Problem with .dct generation

[Grey]

Hi Group,
Excuse the lengthy post but I've been at this for days!!!
My mum has a One XL (32M RAM) which I bought her back in 2008 with Australia_7.20 (I think map). It has been going great but she decided it was time for a map update.
After a few "updates" using TomTom Home (it hadn't been connected to my computer for a while!!) I ended up with Navcore 8.010.
Whilst all that was going on, I found an Australian map (910.4895) along with the appropriate meta which according to the compatibility chart, could be used with 8.0.10 AND my PDA (running 7.45).
I generated a .dct file for my PDA using tt7_keygen.exe (it's old but still works for me) and that map was now useable on my PDA.
When it didn't work on the One XL, I found that I had to use a patched ttsystem file. When I couldn't find a patched system file, I then found some programs that did patching but didn't work on 8.010 and up. I tried a few different versions of Navcore 9 which didn't work until I came across a version specific for the 32M version of the XL (9.170). At least I could now use the thing with the old map now!!
After more poking around, I came across fastactivate. I can update the meta.txt file but when I try to patch the map, I get a .dct error and there is no .dct file generated. I've run fastactivate on my PC, from the root of the XL's SD card and from the directory on the SD card where the map is located.
If I try to patch the ttsystem file (Option 3), FA tells me it has been patched.
Not sure what to try next and was wondering if anyone else had any ideas.

[Downunder35m]

No wonder it does not work when you mix NC's, maps and tools without any sense
Do a clean install on an empty device and use FastActivate for the map.
No idea what NC's you prefer but if it is an original it will need patchen, SE versions or my NC's are ready to go.

[Grey]

No wonder it does not work when you mix NC's, maps and tools without any sense
Do a clean install on an empty device and use FastActivate for the map.
No idea what NC's you prefer but if it is an original it will need patchen, SE versions or my NC's are ready to go.

I have done a clean install; twice, following the fastactivate instructions to the letter. I'm not mixing Navcore with SE's; the reason for mentioning my PDA was to show that the map was OK.
What I'm confused about is why Fastactivate gives me the .dct error when the meta for the map is in the text file and no attempt is made to generate one. i.e no write errors or "can't find file" messages.
Interestingly, if I generate a .dct file using tt7_keygen.exe (with the map meta and the One XL's unique ID), Fastactivate reports that the .dct is OK, but TT says I can't use the map with this device.

Is there another Navcore version I can try with this old 32M One XL??

[Grey]

Stand down; I think I'm sorted. What have I done different?? I plugged the SD Card directly into the PC rather than relying on the USB cable and having the One XL appear as a disk drive.
For completeness, here is what I did:
- Remove SD card from One XL and inserted into PC.
- Deleted ALL files from the card (note I didn't format it).
- Copied the 9.17 NC files onto the SD Card.
- Copied the old 7.20 version maps onto the SD Card (in it's own directory).
- Copied the 910.4895 onto the SD Card (in it's own directory). This included the .dct file generated using my old keygen; this wasn't deliberate and didn't realize until I was going over my steps.
- Copied fastactivate.exe and updated_meta.txt into the map directory mentioned above.
- Ran fastactivate.exe and asked it to do the map (option 2). It correctly identified that the ttgo.bif was not present (just checking!!!).
- Exited fastactivate and removed the SD Card, inserting it into the One XL and powered it up.
- I then had a choice of maps to choose from (both labelled Australia!!). I happened to select the old version.
- Turned off the One XL and removed the SD Card and inserted into the PC.
- Ran fastactivate again (from the map directory) and selected option 2. It said the .dct was OK.
- Exited fastactivate and removed the SD Card, inserting it into the One XL and powered up again.
- I then went to preferences and switched maps to the "other" Australia.
I was now looking at a v910.4895 map

Hopefully I'll save someone else some grief

[Downunder35m]

One thing that can cause unwanted problems is the fact that FA does not overwrite existing DCT files.
This is to keep original files untouched.
If for some reason a faulty DCT was created FA will show the DCT is ok, meaning it found a DCT on the device, the message is pretty similar to the one for actually creating a new DCT and can be easily overlooked.
A save way to make sure all goes well (if no original maps or purchased voices are installed) is to use the Windows Explorer to search for all *.dct files on the device - delete all.
After that FA will always create a DCT if possible and you will be able to check if all necessary DCT were created.
If after that and with a patched Navcore a map still does not work it might be because the meta code for the map was faulty, but in the last couple of years no false AU/NZ codes were posted.