Pictures From A Phone To Computer

[cwsmith]

Windows Explorer...under "computer", shows no device.

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Really? Hmmm, here's a screen shot.. I just plugged in my Kodak and launched my Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) and it shows the two directories.. one (F: ) for the Kodak camera and it's support directories and one (G: ) for the SD card where the photo's are located. (Note also, that it shows the hard drive C:, it's partitioned backup D: and the DVD drive E: ):




If I unplug the Kodak, the two drives go away and if I plug in either my printer or my old Nikon 995, the proper drive will come up and the device will be identified. There really isn't anything else that one needs to do as Windows (at least Vista and Windows 98 immediately recognizes the USB device. It usually comes back with a dialog box asking what I want to do with it too... and similarly my Kaspersky Anti-Virus pops up and asks if I want to scan it.

Similarly, I have two different USB thumb drives and when I plug either one in, the particular drive will be recognized by name and I get similar dialogue boxes.

CWS

[radhak]

I think the problem was with Motorola phones : they had some inherent 'design' - that were essentially bugs as far as the consumer was concerned - that caused the phones not to show up on explorer. I had a motorola with the same problem, but I remember my wife's nokia would show up just fine.

[LinuxRandal]

I think the problem was with Motorola phones : they had some inherent 'design' - that were essentially bugs as far as the consumer was concerned - that caused the phones not to show up on explorer. I had a motorola with the same problem, but I remember my wife's nokia would show up just fine.

That normally means they didn't follow the standards for the connection (USB in this case). The hardware was readily available, and inexpensive, but they preferred a proprietary interface.

[cabinetman]

Really? Hmmm, here's a screen shot.. I just plugged in my Kodak and launched my Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) and it shows the two directories.. one (F: ) for the Kodak camera and it's support directories and one (G: ) for the SD card where the photo's are located. (Note also, that it shows the hard drive C:, it's partitioned backup D: and the DVD drive E: ):




If I unplug the Kodak, the two drives go away and if I plug in either my printer or my old Nikon 995, the proper drive will come up and the device will be identified. There really isn't anything else that one needs to do as Windows (at least Vista and Windows 98 immediately recognizes the USB device. It usually comes back with a dialog box asking what I want to do with it too... and similarly my Kaspersky Anti-Virus pops up and asks if I want to scan it.

Similarly, I have two different USB thumb drives and when I plug either one in, the particular drive will be recognized by name and I get similar dialogue boxes.

CWS

In Windows Explorer under "Computer", the only listing there that is close to what you describe is the last one (of 4) and is...DVD RW Drive (E). Clicking on it does nothing. Whether the USB from the phone is connected or not doesn't change or do anything. What is interesting is I tried the phone on my desktop which is XP, and as soon as I plugged in the USB, a device wizzard window showed on the screen identifying the phone. So, I jumped through hoops doing the clicking to find which device software (other than a CD) would be compatible.

The wizzard checked OK on one, and I installed it. Then, nothing. I couldn't find it, and when I plugged the phone in again...nothing happened.

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[d_meister]

I went through the Motorola conundrum years ago with the flip phones. They only "talk" to computers with their proprietary software. The newer phones that have android in them are a different story. Everything the cell companies do, and the spec they provide their suppliers, is engineered to cause you to use and buy more services/minutes. Can't blame them for that, but you can beat the system. First, you don't need a data plan on a sim card phone to use it. I bought a brand new T-mobile My Touch Android phone on eBay for LOML, slipped the SIM in and all is well. She has a pay as you go talk only plan and buys 1000 minutes or less a year (Never uses them). The phone connects with WIFI at home or anywhere it's free, so she enjoys all the functionality of the phone. My plan has 30mb data a month for $5, and I've never used it up. I just connect to free Wifi and I'm good to go.
So, get a nice new Android phone on eBay, connect it to your home WIFI, get the free Dropbox app, take some pictures, and they'll be on your computer before you come in from the shop.
Besides, there are all kinds of free apps out there, even woodworking ones.
https://play.google.com/store/search...working&c=apps
There are some hurricane watch apps that can come in handy down in South Florida, too!
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=hurricane&c=apps

[dbhost]

Sounds like you need the Motorola software / drivers for talking to that phone...

