Tips for Installing GPS On An Ultra Mobile PC - Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS Locator

In preparation for my trip north to Milwaukee, WI for the IAAO convention, I wanted to install and test Microsoft Streets and Trips with GPS locator.  I selected MS Streets and Trips because it was an inexpensive GPS "Kit" that I was confident would run on my tabletkiosk eo.

Because I waited until the last minute to make the purchase, I could only find the 2006 edition, even though the 2007 version has been released.  The 2006 version was on sale at Office Max for $99 which I thought was pretty good for a package that included both the mapping software and the GPS receiver.

Right out the box the software LOOKED easy to install. Just pop in the CD, click setup, and then plug in the gps. The problem is that the software would not install to my eo across the network (like all of my other software installs) without doing an "Administrative" installation.  I've got step-by-step instructions on that below.

I was taking the MINI on this trip and I wanted to place the gps receiver some place where it wouldn't be obstructed.  What I ended up doing was just placing the eo UMPC on the passenger seat and the receiver (usb cabled) between the sunroof's shade and the sunroof. Perfect!  There is an optional Bluetooth adapter by Pharos (who I believe is the manufacturer of the receiver).

The software is relatively easy to use. Driving directions are returned very fast after inputting the address.  I did lose the gps signal when I went through a tunnel in Milwaukee, but it quickly picked it right back up again within a few seconds after exiting.  Construction information is provided and can be updated periodically from the Internet.

If you happen to get off route, the program doesn't have a feature to reroute itself so you'll have to stop the car or get a passenger to fix it. Also the software doesn't have a function that lets you start from the location of the gps indicator. You'd have to click somewhere ahead of the gps locator to add a start point. It's more of an inconvenience than problem though.

READ ON FOR INSTALLATION TIPS . . . .

Installing to a UMPC over a network

I mentioned above that I had an issue with installing Streets and Trips from my desktop's CD drive to my eo.  Doing some research, I found that this is a old issue with M&S.  To get around the problem one needs to to an "administrative installation"

From: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/...

The Windows® Installer can perform an administrative installation of an application or product to a network for use by a workgroup. An administrative installation installs a source image of the application onto the network that is similar to a source image on a CD-ROM. Users in a
workgroup who have access to this administrative image can then install the product from this source. A user must first install the product from the network to run the application. The user can choose to run-from-source when he installs and the installer uses most of the product's file directly from
the network.

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To copy Streets and Trips to a network share, follow these steps.

Note The computer that you are using must have a CD drive.

1. Put the Setup disc (Disc 1) in the CD drive, and then hold the SHIFT key down to prevent the Setup program from starting.
2. Create a folder, and then share this folder out on the network. For more information about how to create a shared folder, see Help in Microsoft Windows XP. For example, I created an empty folder that named C:\Streets on my tabletkiosk eo, and then shared the folder on the network.
3. Click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK. For Streets and Trips, type msiexec/a X:\streets\msmap\data.msi, and then press ENTER. 

   

4. Note In these examples, X is the CD drive letter. Follow the installation instructions. When you are prompted for the path of the Administrative installation, type the path of the shared folder. The path of the shared folder can be either the local path C:\streets or the network path \\Computer name\Streets, where Computer Name is the name of the computer on the network.  [In my case the path was \\eo\c\streets]

After you complete the installation, use another computer on the network, and then locate the \\computer name\streets share that you created [In my case the path was \\eo\c\streets] . Start the network installation. To start the network installation in Streets and Trips, double-click the Setup_ST.exe file.

TIP: In my install, several files were copied over outside of the /Streets folder which resulted in an error message about not being able to find the .ini file.  When I moved those files into the /Streets folder and clicked on Setup_ST.exe everything ran fine.