My phone is smarter than me: 2

[phil_hg_uk]

My old man has passed on his old Galaxy Ace to me, and i canna get it to connect to my PC.

Plugging in the USB only charges it... there's no USB connection icon on the phone, so i can't see the PC from the phone. I can't see the phone via My Computer either. I've installed Samsung Kies, which does nothing in spite of the fact I've Trouble Shot the USB connection, done the jigery pokery for the Wi-Fi connection and still nothing (although i can connect to the interweb from the phone via my wi-fi).

I've been through the settings, the USB tethering bit says 'no usb device connected' when there's a USB lead between the phone and the PC... could it be a 'charge only' cable (just a guess, i doubt such a thing exists).

Any ideas or pointers to blonde proof user guide?

cheers

Why do you want to connect it to your PC, I have never felt the need to connect my Android phone to any computer if you want to transfer files to or from it then just download one of the WiFi transfer apps from the Google Play Store or use Google Drive or DropBox.

 

[swee'pea99]

I have to admit that, despite being somewhat Applephobic, changing from the Samsung to an iPhone was something of an eyeopener when it came to the stability of software. The thing I still intensely dislike is iTunes backdoor data gathering and the ridiculous rules that Apple apply if things go wrong...

Did you watch that The men who made us spend prog t'other night? The one with the recording of the Apple guy telling the punter whose iPad had died after 18 months that yes, the unreplaceable battery could be replaced, but only by returning it to Apple, and the charge was $255 + postage? And the guy who took umbrage at this kind of behaviour, and started putting up YouTube vids about how to dismantle Apple products designed and manufactured to die after 18 months, who discovered that even they couldn't get into the new iPhone - because Apple had actually created new, unique screw heads - not flat, not philips, not torx - but literally brand new and unique, clearly designed and built with the sole purpose of preventing people getting in to replace the batteries.

Insanely great? Well, maybe. Immorally profitable, certainly.

 

[Ansome]

My Windows 8.1 installation told me that the necessary drivers for Samsung phones weren't on it when I plugged my S3 in to USB to transfer some music files. I installed those from Samsung support site (and not Kies) and it has been fine since. Drag and drop file transfer via cable seems to be a lot quicker than WiFi/Dropbox (and uses less data miles when you think about it).

 

[MontyVeda]

Why do you want to connect it to your PC, I have never felt the need to connect my Android phone to any computer if you want to transfer files to or from it then just download one of the WiFi transfer apps from the Google Play Store or use Google Drive or DropBox.

You seem to have answered your own question there Phil... and I'd rather do it via USB or my own Wi-fi then through some 3rd party interweb bollox

 

[MontyVeda]

Connectivity/Connections

no such thing in any of the menus on my phone

 

[Saluki]

Samsung can be funny. If the USB lead you are using is not Samsung specific, the phone can sometimes not see the PC and vice versa*.




*OK, that's not the correct technical term but I'm not an IT geek.

Thanks for posting that. My Samsung phone won't talk to my laptop but when I tried it's own lead it worked

 

[MontyVeda]

Thanks for posting that. My Samsung phone won't talk to my laptop but when I tried it's own lead it worked

i think that might solve it too.... I replaced a printer only to realise it was the USB lead that was faulty rather than the old printer.

 

[classic33]

how to connect your Samsung Galaxy Ace to a PC to transfer files
You can connect your device to a PC as a removable disk and access the file directory.

If you insert a memory card in the device, you can also access the file directory of the memory card by using the device as a memory card reader.

The file directory of the memory card will appear as a removable disk, separate from the internal memory.

1. If you want to transfer files from or to a memory card, insert a memory card into the device.
2. Using a USB-to-micro-USB data cable, connect the micro USB jack on your device to a PC.
3. A pop-up should appear on your phone interface.
4. Select ‘USB connected’.
5. Select ‘Turn on USB storage’.
6. Tap ‘OK’.
7. Open the folder to view files.
8. Copy files from the PC to the memory card.
9. When you are finished, select ‘Turn off USB storage’.

To disconnect the device from the PC, click the USB device icon on the Windows task bar and click the option to safely remove the mass storage device, then remove the PC data cable from the PC.

Otherwise, you may lose data stored on the memory card or damage the memory card.
http://www.knowyourmobile.com/samsu...t-your-samsung-galaxy-ace-mass-storage-device

 

[MontyVeda]

Sorted.... buying a USB data cable (not samsung specific) sorted it. Thanks chaps

 

[John the Monkey]

Samsung can be funny. If the USB lead you are using is not Samsung specific, the phone can sometimes not see the PC and vice versa*.

Interesting - I've used an old Nokia CA-101 data cable for both Samsung 'phones I've owned - no problems here. (Galaxy S2, Galaxy S4).

 

[marknotgeorge]

Have you offered a sacrifice to the Phone God, normally an old Nokia smashed with a mallet will do. Don't forget to dance around it chanting 'Apple is king, Apple is king'

Objection!

I put it to the gentleman of variable honourableness that striking an old Nokia with a mallet is likely to cause said mallet to break.

 

[Crackle]

Objection!

I put it to the gentleman of variable honourableness that striking an old Nokia with a mallet is likely to cause said mallet to break.

Yeah, not a 6310, bad idea.

 

[MontyVeda]

Interesting - I've used an old Nokia CA-101 data cable for both Samsung 'phones I've owned - no problems here. (Galaxy S2, Galaxy S4).

i think the key difference is data cable vs. charge cable... although they both appear to have the usual four contacts on the sockets. Why is technology so complex???

 

[John the Monkey]

i think the key difference is data cable vs. charge cable... although they both appear to have the usual four contacts on the sockets. Why is technology so complex???

I've yet to come across a charge only cable - the Nokia one (and the two I have from my Samsungs) both do charging and data - maybe it's another way of justifying the price of the Galaxy S phones

 

[MontyVeda]

I've yet to come across a charge only cable - the Nokia one (and the two I have from my Samsungs) both do charging and data - maybe it's another way of justifying the price of the Galaxy S phones

i thought the same... surely they're both just USB cables. They both look like usb cables but only one of two i now have will provide a data connection. Which suggests the one that doesn't give me a data connection provides charge only... if not, I wouldn't have started this thread.