Copy Maps and Updates from one device to another GO730

Brickie64

Our company have recently bought a batch of GO730 PND's.
They all have a map guarantee for 2 years which is great.

One of my colleagues has been taking them home to update them but he currently is downloading the new maps etc from TT Home for each device. I'm presuming that there's an easier and more cost effective way of copying from one updated device to another. Does anyone know the best way to handle these updates?
_________________
"A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible"

Garmin Nuvi 3598 + GO 720 (+USA Map Card) + NavFree for iPhone in case all else fails ;-)

Andy_P · Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 5:56 pm Post subject:

No, that's the only way. TomTom's copy-protection is installed during the download and install process so each individual map download is locked to that device. You can't copy or share them around.

I suspect they may have another system for large-scale operations using their "Work" package, but for consumers this is the only way.

MrT · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 7:21 am Post subject:

There is a way to save time if you know what you are doing with PCs and TomTom to download the same map for lots of the same device.

You need to download the new map for one device and make sure the files are saved on the PC.

You then start the download for the next device and you will see some temporary files stored in the TomTom folder as the download starts. You can take these files and rename them to the same as the files you have already downloaded (you need to look at the content to identify them). The important file is the activationxxx.cab file as this is generated on the TT Servers specifically for the registered device that is currently connected. Once you have this you can abort downloading the main map file.

You extract the map files you have already downloaded to the map folder on the TT device and also extract the meta.dct file from the activationxx.cab file which allows the map to be used on the device. You need to do this for each device as the activation file is specific to that device.

I did this when I had problems with the last map update and did not want to repeat downloading it. I may have been lucky and got the files I wanted first with the map file being the last offered.
_________________
Drivelux

jimbo_hippo · Frequent Visitor Joined: May 18, 2005 Posts: 444

Is it worth recommending tht each device has it's own email address too? I know that having multiple systems and one email account with Tom Tom has caused some people untold amounts of grief.

It could be as simple as an email address with google or similar using the inventory number you use or the serial number as the username.

This is just a suggestion from reading about others having the problem so please feel free to correct me. I'm no TT fleet manager!
_________________
Tom Tom GO 720
Orange M3100, Orange SPV M5000
TomTom Navigator 6, Destinator 6
Holux GPSslim

dhn · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:57 am Post subject:

I'm not sure this thread should remain in the forum, good intentions or not by the posters.
_________________
David

MrT · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:04 pm Post subject:

My "method" will only work with devices that are allowed by TomTom to download the maps so it is not any form of piracy and cannot be used for installing maps onto devices that they are not permitted to be installed on.
_________________
Drivelux

Darren · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:25 pm Post subject:

Andy_P · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:27 pm Post subject:

Yes, although Mr T's suggestion sounds a bit "hairy" to get right lots of times, I don't see that anything dodgy is being suggested at all.
All that's being done is buying and downloading the correct files for activation, but bypassing the large lumps of data of the map itself.

MrT · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:22 pm Post subject:

A step backwards in some ways, you used to be able to download the standard map, install it then activate it either automatically or online. Then you could have downloaded the map once, put it on each device then activated each map/device in turn. There were some piracy issues but the new map protection system could have been made to work in a similar way by activation through home.
_________________
Drivelux

dhn · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 2:52 pm Post subject:

Thank you for the clarification, gentlemen.
_________________
David

Brickie64 · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 6:36 pm Post subject:

Many thanks to you all for taking the time to reply to my question. I'm sure I'll be able to work something out based on the excellent ideas posted here.

Does anyone happen to know what the "Work" facility is that Tom Tom offer?

Cheers
_________________
"A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible"

Garmin Nuvi 3598 + GO 720 (+USA Map Card) + NavFree for iPhone in case all else fails ;-)

Andy_P · Posted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:28 pm Post subject:

http://www.tomtomwork.com

	PocketGPS
	Web