Loading POI's onto a Tom Tom 25

[kayseypops]

I have been trying for the last two days to load some POI's on to my new TT with little success. I have downloaded them from the 3rd party site and know exactly where they are on my PC. I have called up TT's own help screens and followed EVERYTHING they advise BUT with no success.

My main problem is finding the 'Add Community Content' that is says to click on. And yes I do have the latest software installed on my TT, I am using Windows 7 and either IE or Chrome. And I have installed the TT application (getting started) and I see deatils of my device on screen

What on earth is going on???? This should be so simple!!!

H E L P PLEASE!!!

 

[dhn]

You do have the unit connected to the computer when you are looking for the Add Community Content on the desktop icon, (right click on it) it's not on the web page.

 

[kayseypops]

Hey!!!

What do you mean - it's not on the web page? Where is it then?

 

[dhn]

If you've installed MyTomTom (get it at tomtom.com/getstarted) there will be an icon in thenotification area on your computer (if a pc). To the left of the clock.

Click it when the unit is connected to the computer. you should see the 'Add..." option then.

 

[Andy_P]

Some pictures may help....

Here's the first one you need:

I was going to post some more here, but then I thought if I was going to do that, I might as well put them into a new FAQ/Article for future reference, so have a look here....

How to add POIs, voices etc to the new "NAV3" TomTom models

I did it in a bit of a rush, so if anyone has any comments, feel free to rip it apart and I'll tweak it later.

 

[- et -]

What do you mean - it's not on the web page? Where is it then?

The following comments apply to a Windows machine.

I am not familiar with the TomTom user interface on a Mac, so my comments may or may not be applicable for a Mac.

In their infinite wisdom, with their more recent devices TomTom have split the communication between your computer and your GPS into two very different applications. These programs were written by two different programming teams, who do not appear to talk to each other.

One application is accessed through your normal Internet browser (IE, Firefox, Opera, etc.), and the other app is accessed through the MyTomTom app icon that should be located in the "tray" at the bottom right of your screen. (If you are using Windows 7, that icon is even more obscure. You have to click on an upward pointing arrow in the "tray", which will then open a small box in the bottom right corner. Inside that box there will be several icons, one of which is for the MyTomTom app.)

Once the MyTomTom app is started, it will open another - somewhat larger - box in the bottom right corner of the screen. One of the menu options in that box is "Add Community Content". When you click on that menu choice, it will open a screen with a menu that will let you add POI - and other items - to your GPS. That screen is actually reasonably intuitive, so I won't bother to go through the process from that point on unless you say that you have problems with it.

- Tom -

Edit
I see from the message above (which was not there when I started) that Andy_P has already done a better job of answering this. If I were a faster typist, I would have posted this before he did so.

 

[Andy_P]

Thanks Tom... Normally dhn gets HIS posts in before me....:doh:

 

[kayseypops]

Great!!!!

Many thanks to both of you. THAT problem now solved - I'm sure there will be a lot more but at least that is one more bit of Tom Tom's mysteries solved. I do think that looking at the forum a lot of folk do have difficulty finding that particular menu so I don't feel so bad about my difficulty's!!

 

[D J Sheridan]

Just make sure you do your updates through Chrome or Firefox as IE has some temperamental issue with not downloading, etc.

 

[- et -]

Just make sure you do your updates through Chrome or Firefox as IE has some temperamental issue with not downloading, etc.

FWIW, Opera also appears to work well.

Also, some people seem to have no problems with IE, but enough do have problems that I would avoid it even if Opera were not the browser that I normally use.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

 

[dryduststorm]

Where does one find POI's to down load?? My add community content web page has nothing to offer, it is empty with no links. Steve, Canberra

Can I ask where the third party POI site is?? Are you able to see the POI's for specific countries such as Australia - the big empty safe haven in the southern hemisphere where the fishing, beer and wine is first class and for all to share?

 

[Andy_P]

Where does one find POI's to down load?? My add community content web page has nothing to offer, it is empty with no links.

That's right... MyTomTom simply doesn't have the POI library feature that TomTom Home does.

