Help Moving SD card from HTC Desire to Galaxy S3 (including contacts - without syncing to Google))

[seesaw]

I know that there are threads on similar topics, but none seems to answer exactly what I'm looking for.

I have an HTC Desire (c. late 2010), and have recently bought a Galaxy S3. I had a 16gb micro SD in the Desire, which has quite a bit of music on it as well as the contacts I have just exported to it.

I have now put the same SD card into the Galaxy (which didn't seem to have one at all), and found my way via settings to check that the phone recognises that there is something there and something stored on it - so far so good!

However (being a bit of a klutz with these things):

1. I can't figure out how to get the Contacts into the Galaxy Contacts list; and
2. I haven't even tried to look for the music yet.

I know that there has been some advice on syncing with google, but I don't keep my contacts on my google account (I mostly use it for junk mail) and don't think I want google to own all of them.

I don't want to activate my phone account on the Galaxy until I've got the contacts sorted out at least, so can someone please advise asap whether there is an easy way of doing it from the point I've got to at this stage?

(Any other advice regarding the music, best player to use, etc. is also welcome, although I haven't searched the threads for this and this may be available elsewhere.)

 

[funkylogik]

For the music, i havent used the stock samsung one but id guess in the apps settings, there will be an option to tell it what folder(s) to read from so tell it to read frod EXT SD card/(whatever folder your music is in)
As for logging into the phone with your gmail account, you should definately do this... theres nothing to worry about, its needed for the phone to function as a smartphone, and chances are, your last phone has syncd the contacts to google and theyl be restored as soon as you log in :thumbup:

 

[seesaw]

Thanks for the music info, funkylogic.

I have set up my gmail account in both the old and new phones, but I have never had my usual set of contacts there - they are either in my phone and/or my computer Outlook Contacts... (In fact there's a lot of crap in my gmail contacts that I definitely don't want or need in my phone contacts.)

I think I just spotted something in the sticky about support above though (not sure why it didn't show in my search) - I'll come back to it in a while. Have just run out of time and energy for the moment.

 

[seesaw]

The advice in the General Advice and Troubleshooting sticky does describe what I'd already done:
"The second option is to transfer contacts via microSD card. Most phones have a microSD card. You can export your contacts to the SD card. Now, turn off both devices. Take the SD card out of your Galaxy S3 and put it to the side. The SD card is in the battery compartment and you have to remove the battery before you can remove the SD card. Put the SD card from your old phone in the SD card slot and boot the phone."

And then goes on to say:
"Now you need a file browser to view files on your SD card. I recommend ES File Explorer. Find your contacts (probably at the bottom of the list) and open them. The phone will save your contacts."

What I just found instead was a handy little option on the Contacts menu, called Import/Export, then a further list of options as to where from or to. So having selected "Import from SD card", everything was hunky dory in no time! It might be worth adding this to the sticky, if a moderator sees this suggestion.

 

[funkylogik]

Nice one mate :thumbup:
Since my 1st android, ive always just had google store my contacts so didnt know how to transfer them via SD.
good info