First Things:

If the map is not working on either the internal storage or a MicroSD or SD card in the Garmin device, then the issue is NOT with BaseCamp; either the card or the map has become corrupted or is not correctly installed.

If this is the case, you need to address that issue by either installing the map correctly, or by maybe re-formatting the MicroSD or SD card, or trying another card instead.

Only continue reading this page and it's guidance, if the map is working fine on your Garmin device (or MicroSD or SD card in the Garmin device).

Basecamp:

Using the maps installed on the Garmin device (either the Garmin pre-installed ones or third party ones like our TT HD Top/Topo Pro maps) in BaseCamp is pretty straightforward, as long as you understand that the maps have to complete an initialisation before they will be usable in Basecamp. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to 5+ hours (depends on the number and size of the maps that need to be initialised). The good news is that this only needs to happen once (unless you update the maps on the Garmin device).

If you disrupt or stop this initialisation from completing, this may cause BaseCamp to state that the map is either "Not Valid" or you get another error message when trying to sue it. The exact error depends on if you are using Windows or a Mac. What has happened is that the initialisation creates a cache of map tiles that make up the map (an index), and if this doesn't complete, BaseCamp tries to use the corrupted/incomplete tile cache and throws an error. This stops the map from loading/working in BaseCamp.

Windows:

If you get "an error occurred when attempting to use the <product> product." where <product> is the name of the map.

Or the map in the list has a RED bar under it, it means that the map initialisation was either stopped (you pulled the cable out during it), or that the tile cache, in BaseCamp, has become corrupted.

Mac:

On a Mac you get a different error message than on Windows, this error message will usually be "Valid Chart Product Not Found". It means that the map initialisation was either stopped (you pulled the cable out during it), or that the tile cache, in BaseCamp, has become corrupted.

For either Windows or Mac, this means that the map will not work in BaseCamp until you rectify the corrupted/incomplete map tile cache. Unfortunately simply uninstalling and reinstalling BaseCamp will not fix this issue, as the data (cache) is not removed when uninstalling BaseCamp (even on a Mac)!

Let me be perfectly clear, this is not an issue with the map, or maps, it is squarely an issue with BaseCamp, and often a self-inflicted issue that wouldn't have occurred if you had allowed the initialisation to complete.

So, how do you get out of this sticky pickle, and get the maps to be re-initialised by basecamp so that you can use them in BaseCamp?

We have instructions on how to fix this issue, for both Windows and Mac, but this requires you to delete folders/files, etc. and therefore it should only be attempted if you are comfortable navigating a file system and deleting files. You should always take a backup before you do any such activity (that way you can hopefully restore any erroneously deleted files or folders.

These instructions are available upon request, and come with no guarantee; you take full responsibility for following the instructions and any unexpected effects that they may cause (especially if you mistype a command or delete the wrong folder or files by mistake.)

The other solution is to rebuild your computer (re-image it) from a backup or from scratch!