Why can't I see the Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.?

[dmusicant]

Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

This has been going on (on and off) for months, but this last week it's been all but impossible to see my Lumia 520 from any of my PCs. I've tried different cords. This week, one time only I was able to write a file to the SD card. Now, I can't see the phone. On this PC occasionally I see the phone in Windows Explorer, but get a spinning wheel when I try to gain access (to write files, etc.). I need to write MP3s to the card, don't want to always have to take out the card to do so.

I sometimes have difficulty charging the phone but it's not as bad as the problem of not being able to see the contents on the phone or SD card.

Is this probably a hardware problem (i.e. the female plug in the 520 gone bad)?

 

[Daniel Gilbert M]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

Is this probably a hardware problem (i.e. the female plug in the 520 gone bad)?

Yes.
you should get it checked from a nearby nokia care. (They can fix it)
that seems to be the problem after reading your question.

The female slot can get loose / contacts damage after frequent cable pull outs and put ins.

 

[Harrie-S]

Looks indeed that your phones USB port (female plug in the 520 gone bad).
If you still want to copy data you could use OneDrive or an app like dukto http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=db19501a-4777-4af2-837a-24ac01d1550f
Or Easy Transfer http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=5ccb6655-2ff9-4977-bf8b-577e92bbb236

 

[dmusicant]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

Thank you. Those alternatives are interesting, but before I saw your post I called Amazon and they consented to replace the 520. I should have the replacement in 2 days (Monday). I am to send my current phone back to them. So, my question now is how do I set up the new phone with all my apps, settings, data?

 

[Daniel Gilbert M]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

So, my question now is how do I set up the new phone with all my apps, settings, data?

Do backup from inside settings. This will backup all the app data and the settings. (to the cloud)
for your music and other files on your sd card, you can transfer them either with a card reader or if you dont wanna do that and you have a router at home you can access the phone/sd card memory by using this app FTP server | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)

When you receive the new phone just sign in and the settings/appdata etc will be automatically retrieved/restored.
You can Transfer the music and other stuff back to sd card.
when you get the new phone make sure that you first format your sd card from inside the phone after signing in and then only put the other files from pc back to sd card.

 

[dmusicant]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

Uh, so you're saying I should start by copying data to HD from card, then reformat the 64GB microSD card (in the phone). Then sync with cloud to get apps/settings and then copy data back to card from HD?

Thanks!

 

[dmusicant]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

I got new phone today. I'd checked Settings/Backup on the old phone and they were turned on, automatic backups. I didn't realize I could do a Backup Now, found that out later. I signed into my MS account on the new phone but it did not prompt me to restore from a backup. What do I do now??? I reinserted the SIM card and SD card in the old phone and did a Backup Now, but when I turn on the new phone (with the SIM and SD card back in it), I'm not prompted to restore from backup and I see nothing in the menus that allows me to restore from a backup. What to do????

 

[Daniel Gilbert M]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

I got new phone today. I'd checked Settings/Backup on the old phone and they were turned on, automatic backups. I didn't realize I could do a Backup Now, found that out later. I signed into my MS account on the new phone but it did not prompt me to restore from a backup. What do I do now??? I reinserted the SIM card and SD card in the old phone and did a Backup Now, but when I turn on the new phone (with the SIM and SD card back in it), I'm not prompted to restore from backup and I see nothing in the menus that allows me to restore from a backup. What to do????

I guess you want to retain the SD card. you should have done the backup while the sd card was still in the old phone ( a manual backup).
And it should have prompted you to restore as well. I dont know if the data on your memory card got corrupted or not.(old app data on old sd card wont be detected in new phone)
But if you have both the phones at the moment use the transfer my data app.(with the sd card in the old phone).