For the most part, non smart phones are a thing of the past, and may not be supported by their manufacturers.

[cwsmith]

Cabinetman,

That "DVD RW" is the label they use for most anything "rewriteable", whether it be a DVD, Thumb Drive, SD card, or other rewriteable media.

I'm using "Vista" on my laptop, so perhaps there's something there that recognizes certain "named" devices, I don't know. My rather old Dell, desktop, is running XP, and it also recognizes many things, but not all (I know I mentioned Windows 98, but I forgot about XP and I haven't been able to use my old DELL for about a year now because it no longer recognizes the internet connection)

I'm wondering if your situation has anything to do with "plug and play"? I realize that might be an old term, but I still think it's buried in the operating system somewhere. If that is turned off, then it may not recognize any device plugged into the USB.

When you can see the new drive letter, you say you click on it and get nothing. Have you tried double-clicking and if so, have you tried to "refresh" by pressing the F5 key?

I do have to admit that things are getting so complex that it's almost impossible to keep up... and I used to be the "go to" guy a decade or so ago. If you're not head-deep into this stuff any more, you may as well be lost... and that's how I feel too much of the time. My 42 year old son, doesn't get why I "can't keep up". (Hey, maybe because I'm retired from that kind of a life! )

My cell? Hey I've got this neat little Motorola C139 that I got back in 2006, battery gets charged once a month. I can make a call with it, but don't have a clue as to how to text. No camera and no smart anything and the only thing it will plug into is the charger.

CWS

[cabinetman]

My cell? Hey I've got this neat little Motorola C139 that I got back in 2006, battery gets charged once a month. I can make a call with it, but don't have a clue as to how to text. No camera and no smart anything and the only thing it will plug into is the charger.

CWS

That sounds like the same type as my Nokia...no camera, no apps, make and take calls...period. I just thought how cool it would be to have a camera. In fact my digital camera is my wifes hand-me-down, 3 cameras ago for her. It takes an SD card, and eats batteries. To take a picture it's a fire drill to make sure the card is in, and the batteries are fresh. That kills an impromptu picture.

I was going through our bag of phones and found this one. When it charged up, I was elated. When I found the patch cord I was overjoyed. I downloaded a user manual, and it didn't say anything about that cord. Maybe it's just for uploading from the computer instead of downloading to it. I just don't know.

Anyway, I think you're right, I should just go to the store and get another $1 phone, and the camera end of it would be a piece of cake. Actually, this phone has a very readable time clock and it has a ringer I can hear. When it was new it was likely the latest and greatest. It's actually a higher end phone than the Nokia I'm using. The manual discussed emailing photos. So, to do that I've got to learn how to manipulate the keypad into a keyboard. That's a PITA.

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[cwsmith]

I have this neat little digital video camera that I carry with me ALL the time any more. (I'm having some serious problems with a neighbor who we have a protection order against... hence the need for the camera.)

This one is a Kodak and it takes HDTV-standard video as well as 3 or 4 megapixel stills. No focus on it, as it's just that basic 3 ft and beyond kind of thing. But the picts and video are really quite nice. This particular model was about $124 with the 16 gig memory card and it contains it's own rechargable battery. The USB is used to both charge and transfer picturs.

Soon after we bougth this, we were in "Big Lots" (one of those surplus-like discount stores) and they had a very similar camera for $30. Not quite versatile as the Kodak in it's features, but all the basics were there including the recharge and transfer features.

In any case, that may be a good alternative to a phone with camera combination. And though my little Motorola is smaller, the actual two cameras are the same size as most smart phones, and I used a smart phone case to carry the camera.

CWS