Basecamp 4.7.0 only sees maps on connected device, not installed on PC

There is and it's been reported in the Windows forum too. It seems there are numerous issues with 4.7. I suggest you revert to 4.6.3

There is no 4.6.3 for Windows. I believe I saw that 4.6.3 was a version for Mac-only. So 4.6.2 is the last version of BC prior to 4.7.0.

I've now uninstalled 4.7.0 and installed 4.6.2. Unfortunately it behaves exactly the same way as 4.7.0 does, namely it doesn't recognize the installed presence of Maps on the PC. I don't have another even older version to try, but I'll see if I can find a very old backup.

So this bug has obviously been around for QUITE SOME TIME. Should be embarrassing to the QA folks. Needs to be fixed pronto, in my opinion.

Ok, I give up. Went back to 4.47 and the bug is still there. I'm going to guess this has NEVER worked as intended.

I'll just upgrade to 4.6.2 since people are complaining about 4.7.0, and for my limited usage I'm sure these versions are all identical to me. I'll just wait for the hopefully corrected version to become available in the near future.

MODERATOR: Can you please move this thread from the Mac-Basecamp sub-forum to the Wndows-Basecamp sub-forum where it belongs. i accidentally posted it here in the Mac sub-forum by mistake. Didn't notice what I was doing.

Also, I am unable to send a PM to you, because I am unable to edit my user settings to "enable PM" and to change my timezone to Pacific. When I push the "save" button it shows "working" for a few seconds but then that message disappears, and the page remains unchanged. And in fact my user settings were NOT actually saved.

So I'm just posting my request here... to please move this thread over to the Windows-Basecamp sub-forum where it belongs. For all I know the Mac version of Basecamp fails the same way, and is simply unable to access the Map installed on the Mac same as happens on the PC, but I don't know that for sure. I do know for sure it fails on a PC, and that's where this thread should be.

Thanks.

There is no 4.6.3 for Windows. I believe I saw that 4.6.3 was a version for Mac-only. So 4.6.2 is the last version of BC prior to 4.7.0.

Well you posted in the Mac forum hence me stating 4.6.3 ;)

Now read through all your posts and will move this thread to Windows section. Note the behaviour you describe isn't normal, 4.6.2 and all previous versions show maps without issue. Your problem is due to you moving your map files to your E drive. It can be done but you've clearly done it incorrectly. Transfer all your maps back to the C drive and then confirm back here that the maps show so we know you haven't created any more issues. We can then tell you how to move the map files correctly to your E drive.

I have recently encountered a similar problem. I have one Windows 10 32-bit PC registered with the Windows Insider programme, and receive Insider Updates (on the Slow Ring, so they are fairly stable).

I have both MapSource and BaseCamp installed, the latter is now on 4.7. I have lots of maps installed, with 23 of them (yes I know $;-) mostly European, installed by MapUpdate and more recently Express on the D:\ drive and linked via shortcuts from the C: drive in the usual way. The D: drive maps date from 2014.10 to 2019.10. I maintain three (surviving) Nuvis using these maps. I also have a US map that came with a now deceased device.

Now, after a long period of using both with no problems, neither Basecamp nor MapSource can see most of the maps. They both recognise only one: City Navigator Europe NTU 2018.20. There were two more recent Europe maps 2018.30 and 2019.10 installed in the same manner, but these are not visible.

I have just used Express to update the map in one of the Nuvis to 2019.20, and this was installed on the D: drive at the same time. However, neither MapSource nor BaseCamp can see it. It makes no difference whether the Nuvi is connected or not. There were no errors during the installation, and on disk it looks OK.

I am thinking that the reason for these problems is to do with a Windows 10 update, but I've no idea which or how to correct it.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks,

David

Ok. Today I phoned Garmin-BaseCamp tech support and spoke with someone who was very helpful and knowledgeable. Together, based on the information I provided to him that I'd installed my map onto a different target drive/folder location than what was offered pre-populated by default via Garmin Express, we determined that the issue was indeed caused by this non-default off-C location for the installed map.

I have now taken several corrective measures and actions as suggested by an FAQ article found on the Garmin Support site (see URL below) and can report that problem has now been 100% solved. And I STILL have my map in the desired non-default off-C location. I did have to UNINSTALL my currently installed map first, so that I could start over and follow the specific steps described below. And in the end, I have emerged victorious. I have my map installed off-C as I wanted, but BaseCamp running standalone (i.e. without the GPS connected to the PC) can in fact actually find it and use it.

