What to do FIRST when you get your Tom Tom!

Well I purchased a TomTom Go 910 the other day due to my research and really thought it would fit my needs. I came from the Garmin family and still am very happy with my Etrex Vista for hiking…but for driving the 910 was the absolute way for me to go. Not to mention I love Palm products and the way you can tweak them....hmmm...you can do the same here with the TomTom!

I wanted to make sure that I did everything right so that I would not dork anything up with it. I stumbled across the TomTom forums prior to purchase so I had a leg up on the average person when it came to deciphering how to use the 910.

The documentation is lacking in my opinion…the forums are a wealth of knowledge.

I decided to write this to help out others that may happen to stumble across these forums and would like get a clean setup on their TomTom product. I use a 910 but the principles should apply to other TomTom products as far as I know.

First and foremost….YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE A BACKUP!!!!! Trust everyone here on the forums. DO THIS OR BEWARE! You could inadvertently do something (as I did) and end up having to restore your TT product. If you don’t have the backup you will be hurting.

Here are the step-by-steps:

1. Unpack your TT and make sure everything came with the device.
2. Make sure your antivirus software is up and running! (Some of the newer TomTom disks have been shipping with something that shows up as a couple of Trojans….I called TT support and they stated it was fine to quarantine and delete these files…you may or may not encounter this).
3. You should install your TomTom HOME software from the included disk…if it is out of date, the computer (provided you are internet connected) will let you download the latest version of HOME….DO THIS.
4. Turn on your 910. If it needs some juice…put it on the dock and give it some power but DO NOT hook it up to the computer yet.
5. When you have a bit of a charge, turn on the 910 and you will either get a chance to select preferences…such as language etc or you can go to the main menu and hit change preferences to access your language, time, etc….

The reason I have you do these steps in this order is because if you do not you may encounter an error when you backup your 910 and it will save you a bunch of time. I did not have the preferences setup and I went straight to the backup process….after 30 min there was an error that stated “preferences.dat” was non existent or something…that clued me into the fact I had to set them first…uh oh….So by doing this first you can get that painfully long backup running and can take care of some other things while this is going on.

6. Turn off your 910 and get ready for the backup process….It will take 40 min or so at first and you cannot disconnect your 910 or interrupt this process. If you do you risk the possibility of corrupting the backup.


How to hook up the 910 to the computer….

Well there are a few methods of accomplishing this but I will let you know what the TomTom Tech support folks told me.

1. Make sure the power cord is connected to the docking cradle and that the cradle is connected to the USB port on your computer.
(NOTE: My cradle and power cord do NOT connect well at all….I called TT Tech Support and they are sending me a new cable…I think it may actually be the cradle but I will cross that path when the new cord comes. In the meantime, I will use my duck tape mod…LOL)
2. Start your HOME program.
3. Place your 910 in the cradle.
4. Start the 910.
5. When it asks if you would like to connect to the computer hit….YES.

It is REALLY important to make sure you disconnect and connect properly to the device or you can screw up your 910…trust me I did this, even with help from the folks here in the forum. You must ALWAYS disconnect via the HOME program. At the bottom left side of HOME you see a little button that says MY DEVICE. If you roll your cursor over this it will tell you if your device is connected or if you can safely disconnect it.

Hopefully your device is now showing in the My Device area. You may have some updates come in but do NOT install anything yet…NOTHING! Your goal here is to get a CLEAN backup of the device prior to messing with anything else!

On the left side you will see an area that says MAKE BACKUP. Hit this button and name the backup whatever you like. I chose INITIAL BACKUP so that I know this was the first one done ever and I will never modify this backup.

The backup essentially copies your TomTom’s information over to your computer’s hard drive. So…be prepared with the necessary disk space on your HDD. If you don’t have enough HOME will let you know but keep in mind you can use up space fast if you put on more than one backup…my initial backup is about 9-11GB.

This will get you a CLEAN BACKUP which is what the goal is. If you have a clean backup you can fix problems that may happen in the future by restoring to your initial settings and data. I have done it and it is invaluable!

