| COMPATIBILITY-INCOMPATIBILITY |
| |
| Q.
Which versions of your software are supported ? |
| A. SoftMap has introduced a new generation of SoftMap Plus
with the version 4. We do not support anymore version 3 and previous
versions. |
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| |
| Q. Are you compatible with
XP ? |
| A. SoftMap consumer products were developed before the
introduction of Windows XP on the market. This is why XP is not included on the
box in the section System Requirements. Since then, we have tested XP to be
compliant and the great majority of our clients who have either installed XP or
migrated to XP have done so without any problem. In some cases, the
installation on XP as with other O/S has generated a conflict with the printing
module with some types of printers. To solve this, SoftMap Technologies (2002)
Inc. has developed a patch that will shortly be available on our
website.
See also the section on Installation, the message concerning a .dll
file. |
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| Q. Are
SoftMap Nature products compatible with SoftMap Plus version 4
? |
| A. SoftMap Nature contains SoftMap Plus version 3 and are not
supported. The maps included in SoftMap Nature are in a format that SoftMap
Plus version 4 cannot read. However, the databases included in SoftMap Nature
are compatible with the version 4 of SoftMap Plus. The installation program of
our version 4 software (Plus or Pro) will detect the presence of SoftMap Nature
databases on your computer and will offer to include them in your new
version. |
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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
this emulator 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. Can SoftMap operate
under Windows CE ? |
| A. The Windows CE technology used by PDAs is not supported by
SoftMap Plus. |
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| Q. Can we upload SoftMap
maps in a PDA ? |
| A. Not yet. |
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| Q. Do you have a GPS
interface ? |
A. Yes. Please follow this link to get more information.
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
uninstall the anti-virus system on your computer before installing the SoftMap.
If this is the case, uninstall SoftMap, uninstall anti-virus system, reinstall
SoftMap, reinstall your anti-virus system. |
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| Q. My installation freezes
when the "System update" window appears on the screen. My O/S is XP, are you
compatible with XP ? |
| A. Yes, see COMPATIBILITY. |
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| Q. How do I uninstall
completely my SoftMap product? |
|
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 SoftMap Plus or SoftMap Pro.:
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.
-
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 Plus 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 Plus 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 Plus 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. How do I uninstall the
evaluation version of SoftMap Pro 4.5 to reinstall my SoftMap
Plus?. |
| A. See the Uninstall procedure in the
preceding FAQ. |
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|
| Q. After having already
uninstalled SoftMap Plus, I get the following message when I try to reinstall:
"Cannot find file EPSG.dat" |
|
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 (CD-ROM) on my hard drive? |
|
A.
You may find it useful to copy a collection of maps if you have bought
several titles. You can then work on two 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 hard drive, make sure you have
enough disk space for the transfer. Even though your hard drive shows
sufficient available space, you may still not have enough because of the type
of partitioning on your hard drive.
- 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.
Once in SoftMap Plus, click
Install data set and look for the Install.inf file in the directory you've just
created on the hard drive.
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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. |
|
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
Plus, 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. |
|
A.
Case #1:
You have many volumes of the same title
(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 Chasse et Pêche, Québec topo50 volume 1 or
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 Plus title (CD-ROM).
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| |
| SOFTWARE FUNCTIONS AND PRINTING |
|
| Q. Do you supply updates
of SoftMap Plus ? |
|
A. Version 4.01.0095 of SoftMap Plus is available at
http://www.softmappublishing.com/updates.html
This download includes three free updates to the SoftMap topo50 series. Note
that the whole package has to be downloaded together as these cannot be
separated.
- Permanent Trails. The current product does not allow you to draw
trails, or outline areas. Downloading allows the option of retaining and
printing these records with the use of the tool Add line.
- Print to a Plotter. The current product only allows printing to a
"standard" printer. Downloading allows large scale printing output to a
plotter.
- Printing problems. Some users of earlier editions of SoftMap
experienced problems when printing. This download resolves this problem.
(Please ensure you carefully check the section on printing).
Note: This update improves the stability of SoftMap Plus versions
4.00.0052, 58 and 61 only.
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|
|
|
| Q. Can SoftMap read maps
from Fugawi, Ozi Explorer, etc ? |
| A. SoftMap Plus only reads raster maps in SoftMap proprietary
format. SoftMap Pro also reads the GeoTIFF format and imports vector files in
Shapefile and Mid/Mif format. |
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|
|
| Q. Can I import data from
an external database in SoftMap? |
| A. Not with SoftMap Plus but yes with SoftMap Pro. |
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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? |
|
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:
| |
Zone 17 |
| |
West = -84 |
|
East = -78 |
| |
Zone 18 |
| |
West = -78 |
|
East = -72 |
| |
Zone 19 |
| |
West = -72 |
|
East = -66 |
| |
Zone 20 |
| |
West = -66 |
|
East = -6 |
| |
Zone 21 |
| |
West = -60 |
|
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 have the Guide to
Fishing and Hunting in Quebec and I cannot visualize the bathymetric
maps. |
A. First, make sure that you have an opened session Guide to
Fishing and Hunting in Quebec.svs
Then, you can visualize the
bathymetric maps at a scale of 1:250 000 or better if you have other map data
sets.
