540XXL will not start after an update

[movrshakr]

I did an update using TT Home today because I wanted to get new Quickfix. Interestingly, Quickfix was not offered but mapshare was, so I did an update.

TomTom Home completed but showed some 'red lines' saying not successful. When I tried again, Windows said it was not responding, so I had to close it.

Restarted Home, and the page that shows device memory usage showed ALL memory was used, Tried a few more things but got nowhere.

I disconnected and have discovered that the device on normal start press shows The TT name very briefly, then shuts off.

15 sec hold for soft reset creates a start through a couple of the first screens (logo, then bar running across the bottom), then goes to black/off.

I can connect and by using soft reset start, get to a folder display.

Other than that, the device is unusable.

 

[dhn]

Is the battery fully charged? If you connect to the computer, does Windows 'see' the device.

If so, can you make a manual backup of the device's contents? See here:
https://www.tomtomforums.com/thread...-to-the-computer-and-how-to-restore-it.17864/

Then, in Home-->Manage my Device, items on device-->application, select to remove. Items on computer-->application, select to remove.

Remove device properly from Home using the device disconnect icon. Shut down. Completely close Home.

Start the device. Connect to computer,. Start Home. A new application should be offered. If so, download and install. Disconnect properly from Home again. Any better?

If not, restore the backup as shown in the link above.

 

[movrshakr]

s the battery fully charged? If you connect to the computer, does Windows 'see' the device.

Yes, and yes as I said: "I can connect and by using soft reset start, get to a folder display."

If so, can you make a manual backup of the device's contents? See here:
https://www.tomtomforums.com/threads...-to-the-computer-and-how-to-restore-it.17864/

That worries me. If the device contents are fouled up and I make a backup, the backup will be damaged property too. I'm pretty sure my current backup is recent.

Then, in Home-->Manage my Device, items on device-->application, select to remove. Items on computer-->application, select to remove.

Remove device properly from Home using the device disconnect icon. Shut down. Completely close Home.

Start the device. Connect to computer,. Start Home. A new application should be offered. If so, download and install. Disconnect properly from Home again. Any better?

Do you really mean to remove the APPLICATION i.e., the OS of the device?

 

[canderson]

Make the backup as requested, avoiding any folder you might have used for a backup before so that this one remains unique.. Even if some of the content is damaged, we'll have the one critical piece of your puzzle -- your maps. All else can be restored from TomTom's server. Please use your PC to make the backup, NOT Home, as recommended in the instructions to which dhn points.

Yes, you wipe the application (OS, if you like) from the device using Home. Home will discover its absence, and offer to install it again. There's boot code that remains undisturbed that is smart enough to negotiate a USB connection and accept the new application.

 

[movrshakr]

Just discovered the only thing showing in Home as being on the device are
MAp
POIs
Voices.

And update is not offering anything to install (other than some alternate maps no longer used that became authorized during a problem a year ago).

And OK I will proceed to make the manual backup.

LATER: It is under way. That will take awhile--speed varying between 350-700kbps/sec.

 

[movrshakr]

Since "Application" is not shown as available to remove, what would be the procedure?
The 3 files show contents of device.

 

[canderson]

"Application" is NOT a folder on your device. It's part of the loose files in the root of your device, specifically, the file called ttsystem (shows up in your 3rd screen shot).

What is odd is that Home doesn't seem to know it's there. Here's what it normally (give or take all of the other stuff I've got on a similar unit) shows up:

 

[canderson]

If you move over two tabs in Home, what do you see for applications THERE? If the unit has ever had an application update using the current PC, one or more should show up there, too:

 

[movrshakr]

Manual backup finished. Wow, long, slow 1-1/2 hours.

Pics show the Manage device screens, device and computer tabs

And yes, your pics are similar to what I have seen in the past before this 'crash.'

LATER: Just tried something and the "Operate your XXL" from within Home does work--so I presume that means the OS is on the device--but Home for some reason does not know it. Is there a precedure to get Home to 'resscan' the device and update itself?

 

[canderson]

You can delete the ttsystem file from the device, along with all of the other single files in the root of the device DO NOT delete any of the folders --- JUST the loose files in the root.

Then, using Home, properly disconnect your unit (either the icon in the lower right, or "Device" towards the upper left of the Home screen.

