| COMPATIBILITY-INCOMPATIBILITY |
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| Q. Is SoftMap topo50
compatible with XP? Vista? Version 7? |
A. SoftMap topo50 titles are compatible with Windows 98, 2000,
XP, Vista and Version 7.
When installing on Windows Vista:
- Program files
- Compatibility
- Run
as Windows XP SP2
When
installing on Windows 7:
- Right click "Setup"
- Select tab "Compatibility"
- Run
as Windows XP SP2
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| Q. Can SoftMap operate on Macintosh ? |
| A. Our products are not available for Macintosh users because
they were developed in a Microsoft Windows environment. However, they can be
used with Virtual PC by users of MacIntosh technology. Many SoftMap clients use
an emulation program and are able to work efficiently with their MacIntosh.
However, we do not offer technical support to MacIntosh users because our
products have not been officially tested to work in that
environment. |
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| Q. Do you have a GPS
interface ? |
A. No. There used to be a GPS interface in Version 5, but as
we have now stepped back to Version 4, there is no GPS
interface.
SoftMap GPS |
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| INSTALLATION |
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| Q. After having installed
SoftMap for the first time, it does not work properly. |
| A. The most frequent cause of such problems is failing to
disable the anti-virus system on your computer before installing the SoftMap.
If this is the case, uninstall SoftMap, disable your anti-virus system, and
close all running programs. Then reinstall SoftMap, and enable your anti-virus
system. |
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| Q. How do I uninstall
completely my SoftMap product? |
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A. The procedure has two steps: first, you must uninstall all
the files related to the tiltle involved and second, you must uninstall the
software itself (SoftMap).:
Note: If you want to make a backup of your session files and
personal database before uninstalling, take a copy of theses two folders and
paste it in a safe place.
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C:\Program files\SoftMap\SoftMap Plus\Session.
- C:\Program files\Common files\SoftMap
Shared\Data\Wizard\Geocontext\Personaldb.
Complete uninstall procedure
***Uninstall a title***
- In
the Windows taskbar, first click Start, then Settings, and then Control
Panel.
- Select the Add/Remove Programs option.
- Go
to the list of programs and select the SoftMap title (topo50, etc.) you want to
uninstall.
- The
uninstall program will appear. Click End to uninstall.
***Uninstall SoftMap or SoftMap Pro***
- In
the Windows taskbar, first click Start, then Settings, and then Control
Panel.
- Select the Add/Remove Programs option.
- Go
to the list of programs and select the SoftMap or SoftMap Pro. Click
Add/Remove.
- The
uninstall program will appear. Click End to uninstall.
***Files to delete***
- Delete the "SoftMap" folder in your C:\Program files\.
- Delete the "SoftMap Shared" in your C:\Program files\Common
files\.
Reinstall SoftMap and open the software to see if it works
properly.
Be sure you have the last update version (4.01.0095); to download
it, go to http://www.softmappublishing.com/updates.html.
Install the update
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| Q. After having already
uninstalled SoftMap , I get the following message when I try to reinstall:
"Cannot find file EPSG.dat" |
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A. Delete manually the following directories before
reinstalling:
C:\Program Files\SoftMap inc
C:\Program Files\Common
Files\SoftMap Shared.
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| Q. How do I copy map data
sets from the CD-ROMs to my hard drive? |
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A.
You may find it useful to copy a collection of maps if you have bought
several titles. You can then work on multiple map data sets at once and thus
access a larger number of map scales without continually having to switch
CD-ROMs.
Note
The data sets take up between 400 and
550 Mb on the CD-ROM. A CD-ROM may have several thousand files that make up a
map data set. When copying the Mapdata directory to your computer's hard drive
(or an external drive), make sure you have enough disk space for the transfer.
- Create a directory on your hard drive.
ex. C:\SoftMap
Maps\Ontario topo50\Volume1\Disk 1\
- Insert the appropriate CD-ROM into your drive.
Using your mouse
and the Ctrl key on your keyboard, select the directories Mapdata and Navig and
the files Install.inf and "index name".dat .
Note: The last file, "index
name".dat, is different for each disk.
- Right-click and choose the Copy option.
- Go
into the directory you created and click Paste.
- Repeat this process for each of your data CDs.