Here
is the procedure to consult the bathymetric maps:
- Select the icons representing a lake for which you request
information by clicking on it with the button Select one or more element (the
point will then be displayed in negative).
- Click on the right button of the mouse to display a roll down menu
then select the option Information.
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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. When I print a map
with the template, my map comes out white or in gray tones and with a blue
frame. What can I do? |
| A. You need to download SoftMap Plus version 4.01.0095 at
http://www.softmappublishing.com/updates.html |
|
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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? |
|
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
For
SoftMap-Pro save also :
C:\Program Files\ Common Files \SoftMap
Shared\Data\Toponym\XXXXX.mdb and other toponym databases created in other
directories. |
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| |
| GPS |
|
| Q. Is my GPS receiver
compatible with SoftMap? |
| A. Please consult our list of supported GPS receivers at
http://www.softmaptech.com/en/volumes/volEN_softmap_gps.html |
|
|
|
| Q. I have version 4.2 of
SoftMap GPS and I have trouble downloading my GPS data; do you have a patch for
that problem? |
A. There is a new version of SoftMap GPS available for
download at
http://www.softmaptech.com/en/pages/telechargement_EN.html#SM_GPS.
This
update (4.51.0126) improves the stability of version 4.2.
|
|
|
|
| Q. Can SoftMap GPS operate
on a computer using a USB protocol? |
| A. If your GPS receiver is a Serial type, you can buy a
USB/Serial adapter to connect it to your USB port on your computer and it will
work. But if you GPS receiver is a USB type, you cannot work with SoftMap GPS.
|
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|
|
| Q. I have tried every
setting but cannot get a connection. Every time it comes up with a red
connection status. Could you please help me with this and tell me which
settings I should be using. ? |
| A. Make sure that your Com Port selected for your GPS receiver
is active and in good working condition. |
|
|
|
| Q. Tried without success
to navigate in real time. I have a database created, GPS set to my receiver
brand. Get a green light in the connection box but position does not update
(all zeros). ? |
A. To navigate in real time in SoftMap, your GPS receiver must
be set to NMEA protocol and select the NMEA real time positioning in the list
of GPS receivers in SoftMap.
However, if you want to download data from
your GPS receiver to SoftMap and vice-versa, you must deactivate the NMEA
protocol in your GPS receiver and select your GPS receiver model in SoftMap(ex.
Garmin, etc.).
|
|
|
|
| Q. What are the settings
to download data from my GPS to SoftMap and vice-versa? |
| A. You must deactivate the NMEA protocol in your GPS receiver
and set it to the communication protocol of your receiver (ex. Garmin) in
SoftMap list. In the connexion, the transfer speed expressed in Bits per second
must be the same in the GPS and in SoftMap. |
|
|
|
| Q. What is the reference
system of the GPS database? |
| A. The reference system used is the WGS84. |
|
|
|
| Q. Is it possible to
change the reference system of the GPS DB? |
| A. It is not possible to change the geodesic reference system
of the GPS database. The WGS84 has been chosen because it is used by all the
GPS receivers. If you display your maps in NAD27 or NAD83 in SoftMap, the
software will take charge of the conversion of coordinates so that the data
displayed is always at the right place on the map. |
|
|
|
| Q. Can I import data from
an external database in SoftMap GPS? |
| A. The five format of the GPS routes that SoftMap can import
are: Ozi Explorer (PLT), Gardown (TXT et GDN), G7ToWin (TXT) and the CSV
format. |
|
|
|
| Q. Help does not work : I
get a message "The section doesn't exist. Contact your reseller to update your
Help file." |
| A. Help is not available for SoftMap GPS. Look for future
updates on our website. Consult the User's Guide. |
|
|
|
|
| Q. Can I use my own
symbols to illustrate my points? |
| A. For the points that are in the GPS database, you can only
use the symbols in the bank of symbols that is supplied. However, it is
possible to export the points in the GPS database to your SoftMap personal
database. This way you could change the symbols to your own
symbols. |
|
|
|
| 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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|
|
| Q. Where can I find the
User's Guide? |
| A. During the installation of SoftMap GPS, the PDF file of the
User's Guide was copied on your hard disk (User's Guide SoftMap GPS.pdf) at the
same place as the program, C:\Program Files\SoftMap\SoftMap Plus\ by default.
You can also consult the guide on our website at
Softmap_GPS_UserGuide.pdf. |
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