Unattended install of TomTom Home

[fgpctuki]

Hi,

Is there some switches I could use for the install exe of TomTom Home to make it go automatically? We have about 20 of TomTom users in our company. We are transferring to W7 from XP in the fall, so would be nice to get this software deployed via SCCM and not do it by hand.

- Ville

 

[dhn]

Welcome to TTF.

An interesting question. I really don't have an answer. I know that TomTom has a Business division but it's really geared to fleet management. The addresses for the various offices can be found here:
TomTom Business Solutions - Office locations

I don't see one for your country.

Perhaps somebody else will come along with better information than I've been able to provide. Sorry.

 

[Andy_P]

Afraid I can't help with your question (although personally I doubt there's a way)

But just a heads-up (which I think is still current) about moving to Win7, courtesy of supermod mvl on here....

If you run Win7 64-bit, you need to run the 32-bit version of internet explorer.
MyTomtom uses Flash, and Flash doesn't work with IE 64-bit yet. (although a beta version is here)

If you're running internet explorer 64-bit, MyTomtom won't work.

 

[dhn]

I don't see an indication that MyTomTom is required instead of Home 2. But you are right, Andy. Home 2 needs Flash as well.

 

[fgpctuki]

Afraid I can't help with your question (although personally I doubt there's a way)

But just a heads-up (which I think is still current) about moving to Win7, courtesy of supermod mvl on here....

If you run Win7 64-bit, you need to run the 32-bit version of internet explorer.
MyTomtom uses Flash, and Flash doesn't work with IE 64-bit yet. (although a beta version is here)

If you're running internet explorer 64-bit, MyTomtom won't work.

I have tried the TomTom (with manual installation) in our W7 pilot computer and it works. Just looking for a way to reduce the amount of manual installation we have to perform when we start deploying the W7 to all the clients. Usually programs have silent installation options, but wasn't able to find one in TomTom Home. Maybe we have to virtualize it or something, we'll have to see.

- Ville

 

[Andy_P]

It could be said that TT Home is not the 'sharpest knife in the software box'. I doubt the programmers had even heard of SCCM.

 

[dhn]

Well, there is a setting to have Home 2 start when the computer is turned on but that doesn't really solve anything as the application needs installing on the computer in the first place to select that option.

 

[fgpctuki]

Possible to ask some one from the development team look at this? Probably somebody that is responsible for making the installation package for the program.

 

[fgpctuki]

Actually found something out. The installation is made with NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) and looked at the usual commands for those installations. It turns out you can get a silent installation with /S switch. Had tried with /s, but seems you need a capital S. It's not completely hidden and couldn't figure out any other switches, but it'll do for now.

 

[dhn]

We don't work for TomTom and are not associated with them in any way, just interested users in an independent forum.

 

[canderson]

Possible to ask some one from the development team look at this? Probably somebody that is responsible for making the installation package for the program.

None of us are TomTom employees - just a bunch of wonks who volunteer time here answering questions and shooting the breeze.

As I'm reading this thread, a couple of things come to mind.

First, the only reason one would be installing Home is to permit the users to manage their own updates. Having done some serious mobile deployments, and not seeing any hint of your use model, I need to ask -- will each TomTom unit remain 'tied' to a particular computer. If so, life should be pretty good under XP. If not, things are going to get exciting, especially if your users do not have admin rights on their machines - and it's nothing to do with the TomTom specifically, it's serialized USB devices and XP.

Can you give us more detail about your use model?>

 

[fgpctuki]

None of us are TomTom employees - just a bunch of wonks who volunteer time here answering questions and shooting the breeze.

As I'm reading this thread, a couple of things come to mind.

First, the only reason one would be installing Home is to permit the users to manage their own updates. Having done some serious mobile deployments, and not seeing any hint of your use model, I need to ask -- will each TomTom unit remain 'tied' to a particular computer. If so, life should be pretty good under XP. If not, things are going to get exciting, especially if your users do not have admin rights on their machines - and it's nothing to do with the TomTom specifically, it's serialized USB devices and XP.

Can you give us more detail about your use model?>

Well we have bunch of people how need gps (which happens to be TomTom) that has our own spesific POI info inserted. The whole company is switching from XP to W7 so the TomTom users are too. They need the software to keep their maps up to date on the gps device. The TomTom remains tied the the users computer (might of course get a new one as same time we switch operating system we renew around 35% of the computers in use atm). And yes not a single one of them has administrative rights.

 

[canderson]

Well we have bunch of people how need gps (which happens to be TomTom) that has our own spesific POI info inserted. The whole company is switching from XP to W7 so the TomTom users are too. They need the software to keep their maps up to date on the gps device. The TomTom remains tied the the users computer (might of course get a new one as same time we switch operating system we renew around 35% of the computers in use atm). And yes not a single one of them has administrative rights.

I'd break the problem into three parts... the POI and the map updates, and the most important, moving the device between machines.

Let's deal with that last one since it can be a real ringer. Hooking up your TomTom to another computer will create a new instance of the device on that computer, and will perform the driver load for that instance - all because each TomTom has a different USB serial number than any previously connected. If a user does not have admin rights, it is possible they will be unable to successfully connect a unit to another computer that hasn't already been paired up by an admin of some sort.

Under XP, this SAME thing can happen if you plug the same device into a different USB port. A new instance will be created - well, will attempt to be created - and this will fail if the user doesn't have admin privs to complete the install.

None of this is unique to TomTom - it's an issue with how Microsoft has been handling USB devices for some time now.

OK - POI may be simpler than you think. You may be aware of it, but if not ... there is no need to use Home to install a custom POI file. You just need to slide your *.ov2 file (and any associated *.bmp icon) over into the folder that contains all of the units's map data. As a simple "test for new content and copy", that could be scripted easily.

Map updates are a lot trickier. One thing you'll discover is that without some tweaks, Home will also be trying to update firmware (where possible) and other files when updating maps. Home didn't use to try to force firmware updates just to get other updates, but it does now. Happened a couple of Home versions back earlier this year. There have certainly been times when the 'latest and greatest' firmware wasn't the greatest, and wasn't for whatever reason in the end user's interest. I'd think long and hard about having users perform updates until you've had a chance to test any new changes to firmware and bless them in your particular use model.