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Help Computer does not recognize Captivate

I've lifted this from an AT&T Forum. As an aside, my USB connectivity has stopped working on my phone (maybe having to do with recharging in wall vs computer). My USB connectivity Magicly started working again and with a few quirks, MyPhneExplorer works well.

If what you need is to sync Outlook with your Galaxy phone I have found a app to do it. It is called Myphoneexplorer. You can download the client from the markplace and then go to the web site and download the desktop software. I works, it syncs both contacts and calendar and a few other things. You can read about it at http://www.fjsoft.at/en/home.php. It is donate ware but it paying for because it is clean and simple. So, in other words you can try it without costing you anything. However, I would back up my Outlook just in case you have problems. And it works with Outlook 2010.


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I'm going to piggyback on this thread because I'm having the same problem.

Laptop #1: HP Pavilion dv6000 running Windows Vista 64-bit
Laptop #2: Asus eee netbook running Windows 7 Starter

Captivate: Rooted, firmware 2.1-update1, Baseband: I897UCJH7, kernel 2.6.29, jetaek.lee@sep-11 #2

When I got my Captivate I successfully rooted it and enabled side loading. I was able to install the USB drivers on laptop #1.

In September, my Windows Vista had be be reinstalled on laptop #1 and my Captivate got royally screwed up when installing app updates (would hang, zillions of error messages, etc.). I fixed the Captivate problem by reinstalling(?)/restoring(?). I think I used the Odin(?) software to do so, and I know that when I got it working again, the phone was still rooted, but sideloading was no longer enabled.

I want to enable sideloading again, but I cannot get the device drivers to work on laptop #1 or #2.

When I downloaded/installed the file usb_drivers_GalaxyS_x64 to laptop #1 I got an error message with the install wizard. I then downloaded SGH-i897_Captivate_USB_Drivers_5_02_0_2 from Samsung and although it told me that the drivers successfully, nothing happens when I plug in my phone. (I've tried to plug it in with the USB debugging turned on, with the USB set to mass storage and will it set to "ask on connection.") When I go to the control panel/drivers I cannot find any sign that the Captivate drivers are installed. When I plug the phone into the computer, the phone recognizes the power source (starts to charge), but I get no message on the phone or sign on the computer that the two are connected.

The same problem occurs on laptop #2.

I've also installed Kies on laptop #1 (using the link in this thread http://androidforums.com/samsung-captivate/185812-jh7-firmware-upgrade-successful-through-kies.html) and although it installed successfully, it doesn't recognize that a device is connected when I plug my phone in.

FWIW, I've tried every USB port on each laptop.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.
 
I'm in the same boat here. I have a samsung captivate (not rooted however I'm looking to update to the new Froyo unofficially released).

I have tried to connect to my Ubuntu 10.10 desktop. I used to be able to connect and mount the internal storage card to transfer files. I haven't tried for a while so I am not sure when exactly this started. However I am getting nothing. It seems like the computer won't even acknowledge a device was connected.

I have tried to connect with USB Debugging on/off. I've also tried to connect using mass storage. I have updated all my applications and never used Kies or any additional drivers.

I wasn't sure if this maybe something off with my desktop, so I tried to connect on a Macbook Pro. Again this used to work, now nothing.

I do routinely change my phone in the wall, so ItZCal maybe on to something for me...

Am I alone hear? I haven't called Samsung or gone to AT&T, but past experience with AT&T store employees has been lackluster to say the least...

I'm will to try any troubleshooting I can. Please help!!
 
I am having the same issues with my phone. Initially, when I connected to phone via USB, my laptop (running XP) would open a small window asking what I wanted to do with the device, but it no longer does that. It DOES still make the sound indicating that a new connection was made (and my phone shows USB connected and charging indicators) but the computer doesn't "see" the phone.
I did find that when the USB is plugged in, if I choose the "media" option instead of "data storage" or "kies" THEN the computer sees it and the phone shows a large USB icon on the screen and reads 'connected'. I am then able to transfer data from the computer to either the sd card or the phone's memory.
Any ideas why it would see it on 'media' but not as 'data storage'?
 
I've tried everything in this thread. The only way I can recognize my phone is to install the drivers referenced above and select the "media" option. AMD 64 Quad Core, Vista 64, ASUS mohterboard
 
I was going crazy with this too. what fixed it for me was uninstalling and reinstalling the usb drivers in my device mgr. windows vista 32 bit for me.
 
sremick said:
Not sure why people are needing drivers. I've connected my Captivate to many computers, XP and Windows 7, and never needed to install any drivers.
Click to expand...

I was baffled that nowhere have I seen instructions as to how to access your data when connecting. I kept hearing the sound but could not access the drives.... On the phone I had to drag down the Notifications Bar, select the drive & Mount it from the phone after pluggin in the USB connection. Took me hours to figure this out.