Once
in SoftMap, go to the Tools menu. Click "Install data set". Find the first
folder you created (ex. C:\SoftMap Maps\Ontario topo50\Volume1\Disk 1) and look
for the Install.inf file in the directory. Repeat this process for each of your
data CDs. When you exit SoftMap, make sure you save the session file. If not,
you will have to re-install the data sets next time you open SoftMap.
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| Q. How can I change the
coordinate system displayed at the bottom of the screen? |
| A. In the Tools menu, select Customize Status Bar. In the
window, select "Based on the displayed map" and click on the button to be able
to select another coordinate system. |
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| Q. I have installed more
than 12 cartographic CD-ROMs on my hard drive and the software
freezes. |
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A. There are 2 possibilities:
- Your cartographic CD-ROMs are copied on your hard drive
If you
have more than 12 SoftMap cartographic CD-ROMs copied on your hard drive, the
navigator will experience difficulties when navigating at the scales 1:2 000
000, 1:3 000 000 et 1:8 000 000. Navigation can become very slow or freeze
altogether. This problem comes from the redundancy of cartographic data common
to multiple CDs. You must go in the map manager to disable the 8M, 3M and 2M
scales on all CDs except one. Following this, you will have access to all your
maps and navigation will be optimized. If your map manager is not activated in
your session window, please refer to your User's Guide, page 68.
- Your cartographic CD-ROMs are not copied on your hard drive
If
you have more than 12 SoftMap cartographic CD-ROMs operating in SoftMap, the
navigator will experience difficulties when navigating at the scales 1:2 000
000, 1:3 000 000 et 1:8 000 000. Navigation can become very slow or freeze
altogether. This problem comes from the redundancy of cartographic data common
to multiple CDs. You must copy the content of one of your cartographic CD-ROMs
on the hard drive of your computer You must then go in the map manager (add the
map manager in your session window) to disable the 8M, 3M and 2M scales on all
CDs except the one copied on your hard drive. Thanks to this procedure, if you
travel on a CD whose 8M or 2M scale has been disabled, you will nevertheless
have access to those maps that the program will find on the hard drive.
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| Q. When I install SoftMap,
the file Regedit.exe cannot be found. |
A. To solve the problem, look for the Regedit.exe file on your
hard drive. Once you have found it, copy it to the C:\Windows directory.
Next, check to see whether the program starts up. Click Start and then Run... A
dialog box will appear. In Open, type Regedit and validate by clicking OK. If
that works, continue with the installation.
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| Q. I have problems when I
try to install more than one SoftMap products on my computer. |
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A.
Case #1:
You have many volumes of the same title
(e.g., Ontario volume 1 and 2)
You don't have to install each title but
only the cartographic CD-ROMs . Once your first volume is installed, start you
program and insert in your drive each of the other CDs one by one and they will
install automatically.
To
learn which CDs are installed, you can open the map manager that you can
activate in the menu "Tools"-"Options". In the Session window, you need only to
select "Display Map Manager". At this moment, a new tab will appear in the
session window in the center left portion of your screen.
Case #2:
You own many different titles, for
example: Québec topo50 volume 1 and Ontario topo50 volume 2.
You must
proceed to the installation of each title because many new elements will be
added like new sessions, new data bases, new toponyms, etc.
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| Q. I get the message
'Error starting programme The LTDISION.dll file is linked to missing export
LTKRNION.dll-251' and following that ' A device attached to the system is not
functioning. |
A. You have to go to this address
http://www.softmappublishing.com/downloads/softmap_lt.exe
to download and execute the patch "softmap_lt.exe".
After this operation,
reinstall your SoftMap title (CD-ROM).
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| SOFTWARE FUNCTIONS AND PRINTING |
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| Q. Do you supply updates
of SoftMap? |
A. We regret that
since the closure of SoftMap Technologies (who wrote the software), we are
unable to provide any further updates.
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| Q. Can SoftMap read maps
from Fugawi, Ozi Explorer, etc ? |
| A. No. SoftMap only reads raster maps in SoftMap proprietary
format. |
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| Q. Can I import data from
an external database in SoftMap? |
| A. No. SoftMap only reads raster maps in SoftMap proprietary
format. |
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| Q. The map
colour distorts as I scan across the screen? |
| A. Reset your colour settings. See Before Installing
SoftMap. |
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| Q. I find white spots in
certain areas of the maps, what is wrong? |
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A. In cartography, coordinate systems have different
parameters for each of the UTM zones when large-scale maps are displayed. When
you try to build or display a map image that covers two UTM zones, the map may
be deformed or poorer in quality.
