Creating a Route Using the POI Mega File

Streets & Trips 2010... How do I create a route and save it by re-naming it without losing my original POI Mega File?

For example I created a route from Nashville to Gulf Shores and when I went to add some stuff from the Mega File and tried to save it it wanted me to re-name the Mega File???

Also when traveling down life's highway and following my planned route how do I use the Mega File on the open route?

This is my first experience using streets & Trips 2010 and the Mega File.

I have used 2006 for many years.

Sorry if this subject has been covered I tried to do a search and found nothing...

So, Lee, it sounds like you started with a Mega file and added some routing features (start, end, some stops...) and then picked some pushpins that came with the Mega file, opened or showed them, and then went to close the file. Do I have that right? If you did something else, please let us know with as many specifics as you can muster.

If per above, what you have done in effect is to modify the Mega file, but not necessarily permanently, with your route specifics. There is nothing inherently wrong with doing this. You can simply accept the prompt and come up with a new file name (Gulf Shores.est, for example) and save the file as that. What you will have done is expanded the original Mega file to include your route specifics and made the Mega file (very) slightly larger. You can now use this new EST file for your route. You will not lose your original Mega file, it will still reside on your hard disk unsullied by these latest route specifics and with the original name.

And, yes, you can access all the down-the-road Mega-file features as you go along by just unhiding the pushpin sets that you are interested in if you have done what I describe above.

If you have anal tendencies and do not want all the Mega file pushpin data that is irrelevant to your trip, say Walmarts in California, you can delete those in this newly-created file. While this will take a little time to do, it will reduce the file size and may speed up the response times of S&T in the car. If you don't know how or can't figure out how to do this, let us know and it can be explained to you.

I played a little last night after I made the post.

I guess what I need to know is after I create a route and save it HOW can I come back and turn on the MEGA file temporally to look at "Stuff" while I am traveling down life's highway. I tried it and get it to turn on the MEGA file for some reason I can't find it. (I am using Windows 7)

Thanks for the help......

As you are using Win 7, it should be easy to find the Mega file. Go to the multi-colored Windows logo on the lower-left corner of your screen, click on that, and in the box that appears immediately above it type "Mega". That should find your mega file.

As for finding stuff down the road, you have a couple of choices. You can build a route in a renamed Mega-file-based new EST file as I described in my post above or you can just open another example of Streets and Trips (you can have more than one map running on your computer at a time) and just switch to that file. Or you can copy individual pushpins or whole sets and paste them into your route file.

OK thanks again I will give it a shot. I have S&T on my wife's computer and we will be using hers. I have 2006 S&T and XP here on mine. It is nice because I can have mine here and read what you said and then work on hers.....

Thanks again Lee...

...but you will not be able to open map files in Streets & Trips 2006 that you created in Streets & Trips 2010, although you can do vice versa after it runs an automatic conversion sub-routine. Once converted, you will not be able to use them in 2006 though.

Why not just put a second copy of S&T 2010 on your desktop. You are allowed 2 installations with one license. You can even leave the 2006 version there as well.

Terry

OK this is driving me nuts (yes it is a short drive)

I opened Streets & Trips 2010 the regular way and made my route from Nashville to Gulf Shores. 500.1 miles. Saved it and closed it. Clicked on it and it opened with no problem.
Question is; How do I open the Mega File? So my wife can view different things like Rest Areas, Flying J's, Pilot's, Cracker Barrel's? When I go to the File Folder (2nd from the left) and click on it, it opens a box with the Mega File in it. If I click on the Mega File opens a whole new window and I do not see my route displayed.

How can I keep this SIMPLE?

Do I need to START with the MEGA FILE OPEN and then plot my route and rename it? If I do that leave the Mega File that is a virgin so I can make another route?

Do I need to do each time I make a route?

Sorry for being such a dummy. :rofl":rofl"

P.S. Right now I only want to load it on one computer. One is enough LoL

Hi Lee

So many choices!!

Different people do it different ways. Here are 2 common options:

1. Open the POI Megafile - do your planning and save the modified file under a new name. Thus preserving your original megafile.

2. or change your default template to use the POI megafile so that each time you launch S&T from the start menu it is there and read to go. For details on how to do this go here: 5 reasons to change your default map template - Windows Live

No apologies...we are here to help you.

OK let see if I have this right.

I open the Mega file
Do my route
Save my route
The Mega file is still there to use again?

Then I can re-open my route that I just made and use it as normal!

" Save my route"
SAVE AS... SAVE AS.... don't just save it... use the Save As under the File menu... and give it a new name. Otherwise you will save your route into the Mega File. Which I don't think you want.

And if that happens, a new version of POI Megafile is always just a click away, and always free.

Ahhhhhhh "Save As" it is thanks so much......

Thanks to you to Marvin.....