Using XP Pro on a laptop.
 
timbuk2 said:
I was baffled that nowhere have I seen instructions as to how to access your data when connecting. I kept hearing the sound but could not access the drives.... On the phone I had to drag down the Notifications Bar, select the drive & Mount it from the phone after pluggin in the USB connection. Took me hours to figure this out.
Click to expand...

Nowhere? It's mentioned on the Captivate FAQ, which is a sticky in this forum, mentioned in many active members' signatures, and also explicitly mentioned in more than half the threads here.

Connectivity - CapFAQ
 
sremick said:
Nowhere? It's mentioned on the Captivate FAQ, which is a sticky in this forum, mentioned in many active members' signatures, and also explicitly mentioned in more than half the threads here.

Connectivity - CapFAQ
Click to expand...

That's what I meant, ... until I found this forum. Not in the instructions, couldn't find anything on AT&T's web site or any of the OTHER places I had looked for hours.

Tim
 
for those of you having trouble connecting... are you running different launchers. I noticed mine would not connect when using a different launcher, example- launcher pro, adw. It would still get the beep saying its connected but the mtp service would not start. once i used the stock launcher... instantly connects. You can give that a try.

Instead of defaulting my launcher pro i just choose which to use when pressing the home button. For those trying this, under manage applications, clear defaults under the non stock launcher you are using.
 
I had a very flaky connection for a while. Now it's totally gone and won't connect to a Mac or Windows XP machine.

Where can I get a new cable? What is the USB connector on this phone called? I've got other mini-USB cables but they aren't this small!

Where to you set "Mass Storage Mode", phone or Windows and where?

Where do you find "media", "mass storage" and "Kies" settings (maybe the same question as above)?

I've done everything mentioned in this thread except the above and deleting USB drivers via Device Manager. Device Manager -> USB just shows a bunch of generic crap with the exception of my printer. I wouldn't even know where to start deleting drivers.

I'm thinking its the cable because of all the flakiness, but who knows. Maybe head for my local AT&T store to see if they know anything.

Thanks!
 
dougrc12 said:
Where can I get a new cable?
Click to expand...
Online: Monoprice
Box stores: any tech store. Radio Shack, Best Buy, etc.

Cable might require a little trimming for a good fit. See the Captivate FAQ:
USB cable won't stay securely in the Captivate - CapFAQ

What is the USB connector on this phone called? I've got other mini-USB cables but they aren't this small!
Click to expand...
Micro-USB

Where to you set "Mass Storage Mode", phone or Windows and where?

Where do you find "media", "mass storage" and "Kies" settings (maybe the same question as above)?
Click to expand...
See the Captivate FAQ:
Connectivity - CapFAQ
 
My brand new phone (2 days old) does not have "USB Settings" in the Applications window. I can get the phone connected to my Windows XP PC only if I connect the USB cable prior to turning on the phone. On the phone in the pulldown menu I get "Ongoing" followed by "USB Connected". Nothing happens if I press "USB Connected" on the phone and both the phones mass storage devices on my PC say something like "insert device" when I try and open them.

I did not have the cable in securely when I was trying to transfer the root software. There were repeated connection and disconnections without every "unmounting". I was successful in transferring the file, rooting the phone and installing ROM Manager. Since then this USB issue started. Do you think I have corrupted something on the phone and if so what now?

Thanks!
 
I was having issues as well in that sometimes it would connect, sometimes it wouldn't. I find if I have Kies open and when I mount my phone, if I choose 'Kies (firmware update)', it will recognize my phone...then I just cancel the firmware update and do whatever I want to do.

Good luck!
 
Opps... Found USB settings. Applications -> Settings -> Applications (again) -> USB Settings

So I retract the USB settings part of my last post. It was set to Mass Storage however.

Still trying...
 
For what it's worth from a guy who doesn't know very much... Getting into USB Settings and changing it from "Mass Storage" to "Ask on Connection", along with making sure you press the "USB Connected" button on the pulldown menu both to mount and unmount, got me connected again. Phone is upgraded and running Cognition. Pretty good for an old fart like me... Also for "old farts" like me, make sure to take your bi-focals off, look real close at that little usb door on the phone, gather all your strength and make sure it "clicks" to the open position. :-) That does allow the micro-usb connector to seat solidly into the phone. It appears to be all the way open but it may not be. The repeated connections yesterday due to the cable being lose may have "hung" something in the phone that changing the USB Settings unhung. Who knows... Thanks to sremick for pointing me to the info I needed!
 
hey all i only read through half the first page before i found my solution and wanted share. i realised that the only thing i changed from the time my pc WOULD recognise to the time it wouldn't was that i opted for the phone to "stay awake" when charging. i turned it off, plugged the phone back in and it worked fine.

i'm no techie, i've only had the phone two days, but thats my .02
 
This is what worked for me after trying everything above. Samsung Captivate

Unplug usb
tap Applications
tap Settings Icon
tap Applications
choose - USB settings
choose - ask on connection
then pull down grey slider
tap on USB message
blue box - You have connected etc - choose MOUNT
- and it should!

