update...first time

[swampshark]

I'm new to Humminbird....came with the 2022 ZXR21 I just bought...I went to the Humminbird update page and it says before I "update" the software they advise that I "restore defaults" before any new software uploads...is this something everyone does? I thought I could just plug in the SD card with the update, it would recognize it and away we go?

[Wayne P.]

That is a leftover step from a few years ago. It is to prevent a bricked unit during the update. Many did not or would not read and follow the update instructions, their unit bricked and had to be sent to Humminbird to get the memory reflashed.
Starting about 2012 that step is written in the software so it gets done whether you follow the instructions or not.

[SLYDoggie]

There are people on both sides of this one. For many years I was a firm believer in doing a Restore Factory Defaults both before and after the updates. For the last few Apex updates, I have skipped both and everything has gone fine. The reason for my process change was being told by a Humminbird resource I trust that a Restore Factory Defaults is now performed before and after as part of the update process itself.

With that said, doing them yourself is a safe bet and it only adds a few minutes to the whole update process... It certainly can't hurt anything.