[lowrydr310]

I appreciate the help. It's been tough trying to figure this out.

Step #2 of the third post in FaxData's walkthrough states:
2. Use Tool32 to set the VIN in the CIC to your car's VIN. The VIN's must match, AFAIK, both in the CIC itself and the FSC codes used for feature activation. I was able set the VIN, both through Tool32 as well as ProTool, with ProTool being much easier, in both the CIC and COMBOX.

I had no issue changing my new CIC unit's VIN to match mine, that part was easy. The problem with FaxData's walkthrough for me is that all those steps require C1A firwmare on the CIC, which I don't have, so I'm stuck. I can't do any of that stuff.

I am not sure what exactly you mean by "the signature issue". As far as I understand, how the patcher fits into this puzzle is like this; it performs two crucial functions that are normally quite tricky, 1) scrubs the CIC of FSC codes, thus enabling the ability to self sign these security certificates, and 2) output the 1B file to the same USB stick used to run the patch script. This second part lets you use the output file as the seed for the NAV map activation process, using Jaeger's tool, since the security certs are no longer tied to BMW and their activation process.

I thought the patcher modified the CIC to accept self signed certificates in addition to scrubbing the old FSC codes (associated with the donor car CIC) to allow input of new self-signed codes generated with FSTool.

The 1B file does not control access to the navigation menu, that is through the FSC codes, which were corrected using FSTool2. After you get the NAV menu working, that is when the 1B files comes into play, as the car will prompt you for an "activation code", when entering that feature. Then you use Jaeger's tool to generate the code with your 1B file as the input to the tool. If you can't get the 1B file from the USB with the patcher (a problem I had at first) you could then use an ENET cable and extract the file from the CIC HDD. The same extracted file could then be used with Jaeger's tool to generate your map activation code.

I have C10 firmware which means the patcher won't work at all. I *haven't* attempted to even try it yet since it seems like a wasted effort, but I read many posts where people have tried on several older firmware versions and it just doesn't work.

My only options are update the firmware (which requires an ICOM that I don't have,) use an emulator which I don't want to do, or the outdated method of script activation which I thought might be worth a try. Unfortunately even that has some spotty instructions and links to tools that aren't available for download.

I really like your idea of just getting a different CIC that already has C1A firmware, and then I can sell my current one. That's far easier and cheaper than finding an ICOM. An old neighbor of mine was a mechanic at a BMW dealership; I need to find someone like that again who can 'borrow' a dealer's ICOM setup for an evening.