 

[dmusicant]

I hadn't done a recent (i.e. manual) backup of the old phone when I turned on the new phone for the first time and signed into my MS account, however I figured there was a backup because auto-backup was enabled. The SIM and SD card were in the new phone when I first turned it on. However, I was not prompted to restore from a backup after signing in to my account. Instead I was asked if I wanted to do a backup now. Of course, I declined because the new phone had nothing new on it to backup. Having then been made aware that I could do a manual backup of the old phone, I put the SIM and SD card back in it and did a manual backup. Then I reset the new phone. After signing in, I was again prompted to back up, not restore and I declined.

How do I do a restore? I'm lost at the moment.

 

[Daniel Gilbert M]

you should have proceeded with the backup since it was the only option (its just to turn on that feature).
settings/apps can be restored only if backup is turned on (even in the new phone).

 

[dmusicant]

you should have proceeded with the backup since it was the only option (its just to turn on that feature).
settings/apps can be restored only if backup is turned on (even in the new phone).

That is so counter intuitive it's criminal. At Windowsphone.com it says https://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/how-to/wp8/settings-and-personalization/restore-a-backup-to-my-phone:




When you first set up your new phone, sign in using the same Microsoft account you used when you created your backup.
Tip

Restoring a backup can use a lot of data, so you may want to connect to a Wi-Fi network during setup. Otherwise, the restore will use your cellular data and you may incur charges.

When you're prompted to restore your phone, tap the backup you want to use, and then tap Next.

It says nothing about first agreeing to do a backup!

Well, presumably I can still do all this. Do I have to do another reset to accomplish this? I think I need exact steps. What to do in what order.

 

[dmusicant]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

But if you have both the phones at the moment use the transfer my data app.(with the sd card in the old phone).

What is the transfer my data app? Never heard of it. Is it in the phone somewhere?

I can resume my efforts tomorrow, it's getting late. I'll check and see if the SD card looks like it hasn't changed. The SIM, is that read only?

I can reset the phone again and start over, this time agreeing to do a backup. Hopefully it is as you say and after doing that I will be offered the opportunity to restore from the backup I made today. If not, I guess I'll have to look into that app you mentioned, the transfer my data app.

 

[Daniel Gilbert M]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

When you first set up your new phone, sign in using the same Microsoft account you used when you created your backup.
When you're prompted to restore your phone, tap the backup you want to use, and then tap Next.

Well that didn't happen in your case (the prompt when you sign in.) it means only two things either that the backup was not properly done or there is something wrong with your account.
Check if a backup exists by going to https://onedrive.live.com/ on a pc then settings (gear icon) -> options -> device backups.
If you see your device name as well as the date then its there.
otherwise you will have to do backup again.

It says nothing about first agreeing to do a backup!

"When you're prompted to restore your phone, tap the backup you want to use, and then tap Next."

This never happened in your case. (If a backup existed on cloud it should have prompted)

Do you always follow the book ?
If something different happens you have to think outside the box right ?

What is the transfer my data app? Never heard of it. Is it in the phone somewhere?

https://www.windowsphone.com/en-us/...8943b-7b3d-4ee5-aa3c-30f1a826af02?signin=true is an app which comes preinstalled. if its not installed on your phone you can get it from store. (Its just for transferring the contacts)

 

[Daniel Gilbert M]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

I'll check and see if the SD card looks like it hasn't changed. The SIM, is that read only?

When you do a backup, the sd card doesn't get changed. However if you keep tossing it between your new one and the old one, there is a chance.
SIM is not read only, it wont get affected just like that.

 

[dmusicant]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

Next morning:

Well, I'm ready to tackle this again after a good night's sleep.

Thanks for sticking with me on this, I really need the help.

Yes, I think there may be something screwy about my account(s). I had that feeling when that was set up. Maybe the confusion is just in my head. It seemed to me that there were two (at least) things going on. One was an account that had username = my email account. Another was an account using the first part of that email address (i.e. the part before the @ symbol), with live.com being the second part. I have different passwords for them, at least I think so. I made notes in my computer information system regarding this. Yesterday I tried to login using the new phone using the @live.com sign in and it didn't work, so I tried the other one and it did work. Where my backup went? I don't know yet, I'll go look as you suggest. What was my sign in on my old phone? That would seem to be the question, maybe it wasn't the one that I signed in with on the new phone. Yes, "screwy" comes to mind.

