Install TomTom GO maps using a Mac

Mar 30, '06 05:35:00AM

Contributed by: Anonymouslemming

I've been fighting with my TomTom GO 500 on my Mac for a while now. The software that TomTom provides allows me to backup and restore the device, but not to add new maps. TomTom's response to my support request was to find a friend who has a Windows machine.

Now that TomTom provides maps in zip format, you can install downloaded maps onto the TomTom GO series (300, 500 and 700) without a Windows machine. I've finally worked out how to do just that, and thought I'd post a how to...

Requirements:

Before starting, you need the following

Most of the steps will be carried out in a Terminal. You may need root privileges to mount the TomTom as a USB device if you are using Linux. I will use the United States Western Region map for this example, but change all filenames to suit the map that you have downloaded. Process:

Create a temp directory and change to it, then extract the zip file:
 $ mkdir tmp
 $ cd tmp
 $ unzip ../Western_Region.ALL.zip
Now find and extract the cab file that contains the actual map:
 $ cd menu/map
 $ mkdir extracted
 $ cd extracted
 $ cabextract ../Western_Region.cab
This will produce a number of files with odd names like WEST~YVA.011. Now you simply need to rename these files to their correct filenames. The correct names are listed in the ini file, located in the directory with the cab file(s). An example of this file follows.
 $ cat ../Western_Region.ini 
 [CEAppManager]
 Version = 1.0
 Component = Map
 ; toolchain version 28829
 [Map]
 Description=Western_Region-Map
 CabFiles =Western_Region.cab
 [FileNames]
 File000=setup.dat
 File001=Western_Region.pna
 File002=cname.dat
 File003=cnode.dat
 File004=faces.dat
 File005=mapinfo.dat
 File006=cline.dat
 File007=Western_Region.mid
 File008=tmccodes.dat
 File009=traffic.dat
 File010=poi.dat
 File011=Western_Region-6d40c751.mac
 File012=Western_Region.mpr
The extension of the shortened file is the numeric portion of the Filexxx string. The filename to the right of the = is the name that the shortened file should be renamed to. Simply rename each file as follows:
 $ mv *.000 setup.dat
 $ mv *.001 Western_Region.pna
 $ ...
 $ ...
 $ mv *.011 Western_Region-6d40c751.mac
The final step is to copy the files to your TomTom. Just create a directory named after the map, using _ to separate the words, and add -map at the end:
 $ mkdir US_Western_Region-map
Copy the files to this new directory, and you should then be able to select the map in the preferences section. This now means that you can install maps on your TomTom GO device without needing to pay the Microsoft tax.

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