Since I have backed up the contents of my TomTom XL 340 as a straight file copy from the removable drive to my PC, I'm wondering if there's any need to do a Backup (or future Restore) via TomTom Home. It takes a heck of a long time (over an hour). Does it do anything different or extra compared to the Windows file copy? Does it back up up some other hidden information on the device, or do something extra with license management that's necessary?
Yes, definitely, please do a backup before you upgrade TomTom software. My XXL 550 stopped working after a software upgrade, the upgrade finished successfully but none of the maps work. Lucky I have a backup so I can restore my device.
I believe the important issue here is the (long) time of the backup operation. I too agree that doing the backup itself is very important and should not be avoided. Maybe a few words about why it takes sooooo long would be helpful. And if you are considering ways to speed it up. Is the time a hardware limitation (e.g. USB 2)?