Unplug the unit from the USB, and reconnect it so that Home 'discovers' it. It will offer the application that is missing, along with other associated files. It may not offer the most recent application first, so disconnect properly and reconnect again to see if there are any further updates.

 

[movrshakr]

Before your post, I looked at the Backup and Restore tab and saw that Application and all such was in the backup--so I did a restore. Indeed, everything now shows in the Items on Device tab. Good, but...

I did an update (only mapshare checked)--see 6.png for what happened.

Then device still does the same things...I can get to the "I Agree" screen but it will not sense touch on the "I Agree" button. Then cycles through reboot.

Atch image 7.png shows the content. Look at the 'Device memory' and 'Installed items' figures--zero free space.

So, I am back to everything "appearing" ok in the "Items on Device", but it will not start past the Agree screen.

 

[canderson]

Want to try something that usually causes a reboot at a slightly different time.

Since your device seems to work in the emulator of Home, go ahead and fire that up again, and Operate your unit using Home. Go into the faux menu and add or delete a favorite from your favorites list just as you normally would from the face of the device itself.
Again, properly disconnect your unit (this time, both logically and physically) and reboot it.

Any help?

 

[movrshakr]

I tried that, but it seemed to fail at store-the-favorite time...
There was a VERY! brief message in the upper right corner of the virtual device screen saying something like "Unable to save..." for about 200-400 milliseconds, then gone.

 

[canderson]

Interesting. Both attempts at correction seem to point to an inability to write to the flash memory on the device. Just out of curiosity, if you look at your device as an external drive with your PC, does it show any remaining memory capacity? A small amount is reserved on-unit for checking new firmware before installing, so I won't be surprised if there's a bit left.

 

[movrshakr]

I called support this morning. Ended up with authorizing USA map rather than USA, Canada, Mexico. It was about 100MB smaller.

Did the process ending with download and install. All looked well, but upon disconnect and start, the first screen is "No maps found"

Call again.
Download/install AGAIN (you've go to be kidding me).
But this time around, it has worked. USA (only) map is in, mapshare is updates. QuickGPSFix was not being offered (yet another failure by TomTom), but I did web search and found what to delete that made that get offered again.

This has been the least fun "think I will update my TomTom today" I have ever done.

TO ANYBODY WHO HAPPENS TO READ THIS...
Save your mapsettings.cfg file (it's in the folder that is the same name as your map) to somewhere--and re-save them whenever you change Home, Favorites, or Recent Destinations--and ever want to get them back later.

Also, if you have created any personal POIs, save the .ov2 file and corresponding .bmp

These have saved my butt several times, including today.

FINAL OBSERVATioN--since the somewhat smaller map file made everything work right (after the 2nd try), I believe the original map fit, but did not leave enough room for the device to function--and TomTom algorithms for detecting that and offering a zoned map are defective.

I believe (cannot prove) that the algorithm looks for "things that can be deleted," (voices being one) and will not offer the zone map if deleting everything it deems eligible leaves "enough" room (and their definition of enough is probably also wrong). Never mind that creating the room leaves you with no voices at all; if you delete them, you have enough room.

 

[movrshakr]

I WANT TO SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why Why Why Why Why Why Why Why Why Why ?///

Now, when I shut of power in the car, the TomTom does not turn off!

I WANT TO SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I WANT TO SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I WANT TO SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it will not be but a day or two before I drain it, by forgetting to manually turn it off.

LATER: Another call to support. I had looked through options but missed it. It is there within battery saving icon, but the first screen of that is only about dimming screen. When you slect one of those and OK to that, you get a second screen where the turn off when power removed is set. What a day.

 

[canderson]

Sounds like my earlier suspicion in post 14 about lack of memory turned out to be true. I'm actually surprised that you weren't offered 'zoned' maps for North America, but if you can still fit the entire USA map, you're ahead of some folks. The North America map has grown so large that it no longer fits on 2GB units in one piece.

 

[movrshakr]

Yes, I think you are right.

And I *SHOULD* have been offered zone maps, but TomTom detection algorithms fail "at the margin." In other words, stuff "could be" deleted to make room. The problem is, those things it thinks could be deleted (I mean, a voice is ALWAYS eligible to be deleted??!...my only one?) really cannot be. So it doesn't offer the zone map.

They SHOULD offer the zone map to everybody all the time and let customer select what pieces they want. OF course, the algorithm still has to know when to say, "no, that will be too big," so really we're back to the same problem. They just need to make their algorithm better.