If you still have access to an older model that uses Home, you can download the POIs from there amd copy them across to the new TomTom.

Can I ask where the third party POI site is?? Are you able to see the POI's for specific countries such as Australia

As for third-party sites for POIs, here's my list... there may well be others.

Pocket GPS World.com - UK based, international coverage. Also Speed cams.
POIPlace.com - UK based, international coverage.
POIHandler.com - UK based, international coverage.
TomTomfree.com - Single POI Files - UK based and coverage.
TomTomFree.com - POI Collections - UK based and coverage.

TomTomForums.com - POI forum - US based, mainly US and Canada coverage
GPS-DataTeam.com - US based? International coverage.
POI66.com - US based, International coverage.
POIFactory.com - US based, mainly US and Canada, some UK.

POIplaza.com - Hungarian based, international coverage.
POIPlace.com - Netherlands based, international coverage.
POIGps.com - Italian based and coverage.
OzPOI.com - Australian based and coverage.


"OzPOI" obviously sounds like a good place to start!

The ones with "international" coverage will still tend to be much better for their "own" country.
I use PGPSW because it is very good for the UK, and I know they do have POIs for Australia, but I've no idea how comprehensive they are as all their POI files are updated purely by their own subscribers.

 

[dryduststorm]

Thanks, But I have sorted POIs out. Not as easy as it was in the past but I have found the 3rd party site.

 

[dryduststorm]

Andy. Thanks for your efforts mate. Your info is still of high value as we hope to get to the UK next year. Cheers

 

[- et -]

Andy. Thanks for your efforts mate. Your info is still of high value as we hope to get to the UK next year. Cheers

Just in case you happen to come to the US at some time in the future, I'll comment that my personal experience with the files from POI-Factory.com has been good. In my mind, the only potential negative is that they have so many different categories that it may take a while to find the optimum file out of multiple options.

On the other hand, all of the files are user maintained, so the files in categories such as non-chain restaurants have recommendations from locals, not just data from a telephone directory.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

 

[D J Sheridan]

Just wondering...
Has anyone else had a problem with warnings disappearing from your Start 25 or other?
I set up the speedcamera warnings from pocketgpsworld when I first purchased my Start and all was well, but after being of work sick 4 days I switched on and all the warnings have been removed.
Now no-one has used it and they all did work on Wednesday last week.
Is this another software problem (out of many I dare say) that TomTom have caused us all?
many steps forward but one huge step back in all TomTom software IMHO.

 

[Andy_P]

I think I've had the same happen to me this week on a Go1015.
But I muck about with the unit so much, I haven't decided for sure that it wasn't something I did....

 

[D J Sheridan]

I think I've had the same happen to me this week on a Go1015.
But I muck about with the unit so much, I haven't decided for sure that it wasn't something I did....

It was deffo nothing I've done and must be another one of the countless software glitches that TomTom are not admitting to...
Way to go TomTom...
Or going backwards should be moTmoT...

Still has anyone got a fix for this or reason why it happens?

 

[Andy_P]

I suspect the reason for it happening is exactly the same as why it also happens occasionally on my older NAV2 models (the ones that connect to TT Home).

On those older models the workround I use is to ALWAYS have a safety copy of the MapSettings.cfg file (where the settings are stored) saved both to my PC AND to somewhere else on the TomTom itself. That means I can re-install it into the map folder wherever I am so long as I can get access to a PC to do the file copying.

But once again, we are screwed on the new machines as we cannot access the relevant files.

 

[D J Sheridan]

On the subby of PCs etc. I did read somewhere that you can still connect the unit to your PC without using MyTomTom or Home. This way Win 7 picks up the unit as another drive, so you can navigate through what is on the unit.
Now if this is true, I also read that if you copy everything off your unit onto a Micro SD Card (including hidden files) then after dissing the MSDC, then re-inserting it into your PC, then if you start MyTomTom, Win 7 makes MyTomTom think the MSDC is your unit, therefore you can update the MSDC then place it into your unit...
Saves connecting your unit to your PC.

Anyone know if this is correct and works?