I just bought a Tomtom 350 cheap with the understanding that it was not working properly. I was able to connect and load new maps and update it . It is a 350 with 2gb and tts. When I disconnect it from the computer and press the "on" button , nothing happens. When I hold it down I get the image that I have attached.

Obviously I am over my head and found this site. I apologize if the info I need is in an obvious place and I overlooked it.

Can someone direct me to the process I should follow even if it is realizing I threw away some $?

Thank in advance.

What do you mean by "nothing" ?
There should be at least a loading screen and before that maybe a startup image.
If you get the status screen the device turns on.
So I suggest to start from scratch on an empty device / SD.
Let Home do the updates until no further updates are available.
Check if the device works.
Add a map and use FastActivate to patch NC and map.

When not connected to the computer it does not start up normally. If I hold the button down the tomtom logo appears but disappears when I let go. If I hold the button down I eventually get the test screen shown in the picture. I flashed the device, reformatted the memory and reinstalled the maps. Still, when I attach it to the computer it appears to act normal although after the reformatting I cannot "run my device" from home. Otherwise it seems OK, until I disconnect.

Any ideas?

cdrat wrote:When not connected to the computer it does not start up normally. If I hold the button down the tomtom logo appears but disappears when I let go. If I hold the button down I eventually get the test screen shown in the picture. I flashed the device, reformatted the memory and reinstalled the maps. Still, when I attach it to the computer it appears to act normal although after the reformatting I cannot "run my device" from home. Otherwise it seems OK, until I disconnect.

Any ideas?

Are you saying that the unit functions normally with your PC as the power source? I'm not referring to "Operate my device", but the actual device!!

Yes, it is strange, it gets the logo then the do not disconnect symbol and takes the updates etc as it should.

When I connect it to the car plug in (with traffic) it does not power on.

cdrat wrote:Yes, it is strange, it gets the logo then the do not disconnect symbol and takes the updates etc as it should.

When I connect it to the car plug in (with traffic) it does not power on.

Let's leave "the car plug in" out of the picture for now.
When you connect your 350 to you computer cable & start TT Home, you can download updates, if any are available. After you download any updates or there aren't any, you click the blue button in the lower right corner of TT Home, your 350 is disconnected from TT Home, but is still connected to & powered by the PC. At this point does the device function normally?

Well,

Things are even worse now. When I connect the device, home does not start and when I try to start it manually, it behaves as above....have to hold it down until I get text. Before I reformatted etc at least it could connect. I feel as if I am beating a dead horse.

Thanks

At this point Home is utterly useless for you.
We need to know if the device starts, not if it connects to Home.
Not connecting to Home can be caused by many things that are not related to a faulty device.
Down to basic hardware testing!
So again:
Is the green light turning on when connected to power or USB?
Does the device start when pressing power - what is exactly happening on the screen when you start?
When the device is on (or shows the status screen) and you disconnect - does it stay on or turn off at the moment you unplug the cable?
At this stage I tend to think the connector on the device might be faulty.

cdrat wrote:Well,

Things are even worse now. When I connect the device, home does not start and when I try to start it manually, it behaves as above....have to hold it down until I get text. Before I reformatted etc at least it could connect. I feel as if I am beating a dead horse.

Thanks

We NEVER recommend formatting a device, except in the most severe cases. This is a perfect example of why we don't!! Have you done a "hard reset"?

Now, even worse. I plug it in to my computer and if I hold down the button I get the chine and the tomtom screen, nothing else comes up. no text .

There is a slight "click" before the chime and screen.

No green light when connected.

I just did a hard reset (30 seconds of reset held)

Sorry I did not read more posts before the reformat. I saw the suggestion on the tomtom site. Should have been reading here instead.

BTW the device does not connect to Home anymore (perhaps that was obvious).

If you don't get a green light when connecting to the PC, either the cable, the USB port on the PC or the USB port on the TT is faulty.
The green light indicates that power is getting into the device!
So check the above and if only the TT is left as a cause you might have to open it to check the connector. If you don't know how to solder on tiny things I suggest to find a person that can as a shortcut by solder can do more harm than good.

Two options: do a full check of the hardware or try to get rid of it ;)