In
terms of latitude, the UTM zone boundaries are:
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Zone 17 |
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West = -84 |
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East = -78 |
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Zone 18 |
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West = -78 |
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East = -72 |
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Zone 19 |
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West = -72 |
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East = -66 |
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Zone 20 |
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West = -66 |
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East = -6 |
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Zone 21 |
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West = -60 |
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East = -54 |
If you
create a printing zone that straddles one of these boundaries, the portion
outside the UTM zone in which you defined the printing zone will appear blank
on the print preview or the printout. To fix this defect, you have to define a
new zone from the map image adjacent to the one you've defined for your first
zone.
Once the zone has been printed, you'll notice that the orientation
and UTM coordinates of the two maps are different. To find out which UTM zone
you're in, follow the following instructions:
- Go
to the status bar and change the coordinate system to UTM.
- In
the map window, move the mouse cursor on the map. By default, the central
meridian (CM=) of the UTM zone will appear in the status bar, beside the
coordinate system.
- To
display the number of the zone, click inside the displayed area of the central
meridian. Then go to the pull down menu and select the No option.
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| Q. I cannot add any symbol
or graphical element on my maps. Even if I reinstall the application I get the
message: "Your personal database cannot be included in the session...
". |
| A. For an unknown reason, your personal database seems to be
corrupted and the software installation program does not want to replace it.
You must replace the database with the original on the CD-ROM. First, insert
one of the cartographic CD-ROM in your drive. Go in the directory
/Data/English/Wizard and copy the directory personalDB on your hard disk
in C:\Program Files\Common Files\SoftMap Shared\Data\Wizard\Geocontext\
and accept to replace the old DB with the new one. Select all the files
included in the directory personalDB and change the attribute Read
only. |
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| Q. How can I print a map
larger than 8 1/2'' x 11'' ? |
| A. Select the Tool "Create Printing Zone", specify the center
of your printing zone on the screen, a window will open titled Printing
Parameters with Template; unselect Adjust to printout page size and specify the
dimensions of the print you require. |
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| Q. At printing, how can I
prevent the rasterization effect: a blue dot appears in the center of the
printed sheet when printing at 1 :250 000 scale? |
| A. The stain appears when the disk in the CD-ROM drive is not
the first disk. To fix the problem, insert disk number 1 in your
drive. |
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| Q. How can I prevent
white areas in the map image when printing? |
| A. See above. |
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| Q. How can I print a
color map on a color laser printer ? I try but it always comes out in
B&W. |
| A. Often, laser printers are default set to high resolution
(ex. 1200 dpi). This generates very large files that obstruct the operations of
the printer. Try setting the resolution to 300 dpi. |
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| Q. I would like to make a
back-up copy of my SoftMap data; what files do I need to copy? |
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A. Here is what you need to copy (make sure to follow the same
route when restoring)
The personal database
C:\Program
Files\Common Files\SoftMap Shared\Data\Wizard\GeoContext\PersonalDB and all
other databases created in other directories for SoftMap-Pro.
Session
Files in :
C:\Program Files\SoftMap\SoftMap Plus\Session\*.svs and all
other session files created in other directories for SoftMap-Pro
GPS
databases (if any)
C:\Program Files\SoftMap\SoftMap Plus\GPS\*.mdb
And
the file (if you created bookmarks in your sessions):
C:\Program Files\
Common Files \SoftMap Shared\Data\datashare.sms
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| GPS |
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| Q. Can I interface my GPS
receiver with SoftMap? |
A. No. Version 4 does not include an
GPS interface.
Clients who have previously purchased Version 5 should
be able to interface Garmin and Magellan GPS units, however we do not provide
support for this function. |
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| Q. Can I upload SoftMap
maps in my GPS receiver? |
| A. It is impossible to upload our maps in a GPS because they
are too large being raster maps and are SoftMap proprietary format, unreadable
by other software. The manufacturers of the GPS receivers normally restrict the
upload to their own map format and the GPS receivers have sometimes limited
memory.
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