Ok?.so your TomTom is getting backed up!!!! Now you have some time to learn a few things?I did this the hard way?trial and error and then finally pleading on this site?LOL (Thanks to pedro2nr and digital-flex for helping me through my problems!)

I will state this again?the information in these forums is great! Folks are friendly and genuinely want to help you out of a bind or help you tweak your Tom Tom device!

You will now need to set up your Tom Tom Plus account. You can go to www.TomTom.com to do this and you should register with an email address and password. Remember this because you will put this in your 910 so that you can have the TomTom site recognize your device. If you do not do this, you may run into a problem like I did and have many copies of updates download to your computer.

So go ahead and register and take a look around the site?.we will put this information into your 910 once it is backed up.

Search the forums and see what is out there?.be sure you register?LOL?and introduce yourself.

Ok?..so now your 910 is backed up!!!! WTG!!! Lets set up your device so that it can be recognized by the website. We haven?t updated anything yet just getting set up.

Since you are connected to the computer and HOME is working well for you lets access the ?My GO 910? or the Virtual TomTom as folks call it. This is located on the left side of the HOME software under the Options tab called ?More??
1. Click on My GO 910
2. A new screen will show up that is a picture of your 910!!! Way cool!
3. Tap on the button at the upper left of your 910?there should be an arrow pointing at this. (NOTE: Do NOT remove your device or turn it on or off unless you FIRST power down from this virtual button. I did this and corrupted my 910 and had to restore from my backup.)
4. Tap on the center of the screen and get to the CHANGE PREFERENCES button and then navigate your way to the 6 of 7 page and tap on EDIT TOMTOM PLUS ACCT.
5. Type in your email address and hit done.
6. Type in the password for your TomTom account that you set up while it was backing up!

Now your device should be ready to go! I would suggest disconnecting your device from the computer via the steps I mentioned above. Be aware that your TT HOME may be running from the start bar. You can have your preferences get rid of this by right clicking on the icon?its your choice but I close all HOME before turning it on and off.

Turn your device off by hitting the button and then try turning it on again. The turn on takes a few seconds so I leave the button pressed for a 3 potato count. Play around with it?and enjoy. While you are doing this you will see in the bottom right of your screen some bars?this is your GPS signal indicator. Press on this. You will come to a green screen that will show at the bottom right a little button that says Version. Write this down. This is the version of the firmware you are running. As of this writing it is 6.525?don?t worry if yours is outdated?we haven?t updated your device yet!

Hit on the Version button?.You will have a bunch of information here?again WRITE IT DOWN! This will help folks with troubleshooting and it lets you know what your DEVICE NAME is?.that is key for TomTom Plus freebies and to purchase maps etc.

Ok?so if you are like me, you want the most up to date things! Well lets get you updated!.......Turn off your 910 at this time!

Now?HOME should be off and your 910 should be as well and not connected to the cradle. Go ahead and start HOME. Take a look at the bottom left globe?.does it say Login or does it say your email account that you signed up on TomTom Plus with? I had an error on mine and it would not login as my email account until I set up the TomTom910.

Next plug your 910 into the cradle and then turn it on. When it asks to connect to the computer say Yes!

What does the globe at the bottom left say? If it says Unregistered/Anonymous then click on the globe and connect to your Tom Tom plus account with the email and password you wrote down before.

At this point one of two things will happen?either it will have updates for you to download OR it will not. Most likely it will. If this is the case feel free to INSTALL the updates. This will get your 910 up to date.

Once you have done this you can disconnect your TomTom 910 the correct way?lol?.and then you will see a little blue line with a yellow progress bar at the bottom?..this is updating your firmware and other things in your 910.

If you go back to your Version area you can see what is up to date or not!

Remember?MAKE AN INITIAL BACKUP! DISCONNECT/CONNECT PROPERLY!

If you do these two things you should be well on your way to TomTom Nirvana !!!!!

(thanks to pedro2nr, digital-flex, and TT tech support)

If you have any updates or corrections let me know and I will alter this mini-FAQ

Great write up!

