So I got myself a cool new Satmap Active 10 Plus (Satmap). Having examined all the handheld sat nav gizmos I’d narrowed it down to either a Garmin or possibly a a PDA with a waterproof case and then I spotted a Satmap Active 10 Plus on Amazon for the same price as a standard Active 10. It was just the satnav I was looking for (although tbh, at one stage I also seriously considered a Road Angel 7000) – built in map display as well as the GPS. Basically, the map display functionality of a PDA but built as the rugged weatherproof device needed on the Scottish mountains!

In the end it came down to maps. They all require some sort of additional mapping software and those aren’t cheap. I’d looked at Memory-Map which seemed to be the best mapping software for the job but the map prices were on a par with the Satmap, which requires dedicated SD Cards loaded with your choice of maps. That’s what swung my decision away from a Garmin – the map display capabilities.

Computer wont recognise Satmap device

So there I was, itching to hitch up my computer to the Satmap to try loading up a few routes to get to grips with using the handheld satnav, plugged in the usb cable, waited on Windows recognising the device, watched it tell me it had found the new device, then bummer, Windows was displaying the message that the device had malfunctioned and wouldn’t work.

Okay, take out the usb and plug it in again. Nadda. Same message. Reboot the computer, try again. Nope. Feck.

Eventually found a solution. The fix, for Windows XP at least (Vista and Windows 7 users will need to check how to perform the same steps) involves removing the ‘ghost usb’ devices, cleaning up the junk then trying again.

A ‘ghost usb’ is created sometimes when you don’t bother using the ‘Remove Hardware’ option you’re supposed to when you disconnect a usb device from a computer. Windows then assumes it is still present and keeps the drivers loaded ready for use. The problem with this is if it didn’t load properly in the first place. If they still exist Windows wont reinstall the drivers so you’re stuck with it.

* Make sure the problem USB device/s are not connected – i.e. any flash drives and of course, the Satmap.
* Right-click on MyComputer then choose Properties, then choose the Advanced tab.
* Click on Environment variables down at the bottom of the page.
* Choose ‘New’ in the SYSTEM variables box.

A new Box will open.

* In Variable name type: DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES
* In Variable value type: 1
* Then click ok on the various options until the Properties box disappears.

Now open up Device Manager. To do this right-click on MyComputer, choose Properties then choose the Hardware tab. Click on Device Manager. When this opens, click View (at the top) then select ‘Show hidden devices’.

Device manager will now show the usual hidden devices and the Ghosted ones. The Ghosted ones are recognisable as they are shadowed / greyed out.

Expand ‘USB Controllers’ by clicking on the + sign. Uninstall each ghost usb device showing (probably a number of them). If you have an entry called Other or Unknown devices do the same. In my case I got rid of all my ghost usb devices.

Reboot your computer.

Now, here’s the thing. If your Satmap is switched off when you plug the usb cable into the computer, Satmap will automatically turn itself on and during it’s boot-up phase will confuse Windows, which is probably how you ended up with the problem that your computer won’t recognise your Satmap device.

So what you want to do is make sure your Satmap is fully switched on before you plug the usb cable into your computer..

If you get the same message that the device has malfunctioned, simply unplug the usb cable and plug it in again.

If all that fails, redo the above steps but do one other thing. Download and run ATF-Cleaner. It’s a little gizmo for clearing up all the temp files that end up cluttering your system. Once you’ve done that, reboot and try again.