Ok, I know it's strange to answer my own question, but I've found a solution to this issue.
If, for example, you have the resolution info in the config.div file set to 1280x1024, then you must go into the config.lcl file, also in notepad, and alter the resolution info to also be 1280x1024.
It will make the automap literally full screen, with you unable to see the menu borders around it and the interface buttons at the bottom...but the good thing is that you can now have higher resolutions without the game crashing upon use of the automap!
I've tried proportionally lowering the res info in the .lcl file so as to be able to use the interface buttons, but that doesn't seem to work as the game will still crash.
in short: make the resolution info in the config.lcl file the same as the resolution info in the config.div file if you force the resolution past it's normal supported resolutions
