Useful I-Drive / Navigation Reset Procedure

I haven't seen this posted here but it's something that I've found useful on a few ocassions. To completely reboot your car control computer (I-Drive, Navigation, Audio), hold down both eject buttons for the DVD and CD drives while pushing the radio power knob. This causes the system to reboot from scratch but doesn't lose any of your presets or stored information. When you turn the car off and back on again it doesn't completely reboot the system, at least not to this degree.

I've found this trick handy a couple times like when dealing with a bad CCC or when putting in a North American nav disk after removing a Euro disk or anytime the system starts behaving oddly. It's sort of like the CTRL-ALT-DEL salute for Wintel machines.

You can do this while driving by the way. Doesn't affect anything needed for the go-fast module. Ok everyone without I-Drive can pop in with how bad it is now.

Anytype of "reboot" is always great information....

Thanks!

Originally Posted by equipto76

I haven't seen this posted here but it's something that I've found useful on a few ocassions. To completely reboot your car control computer (I-Drive, Navigation, Audio), hold down both eject buttons for the DVD and CD drives while pushing the radio power knob. This causes the system to reboot from scratch but doesn't lose any of your presets or stored information. When you turn the car off and back on again it doesn't completely reboot the system, at least not to this degree.

I've found this trick handy a couple times like when dealing with a bad CCC or when putting in a North American nav disk after removing a Euro disk or anytime the system starts behaving oddly. It's sort of like the CTRL-ALT-DEL salute for Wintel machines.

You can do this while driving by the way. Doesn't affect anything needed for the go-fast module. Ok everyone without I-Drive can pop in with how bad it is now.

Radio Power knob????

Do you mean the mute button that is integrated into the volume knob?

Originally Posted by john4.4x5

Radio Power knob????

Do you mean the mute button that is integrated into the volume knob?

It's not really a mute button, it's a power on/power of button.

I thought it was Ctrl-Alt-Del

I've used this reset procedure several times - it's great to have because otherwise you have to wait 15 minutes after shutting the car off for iDrive to do its own normal reboot cycle!

Originally Posted by Mathew

It's not really a mute button, it's a power on/power of button.

With iDrive it does just mute the sound... the radio/audio system is never really off.

hi, but how can i reset navigation business, which has only DVD drive?

Originally Posted by jwac

With iDrive it does just mute the sound... the radio/audio system is never really off.

Yea, I've never understood that. For all intents and purposes its off, but really its technically just muted. Odd...

Originally Posted by Snareman

Yea, I've never understood that. For all intents and purposes its off, but really its technically just muted. Odd...

The Radio is just muted but the CD's are not, they are stopped until you turn it back on when the CD plays from where it was when you turned it off!

Originally Posted by Snareman

Yea, I've never understood that. For all intents and purposes its off, but really its technically just muted. Odd...

Probably because it's all an integrated module, and iDrive uses the audio system's amplifiers and speakers for BMW Assist, BT and its bongs and gongs. I imagine the non-iDrive audio system is never actually "off" either when you hit the "power" button, even though the display turns off.

Truly useful - thanks! I was so annoyed when I bought the NAV DVD update for too much money and found that it no longer contains the whole country on one DVD. To make things more fun, when I swicthed DVDs as I crossed into Missouri, I got the following message: "New DVD Inserted. Please shut down system and wait 5 minutes". After I did that, the system started freezing and rebooting or telling me the DVD wasn't inserted. Of course the manual given no information on resetting. I have for years failed to understand why German manufacturers are so far ahead of the curve in engineering and performance and so far behind in electronics. Anyway, thanks again for the tip - was a big help on this trip.

Originally Posted by m4to

hi, but how can i reset navigation business, which has only DVD drive?

+1

BTW, my issues is once started my 335d's iDrive is rebooting about every 2-3m - on and on for my entire drive home (~ 45m), and has been doing this on and off for several days now

Does this reboot sequence still work with the current iDrive? The original post is from a 6 year old thread, and there have been many changes to the iDrive system since then.

Originally Posted by Peel

Does this reboot sequence still work with the current iDrive?

No. To reboot the CIC-based (4th generation) iDrive, press and hold the audio volume/mute knob for 25 seconds.

Thanks for the info. I will give it a try. My Nav keeps dropping out and giving a read error or insert disk message

Originally Posted by jwac

Probably because it's all an integrated module, and iDrive uses the audio system's amplifiers and speakers for BMW Assist, BT and its bongs and gongs. I imagine the non-iDrive audio system is never actually "off" either when you hit the "power" button, even though the display turns off.

Actually (technically) the non-iDrive display doesn't turn off. It just changes mode to display the clock. BT, gongs and bongs and BMW assist all still function with the "display off".

Originally Posted by voltigeur

+1

BTW, my issues is once started my 335d's iDrive is rebooting about every 2-3m - on and on for my entire drive home (~ 45m), and has been doing this on and off for several days now

I am sorry, I think I missed your solution to your IDrive rebooting. Please say it again. Thanks!

Originally Posted by cbmoss3

Truly useful - thanks! I was so annoyed when I bought the NAV DVD update for too much money and found that it no longer contains the whole country on one DVD. To make things more fun, when I swicthed DVDs as I crossed into Missouri, I got the following message: "New DVD Inserted. Please shut down system and wait 5 minutes". After I did that, the system started freezing and rebooting or telling me the DVD wasn't inserted. Of course the manual given no information on resetting. I have for years failed to understand why German manufacturers are so far ahead of the curve in engineering and performance and so far behind in electronics. Anyway, thanks again for the tip - was a big help on this trip.

I did the three button reset (listed above) crossing through Louisiana, while driving, and swapping the navi discs. Worked perfectly and didn't have to wait.

Originally Posted by SrHemz

I am sorry, I think I missed your solution to your IDrive rebooting. Please say it again. Thanks!

Channeling?

voltiguer's last post nearly 18 months back.

You may wish to view Post #1, this thread.

Yep works a treat on the UK models as well