The tech support rep did some research while I was on the phone and discovered that in fact there is absolutely a design under-engineering defect in BaseCamp. It REQUIRES that the installed PC map (OR A SHORTCUT TO THAT INSTALLED PC MAP) must be located in the directory location that the program is looking for it in. This is the default install location folder that is pre-populated by Garmin Express when you choose to install the map to the computer: c:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps.

So even though you can use the Garmin Express "browse" button (to the right of the pre-populated install path for the target location) to change the target location of the map to be installed on the PC via Garmin Express, and even though the map WILL be installed there, this is NOT COMPATIBLE WITH BASECAMP unless certain other actions are taken as described below. If you don't take these corrective measures only the generic "Global map" data will be available.

Bottom line: with no corrective actions post-install, the map installed to the PC by Garmin Exptress MUST be in the default c:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps. Period. But the following steps can be taken to do a proper install to the PC of the map, followed by some simple actions to then MOVE the installed map to wherever you really want it to go, but with BaseCamp still able to find it and use it in its new location which is other than the original installed default. Post-install, per the FAQ article below, you actually CAN relocate the just-installed map from its initial MANDATORY target of c:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps to anywhere else on your PC that you care to move it.

(1) UNINSTALL your currently installed off-C map, through Control Panel. You should also physically DELETE that map folder from that location, if it's not already gone.

(2) The "downloads" folder for Garmin Express is C:\ProgramData\Garmin\CoreService\Downloads\Map and if you've previously downloaded one or more maps to be installed either on your device or your PC, all of those downloaded maps are kept here. Each one is about 4GB, and is NOT the actual "installed map" which will tie up another 4GB. So the "downloads" data can be manually deleted if you want to to save space, knowing that if you ever do want to re-do an install to your device or to your PC you'll have spend another 15 minutes actually downloading it again from the Garmin web site. But if you understand that you can manage this "downloads" space intelligently, as you see fit, deleting the 4GB map data if you no longer will be needing it to re-load into your device or to re-install to your PC..

Note again that this "downloads" folder is where Garmin Express will start from if previously downloaded map data for the MOST CURRENT MAP exists here, to save the 15 minutes otherwise required. It is not deleted by Garmin Express after being used, but is retained for possible future re-use.

So, clean house in C:\ProgramData\Garmin\CoreService\Downloads\Map and delete all old unneeded maps. Only the most current map is really needed by Garmin Express, and if not present here will be downloaded first from the Garmin Site and placed here to be used going forward. If already present then the 15 minute download time will not be needed but the use of the previously downloaded map data can begin immediately to re-load into your device or to re-install to your PC..

(3) Run Garmin Express, select Map Options to then get the Map Options window that allows you to install/reinstall the map to your device, as well as to install the map to the computer. On the lower half of this Map Optons window leave the pre-populated Install Path of C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps exactly as it is pre-populated. DO NOT CHANGE THIS. Then push the "Install to Computer" button to begin the install of the map to the PC at this target destination folder.

Push the Accept button on the "Terms and Conditions" window, and then push the Continue button on the "Important Notes" window. The map installation to your PC will proceed. Depending on whether or not the required current map is present or not in the "downloads" folder, there will or will not be a "downloading files" section to the progress. Or, it may just skip the "downloading files" step and go right to installing and copying files and unlocking and activating the map if it already has previously been downloaded.

(4) Once the map is installed, you're now going to manually MOVE it yourself (i.e. CUT/PASTE, or COPY/DELETE, or any other Windows Explorer-like utility program you use to accomplish the same result) from its currently installed location of C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps to anywhere else on your PC that you care to move it to. The FAQ below describes CUT/PASTE but you can obviously use whatever technique works for you. When you're finished, the C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps folder should be empty, and the 4GB installed map should be wherever you put it.

In my case, I have just installed the 2019.20 North American map. So its post-install name in the C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps folder is a sub-folder named \City Navigator North America NT 2019.20.gmap which contains the 4GB map data. I then manually moved it to my desired off-C location on drive K, where I created K:\Garmin\Maps as the parent folder target destination for my CUT/PASTE of the newly located \City Navigator North America NT 2019.20.gmapap sub-folder. At the same time Control Panel shows that the official name of the now installed map is "Garmin City Navigator North America NT 2019.20".

So the "downloads" folder contents is C:\ProgramData\Garmin\CoreService\Downloads\Map\Map_Map.NA.2019.20

And once I complete the CUT/PASTE the original C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps will be empty.

