XXL map update fails

[nucci6]

I recently tried to update the map on my XXL via TomTom HOME.

The download proceeded normally but when the files were being loaded to the device I received a failure message - a message that the 'USA Canada Mexico meta' (don't have the exact name, sorry) file could not be written. I used Win Explorer to go over to the XXL device and the file mentioned was 0 length. Properties seemed OK but when I went to rename the file I received a warning from Windows that the file was corrupt.

I deleted the file and attempted to reload the map again via the update function of TomTom HOME. I received the same failure. I am currently trying to load the files by manually unzipping the downloaded file and installing the files onto the XXL directly. I am not sure what level of success this will have.

A map update should not result in such an error. I would appreciate information on how to best proceed with what should be a simple and easy update process instead of the current 7 hour ordeal.

Thank you.

 

[canderson]

Likely the [mapname].meta.dct file, which is the 'key' that matches the file to your unit.

Good news is that you should already have a 'clean' version on your PC unless the [mapname].meta.dct file is also bad in the downloaded map archive itself, in which case you will need to kill off the downloaded file and try the download again from scratch.

You can unzip and manually install this way: https://www.tomtomforums.com/t18197-how-install-downloaded-map-without-using-home.html

That procedure also tells you where the downloaded map is held.

 

[go930user]

Hi Nucci6,

You don't say which XXL you own or the version of the map the device was supplied with.

But my XXL540 only has 2GB of internal memory and it isn't easy (read impossible) to upgrade the memory capacity, so if you are trying to download a North American or European map then you might be running into this problem, and when it gets to that particular file there isn't enough space for it (and the others that might still be waiting).

On a different device I recently upgraded the NA 2GB map to the latest NA map which was 500MB bigger and would not have fitted into the interrnal memory without removing some of the existing maps (including the NA 2GB map which seems to be regarded as a different map to the current NA map, about 1790 MB.

So if you are upgrading from the NA 2GB map (which is 1200MB approximately) to the latest NA map this "could" be the problem as the new map does not overwrite the older one.

More detail about the device (full name) and the existing and new map names will let people get a better handle on what might be wrong.

Cheers

Go930user

 

[nucci6]

This is a 550 XXL, sorry. I have plenty of memory available. It looks like there is a problem with TomTom HOME copying data. When I go to add map it fails when it gets to a file it cannot install. Yet I can manually copy the file over.

Perhaps if I skipped TomTom HOME and instead tried a manual map install it might work. Simply copying all the files in the USA-Canada_Mexico file did not work, I am sure there are some others that needed to be installed that I missed.

 

[go930user]

Hi again,

There are a number of map folders. One is just labelled map and the others named for the "countries" and "editions" of the maps that are loaded.

For example my Go930 has a foder named "maps" and a number of other folders named (in my case) Australia, New Zealand, North America, North America 2GB and Western and Central Europe 2GB. Those names are repeated in the "maps' folder with .tlv extensions. I suspect, but do not know, that these latter files are validation files that "allow" your TT to access the data in the named map folders.

You might like to use Explorer to check whether or not you have these types of folders and that the "map" folder contains a .tlv file for each of the named folders.

Good luck

Go930User

 

[canderson]

@nucci6
Tap, tap, tap.

"You can unzip and manually install this way (that's a link over there =>) How to install a downloaded map without using Home "

If that doesn't work, we'll need to kill off the defective downloaded map package and you'll need to do it again (sorry).
Any chance you're doing all of this over a wireless connection?

 

[go930user]

Hi Canderson,

Wireless LAN or wireless WAN - or both?

Given the time indicated in one of the earlier posts, I'm guessing an NA or Europe map on an ADSL1 link. It took me about 30 mins yesterday to upgrade the NA 2gb to the NA 1.79GB map on the 930 using a wireless LAn and ADSL2+ connection, so I'm guessing a lower data rate than this.

Are Wireless connections problematical?

Cheers

Go930User

 

[nucci6]

It gets worse. I reran update from TomTom HOME and it created a new USA/Canada/Mexico map folder that was completely corrupted with illegible file names with illegal length. I went in with Explorer and it would not let me delete this whacked out folder. I renamed it to 'BAD" and tried a manual copy.

During the manual file copy I was now seeing all kinds of strange write errors, retries, etc. I've come to the conclusion something, probably the last update attempt from TomTom HOME, corrupted the flash memory. A chkdsk reports all kinds of errors on the 'BAD' directory but even with the /F flag the errors are not fixed (chkdsk says it is fixing the problems, but a rerun of chkdsk shows the same problems remaining). Whatever is wrong, it does not want to be corrected. I took the XXL over to my Mac to see if I'd have better luck there but the OS/X disk repair utility won't give me the option to run a repair. In fact, when I mount the device I get a big warning from OS/X that the situation is dire and it won't let me repair or write to the flash memory.

Of course I have no backup -- my backup was on a pc that got corrupted. I did take a snapshot of the device onto the Mac but I wonder how corrupted that snapshot might be considering the errors I am getting.

The unit is more or less bricked, never leaving the start screen, but at least I can mount the drive and look at its contents.

