RouteBuddy Ltd

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"The download link doesn't work"

We perform regular checks to ensure the files are still downloadable.
The main files people can have problems with are our two largest maps which are over 4Gb: North America and USA Road Maps.
There is a cautionary message on each of these product pages to remind you to check whether your ISP can handle the download of files of this size.
The default for purchasing these maps is to choose Standard Delivery of a DVD. You can opt to change this for Download Only but in the end, if the download does not work then the only option is to buy the DVD (see Shipping Options below).

Failure of the download to complete, or the file being corrupt at the end of the download can be due to the following:

  • ISP services or bandwidth not being sufficient to handle the large download. 
  • ISPs suffering 'interruptions' on their lines.
  • The ISP cutting off a download if they deem it to be too large for the service (check your contract).
  • Computers entering power save / sleep mode whilst the download is in progress.
  • Users clicking on the .iso file whilst the download is in progress.
  • Not enough hard disk space to accommodate the file download and installation.

It is always worth trying another web browser to see if that helps e.g. Safari, Firefox, Camino, Google Chrome etc and it is adviseable to do an overnight download when there is less internet traffic.

If you still have problems we will be unable to help any further and advise you to purchase the DVD for the product.
See below for shipping options.

"I can't open the file"

If you have downloaded a file but the downloaded was interrupted in any way, then the file may have become corrupted.
To check if this is the case you can perform a checksum on the file. Below we note the checksums for the current North America and USA road map files which, due to their size, can be corrupted due to a download interruption (see common causes above).

North America
ef6ab02fd1f69d9c9458612355d6c91b
USA
473616270d51434c8a78da469c1445af

A checksum is a “fingerprint” of a file, that can be used to detect corruption within the file. A good checksum algorithm ensures that even when a single bit within the file is changed, the final checksum is substantially different (making the error obvious).
Checksums are useful for confirming that data has been transferred correctly.

Performing a Checksum - Mac

To generate a checksum on the Mac, open the /Application/Utilities/Terminal application and wait for it to create a new window.
You should then type "md5 " (with a trailing space, and without the enclosing quotes), drag the file you want to checksum into the window, and hit return. This will examine the file, and output a long string of digits – this string is the “checksum” for the file.

For example:
Last login: Tue Aug 16 16:01:52 on console
darwin-powerbook-g4:~darwin md5 North_America.iso
md5 (North_America.iso) = ef6ab02fd1f69d9c9458612355d6c91b

The checksum generated should agree with those generated by RouteBuddy when the files was created.

Performing a Checksum - Windows

To generate a checksum on Windows, install the fciv utility. This is available from this page.

  • Extract the fciv.exe file from the downloaded file and move it into c:\program files.
  • Run the command prompt window
  • Change the command prompt by typing in: cd c:\program files
  • Press the return key
  • Type in: fciv -md5
  • (with a space after – md5)
  • Drag and drop the iso file into the cmd prompt window, press the return key and the checksum will be generated (see Mac text above for how the checksum will look)

If you are checking the integrity of a map iso other than North America or USA road maps, send the number received after performing the checksum into support@routebuddy.com and we will confirm whether it is correct.

"I wish I'd ordered the DVD"

No problem, just go to the Shipping section of the store and choose the appropriate option for the map you have already purchased.