Randy’s random musings

Q: Oops, I messed up! How do I get this thing back to the original factory software? or… ActiveSync isn’t working anymore! What do I do?

A: You need to do a “hard reset”. Hold down the power button on top, and slide the hidden switch on the bottom off, then back on. Wait until you get a screen that says “Aragorn Boot Loader” with a countdown timer, and release the power button before the timer counts down. You’ll know you succeeded if you’re prompted to recalibrate the touch-screen by tapping crosses. After recalibrating the screen, connect the device to your computer, insert the CD that came with the device, and copy the files over to their respective folders. (MyStorage and MyFlashDisk) Once you’ve done that, your device should be back to exactly the way it was out of the box.

Q: Why can’t I get a GPS fix? I’ve been sitting by my window for a lonnnnng time!

A: There are a few things you can try:

• use the power button on top of the unit to turn it off, then back on again
• get in your car and drive around a bit
• set the GPS baud rate to 4800
• set the date, time, and time zone accurately
• launch the factory navigation software to achieve a fix first
• soft reset (or two)
• open “GPSViewer” on your desktop to see if the unit “sees” the satellites. MAKE SURE to go to the command tab, and check EVERY BOX on the left side, except the one that says “Debug” in it

Although it hasn’t been my experience, some folks say it helps to get in your car and drive around a bit. Others have suggested setting the GPS baud rate to 4800, and checking to ensure your date and time zone are set correctly. It may be helpful to run the factory navigation software and achieve a fix there first. Also, there should be a link on your desktop for “GPSViewer”. If you go to the “Commands” tab, check all the boxes on the left side except for the debug option, then quit and open TomTom, you may be able to get a lock again quickly. You can also trying powering off the unit with the power button while TomTom is running, and then powering it back on again.

Q: Where can I download TomTom? Can you give me a link?

A: TomTom is a commercial software program, and I don’t know of anywhere it can be downloaded legally. It’s available for purchase at TomTom’s website, and probably in retail stores as well. Like any other commercial software, it can be found and downloaded online, but you will be breaking the law.

Q: But the version they sell won’t work on this device!

A: That’s true. The most recent version, 6.03, does NOT run on this device, and that is all they sell nowadays. Maybe you can find an old version on eBay? I definitely do NOT encourage you to steal the software, but if you’ve already paid for it, and find you can’t use it, then perhaps you’ll be able to find 6.00 if you search. Google might be a nice place to start. Unless you own the software, you’re breaking the law to download it. Don’t involve me by asking for links.

Q: Why doesn’t my sound work anymore?!?

A: It does, it’s just muted. When you boot into the factory software, it initializes the volume switch, and sets the volume for you. If you are booting into the Windows Explorer desktop, that never happens. See “Considerations – Launching” on the TomTom install page for a workaround.

Q: Is there a decent media player that will run on this device?

A: I’ve found The Core Pocket Media Player (Google search for “TCPMP”) to be an excellent piece of software, and it plays MP3s and videos quite well. Videos made to play on iPod Video models (sans DRM) should play fine on this device.

What’s more, you can watch video full-screen in TCPMP, with TomTom running in the background. Your voice prompts will come through over the audio for whatever video you’re watching, making this quite the versatile piece of hardware!

You’ll probably want to download and install the ffmpeg and AC3 plug-ins as well. The first time you run, there will be an hourglass for a few minutes, while it completes the install. Just wait it out, subsequent app launches will be much faster. You’ll also want to choose “Options, Video, Video Driver, Raw Framebuffer” once installed, to get a correctly-centered video.

Q: Is this device capable of recognizing and using SD cards > 2 gigabytes in capacity?

A: According to Devedander (and others) on the Woot forums, yes. They says it works with the 4 gig card recently sold on Woot. Others have reported difficulty with their 4 gig cards, which may have been purchased elsewhere. This issue is still under investigation. If you have a 4 gig card, please post a comment to let us know the brand, and whether or not it works!

Q: Has anyone else had problems with getting their computer to recognize the device connected via USB? It goes back and forth between “recognized” and “unrecognized”.

A: Yes, there have been several people with this issue, also on the discussion for this item at Woot’s forums. It’s been suggested that a “hard reset” be performed by turning off the switch at the bottom. (the one you had to turn “on” when you first unpacked the device)

This suggestion hasn’t helped everyone. I’d recommend trying the device on another computer. More than likely, it’s an issue with your installation of Windows on your desktop computer. A clean install of Windows may be required.

Q: How do I get it to actually speak the name of the street I need to turn onto?

A: Buy another (more expensive) device. Seriously, this feature is never found on cheap, bottom-of-the-line units like ours. There may be different navigation software for Windows CE that is capable of speaking street names, but I don’t know of any.

Q: Why can’t I save my home location and favorites?

A: Make sure you’re not running from a write-protected SD card.

Q: Why did you spend all this time writing up this excellent tutorial?

A: Out of the goodness of my heart. No…seriously. I figured that lots of other Wooters would probably want to do the same thing, and could probably use a hand getting through it. I really didn’t do this with the intention of begging for donations, but if you’d like to, you may do so here.

Still more to come…