Mapsource to Mobile PC error

Attempting to load Thailand Maps to Garmin Mobile PC on laptop and continually getting the following message:

Quote
There was a problem communicating with the Garmin device.
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.
Unquote

Have I incorrectly installed Mobile PC

Thanks

Thommo

What versions of MapSource and Mobile PC and Windows are you using?

There is a problem using MapSource version 6.14.1 with Mobile PC (any version). I don't recall exactly what the error was but it won't transfer anything to/from Mobile PC. I tested that version of MapSource briefly and after running into at least two major problems I removed it and reinstalled MapSource version 6.13.7.

...ken...

Thanks for that, Oh well, Im using Mapsource 6.14.1, what were the other problems you found

Thanks again

Thommo56

I have seen the same problem you have. Garmin is aware of the problem but can not say when it will be resolved. Version 6.13.7 works fine though. If you don't have that version, Ken provided a link to it in this thread;

How to install MapSource to add maps to Mobile PC

My personal experience in restoring an older version of MapSource is you need to install it twice.

Terry

One problem with MapSource 6.14.1 is that it won't talk to Mobile PC. The other problem (for me) is that it won't recognize certain mapsets. I have some free topo maps that I've downloaded from the internet and 6.14.1 absolutely refuses to run until they are removed. As soon as it sees the entries in the Registry it pops a dialog window with an error in it. When you click Okay the program exits. There is obviously a Registry entry associated with those maps that it doesn't like, but older versions of MapSource work quite happily with them.

The Ibycus topos of Canada are hugely detailed and they take hours and hours to download, so it was quite discouraging to discover that the only way to get MapSource 6.14.1 to work would be to get rid of those maps. Instead, I got rid of 6.14.1 and reported the problems to Garmin.

As Terry said, sometimes when you reinstall the older version of MapSource it won't work the first time you run it, so you just install it again and it will work.

...ken...

OK Ken, how about a primer on the Ibycus topos of Canada? I see the website at http://www.ibycus.com/ibycustopo/, how would you feel about throwing up a couple of screen shots of an area with Topo Canada v2 and another of Ibycus topos of Canada in the same area?

Before I try downloading and installing I wouldn't mind seeing what the difference looks like in MapSource. If I'm not asking too much...

Okay, I've started a new thread:

Topo Canada v2 vs. Ibycus Topo Canada

...ken...

Hi Ken,
I'd like to go back to MapSource version 6.13.7 on this computer. If I uninstall MapSource version 6.14.1 first will I have to reinstall all the maps too or will they stay on my computer through the uninstall, reinstall 6.13.7(twice) process?

I may lose a set of unlocked maps I no longer have the CD for if they get deleted so I'm curious.

Don't uninstall MapSource. Just run the 6.13.7 file twice.

Terry

Great, I was hoping I could do it that way and not cause more problems. Thanks Terry.

Ken,

I would recommend that you do something else as well, to save those maps you no longer have the CD for. First, back them up on something .. thumb drive, optical media, whatever.

For those who don't know, all the Garmin map data files are in the \Garmin folder which is normally in the root directory on your C: drive, unless you've figured out some way to force it somewhere else. For any map product you need the folder with the relevant product name and any sub-folders, plus anything in the \Garmin folder that looks even remotely like it belongs to that product. You can tell by the file names.

Then go into the registry and copy the registry entries related to the product so you can enter them manually if you ever have to restore the map files from the backup.

You can see the MapSource registry entries here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Garmin\MapSource\Famil ies

Click on the plus signs beside Families and each of the keys under Families to see what's there. Click on the keys themselves to see what keys and values they contain (they'll show up in the right-hand pane when you click on the key). Write it all down or take a screen shot (PrtScn or Alt-PrtScn) and save it somewhere.

If you have a backup copy of the map files in C:\Garmin and the relevant sub-directories you can completely restore them to MapSource by simply adding the necessary entries manually into the Registry. I have done it on occasion. (I mess with my machines a lot, so I'm in the habit of making lots of backups!)

For the uninitiated, those registry keys simply tell MapSource the name of the product and where to find its image files. If you take a look at them, you'll see there's no magic to it at all.

...ken...

The NT maps are in the same place in the registry but under

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Garmin\MapSource\Famil iesNT

EDIT - I tried getting rid of the space in 'Families' but it posts that way.

Terry

You could also right click on 'MapSource' or 'Families' (and FamiliesNT) in your registry and choose 'Export'. Save the reg file that it creates somewhere you can find it with a name that is meaningful to you.

Double clicking on that reg file will import it back into the registry when you need it.

Terry

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Thanks, Terry. I don't have any NT maps so I didn't know about the NT location.

That registry export is a trick I intend to use. I'll just put it right in the Garmin directory so it gets backed up with the maps. That will save a lot of typing. The .reg file is just a text file so for restoring selected maps just edit out the other stuff, save it under a relevant name and run it. Thanks. I had completely forgotten about being able to just export portions of the registry.

...ken...

Ken,
Recently I was going to use the Export approach when I accidentally removed CNNA NT 2009 from my Vista laptop. I copied the files from another computer and would have imported the registry entry for that map only. Unfortunately, I don't use default folders on the source computer. Of the 9 important registry entries under that key /subkey, 8 have the path in them. So I would have had to modify 8 string values.

An easier approach is to type the path into the first Edit String box, highlight and copy it. Then as you add string values, just paste your data back and change the part that is different (usually the extension).

Of course, if you use default folders, go ahead and import it to a different computer. It will work fine.

Terry

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