I have a few other questions that concern me that I think you can speak to at this point:

1. My contacts, well, actually there are a lot of them in there. I only entered a few, less than a handful IIRC. I think the others were brought in automatically from Facebook. Is that reasonable?

2. I have a few for money apps, very few, maybe 3. Early on I heard about MyFreeApp, which offers a different free app every day. I don't check it as often now, but over time I've downloaded dozens of those. Most I've never even tried, but some of them are really great. I know if they aren't restored automatically I could find them again, but I think most of those I'd have to buy at this point... isn't that the case? So, the question is, can I get them restored too?

Next thing I'm going to do right now is put the SIM and SD card back in the old phone and go through the list of apps and type the names into my information management system so I know what have at the moment. Then I'll take a peak at what Windows says is on the SD card and see if it still matches the backup I made to PC's HD. Then I'll try to ascertain if I have a valid backup out there.

Maybe you can help me make sense of the confused picture I have of my accounts. I remember talking to a Microsoft person around 8 months ago for a few minutes, it wasn't clear in my head about those two different usernames and what they signified.

I'll post back. Now, to be honest, I'm not in a giant hurry on this, my most typical usage for this phone is listening to music, most typically in the gym. I bought it originally for the GPS functionality, it's great for that, but I only need that once in a while. At times I frequent a for-money app I saw recommended, Amazing Weather HD, it really is great IMO. I almost never make calls on it, partly because my AT&T coverage in the house is very spotty, at least it used to be. I use my land line for telephone. So, the time constraint more than anything is Amazon telling me that I have to return the old phone within 30 days. Thanks again!

Edit: When I swiped left on the start screen, I listed my apps. There are ~162 of them +/- one or two! One of those apps is OneDrive, and when I open that I see a few things including photos, that were automatically uploaded but I don't see the backup I did yesterday. I don't know if that means it isn't up there. Here's my list (I put a few dash marks next to ones of special interest to me, which wasn't all inclusive):

List of apps on old phone before change-over -- 03/24/2015
--------------------------------------------------------------
4th & Mayor --
Accurate Tuner Free
AccuWeather - Weather
Advanced English Dictionary -
AirportSeek
Alarms
AllTube Grabber
Amazing Weather HD ---
Amazon Kindle ---
App Folder
AT&T Address Book
AT&T Navigator
AT&T Radio
AtomicClock ---
Autible
Audio Notepad
Audioook Reader Free
Baconit --
Battery
Battery
Battery Saver
Battery+ 8.1
Blek
Bowling Journal
Calculator
Calendar
Camera
CamTool
Chase Mobile* --
Chess WP
CloudMesh Pro
Cortana
Data Sense
Depth of Field 7
Dictate!
DocuSign
DS audio --
DS file --
DS finder --
DS photo+ --
DS video --
Earth Time Free
Easy Password
ESPN Hub
ESPN Radio
Evernote --
Facefook
Files&Folders Pro
Flixter
FM Radio
Food & Drink
Function Plotter
Funny Qyotes
Games
GasBuddy
Glance Background
GPS Calculator PRO
GuitarKit
Gym PocketGuide ---
HardFox SixPack
Health & Fitness
Heart Rate
HERE Drive+
HERE Explore Beta
HERE Maps
HERE Transit
IMDb
INRIX Traffic
Inspirational Quotes ---
Internet Explorer
Kindle Best Free Books ---
Lumia Black Update
Lumia Camera
Lumia Cinemagraph
Lumia Creative Studio
Lumia Help+ Tips
Lumia Panorama
Lumia storage check
MagicPhotos
Maps
MeeDJ
Messaging
Metrotube
MixRadio
Mobile Bartender
Mobile TV
Modern Translate
Monetal
Monster Stack 3 HD+
Music
Music Sense
myAppFree
Newspapers
Night Stand Clock
Note It
Notes
NYTimes --
Office
Office Lens
OneDrive
OneNote
OneReader
OneShot
Pandora
People
Phone
Photo Lock Pro
PhotoBeamer
Photochronicle
Photos
Picture Perfect
Planner+
Podcasts
PODCASTS!
PosingApp
Protect Your File
Quick Bandwidth Test
Ringo: Low cost international...
Romance Quotes
Settings
ShareFolder Explorer
Simply Alarming
Skype
Sleep
Smart Shoot
SmartWakeup
Sonic
Speeh shopper
Spotify
Stop the Music! --
StopWatch
Stopwatch Timer
Storage Sense
Store
SuperTimer
Syno Downloader
SysApp Pusher --
Tapatalk
Tasks
The ArmAsault
The Sound Recorder
Tile Me!
Timer
TO DO
Translator One
Travel
Tube HD - Best Client f...
TuneIn Radio
Video
Video Shop
VisualMATH 4D
Vizilife
Wallet
Weather (the weather channel)
Weather
Weather26
WeatherBug
Weave News Reader
WebApps
Windows Central ---
Yelp
YPmobile
Zoom