I wonder if I shuld try and reformat the flash memory and restore from this snapshot or call TomTom and take my chances on a warranty claim. A map update should not be this painful or require hours of work on my end, and I hope customer service is watching and gives me an RMA number. Offloading another couple of hours of work onto me is unacceptable, I think I've done enough of their work for them, considering it was probably their lousy software that caused the corruption in the first place.

I'm not happy and am about to go to all social media outlets to vent my frustration with this. To sound like a broken record, a freaking simple map update should not cause this much aggravation. TomTom, the ball is in your court to fix this, please don't ask me to spend any more time other than it will take to give you a serial number and to wrap this in a box to send to you.

 

[canderson]

@go930user
Indeed - wireless WAN connections may well be problematic. For reasons I do not understand, I sometimes have terrific luck with it here at home, and at other times, can't move large files without some kind of time-out that kills them.

@nucci6
You're not bricked. If you can still 'mount' the unit over the USB, you're still fine.

I assume that you had some sort of map subscription or recent purchase that is allowing you to pull down the N.A. map from TomTom. That will still be available when we're done straightening this mess out.

OK. If chkdsk is reporting all manner of errors after you've been trying to write to your unit, my top suspicion is a problem with the USB port or cable. At this point in time, yes. You will want to reformat the entire 550 device. It should be formatted using FAT32, and full format, not quick format.

Before you do anything, I want to deal with the potential USB issue .. there's no point in trying to go down this road if your connection is hosed. Using whatever flavor of Windows computer you have available - desktop, notebook, netbook, whatever, we'll want you to use the PRIMARY (non-wired) USB ports. If you have a desktop computer, use one of the ports on the rear, not the wired ones on the front. If you have a notebook/netbook, if there are two USB ports on one side and one or more elsewhere, you want to connect to the point where the majority of the ports are located (those tend to be those closest to the USB host chip on the motherboard).

Now -- do the format on your device. If Home fires up when you connect your device, just shut it down with the app bar at the bottom or with Task Manager. We have ZERO interest in Home just yet.

I do not remember what OS you have. For the moment, I'll assume XP. If not, advise if you don't spot the equivalent folders.
DELETE the CONTENTS of the following folders (not the folders):
My Documents/TomTom/HOME/Downloads/complete/map
My Documents/TomTom/HOME/Downloads/complete/program
This will purge any errant resident copies that Home may have kept of either your application or maps.

Next -- hook up your computer directly to your router or DSL modem. For now, avoid WiFi if at all possible.

Disconnect and reconnect your device and let it fire up Home. Home will not only suggest that you download a map, it will ALSO suggest that you download the application that is now missing from your device. Accept both. Attempt to install both.

Let us know how you get along with all of that.

 

[Andy_P]

For example my Go930 has a foder named "maps" and a number of other folders named (in my case) Australia, New Zealand, North America, North America 2GB and Western and Central Europe 2GB. Those names are repeated in the "maps' folder with .tlv extensions. I suspect, but do not know, that these latter files are validation files that "allow" your TT to access the data in the named map folders.

They're not
The validation files ere the {mapname}.meta and meta.dct in the same folder as the other map files.

The .tlv files in the "maps" folder are more "signposts" put there by Home to remind it what it has done,
On most TomToms, they are entirely superfluous except for when you go to Home and click "more info" on a map. The text there seems to be in the .tlv file as well.

However, there does seem to be the occasional model or setup where the presence of a .tlv file seems more important. None of my models are like that, so I haven't been able to experiment as much as I'd like.

 

[go930user]

For example my Go930 has a foder named "maps" and a number of other folders named (in my case) Australia, New Zealand, North America, North America 2GB and Western and Central Europe 2GB. Those names are repeated in the "maps' folder with .tlv extensions. I suspect, but do not know, that these latter files are validation files that "allow" your TT to access the data in the named map folders.

They're not
The validation files ere the {mapname}.meta and meta.dct in the same folder as the other map files.

The .tlv files in the "maps" folder are more "signposts" put there by Home to remind it what it has done,
On most TomToms, they are entirely superfluous except for when you go to Home and click "more info" on a map. The text there seems to be in the .tlv file as well.

However, there does seem to be the occasional model or setup where the presence of a .tlv file seems more important. None of my models are like that, so I haven't been able to experiment as much as I'd like.

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the clarification - and improving my knowledge of the "intricacies" of the TT OS and Data.

Cheers

Go930user

 

[nucci6]

Tied up for a week and a half but back so I can finally report in.

It was a long and convoluted trip but the XXL is back and working. Whatever it hosed it originally made a real mess. The internal volume INTERNAL became practically unusable: no writes, couldn't delete the bad files, chkdsk fails, etc. No matter what I did or tried I could not get the device to reformat, and each reformat attempt made things worse. Every system I tried failed: XP, Vista, 7, even OS/X. Eventually things got completely hosed / erased; the volume INTERNAL even disappeared. The windows event logs made no sense.

The solution was to do a reset by holding the power button for something like 15-20 seconds. After that I was then able to reformat the FAT file system, and from there it went easy. I then restored from the backup everything but the map folder itself. Then using a fresh install of TomTom Home I hooked it back up and downloaded and installed the most current map.

All my settings and favorites were naturally wiped out.

I'm not sure what caused the original device corruption, but the bottom line was the long power button press reset allowed me to finally be able to reformat the flash memory and repair the device.