Original Radioguy DD - slow to boot
 

This is the first DD unit offered by the Radioguy seller, which uses a memory sim for music and a second one for the Nav software - Igo and several years out of date.



It could be me, but perhaps not - the nav system seems to be taking an awful long time sometimes, before it is fully booted and ready to use. Sometimes quicker than others, but I don't remember it being this slow. I am wondering if a new, faster memory card might improve things?

I dont know a lot about these, but imagine them to be similar to a lot of these types of things (tablets, phones and computers etc). They, through use, become cluttered with data as you use them.

When my phone becomes slow, I will go to its settings, and delete the cache and stop background apps from running. Quite often this will speed things up, although I will have to start again with passwords, and some other settings - it may also clear updates of certain things, possibly any map updates.

If that doesnt work, I will reset the phone/tablet to factory and start from scratch again.

I ordered a new Kingston 32Gb speed 10 SDHC card (smallest you seem to be able to get these days), for it and did a straight copy of everything from my original Sandisk 8Gb HC card.


My initial impression is that it is certainly no faster from turning on, to being ready to use, but that from that point on - typing on screen, plotting routes etc. is does appear to be a lot more responsive than before.


I wonder if anyone has might have a source so I can update it's now well out of date maps please? It is WINCE Igo Primo 2.

At this point, I would consider a factory reset (not sure how this would be done). BUT this will clear everything, and you would have to start again with any apps you have added, or updates.

From the description you gave after changing the card (to me this reads that the map app has been reset to original, rather than the whole unit), it sounds like the unit is simply out of date unfortunately. The unit had adequate ram and a processor that was capable of running the apps as it was. Then various updates come along, be it for the maps only, other apps or the whole unit, and they make new demands on the ram and processor, normally requiring more, which then slow down the unit.

As I said before, I dont have experience with the DD units, but from their description, and previous posts and comments, it sounds like they operate in the same way as a phone or tablet does.

When you have a phone, over time, you maybe have 6 updates (random number) over a 3 year period, with each of these updates requiring more ram and processing power (sometimes less though), but also they will have excess data that gets left behind, but still requires processing power before it gets ignored at start up. This slows the phone down obviously. Wipe it back to factory, and install only the latest update, it will still need to have more RAM and processor power, but it will not have the 'wasted' updates using RAM space or the processor. So whilst it will still be slow to start up and run, it should improve a little (I must stress, this is based upon my experience of 'messing' with phones and tablets, it may be different to a DD unit).

To be honest, I doubt this approach will work. I had one of the original Win CE units from Radioguy, and still have one of his second gen units which is working away quite happily (though slow by modern standards).

The "apps" are pretty much "baked in" and don't receive updates (the units have no wi-fi capability, or 3g; 4g etc). Realistically, the only updates possible are to the sat nav programme, and the maps themselves, which are both done via SD card. The units are also quite particular in terms of which version of iGo they will work with and most will require some form of configuring (board rate settings etc) in order to work with the unit. I would therefore suspect that the unit is still pretty much in a similar state to that in which it left the factory, with the only additions likely to be any "points of interest", or routes, which may have been saved within iGo.

I suspect the real issue is that the unit is simply old and slow by modern standards. My own unit seems a lot slower to load initially than I remember it being, but it's purely down to the fact that I've grown used to modern systems (phones; tablets etc) that load pretty much instantly. In truth, it was always slow, but at the time it was "par for the course". I guess a faster SD card may help initial loading times, but more than that I doubt there's much that can be done with these original systems. In truth, I doubt there are many of the original units still working at all, and I'm just waiting for the day that mine gives up the ghost.

Cliff

Edit: A factory re-set can be done by using a paperclip in the small hole in (I think) the top right corner of the unit. I think the only data you will use is any pre-set radio stations, as the sat nav programme is a separate entity on the SD card, and will be untouched by the re-set. I doubt it will do anything to speed the unit up though.

I've run just three tests since installing a faster. bigger card. The first boot to the point where I could type test, was no faster, but the second and third tests where very much faster.



I don't understand quite why there should be any variation. Each test was in my garage, under a metal roof, so no GPS data.


Once up and running, it works fine.

Mate honestly you could buy an universal android double din running android 8 mech less unit and a mg7 trim for the price of a good capacity ad card now loklook at the one I've in my 75. And I've the wood trim on it etc now to match.

https://youtu.be/t7BDuZGQKIo

I've seen the same unit for £22 now and the mg7 din for £9 on aliexpress!

Having read through this thread I assume there is no sat nav update available on micro SD now.

There never was really, as it turned out the version of Igo loaded onto the units by the Chinese factory was of "questionable heritage".


However there are several GPS forums on the net that have links to the files needed to download and create your own updated SD card - but this is very much a grey area with respect to legitimacy as well.
Incidentally, turns out that the update SD cards Radioguy was provided were created by him using said forums and downloads...

I did go online and find the free IGO download but I'm not savvy enough to download it and then transfer to SD.