Did the Navore 8 upgrade kill VR on your unit? A theory why

I am probably waaaaay wrong (as most of my theories are )...

Some 720 users who upgraded are reporting VR is dead while others are not. My theory why is this ...

The NA 720 was never meant to have VR in the first place. (European models do). So, we resorted to a 'hack' of creating a support_asr.dat file with a '1' (no quotes) in it and putting the file in the asr folder (along with needing at least NA map 7.10 and firmware 7.221).

However, some later purchasers of NA 720's reported that VR worked out of the box with no need for the support_asr.dat file.

It is my feeling that it is those 720 users for whom VR is dead in the Nav8 update. I suspect the this firmware release requires the existence of the dat file to make it work. (along with the necessary cspeechxx.dat files in the map folder, of course).

Those with the hack already have the file so VR would keep working for them. So, if you don't have the VR working, try the hack many of us resorted to months ago.

Now then.......if I'm wrong (and I suspect I may be), please reply kindly. you know, 'dhn, what are you smoking/drinking?" is ok. So is "I didn't know they had computers in the looney bin". But, no swearing at me, ok?

Not sure, but I just "upgraded" (if you can call it that) to v8.010 and I noticed the following:

- super slow boot-up
-no sounds (only when I do a soft-reset do I get that "intro" music when TT starts)
-VR is dead
-the entire unit is ridiculously slow (from connecting to PC to actually going into preferences)

All I know is that I had no problems what-so-ever prior to this "upgrade"..


Just my $.02

No problems with the upgrade here. Was using the support_asr.dat hack before and did not remove it. VR worked before and works now.

I haven't noticed any issues with slow boot or PC connection etc.

I believe the intro drum sounds only on a hard reboot is normal. At least it has always worked that way on my unit (both before and after the upgrade).

igrs said:

No problems with the upgrade here. Was using the support_asr.dat hack before and did not remove it. VR worked before and works now.

I haven't noticed any issues with slow boot or PC connection etc.

I believe the intro drum sounds only on a hard reboot is normal. At least it has always worked that way on my unit (both before and after the upgrade).

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback....I'm still waiting to hear from somebody who DIDN'T need the support_asr.dat file originally and now finds VR broken.

Oh yeah, welcome to this forum!

My VR works intermittently now. Whenever I connect to HOME i have to do a pin reset to get it back. Last night I re-added the asr_support file to make it work.

dhn said:

I'm still waiting to hear from somebody who DIDN'T need the support_asr.dat file originally and now finds VR broken.

Oh yeah, welcome to this forum!

Click to expand...

I had to copy the support_asr.dat file and here is the link to my post which has the details.
https://www.tomtomforums.com/showthread.php?t=9928

Had the hack in place and VR still works fine.

One nice thing I noticed is that you no longer have to hold the on button for several seconds to turn on the device. That was always an irritant to me.

dhn said:

Thanks for the feedback....I'm still waiting to hear from somebody who DIDN'T need the support_asr.dat file originally and now finds VR broken.

Oh yeah, welcome to this forum!

Click to expand...

I don't have the support_asr file before, don't have it now and the update didn't kill VR. Hope I didn't confuse you now

hedgehogsforprez said:

I don't have the support_asr file before, don't have it now and the update didn't kill VR. Hope I didn't confuse you now

Click to expand...

You have.....totally. But then, I am easily confused.

Thanks for the feedback (I think ).

Seriously, I'm really mystified by the differences people are having with VR.

Seriously, I'm really mystified by the differences people are having with VR.

Click to expand...

Think you are mystified, my 720 had to be sent back and tomtom sent me a new one which didn't need the asr.dat file. My VR works with v8 upgrade but after a couple of days everything comes up but the meter doesn't move like the microphone is broken. So the VR doesn't die but doesn't work either. Now if I do a reset, it comes back and works for another few days.

I am pretty sure that using tomtom home to Operate MY Device is the problem in my case but thanks for your theory. As much as you participate in this forum and the other UK forum, and the knowledge you have acquired, tomtom should hire you as a consultant.

bilybob said:

Think you are mystified, my 720 had to be sent back and tomtom sent me a new one which didn't need the asr.dat file. My VR works with v8 upgrade but after a couple of days everything comes up but the meter doesn't move like the microphone is broken. So the VR doesn't die but doesn't work either. Now if I do a reset, it comes back and works for another few days.

