Downloading Maps for Use on BaseCamp

[sheltie]

Maybe this is my problem.  The way I read the instruction, My Trail or any other map I downloaded is supposed to show up on BaseCamp.  Other than the 100K map, nothing does.  So am I supposed to do something outside of BaseCamp with MyTrail and Texas Topo?

[Indrid Cold]

Maybe this is my problem.  The way I read the instruction, My Trail or any other map I downloaded is supposed to show up on BaseCamp.  Other than the 100K map, nothing does.  So am I supposed to do something outside of BaseCamp with MyTrail and Texas Topo?

Maybe I'm late to the game but once you download "My Trails" you have to run the self installer. Same with the "Texas TOPO". Downloading them without installing them doesn't let BaseCamp use them.

[Seldom]

The life of the party is never late.
The OP said he read the tutorials, and running the installer's been mentioned several times above, but from what you've quoted that sheltie said, it looks like it bears repeating.

Maybe -Oz- needs to add some more flashing red letters?

[sheltie]

Well, I checked everything again this morning and still it doesn't work.  When I checked on my Control Panel>Uninstall Programs, both My Trail and Texas Topo were listed but without a size or manufacturer but with the date I installed it.  I'm at a complete loss and the only other thing I can think about right now is that my US 100k map w/BaseCamp is no good and I should call the folks at GPS Store to ask for a new one.  Unless there are any other suggestions I haven't tried?

[Boyd]

The 100k topo should have nothing to do with it. I also have that installed and have never seen any problem like yours. Sorry, I'm really at a loss for ideas, I don't recall another post where the things that have been suggested didn't work.

My only thought is that this might have something to do with a Windows Registry problem. The registry is used to identify the maps for Basecamp, and if something is messed up then it could cause these problems. I know there are a variety of "registry cleaner" programs but I've never used one.

[Seldom]

When I checked on my Control Panel>Uninstall Programs, both My Trail and Texas Topo were listed but without a size or manufacturer but with the date I installed it.

That's how they should appear.

Is that topo a Garmin product?

[sheltie]

Well, at least I did something right!  Yes, it is a Garmin product.

I went to the Garmin site to seek their help and somehow I got on a for pay JustAsk.com site.  Like a fool I paid $15 - or will if they can fix my problem, which they have not after several hours.  Not long after I did it I began to get really angry.  More at myself than anything because why was I stupid enough to PAY someone to answer and/or fix someone about their product!  I'll probably give Garmin a call tomorrow to see if we can fix this proble but for now I'm a VERY unhappy camper.

[Seldom]

I don't know how much support you'll get from Garmin about third party maps.  The only thing they're likely to help you with is BaseCamp, and it seems to be working OK with their product.

[Boyd]

Yeah, Garmin won't help with maps from this site, and I don't really blame them. You need to understand that the mapmakers here (myself included) use third party reverse-engineered tools. Garmin has never officially disclosed their map format and considers it proprietary. Basically, they "look the other way" when it comes to free third party maps. If they wanted to get nasty, they could probably give us a lot of grief. But they must realize that the availability of free maps is a selling point for Garmin... so it's a delicate balance.

How in the world did you end up paying for support from that unknown company? Personally I would call my credit card company and tell them to void the sale because you were misled to think you were contacting Garmin support.

[maps4gps]

I will third only talking to Garmin about the issue with their 100k topo.

When I first started, Garmin's Trip and Waypoint manager (which included MapSource) was packaged with their 76csx GPSr.  I ran the program included on their CD and got an error message.  First tech support said to update MapSource - that only change the error message; still no working program.  Forget what second tech support said, but that did not work either.
The following week, the third tech support person stayed with me for over 1/2 hour working our way uninstalling Garmin's program(s); checking folders and hidden folders to make sure files had been deleted; then checking Window's directory entries and making necessary changes; and finally running the install program from the CD and the update downloaded from their website.  It then work - he never gave any indication of what might have caused the problem.


Did you move any of the mapsets to a different folder than it was installed to?

Download a program name MapSetToolKit.  Does it list any mapset(s) installed?
If so, will it let you uninstall it/ them?
When testing mapsets, I have occasionally deleted a mapset.  MapSource then has a problem because the mapset was still listed in the registry without the folder for it existing.
Whatever you do, do NOT change entries in the registry without expert assistence.  An incorrect change could make your computer unusable - you have had enough problems without have to deal with restoring a computer.

[sheltie]

Ok, I downloaded MapSetToolKit and it shows the programs.  It also will allow me to uninstall (or at least that feature shows up) although I haven't done anything but what I just wrote.  What next?

[maps4gps]

' ... shows the programs.'  - You mean the mapsets, don't you.

Click the uninstall button.
Select a mapset to uninstall.
If that works, do so for the other mapsets.  If it does not work, there is likely a problem with the registry entry for that mapset. 

If MSTK uninstalls all the mapsets,  check the  Control Panel>Uninstall Programs to make sure the mapsets are not listed.
If that is OK, reinstall Garmin's 100topo from the DVD/CD it came on - you mentioned  installing the 100topo so I (we) assume you purchased the DVD/CD version. 
If 100topo now works, then install 'my trails ....' - if not, call Garmin tech support.
If 'my trails ...' works, then install TXtopo.

[Boyd]

You also need to realize that MapsetToolkit only changes the data in the Windows registry. It does NOT actually remove any files from your computer. So "uninstalling" maps this way will still leave many files in place. I would use the uninstall option in the Programs and Features control panel to remove the maps instead, because it will actually remove the files. You could then run MapsetToolkit and see if it still shows any maps installed.

Based on everything you've said, I still think there is a problem with your Windows registry. I would proceed with caution, because you may make it worse. There's something very unusual going on with your system. We see lots of user reports of map installation problems here, but never anything quite like your issues.

Do you have a friend that is really knowledgeable about Windows technical issues? If so, I would seek their assistance before you create any new problems. Also, this would be a good time to run a complete backup of your computer, especially if you're going to monkey around with the registry.

[Seldom]

sheltie, could you post a screen grab of what you see when you click the arrow on the BaseCamp mapset dropdown?

[sheltie]

' ... shows the programs.'  - You mean the mapsets, don't you.

Click the uninstall button.
Select a mapset to uninstall.
If that works, do so for the other mapsets.  If it does not work, there is likely a problem with the registry entry for that mapset. 

If MSTK uninstalls all the mapsets,  check the  Control Panel>Uninstall Programs to make sure the mapsets are not listed.
If that is OK, reinstall Garmin's 100topo from the DVD/CD it came on - you mentioned  installing the 100topo so I (we) assume you purchased the DVD/CD version. 
If 100topo now works, then install 'my trails ....' - if not, call Garmin tech support.
If 'my trails ...' works, then install TXtopo.

I've already installed/uninstalled all three programs three times with the same result.  I used the unistaller on my computer for that.  I'm concerned that if I keep doing this I will really mess up my computer and I'm not the brightest bulb in the socket when it comes to computers.