The TomTom Go 910 is a portable global positioning system (GPS) device used for primarily for automobile navigation. This is one of the sturdiest portable devices that TomTom manufactures for the United States market and as such has very few hardware problems. Users sing high praises for the Go 910, except for a few reoccurring issues (in order of prevalence), such as unexplained shutting off of the device while navigating, error codes on start-up and maps freezing while driving. These are almost all software related problems and can be fixed by the end user.
Shutting Off
Probably the most annoying of all malfunctions is when you are driving along and suddenly the TomTom shuts off. While this could be caused by a low battery (make sure you are plugged in) or a damaged battery (this requires replacement), it is usually the result of a memory leak in the navigation firmware. TomTom has released several updated versions of firmware in an attempt to minimize this, but the longer you have your TomTom on or in standby mode, the more likely you are to encounter this error. Once you turn your TomTom back on, it clears out the memory and typically takes several days for the memory leak to reach critical mass and cause another crash. You can preempt this by shutting down your TomTom every day or while resting/refueling on long trips.
Error Codes
Electronics and anything with moving parts malfunction, this includes the TomTom Go 910. There are almost 700 error codes possible when you operate your GPS; fortunately, most of them have the same method of repair. Performing a hard reset of your device (turning it off) will generally clear up the most common error codes. While the actual error code is useful to TomTom for future product releases, the repair formula is still the same. If the hard reset does not solve the problem, you will be forced to restore the last firmware and lose all of your personal data. Make sure to backup all of your TomTom's personal information on your computer before restoring a previous update.
Freezing
Although a fairly rare occurrence, sometimes the TomTom will freeze up and stop giving new directions while you are driving. This is not related to the memory leak mentioned earlier but is caused by a validation message with the government run satellite system. In order to correct this, make sure that the data and time are correct; within a few minutes is okay for your device. The TomTom uses this information to negotiate with the satellite to determine where you are, and if it is off, it will slow down and cause your device to freeze or crash. On rare occasions, this can also be caused by extreme temperatures in excess of 105 degrees F or below -10 degrees F.
Tags: your TomTom, memory leak, your device, error codes, hard reset, make sure