GarTool v1.15 - (c) Ash10, 2010 GarTool v1.15 - (c) Ash10, 2010GarTool is a little shareware program (just 138KB) to help you customise a huge range of Garmin SatNav devices - it's key features are:
Shareware means that you may evaluate the program free of charge for 30 days, after which time you must register if you wish to continue using it. GarTool is fully functional during evaluation, and there is no need to be connected to the internet.
The latest version of GarTool is v1.15 (14 December 2010) and can be downloaded from here.
If you want to provide a link to this program, please link to this help page rather than the download link above - which is subject to change.
There is no installer for GarTool - to run it, just double-click on the program file.
Similarly, there is no uninstaller - simply delete the program file if you no longer wish to use it.
No additional libraries or .NET frameworks need to be installed :o)
Although this program has been comprehensively tested, use of GarTool is entirely at your own risk - the author accepts no responsability for any damage to your Garmin or computer that may arise.
 | When you first run GarTool, you may find that many of the buttons are greyed out, like this - until... |
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...you connect your Garmin to the computer, when they should automatically become active - like this!
The buttons are arranged in groups, according to function:
These functions are described in more detail below. |  |
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This is arguably the single most important function on GarTool.
Use this button to make a backup copy of your Garmin, and save it to your computer. Note that the Backup button does not perform a full backup of your Garmin, but only the Jpeg, Vehicle, and Voice directories as accessed by this program - although a full backup would obviously be prefereable, on a typical system it would take the best part of an hour to do. Please be patient while the backup is being made, as it may take a minute or two... Also note that there is no button to automatically restore a backup, as it is all too easy to accidently overwrite data in this way. So, if you do get stuck and make a mistake, and need to restore something - you'll have to manually copy the affected files over from your zip backup file. You did take a backup, didn't you?! |
 | Use this button to pick a jpeg image from your Garmin, and copy it to the computer. |
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Use this button to pick a jpeg image from the computer, and copy it to your Garmin.
On most Garmin Nuvi devices, you can specify a picture to display at power-on - the process is usually something like this: Tools (spanner icon) > Picture Viewer > (select picture) > Tick Display at power on |
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Use this button to pick a voice file from your Garmin, and copy it to the computer.
Voice files contain a number of sounds and phrases, typically around a hundred or so - by splitting a voice file into its component samples, you can modify individual sounds and phrases. For example, you could make the speed camera warning a bit louder, or get rid of that annoying Recalculating... |
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Use this button to pick a voice file on the computer, and split it into its component sounds and phrases - each extracted sample is saved using the specified filename, plus a numbered suffix.
Once all the samples have been split from the voice file, your web browser will automatically open a page allowing you to preview them - simply click on a sample name to hear it play. A copy of this preview page is also saved into the specified directory, for future use. Note that one saved "sample" file has the suffix xxx and is special - it contains important header information about the voice, and should not be modified. |
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Use this button to pick some samples (or more accurately, pick the special xxx file noted above), and join them back together into a single voice file.
Generally speaking, it does not matter what format the samples are in (Mono, Stereo, 16-bit Linear, 8-bit uLaw/aLaw, 4-bit ADPCM, or any sample rate) - as GarTool will automatically convert them into the correct format for you. |
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Use this button to pick a (modified) voice file on your computer, to copy it to your Garmin.
For best results, it is highly recommended that you keep the same filename as the original voice, to avoid confusing the langauge selection process. To switch between different languages on the Garmin, the process is usually something like this: Tools (spanner icon) > Settings > Language > Voice A handy trick (for English-speakers at least) is to modify the British voice if you're American, or the American voice if you're British - that way you can quickly switch between two difference voices. |
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This is an example of the voice preview window - it may appear subtly different, depending on which web browser you use.
Note that you can simply click on the link of any sample to hear it play. You can use MS Sound Recorder or any other suitable sample recorder/editor to change the individual sound samples. Remember that a copy of this preview page is saved into the same directory as the samples themselves. |  |
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Use this button to pick a vehicle file from your Garmin, and copy it to the computer.
Vehicle files contain a number of images, of a vehicle (or cursor) at various stages of rotation - by splitting a vehicle file into its component images, you can customise individual vehicles. For example, you could change the colour or style, or even use digital photos of your very own car. |
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Use this button to pick a vehicle file on the computer, and split it into its component images - each extracted image is saved using the specified filename, plus a numbered suffix.
Once all the images have been split from the voice file, your web browser will automatically open a page allowing you to preview them. A copy of this preview page is also saved into the specified directory, for future use. Note that one saved "image" has the suffix xxx and is special - it contains important header information about the vehicle, and should not be modified. |
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Use this button to pick some images (or more accurately, pick the special xxx file noted above), and join them back together into a single vehicle file.
It does not matter if you do not have a complete set of images - if any are missing, GarTool will automatically repeat the last image. It is therefore possible to create a new vehicle file from a just one single image (numbered 000). Note that the colour magenta (red and blue at maximum, no green) has a special significance as a mask - that is to say, anything in an image that is magenta will appear transparent in the finished vehicle. Due to the way in which the mask is applied, it is recommended that you do not recursively join/split a vehicle file, but instead keep a set of "master" images and always work from those (rather like you would for jpeg images or mp3 samples). |
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Use this button to pick a (modified) vehicle file on the computer, to copy it to your Garmin.
To switch between different vehicles on the Garmin, the process is usually something like this: Tools (spanner icon) > Settings > Map > Vehicle |
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This is an example of the vehicle preview window - it may appear subtly different, depending on which web browser you use.
Note that you can get a good indication of how well the vehicle animates by resizing the bottom right corner of the browser window. You can use MS Paint or any other suitable bitmap editor to change the individual image frames. Remember that a copy of this preview page is saved into the same directory as the images themselves. |  |
After the evaluation period has elapsed, you must register GarTool to continue using it. Registration costs just £2.50 GBP per computer, via Paypal - you do not need to have a Paypal account in order to register.
To register GarTool, click on the Paypal button in the bottom-left corner of the main window and follow the instructions - this MUST be done on the computer that you wish to register the software for.
After registering the software, you will be provided with an unlock code - enter this code into the edit box that appers at the bottom of the main window. DO NOT quit the software until after you have successfully entered the unlock code, otherwise the code will be invalid and you will need to register again.
Once the unlock code has been entered, a small registration key file will be saved to the same directory as the program file - it is strongly recommended that you make a backup copy of this key file, and keep it somewhere safe.
(c) Ash10, 2010