Memory-Map has been in business for over 20 years, and has licensed many, many editions of various maps. Most of them are perpetual licenses that do not have any expiration, and a great many of them are still in use today. Over the years there have been changes in technology, and changes in the license terms that are imposed on us by the map publishers (Ordnance Survey and others). This results in an intricate patchwork of compatibility, installation procedures and license activation methods.
The good news is that most maps sold from 2015 on are fully supported with the latest free apps and may be downloaded using the method described HERE. Just sign into your account and use "My Online Maps" in the map list. Even if you received a thumb drive or other media containing a copy of the maps, we recommend downloading it as the easiest and most reliable method for installation.
In 2018 we introduced "Automatic" license activation, which eliminates the need to for you to keep track of how many devices are in use. For the vast majority of private consumer users, there is no need for you to migrate licenses from one device to another. Just sign into your account in the app and the maps under My Online Maps are available for activation.
We value all of our long-time users, and we are glad if you have been using Memory-Map for years and years. We want you to have the best experience using the software that we are able to offer today. When you bought your maps all those years ago, you were able to install it and use it without any problems. Perhaps it originally ran on Windows XP and Pocket PC. If you buy a product from us today, we guarantee it is easy to install on current hardware such Windows 11 and the latest smartphones. But your old mapping product was never designed to be installed on today's hardware and today's apps. None of the old mapping products came with any contractual support or upgrades. They were supplied "as is" with the features and compatibility described on the box. The license does not expire, but that does not mean you have a lifetime of upgrades and support. If you are able to install and use the old product on a brand-new smartphone, that's a bonus. It is not an entitlement.
Between 2008 and 2014, some maps are downloadable, and some were only supplied on CD, DVD or other media. With all of our current apps, download is the preferred way to install any map, and it is definitely worth trying My Online Maps, as some maps are still downloadable. If you are stuck with just the media, please understand that the installation scripts were designed for different software and different operating systems, and they may or may not work today. You may be able to install a map on your PC but not on your phone. Some people are able to manually copy the map onto their phone using the instructions in the online manual. You have to understand what files are needed, where to find them and where to place them, and what limits the file size on different media (see Manuals and FAQ):
https://memory-map.com/mm-iphone-help4/Loading_Your_Existing_Maps.htm
https://memory-map.com/mm-android-help3/Loading_Your_Existing_Maps.htm
https://support.memory-map.com/860624-Memory-Map-file-extensions-explained
https://support.memory-map.com/122374-Using-BSB-Charts-on-Android-or-iOS
https://support.memory-map.com/711466-Loading-maps-to-SD-card-on-Android
https://support.memory-map.com/225450-Copying-maps-to-an-iPhone-or-iPad
If you can make it work, we are happy for you to continue using these products for as long as you like. But we cannot provide a personalized installation service for installing your old maps onto the current devices or apps. There are too many different product variants and manual installation involves many factors beyond our control. If you do contact us about installing old maps, please understand that there is no set of instructions or procedure that works for everyone, and our engineers are not familiar with many of the older products, which were originally made by third party distributors and not by Memory-Map Inc.
Some people have found it is easier to install old maps into our new Memory-Map for All app, which has the ability to "Copy In" map folders from a thumb drive or other storage device. If you are struggling with copying maps to a phone or tablet, it is worth looking at. See the section on loading maps from storage in the manual.
From 2010 to 2014, we sold some maps that were licensed by the square km, and you have to activate different areas of the map. The system to manage these licenses was rather complex and many people struggled with it, so we only used it for a short time. If you are still using one of these maps nearly a decade later, we hope you know how it works by now! You are one of the select few that still has to use the device migration feature. If you are struggling with this kind of map, there is an FAQ. Please rest assured that our new products are much easier to use!
From 2000 to 2007, we issued software serial numbers consisting of 16 hex digits (eg 1234.5678.9ABC.DEF0). For a ten-year period from 2005 until 2015, we offered a way to convert these serial numbers into an equivalent license in the current system. If you did not make the transition, it is still possible to run the original software that was supplied with your maps, but if you want to take advantage of modern smartphones and apps, we recommend updating your maps.