And the off-C target will contain the 4GB map moved to this new location K:\Garmin\Maps\City Navigator North America NT 2019.20.gmap

(5) Now, again per the instructions provided in the FAQ linked to below, in Windows Explorer go back to the now empty space of the now empty mandatory original map destination folder of C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps folder to get the popup men, and select New -> shortcut from the popup menu to get the "Create shortcut" dialog window. Push the Browse button to get the dialog window allowing you to browse for folders or files.

Then navigate to the new folder location you specified as the output target of the CUT/PASTE operation you used to accomplish the map move. In my case, it was to the K:\Garmin\Maps folder inside of which I'd now moved \City Navigator North America NT 2019.20.gmap which I now clicked on to select this folder (as the object of the new shortcut I'm creating). Select that gmap folder and push the OK button to return back to the Create Shortcut dialog window. The selected map folder should appear within double-quotation marks as the item location for which we're creating a shortcut. In my case it is correctly shown as "K:\Garmin\Maps\City Navigator North America NT 2019.20.gmap" and so I push the OK button to trigger the next window allowing me to give a name to this shortcut. I change nothing here but simply the Finish button, to create a shortcut to this map folder back in the original c:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps folder.

So looking back in C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps folder there is now a shortuct item of City Navigator North America NT 2019.20.gmap.lnk

(6) That's it.

Opening BaseCamp with the GPS still plugged into the PC, the Maps item on the menu bar now shows TWO available entries, with the top one checked and "in use" for the map display pane:

(a) City Navigator North America NT 2019.2 (Installed)
(b) CN North America NT 2019.20 (DriveSmart 60)

The first item was checked and being used, but obviously any number of maps might be installed on your PC (all of which can be in their original location or an alternate location via a "shortcut" as described above) or on the device, and ALL of them would be displayed here. And then you can check any of them for bein "in use" in the map pane of BaseCamp.

And "highest" detail is shown (at least it was for me). If not, you can right-click on the BaseCamp icon button bar to get the popup menu for items shown, and check "detail level". This will make the "detail level" item show at the far left of the button bar. You can now select "highest" or any other lower information detail level you want. Right-click on the button bar and un-check "detail level" and the indicator will disappear but the level of information selected will remain displayed on the map.

Hope the above was informative. I know it solved my own problem, since I had been unable to view map detail in BaseCamp unless I connected the GPS to the PC. And the reason is now clear... BaseCamp does not accept maps installed off-C, unless the "shortcut" technique described above is used to accomplish the move of the 4GB map to somewhere else.

Really, either BaseCamp should be changed to just accept off-C installed map locations, or Garmin Express should be changed to go ahead and install the map to wherever the user insisted it go but "secretly" (i.e. in the background, automatically, as part of the install process) simply automatically create that shortcut for the user in C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps for the off-C map folder. This would allow BaseCamp to just work immediately and find all "installed" maps without requiring the user to create that shortcut.

Or... have Garmin Express produce a popup message if the user elects to change the default target location, that warns this will not work in BaseCamp unless the user manually creates the required shortcut in C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps to point to the user-designated off-C location for the installed map.

But really, why not just fix Garmin Express to create this shortcut for the user, quietly and automatically, instead of producing any popup warning message?

Or just fix BaseCamp to discover where the maps are installed through Windows?? Scanning the C:\ProgramData\Garmin\Maps for true folders or shotcuts to folders as the "method" seems fraught with difficulty and complexity for the user, if the installer and Garmin software don't, themselves, understand how to work together without involving user after-the-install corrective actions. .

Nevertheless, case closed. BaseCamp now works "standalone" with the map located off-C where I wanted it.

And I've also deleted the duplicate 4GB "downloads" data version of the map which is not going to be needed again. And I have a fast Internet download speed, so any re-download time required in the future for the same map I already have on my device and installed on the PC (that would otherwise have been avoided if I'd kept this 4GB "download" map data indefinitely) will be quite minimal and I can accept it.

If you'd done what I originally suggested we'd have resolved this much quicker, but glad you've got it sorted :)

BaseCamp development is effectively over and Express is not, so Express allows you to nominate where the map should go but BaseCamp will only see maps on a removable drive or the c drive. There is however no need to jump through all the hoops you describe above. JaVaWa's GMTK program will move the map files from your c drive to any other location correctly so that BaseCamp can view them.

http://www.javawa.nl/gmtk_en.html