To go back and work it at another time
plug in USB
choose - mass storage
USB should be connected already (if not then follow above)
Then go to Explored on your PC and find the device (mine showed F,G, H and it was just H that had files from my phone.

(and then ignore my below, the moderator answered it below my post)

Now I can go into Explorer and open the drive, but still have yet to find the folder where pictures and videos are stored (which is all I need to move for my son's medical file) The Pictures folder is empty so....

If I click the "My Files" (on phone) icon it says there is no SD card inserted. When I went into Gallery just now it said there was no SD card. All is gone. Keep in mind (as I am freaking out right now!) that I did not unmount the SD card, I did not open the phone. All I did was the above list I mentioned. AND then...

When I unplug the USB it prepares for internal storage and the pictures are back again. Can someone tell me how the heck to move the pictures/vidoes via usb?
 
Welcome to the forums!

If the Captivate is following standard conventions, they'll be in a folder called DCIM (digital camera images), and usually a folder below that, often called 100MEDIA.

The SD card ought only be recognized by one device at a time, so if the PC has it, I'm not surprised the phone's software doesn't (if I understood your My Files comment correctly).
 
EarlyMon said:
Welcome to the forums!

If the Captivate is following standard conventions, they'll be in a folder called DCIM (digital camera images), and usually a folder below that, often called 100MEDIA.

The SD card ought only be recognized by one device at a time, so if the PC has it, I'm not surprised the phone's software doesn't (if I understood your My Files comment correctly).
Click to expand...


Exactly right, thank you so so much. You are a lifesaver with this.
 
I've had my Captivate since November, but never bothered to connect it to my PC (Windows XP, SP3) until today, when I had the time to do the Android 2.2 update.

I followed the instructions in the email I received - installed Kies, turned on USB debugging, went into Download mode with the phone - but when the computer finished its part in the drivers installation, the phone still showed Download mode (and the warning not to turn off the Target). So I waited about 5 minutes, but the instructions implied that the phone would be done first, and I've had phones that never told me when an update was complete, so I finally decided to disconnect the USB cable and restart both the phone and PC.

But when I connect the phone via USB, I still get the same message I got before -

"One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it. For assistance in solving this problem, click this message."

And clicking the message only gives me a list of the USB ports, with one indicating it has an "unrecognized device" attached.

The instructions I followed are here: How Do I Update The Software On My AT&T SGH-i897 (Captivate) Phone To Android 2.2 (Froyo) Through Kies Mini For PC?

This is the first smartphone I've ever owned, so I'm as inexperienced as can be - any advice as to what I may have done wrong, or left out, is completely welcome! But clearly I can't update to Android 2.2 until I have this problem licked.
 
I've had this problem for a few months now, but haven't really went digging around for a solution because I saw at first glance that many of you were having the same problem and I imagined it would be very involved to resolve.

I have a Windows 7 64-bit desktop PC at home that I had no trouble connecting my phone to. I installed the appropriate drivers and it worked like a charm.

My work laptop, however, gave me some trouble. But because my home PC was working fine, I didn't bother too much with fixing it on the laptop. It's a Dell laptop setup on a docking station and running WinXP 32-bit.

I had the USB cable plugged into one of the USB ports on the docking station. I'd plug my phone in and windows would see the device, but would not accept any drivers I'd throw at it. Also, Samsung Kies mini would not acknowledge the connection to my phone.

After reading this forum and a few others, I tried unplugging the USB cable from the docking station port and instead plugged it directly into the USB Powered port on my laptop. I could tell right away that something was different. It picked up my phone but still wouldn't accept the drivers. I went into the Device Manager and tried to update the drivers there, but got the same results. I then uninstalled the device from Device Manager and disconnected the cable. I went into Add-Remove programs and uninstalled both the 'SAMSUNG Drivers' items listed there (I also had Samsung Kies mini installed, but did not uninstall it at this time).

I plugged my phone back in and directed the Add New Device wizard to a folder where I had extracted the 32-bit drivers to. It picked up the drivers just fine. It installed two other components for the device and accepted the same path I had previously chosen.

I then launched Kies and it recognized my phone (FINALLY!!). I even got an icon in My Computer for my SGH-I897 phone which contained "Card" and "Phone" as browsing paths. Excellent!!

I've been using a USB Bluetooth Adapter to get files onto my phone, but I so hate Bluetooth for data transfer. I'm so glad I can use a data cable now :)

I hope this helps. Thanks to those who have contributed to this thread (helpful or not). Best of luck to the rest of you.
 
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