card. 

 

Got an error then it looked like it was going to let me continue but gave the error again so I'm gonna have to copy all files to the sd card and try that. 

On the SD-Card there should normally be the two folders MIB1 & MIB2 and a text file ) I think it was called metadata.txt or something like this.

 

Did you have the text file as well? 

The update p[ortal is back up and running

 

http://updateportal.skoda-auto.com/en-GB

No I didn't have to text file in the root folder. Copied everything and it's updating now. 

 

Will check out the skoda site later to see if anything else needs updating 

Usually on the Skoda website there are only 2 things you can update:

  - Map data

  - Parrot Bluetooth update (It always offers me the same update which I've applied but theres no info on what it actually does.)

 

The are also Radio Station icons you can download by country but these must be assigned to each station manually rather than by updating.

Also, dont worry about staying with the car or keeping the ignition on while performing the update.

It is completely robust to being stopped & started by normal driving. It will just continue from where it  was interrupted last time.

The update will take about an hour.

Sorry to be dense but I can't see anywhere on the portal instructions that tell me if I should delete the old maps file and then copy in the new or copy files over assuming some will update while others are needed and must not be deleted. The instructions read :

• Downloaded data may take more than 4 GB. Make sure that you have enough space on the hard disk of your computer. 

2. Downloading new data:

• Due to downloading large amounts of data and depending on the speed of your Internet connection can the whole downloading process take some time (even 8 hours or more).
• For the operating system Windows you will be provided with a download manager that will guide you through the whole process of downloading and unpacking the data. All downloaded files are in ZIP format.

3. Import of the data into the infotainment system:

• Import of the data into the infotainment system:
• Insert the card into the SD slot of one of your infotainment system. Updated navigation data is retrieved directly from the navigation SD card.

 

All of which suggest BUT DOES NOT DETAIL that the files are downloaded onto my hard drive and then copied onto the SD card where they will need to be unzipped and then what?  Do I delete the existing 'Maps' folder on the SD card and copy over the unziped update or is there an exe file that does the necessary, if so WHERE is it!  - why is it so difficult for experts to give clear instructions.

 

Any help most gratefully received (Sat Nav for a 2017 Yeti)

Additional. As an experiment I unzipped the downloaded files onto a spare SD and tried to use that in the system but it was not read as a valid SD, so clearly there is something important on the Skoda disk, another dgood reason not to mess with it until I'm sure what I'm doing.

 

1 minute ago, johnincornwall said:

Additional. As an experiment I unzipped the downloaded files onto a spare SD and tried to use that in the system but it was not read as a valid SD, so clearly there is something important on the Skoda disk, another dgood reason not to mess with it until I'm sure what I'm doing.

That's only true if you have an Amundsen (which requires a genuine Skoda SD card to be inserted all the time as the maps are read directly from it), however if you have a Columbus you can use any SD card to do the map update and when the update is done remove it as the map data is stored internally (not sure if it;s an SSD or a hard drive?).

I bought an out of date genuine Skoda SD card on eBlag for aboiut £10. Did the download deed and unloaded to this new old card and it worked first time.  Now, each time I need a new map I use the "spare" so that the current SD card can always go back in if there is a problem.   Did try  generic SD cards of various makes and sizes, but none worked

Just now, Burchy said:

 Did try  generic SD cards of various makes and sizes, but none worked

The Amundsen system requires a genuine Skoda SD card as there is "Secure Digital" (hence the SD name!) data stored that the Amundsen looks for.

Thanks all three but still don't know WHAT I should do with the data downloaded onto my PC. If we take it that I have an Amundsen system, what do I do to get the updated maps onto the card? As I said something will need to be replaced or deleted to make room but do I delete the 'Maps' folder - the only folder visible on the card, though there are several sub folder - and copy over the unzipped data, or try to replace files so leaving any that aren't replaced. Given how critical one file may be, this is not something I want to chance without guidance from people who know.

 

Take the SD card out if the car and plug it into a compatible SD slot in the PC

For safety's sake, make a new folder on the pc and copy every file from the SD card into that folder.  That's your backup.

The downloaded file is a .zip file, so unzip that one and copy the contents into the SD card.  When I last did it, I deleted everything on the card, but no doubt you could allow the pc to just replace as necessary

 

It takes a while

 

Stick the SD card back in the car and Robert's your mother's brother

Thanks Burchy I'll give it a go, would it have been SO difficult for them to have spelt that out on the Skoda Portal! It's obvious the data has to be moved but the potential for disaster is always hovering. Anyway, thanks again.