Thanks Pedro....just wanted to help others out when they get their new devices. I was so frustrated at times when I got mine and I would have been tossing my 910 against the wall if it hadn't been for you and Digi and the other posts on this site!

If I had a good free photo hosting site I would have put some pics in with it. I am a big fan of making the "______ For Dummies" tutorials at work for guys...it sucks to not have a guide for a new toy...LOL!

try photobucket.com or imageshack

WOW! Nice job Guttboy!

I'm a real fan of photobucket.com because I think they make it easy for you to host your images. I would recommend that.

Ill give that a shot and thanks for the praise...you and pedro inspired me to write it all down!

Very Nice!

A well needed tutorial that applies to the Tomtom GO 300 as well, I just wish that I had found this woinderful forum before I got mine, lol. At least I made it, lol.



Mod

Thanks Mod...always glad to help!

Just got my TT910 and so far very pleased with it.

Thanks very much for the pointers to keep me on the straight and narrow

Thanks for writing this!

Intermittant Power cord to usb cradle connection

In the root of this thread the following statement was made:

"1. Make sure the power cord is connected to the docking cradle and that the cradle is connected to the USB port on your computer.
(NOTE: My cradle and power cord do NOT connect well at all….I called TT Tech Support and they are sending me a new cable…I think it may actually be the cradle but I will cross that path when the new cord comes. In the meantime, I will use my duck tape mod…LOL)"

I had the same problem and called TT technical support. I convinced them that I thought it was the cradle as wiggling the connector caused no problem with the car mount. They said they would send me a new cradle. I decided to trouble shoot the old cradle. I suspected a bad connector or solder joint. I removed the torx screw using a small jewelers screwdriver and pryed the thing apart. A visual inspection did not indicate any problem with the board or connector. The connector also seemed to snap into the connector soundly.
I reassembled the cradle and it was still very intermittant. I noticed that the connector didn't feel like it was snapping into the connector.

Looking at the differences between the suction cup dock and the usb dock, I see that the usb dock housing has an extra 1/16" of an inch of plastic that the power cord connector must reach through.
My solution was to take a sharp utility knife and trim about 1/8 inch of the plastic off the plug. This is easily accomplished by cutting through the plastic to the metal shell and then rotating the connector one turn.The resulting ring of plastic is removed.
After doing this the connection is perfect. Two days later I received the new cradle.
I don't know if TT has a new power module with a longer plug to fix this. It may be that they haven't analyzed the failure to root cause.
Bob

Guttboy said:

What to do FIRST when you get your Tom Tom!

Click to expand...

I take it apart and check for battery size..haha..

(TomTom 510)
https://www.tomtomforums.com/showthread.php?t=1127

(TomTom One)
https://www.tomtomforums.com/showthread.php?t=1091
________
Electronic cigarettes

Hey Guttboy, very strong write up on the TT910, wish the manuals they sent in the box were as useful and with details as your descriptions. I would like to assume that you can use the process w/ any of the TTs because I have experienced my own TT problem. I actually have the TT-One US-Canada, I got it and was a happy little butterball and it worked great . . . that is until I connected it to my computer. I download the disk & connected everything to my comp and my TT does charge but now does not do anything else. The TT home does not recognize that there is a compatible TT device hooked up to my computer. I have tried all the ports on my computer and nothing. I'm not sure if it matters that the TT home disk was TT-One 1st edition. Either way, its not finding it. I even go to My Computer to see if its there but my comp is recognizing it as an external memory and wants to format it. Out of fear I did not do it. So when I turn on my TT, I get a screen that shows the TT and an X blinking at me. That's all it does and yes, I have tried several times resetting but nothing is still happening. TT home site does not give you an email to contact them and the 800 takes forever to get through and haven't gotten a live person yet. I don't know if you could help me at all since you have the 910 but I'm hoping if possible you can point me in the right direction. And I know you mention that you should disconnect the TT on the TT home, but what if it does not recognize that its even plugged in? Any input would totally help right now and I do appreciate your time. Thanks!

thanks for writing this - more info.....

