[Xastir] Maps wont display

[Øyvind Hanssen]

I'm a bit new to Xastir, so please excuse me if this is a silly question.

It looks very promising, but I can't get it to display maps. I try
installing the current Debian version and put some maps into
/usr/share/xastir/maps (gifs with inf files). But xastir does not seem to be
aware of the maps. I try to open the map chooser windows, and it shows
nothing. But the following message is printed at the console: 

Couldn't open file: /home/<user>/.xastir/data/sort_maps_db.dat-ptr
Couldn't open file: /home/<user>/.xastir/data/sort_maps_db.dat

Manipulating with file ownership and permissions, or running
Xastir as root does not seem to help. 

So, I am stuck, any hint? 

73 de LA7ECA, Øyvind