Dual maps, and a few questions

[patri]

This is my first unit, as most of the functionallities are working now I had the chance to play with the features and have a few questions.

1. Is is it possible to have dual maps for N.A.? I currently have N.A. V860 with Mapshare not functional on this version. I removed the Europe Map for the time being.

• Can I have a second N.A. Map present on the unit or this would create a conflict with v860, like the Mapshare info could create issues?
• Or can I Dual boot to isolate the conflicts ?
• if any of this is possible where can I get the previous maps ?

2. How often are TT updating the apps? Obviously not looking for an absolute but is it every week , quarter, year..,

3. Same question with Maps?

4. One of the key reason for this unit is my oldest one that is starting to drive and she is going to athletic competition... so she needs help on driving and routes, and one feature we liked was the demo mode but it can be long . We were extremely happy to discover in "Operate my XXL" that you can change your current position and go from there.
Now my question is on the unit itself, it always start from were the GPS positions the unit, is there a way to say consider my current position to be X and start the demo from there or the GPS will always overide to the current detected postion?

5. Onelast, is good enough to disconnect using the windows Eject XXL IQ RTES..., or should I really use the Tomtom Home Disconnect Device always?

TIA, _pat

 

[dhn]

1. Is is it possible to have dual maps for N.A.? I currently have N.A. V860 with Mapshare not functional on this version. I removed the Europe Map for the time being.
Can I have a second N.A. Map present on the unit or this would create a conflict with v860, like the Mapshare info could create issues?
Or can I Dual boot to isolate the conflicts ?
if any of this is possible where can I get the previous maps ?

Trust me, it's not worth worrying about not receiving mapshare changes at the moment. There are still alterations that you can do to your own map via mapshare.

2. How often are TT updating the apps? Obviously not looking for an absolute but is it every week , quarter, year..,

Now, THERE'S a $64 question! There is no rhyme nor reason to how frequently, if at all, an app for a model gets updated. For the Go x20 and x30 series, the 'latest' application is 8.351 with known issues and it has been around since May 2009 (!). TT knows about bugs but doesn't appear to ever provide an update for those models.

3. Same question with Maps?

Normally 4 times a year. 860 came out on November 17th so the 865 is due sometime from mid-February onwards.

Now my question is on the unit itself, it always start from were the GPS positions the unit, is there a way to say consider my current position to be X and start the demo from there or the GPS will always overide to the current detected postion?

You can do Advance Planning from X to Y where X is not your current location. I think you can then see a demo of that route.

5. Onelast, is good enough to disconnect using the windows Eject XXL IQ RTES..., or should I really use the Tomtom Home Disconnect Device always?

Windows is pretty reliable in sensing if you can disconnect an external device. I still suggest Home's Device Disconnect icon BUT wait beyond the 'you can disconnect' message till the unit reboots and gets to the 'do you want to connect to computer' screen.

 

[canderson]

1. Is is it possible to have dual maps for N.A.? I currently have N.A. V860 with Mapshare not functional on this version. I removed the Europe Map for the time being.

• Can I have a second N.A. Map present on the unit or this would create a conflict with v860, like the Mapshare info could create issues?

You know, I don't know of a single person that's ever tried keeping two versions of the same map on a TT before. In theory, it should work, but Home isn't going to be the one to make it happen for you. You'd have to manually supply both map folders and manage that yourself. Regular updates impacting the map folder would also become problematic. Home would again be your problem there. It expects one copy. Could prove an interesting experiment, but for heaven's sake make sure you're FULLY backed up, and do not expect Home to cooperate with this project at all.

• Or can I Dual boot to isolate the conflicts ?

It would be far simpler to manage all of this on an SD card, but your XXL540 doesn't have a slot for one. It would allow you to "swap" maps as easily as swapping the card. There's no "dual boot" facility possible without an SD card. If you had one of the other models, you could actually put the entire "alternate" system on the SD card and boot from that. There's no such solution for an 'SD-less' unit.

• if any of this is possible where can I get the previous maps ?

That's your biggest problem of all. They'd better already be on your PC. The maps are keyed to individual unit serial numbers as they are sent to users, and TomTom does not ship older versions of the map on request. There's no way to get those for your unit.

2. How often are TT updating the apps? Obviously not looking for an absolute but is it every week , quarter, year..,

That's very hard to answer. After a couple of years in the field, some units get no application updates at all. Others, like your XXL540, get updates that we don't even hear about until someone pops up with a new version. There's no fixed schedule for firmware updates as there is for map updates.

3. Same question with Maps?

Map updates are released on a quarterly basis. Numbers jump "5" each time (e.g., 845, 850, 855 and now 860).

I need to think about #4 a bit.

5. Onelast, is good enough to disconnect using the windows Eject XXL IQ RTES..., or should I really use the Tomtom Home Disconnect Device always?

Either method will flush any write buffer before properly closing the USB port. I've been known to shut Home down entirely and play with the bits and innards of my units for a while, leaving the disconnect job to the OS method at the very end. If you don't have Home do it, just be SURE you manage the disconnect properly with the OS before pulling the plug.

 

[patri]

There's no "dual boot" facility possible without an SD card. If you had one of the other models, you could actually put the entire "alternate" system on the SD card and boot from that. There's no such solution for an 'SD-less' unit.

I am an old electronic teacher used to play with FPGAs so I like to experiment with pretty much every piece of techno that I get , but I am not looking for trouble either and you answer sums up what is reasonable. I Have no intent to create a monster management issue. A bit sad I do not have a SD unit...

And, dhn, not sure I am getting the "Advance planning" from X to Y. Doesn't the unit always start from the current position if the Satellites are detected?
** Edit: dhn: nvm, Using the PrepareRoute rather than itinerary planning it then works great**

Guys, thnks again this site and the support is fantastic.

_pat

 

[canderson]

I am an old electronic teacher ...

From the ancient days of "conventional" flow, or the era of electron flow? I've always maintained that if one were supposed to teach electron flow, they'd have made the little pointy parts of diodes and transistors the other way 'round.

 

[mikealder]

One slight issue with two maps on the device is knowing which one is which as they both have the same name when you go to Change Preferences/ Manage Maps/ Switch Map.
The easy way around this is to open the "North_America.pna" file in the North_America map folder with NotePad and edit the contents to something you will be able to differentiate between the two say "North_America_Old" and "North_America_New"

As you don't have a memory card slot on the device you won't be able to dual boot it - Mike

 

[patri]

I find it much fun playing with this, I can see my oldest soon inheriting this unit, and me looking for a unit with SD and and the most customization possible .

Tks all