I also run around the houses trying to get my 910 set up. I also done something completly wrong and the 910 wouldn't even switch on!! It loaded up to the initial tom tom screen and just hung there, didn't even play the drums. I eventually took the unit back to the shop (pc world) and the technician asked me if I had reset the unit. I told him i couldn't as all it done was load up to the initial screen and so none of the touch screen was made available to me. The technician laughed his head off took the unit off me, turned around so i couldn't see what he was doing and then gave me the unit back working like a dream??
If you didn't already know there is a tiny reset button hidden away in the back of the unit which you press with a paper clip and bingo the unit is factory reset. If you look at the recess where the connector goes into on the back of the 910 unit, on the left hand side there is a small cutaway section in the plastic, the reset button is down in there.You need a papaerclip or something like that to press it........the technician said it wasn't in the book but they get around 8 units a week to "repair". The technician even gave me the paperclip which he said was the most important tool to ever be invented for the 910 ..........

boriecua82 said:

Hey Guttboy, very strong write up on the TT910, wish the manuals they sent in the box were as useful and with details as your descriptions. I would like to assume that you can use the process w/ any of the TTs because I have experienced my own TT problem. I actually have the TT-One US-Canada, I got it and was a happy little butterball and it worked great . . . that is until I connected it to my computer. I download the disk & connected everything to my comp and my TT does charge but now does not do anything else. The TT home does not recognize that there is a compatible TT device hooked up to my computer. I have tried all the ports on my computer and nothing. I'm not sure if it matters that the TT home disk was TT-One 1st edition. Either way, its not finding it. I even go to My Computer to see if its there but my comp is recognizing it as an external memory and wants to format it. Out of fear I did not do it. So when I turn on my TT, I get a screen that shows the TT and an X blinking at me. That's all it does and yes, I have tried several times resetting but nothing is still happening. TT home site does not give you an email to contact them and the 800 takes forever to get through and haven't gotten a live person yet. I don't know if you could help me at all since you have the 910 but I'm hoping if possible you can point me in the right direction. And I know you mention that you should disconnect the TT on the TT home, but what if it does not recognize that its even plugged in? Any input would totally help right now and I do appreciate your time. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hmmm....well I would attempt the reset with the paperclip one last time. I would then try to hook up the TT One to another computer without the HOME software on it. See if it is recognized. If it is then perhaps it was your computer or USB port on that computer. If it is NOT then my only solution would be to continue to contact TT and get it replaced. Sorry for your problems....hope it all works out!

Regards!

And quit any other software that maybe using USB

I've got two ONE's with red X's after trying to back them up. I spoke with TomTom Technical Support and they asked about any graphics programs on the computer. Adobe Photo Album Starter Edition is a known problem (I have it on mine). It sits in your system tray looking for something to connect via USB with image files. TomToms have some image files and Adobe "latches on" to them. USB flat bed scanner software is another good one. This messes up when you disconnect through Home, files are still open in Adobe and things get corrupted when you pull the USB. So in the case of Windows use its disconnect USB to force everything to clean up.

Your best bet is to make sure you shut any other program using USB down before connecting the TomTom.

I'll post full recovery instructions after I get the whole thing sorted out. I did not have the TomTom's in front of me when I called them. But in summary, do a full format on the SD card/TomTom memory giving it a label of "TOMTOM DISK" (without the quotes). Shutdown those other USB programs & start Home. It should see an empty card and ask if you want to download the operating system and voices and then send them to the TomTom. You'll need an account at TomTom's web site. Call tech support and they will push a new copy of the maps to you. Download and install them.

Hope this helps somebody.

-- Mark

TomTom GO 300 & ONE

Does all this work for the 720 as well?

I have had a TT 910 for about 6 months and really like the way it works. I have never connected it to my Mac, but I am going to take a nap and when I get up I am going to give it a try. Any pointers for the Mac?

I got my TT backed up, but when I go to TomTom Home and click on "My GO 910" there is aline at the top of the screen that says, "At this timethere is no component available that is compatible with your
TomTom device".

I went on the TT website and it asked me to put in a device code, which I did and it told me that it was recorded.

I am going to turn everything off, restart my computer and try again.