 

[Harrie-S]

Daniel is not on line so let me answer a few questions.

1 On your old phone go to SETTINGS > email+accounts > under the MICROSOFT ACCOUNT is the email you used on your phone.

2 Apps you bought or got free with MyAppFree stay yours so you can get them back for free again (if you use the same MS account on your new phone)
However the last few weeks we get reports from people that they can not get back some free apps which they got from MyAppFree. The developers of these apps should sort it out with Microsoft but this seems to take a long time.

3 Apps which are pulled back from the store are "gone" so yo will not get them back anymore.
(Like HERE Explore Beta this app is merged with HERE maps)

 

[dmusicant]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

Well that didn't happen in your case (the prompt when you sign in.) it means only two things either that the backup was not properly done or there is something wrong with your account.
Check if a backup exists by going to https://onedrive.live.com/ on a pc then settings (gear icon) -> options -> device backups.
If you see your device name as well as the date then its there.
otherwise you will have to do backup again.

I went there and it says:


Backed up device settings

You don’t have any devices that are backing up settings to OneDrive.

So, something is wrong. The backup looked to have completed successfully yesterday. I could try it again but suspect there will be the same outcome. Don't know what to try next, but as you say, I'll have to think outside the box.

 

[dmusicant]

Well, I determined that I do have a backup of "Device Settings" with the account for dmusicant@live.com. Thus, I have two accounts! I had signed in with my other account. This is confusing, to say the least. Well, I can reset the new phone and sign in with the account that has the backup. But I'm wondering first if this is enough. Device settings appears to be a different animal than app backup. I saw two backup things in there when I did the backup. I couldn't figure out how to do the other, it was greyed out. Will my restore of Device Settings also restore my apps and app data?

 

[Harrie-S]

Re: Can't see Lumia 520 from any of my PC's.

Indeed in apps+settings you can backup settings and apps.
And if you go to manage backup you see Settings backup (which you can unmark) and app backup (which is greyed out). But if you unmark Settings backup then the App backup is not greyed out anymore. But you need both.

And to be clear in Settings > apps+settings both have to be on.
Before you push "back up now".

 

[Daniel Gilbert M]

Will my restore of Device Settings also restore my apps and app data?

Yes it would have been all perfect .... if you had backed up both settings and app data.
but in your case you opted for settings backup only (turning on backup for appdata has a separate toggle in the same settings page in phone)
you didn't mention about using a second account ...
you have to use the same account to sign in.
Then only it will prompt you to restore.
If you have a win 8.1 pc, the backup file of the pc will be in the same folder in the onedrive as well.