XL Black edition internal disc corrupted

[jimmyjoint]

My XL Black has died during a map update and I need to replace the internal disc / memory but can find no relevant diagrams anywhere and am hoping someone here can help.
The unit refuses to format, and a memory scan shows bad sectors that can't be recovered. I've found pictures adding a micro HCSD to increase memory size, but not for my model. The PCB is labelled PCB Rev v3.1.
I can't get the application software to complete it's download or a map, so the unit is at the moment simply a paper weight
Any assistance will be very much appreciated.

 

[dhn]

Connect to the computer. Make an Explorer, not Home, backup. See here:
https://www.tomtomforums.com/t17864-how-backup-contents-your-unit-computer-how-restore.html

Then do this: Start-->Run-->cmd and in the window that opens, type this:
chkdsk X: /F where X is the drive Windows associates with the unit. Also notice the space before the /.

 

[jimmyjoint]

Many thanks for the reply, dhn.
Tried the DOS command and it looked like it had worked;-
C:\Users\Me>chkdsk f: /f
The type of the file system is FAT32.
Volume Serial Number is 7A1D-0C17
Windows is verifying files and folders...
The \PNDNavigator entry contains a nonvalid link.
The size of the \PNDNavigator entry is not valid.
The size of the \helpme\flags\Switzerland.gif entry is not valid.
\helpme\flags\Switzerland.gif is cross-linked on allocation unit 4480.
Cross link resolved by copying.
File and folder verification is complete.
Windows has made corrections to the file system.

2,049,740,800 bytes total disk space.
24,576 bytes in 6 folders.
31,227,904 bytes in 56 files.
2,018,484,224 bytes available on disk.

4,096 bytes in each allocation unit.
500,425 total allocation units on disk.
492,794 allocation units available on disk.

C:\Users\Me>
C:\Users\Me>chkdsk f: /f
The type of the file system is FAT32.
Volume Serial Number is 7A1D-0C17
Windows is verifying files and folders...
File and folder verification is complete.
Windows has checked the file system and found no problems.

2,049,740,800 bytes total disk space.
24,576 bytes in 6 folders.
31,227,904 bytes in 56 files.
2,018,484,224 bytes available on disk.

4,096 bytes in each allocation unit.
500,425 total allocation units on disk.
492,794 allocation units available on disk.

But when trying to install the application or just the map, both bum out at around "Taiwan.gif". Not sure why I'm getting Taiwan on a Europe map, but hey ho. Look like I'll have to keep looking for a diagram of the PCB to see if I can add new memory.

 

[Andy_P]

But when trying to install the application or just the map, both bum out at around "Taiwan.gif".

Is this when trying to restore a backup, or when reinstalling a FRESH version of software?
If it is from a backup, just delete the Taiwan.gif file and try again. It certainly doesn't sound like a vital file.

Look like I'll have to keep looking for a diagram of the PCB to see if I can add new memory.

Good luck with that, I've been playing with tomTom's for several years now and only once have I ever (very briefly!) seen a circuit diagram for any model posted on-line.

 

[jimmyjoint]

It's when trying both, the back-up and fresh install. Even though it looks like the bad sectors on the disc are repaired, it seems there is still an issue. I've found a photo of how to do it, but not my PCB version.
Looks like I'll just have to keep looking.

 

[Andy_P]

Can you successfully write any other files to the internal mem? Something like a bunch of big audio files?

 

[canderson]

Swapping flash on this device is an unworkable solution. At least the boot block of flash must remain intact as delivered from the factory. Swapping a new chip of flash in would make the device completely unbootable. This block is NOT seen by the user, and is not seen by the operating system as part of the file system. There is no way to reinstall a boot system into fresh flash since one does not already exist there to perform the appropriate magic on any 'system' file that might be present.