Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

We have new computers with Vista and I need to replace the mapping software that is related to our old Garmin hand held GPS. We rarely use the GPS because the screen is so small (except for altitude in the mountains, which is fun). I searched the archives and couldn't find anything recent so please let me know if I missed it and I apologize for a repeat question. I used the mapping software on the laptop a lot for mapping out our trips relative to distances, etc. and finding shopping, etc. along the way and then for directions to specific sites. We still use paper maps for the large picture while traveling. I really need a bigish screen to work with. Is there software solely for a laptop that would work? I am the planner and co-pilot in chief so thanks for any help you can give.

Judy

Hello

I have used the Trailer Life Campground CD for the past few years. It is very helpful finding campgrounds within a certain range (miles).
I guess it is aproduct of the Good Sam family.

Good luck

tom

Microsoft Streets and Trips can be purcheased with a GPS unit that plugs into your PC.

DeLorne, the mapping company, also sells a PC version of their software with a GPS antenna.

Camping World used to sell CO-PILOT which they advertised as having features for RV's that no other mapping program offered. Not sure if that is still available or not.

Garmin also makes some GPS units with larger screens if that helps.

Good luck.

John

Thanks for the advice! I am looking at the Microsoft product and am considering the CD for Trailer Life. We are still lugging around the paper version of Trailer Life every year.

harrisgowing wrote:We have new computers with Vista and I need to replace the mapping software that is related to our old Garmin hand held GPS. We rarely use the GPS because the screen is so small (except for altitude in the mountains, which is fun). I searched the archives and couldn't find anything recent so please let me know if I missed it and I apologize for a repeat question.

Judy

Evidently you should have had Garmin's MapSource software and map data installed on your old computer as a result of owning your old Garmin GPS unit. I guess I may not understand what you are trying to do, but why not transfer that MapSource software and map data over to your new Vista computers? The MapSource program does an excellent job of route planning in my opinion. Of course, it does not give you your actual location and speed information like the GPS unit itself does but if you liked what the program did for you, it will do the same for you on a Vista PC.

Let me know if you need help in loading MapSource and map data into your Vista PC.

Bill, I was using City Select v 7 from Garmin on my old computers but the discs won't run on Vista - they are from 2004 and 2005. I was trying to avoid buying a new $99 cd, which is v 8. If I haven't already overwritten Mapsource on my old laptop I could try to transfer it to my external hard drive and then onto my new machine, right? But in the past 2 years Garmin hasn't supported updates for my version of City Select.

I just had the radio replaced on my 24 foot Bornfree and installed a Avic Z2. I had it done down in Fld and had the back up camera and XM put in as well. I can see the camera and the gps screen at the same time and listen to the radio or a CD. It is a great upgrade. It looks great and the volume is turned down and the voice tells you what road to turn on and then the whole screen turns into a 3d view of the road ahead for a bit so you can get lined up in the proper lane when the roads split or whatever.

Sounds great, John! About how much does something like this cost? For anyone who wondered, my solution of downloading the map source to an external hard drive and then on to my Vista machine didn't work. Not surprising. So beware when upgrading your computer to a Vista operating system if you have old software on a CD drive that isn't compatible with Vista. My husband wants to know if Bill Gates gets a cut from all of the software vendors when Microsoft changes to a new upgraded operating system and we have to buy all new stuff. Whatever happened to television sets with all of those little vacuum tubes that my dad changed when something went wrong?! Telling my age.

Judy

I found one for 850 for the avic though they are making the z3 now. The camera and the xm are about 100 each. The camera will show the toad if I am towing and both lanes on either side as well as behind the jeep far enough to move over a lane. I love it. I put it in my Foretravel after they started putting them in standard in the new ones. They have a few different styles to fit the different DIN sizes. I will say it is one of the best upgrades I have done.

Judy,
You should be able to run your older programs in "Compatibility Mode" in Windows Vista; I'm attaching a picture to show what options you have. Basically you find the executable file such as: mapsource.exe in your Program Files folder and right click the file; then left click properties and then open the tab for "compatibility mode".
I have run some old DOS programs using this feature, it was first introduced in WinXP.
Steve

Steve, my problem is installing the program from the old cds. Installation gets to a certain point and then repairs itself to be compatible and starts over again, never completing. I will keep trying and then call Garmin. Thanks!

Judy,
Instead of letting the program "autostart" use windows explorer and browse over and find (on the CD) setup.exe right click the file and set compatibility mode to WinXP or whatever version you want to use and then left double click the setup.exe file to install the program. (windows keeps setup.exe in memory and will run even though the setup.exe program is "read only") MS has built XP and Vista to run many old programs that manufacturer's have not updated.
Another problem may be the CD is damaged and won't run, check for scratches on the shiny side of the CD.
I have version 3.02 of MapSource Topo from Garmin and was able to install it using WinXP SP2 compatibility mode with Vista. What version do you have?
Steve

This is really good information to have because we have other older software that I want to install. I have Mapsource v 7 from 2005 and think I have stumbled onto a fix on the Garmin website. An update is available to Mapsource that I have downloaded and am to the map unlock process, finally! Thank you very much for the help and encouragement!

I am very carefully not hitting submit twice and this is the second time this has happened so I don't know what is going wrong. It is a new HP laptop. The message comes up immediately as having been submitted, but only once.