XXL540 Will not start

[Joe M.]

Have charged all day

Did map update today and completed install ok through TomTom Home

GPS Will not start

Have re-booted a million times - it would sit on a screen showing all technical details but never start

Connected again to computer and it is not recognized any more - have tried multiple USB ports and re-installed TomTom Home

Try to start unit, hear startup and see startup screen then just black screen

GPS was working fine before this update

Currently can not start, reset or connect to my computer or any other computer.
It is dead.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

This is the second one of these that I have had the same issue and it was replaced by TomTom support

 

[dhn]

Make an Explorer, not Home, backup. See here:
https://www.tomtomforums.com/thread...-to-the-computer-and-how-to-restore-it.17864/

Format the device. Don't use Quickformat. (You want Fat32).

Restore the backup. See if that helps.

 

[Joe M.]

Only problem is it will not be even recognized by any computer at this point. I have to start it in order to allow USB to see the drive. So no way to even format it.

 

[dhn]

Are you using the cable that came with the device??

 

[Joe M.]

Unknown. Using a cable I used to update and same one used for a long time and also tried 3 others before writing this original post. The green light is on when I plug it in and it will turn on for a few seconds. Then blank/black screen.

 

[dhn]

Does the green light go on when connected to the computer? If so, keep it connected for about three hours. The device does not have to be on.

 

[Arno]

Have re-booted a million times - it would sit on a screen showing all technical details but never start

It appears as if that would be the diagnostic screen, in which case you are holding the button for too long.
Let go immediately after you hear the TomTom drums start.

 

[canderson]

Have re-booted a million times - it would sit on a screen showing all technical details but never start

As has been suggested above, that is the diagnostic (black and white) screen. If you see that, you have held the button a bit too long. You need to release it as soon as you hear the drums and see the TomTom logo appear.

 

[Joe M.]

I charged for 24 hours NOT on the computer, yes green light on the entire time. Still will not start past the drum sound and splash screen. I hooked to computer and am able to connect. Checked for update and only thing left is the user generated updates, didn't install. Was able to remotely use the GPS so I created a POI and set some other user settings. I did a scan on the drive and fixed errors that were found. The drive itself is at a max with little/no room remaining, but seemed to function fine while hooked by USB to computer. Used the menu to disconnect and took out USB cable. Held button until the drum sound and splash screen, then dead, black screen. Seems like battery not holding a charge? I can try to hook up to the car charger that came with it later today when daughter returns from work and see if this is the issue. Otherwise I a mat a loss. I did read that I could remove the files from the drive and try to restore from my computer or can I actually download all from the Net? Hate to start deleting system files or maps if I can't get them back. Also, all not needed voices, sy,bols, etc have been removed to allow for the last update to complete. When I tried the update the first time yesterday, it failed saying not enough room. SO there were many voices and symbols and I took them off through TomTom Home.

 

[canderson]

CAREFUL about fixing 'errors' on the drive. There are TomTom files ending in a *.chk suffix, and that suffix has a TOTALLY different meaning for Windows (it thinks they're recovered lost file fragments) and these must NOT be deleted! Be sure you still have a handful of *.chk files (half a dozen or so) in the root of your device.

 

[Arno]

Do you have a COMPLETE Windows Explorer mad back up on your computer, from which the .chk files could be recovered.

If you find them, at this time do not do anything on your own. Just report what you see and then follow canderson's advise to the letter and report back again about what happened.

 

[Alex.F]

I have a similar problem with my 54XXL. Files are corrupted & windows cannot format, DOS does not recognize the drive. How to reinstall After formatting? I cannot stay on the phone with tech support during working hours. Thanks for any suggestion you may provide.

 

[Alex.F]

I have similar issue with my 540XXL. I did not have enough space for the update, so I attempted to remove the map of Europe. It was not removed completely, some files failed to delete. Since then, I get "no maps found" & cannot delete files nor format the drive. Windows will recognize the drive, but unable to fix; DOS doesn't recognize the drive. Are there instructions somewhere I can follow to fix & reinstall?
Thanks, any suggestions are welcome.

 

[canderson]

@Alex
When you say "DOS does not recognize the drive.", that's some pretty bad news. Try rebooting the unit with the power button (I assume you know how) with the device already connected to the computer. See if it recognizes it as an external drive then.

If not, I worry about your USB connection, and have a utility we may want to run to see what Windows thinks your 540 really is.

 

[Alex.F]

Thanks a bunch canderson. I did reboot several times. Windows displays it just like another external drive.

 

[Joe M.]

Any update on this issue after this new update? Seems this last update has corrupted many of these units and I am really not happy since my unit is now garbage.

 

[thomasjk]

Zoned maps for the XXL540 are now being offered by TomTOM. I just updated my map day or so ago and was offered several choices which fit my 540. See https://www.tomtomforums.com/thread...h-install-of-map-940.30623/page-3#post-181852.

 

[Arno]

Windows displays it just like another external drive.

What Folders & loose Files do you see.
If it is not more than a page, take a screen print and post it here, using "More Options..."

 

[canderson]

Thanks a bunch canderson. I did reboot several times. Windows displays it just like another external drive.

So Windows knows something is out there .. and it appears that it believes that it is an external drive? Before we dive into this, any chance of selecting another cable and/or USB port to make sure it isn't related to a USB connectivity problem? If it is, nothing we do going forward is going to help. Need to eliminate that straight away.

Also - and before we can go further - we need to be sure you have your maps backed up somewhere on your PC from a point where things were working. Had you previously done a backup either with Home or using the PC's own file/folder copy function per the procedure we recommend here?

 

[Joe M.]

I don't have any more cables to try. I have used several of these cables with the unit in the past. And I have tried 3 different USB ports on this laptop and several on other systems. I do have backups from previous times. But can't do anything with them because Windows (8.1) does not recognize the device (is the error). Windows Error Says: The USB devise you connected to this computer malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it.