I am pretty sure that using tomtom home to Operate MY Device is the problem in my case but thanks for your theory. As much as you participate in this forum and the other UK forum, and the knowledge you have acquired, tomtom should hire you as a consultant.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the kind words; I really appreciate them. I do agree with you that TTHome really has a tendency to screw up settings and functionality on users' units. Such as loss of Computer Voice., etc.

What TomTom REALLY needs is both competent software engineers AND competent QA (Quality Assurance) analysts.

I think we all continue to suffer since it appears they have neither at this point.

dhn said:

Some 720 users who upgraded are reporting VR is dead while others are not. My theory why is this ...

The NA 720 was never meant to have VR in the first place.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it's weird how it's affecting some and not others. I just kept smackin' it into submission...... I WON !!

Deffinatly working....and working quite well

Ok I just completed the update, and VR is still working. It did not work prior to the 7.31? update, but the past two updates it has worked fine, and I have never done the Support_asr.dat hack.

updated

I didnt have the support-asr.dat file before the update and had vr, did the update no vr, installed the support file to the unit still no vr, what next. it worked fine before. Thanks Bobby

Thanks

Ok i found the problem and it may help someone else. it was a typo support_asr.dat not support-asr.dat so thanks it now works again thanks Bobby

ChillyCat said:

Yeah, it's weird how it's affecting some and not others. I just kept smackin' it into submission...... I WON !!

Deffinatly working....and working quite well

Click to expand...

Got mine working also!! Same version as above except boot 5.4106 and map v7.20.1803.

I had the "support_asr.dat" file already but was only getting the icons in the menu, but grayed-out. Reading here and a bunch of other places, I found some "cspeech???.dat" were missing in the "North_America_2GB" directory of the 720. I looked around on my hard drive and found a bunch of "cspeech???.dat were hiding in the "C:\Documents and Settings\...\My Documents\TomTom\HOME\Downloads\map\North_America" directory in a file called "North_America_2GB.zip". I live in Canada so I extracted the file "cspeech_CAN.dat" and copied it to the "North_America_2GB" of the 720. Disconnected from the computer once it was done, unit restarted and BINGO! Voice recognition work like a charm!

I read somewhere some peoples deleted all maps from the 720 before going to the "guaranteed latest map update" and then, all proper files were automatically copied and the VR worked. Some peoples are saying if there's no "cspeech???.dat" files on the directory but the remaining files are there, the update won't copy the "cspeech???.dat" but if there's no map installed at all, everything will be added.

Hopefully these pointers will help!

Okay, any suggestions... I updated to the new navcore and ever since VR only works intermittently. I have to either do I pin reset or the flash clear to get it working again. A TomTom CSR told me to use clear flash. After the pin reset or the clear flash, everything works until I connect to Home, then I go back to square one. The icon is not grayed out, VR just acts like the microphone doesn't work. This is making me nuts.

Shooting in the dark here: try putting the "cspeech???.dat" file as "read only".

Are you running anything else in the background? A Media Player?, TripMaster? Sound like the 720 is busy doing something else...

On mine, it sometimes look like the "voice meter" doesn't register but the command is still processed anyway.

Do you get the "beep" indicating it's ok to speak?

Are you using the "dialog" option? If not, some manual entry is required.

When you disconnect from Home, do you use the "disconnect" menu? If not, this could cause all kind of weird stuff.

paspossible said:

Shooting in the dark here: try putting the "cspeech???.dat" file as "read only".

Are you running anything else in the background? A Media Player?, TripMaster? Sound like the 720 is busy doing something else...

On mine, it sometimes look like the "voice meter" doesn't register but the command is still processed anyway.

Do you get the "beep" indicating it's ok to speak?

Are you using the "dialog" option? If not, some manual entry is required.

When you disconnect from Home, do you use the "disconnect" menu? If not, this could cause all kind of weird stuff.

Click to expand...

Okay....Nothing else is running when this happens.

I get the "beep" to speak, but the meter is dead (not grayed out, but shows no sound is registering) and the command isn't processed, it just stays in the screen and repeats the dialogue.

I am using the dialogue option.

I always use the disconnect option, but Home is telling me during any update process to disconnect and reconnect the TOMTOM (TomTom's CSR told me to ignore this, that it is a software issue with Home that they are working to fix).

I haven't tried to make the cspeech???.dat read only. How do you do that? Does the File you add in the ASR folder have to be in the map ASR file which I have on the memory card or the one on the internal memory? I have two ASR files, but never had any problems before the navcore 8 update.

There should be one asr folder in the internal memory space. The support_asr file goes there.