- Mar 12, 2011
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Here in the cell phone and smartphone section of the forums we get a lot of questions for help with lost and stole phones and forgotton passwords and account info.
Unfortunatly we do not run a location service and can only help out with providing links to different web sites that provide a tracking method for finding a device.
We also are not a source for unlocking any device be it cell phone , smart phone, tablet or laptop and can only point you in the direction you need to go to get your device unlocked.
Before posting a thread asking for help make sure that you have all the info for your situation and that you include as much as possible so that we can understand what it is that you need help with. One or two word posts are not much to go on and the title bar is for naming the title of your thread and not for asking the question.
Frequently Asked Questions;
Q. How do I find my phone by it's imei number?
Q. How do I find my phone without it's imei number?
Q. How do I find my phone by it's sim card?
Q. My phone has been stolen help me find it.
A. All of these questions can be helped by visiting the sticky post at the top of the forum section on cell phones and smartphones.
http
/www.tomshardware.com/forum/58575-36-lost-stolen-phone-read-first
Q. Can I track a cell phone?
A. Hopefully your not trying to see where your friend , boy friend or girl friend is at the moment and you want to locate a lost or stolen phone. Follow the steps in the sticky above.
Q. Can I find a cell phone by location maps?
A. Some cell phones and smart phones have some GPS capability and you can see where you are when you enable the GPS on your phone. As far as tracking goes there is one web site that offers a way to find your lost phone.
https/play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout.labs.planb&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS5sb29rb3V0LmxhYnMucGxhbmIiXQ..
Q. My phone is locked after too many pattern traces it won't unlock.
Q. My phone is locked and I have forgotten my password.
Q. My phone is locked and I have forgotten my Google account info.
Q. My phone was locked by my son and I don't know what he did.
Q. Forgotton Password.
Q. How to recover Password.
Q. Unlock my phone without a Google account
These questions and more are what we get every day with people wanting unlocking help and instruction on how to get around entering a password. We cannot verify ownership and or identity so therefore it's against forum rules to be creating a thread to ask for help with unlocking. Any threads made asking for unlocking help will be closed by one of the Moderators.
Believe it or not but all of these questions can be answered by going to your cell phone provider and having them help you with unlocking your device. They can verify ownership and identity and your current service contract. All Android phones need a Google Account/Gmail in order to be activated.
Connecting to the Internet.
Q. My phone will not connect to the internet.
Q. My phone will not connect to my home network.
Q. My phone connects to the signal but I cannot surf.
Don't confuse signal strength with connection , your phone will see a network and identify it and give a signal strength but you still need a password to connect.
There is no mystery here, a smart phone or cell phone with internet capability can and will connect to your network , the coffee shop network , the school network and the library network by entering in the network password. If you want to be connected to the internet and surf the net then a password has to be entered correctly. If it's a free service like a school or coffee shop there may be a password posted to use or it may be just left open. Don't forget that passwords are case sensitive.
SD cards and there function in a cell phone.
If your cell/smart phone comes with a SD card it's a good idea to have it set to store photos , music and misc. apps on it.
Q. How can I unlock my SD card.
Q. How can I remove the write protection from my SD card.
If you didn't set the write protection or password then who did , when you do something and your prone to forget then it should be written down and kept someplace that you can retrieve when needed. A SD card does not come with those things enabled and by setting them you are the only one that knows the password and as with the unlocking policy that was spoken of previously this forum does not provide help in this area.
A SD card is included in a cell/smart phone to increase the phones internal memory and to make it easier to transfer data , photos and music.
Q. How do I format my SD card
Q. How do I recover my photos that I deleted.
Q.How do I recover my data from a formatted SD card.
A SD card is treated like a hard drive when connected to a computer and is given a drive letter so the same rules that apply to a hard drive will apply to a SD card. You can easily format a SD card while in the phone or in a card reader.
If a SD card was formatted by mistake then data of any type , even photos, can be recovered from it provided that no new data was entered onto the card after formatting and there is a web site that you can get help from for this.
http/android-file-recovery.en.softonic.com/
http/www.appolicious.com/topics/744-how-to-recover-android-sd-card-deleted-photos-videos-audio-etc
http/www.easeus.com/data-recovery/card-recovery-software/android-sd-card-data-recovery-freeware.htm
Q. How do I transfer photos to my computer.
When connecting a phone to a computer a manager application is generally loaded to help with the interaction of the phone and the computer and photos can be easily downloaded to the application and you do have a choice as to where they are downloaded to. It's comparable to when you connect a camera to the computer and Windows will give you options to transfer
There is also the program called Samsung Kies which can be downloaded to help with this function.
http/www.samsung.com/us/kies/
For iphone users there is an app for that and it's called easy photo transfer and can be found in the Apple app store. There is also itunes for the music.
Q. How do I transfer photos and music to another phone.
The best way is to connect the two phones by blue tooth and do a file transfer between phones, this web site will help with instructions on how to do that.
http/www.ehow.com/video_4756777_transfer-between-bluetooth_enabled-phones-devices.html
Q. Problems with my SD card.
Be specific we can't read minds and all we have to go by is what you specify in the post.
Using the phone to connect other devices to the internet.
Q. How to connect other cell phones to the internet with my phone.
If you want to use your phone to connect other devices to the internet you can but you will be using your data plan to do so.
Mobile Hot Spot- connects other phones , tablets and laptops to the internet through your phone. Contacting your cell service provider is necessary to set this up.
Q. How can I use my phone to connect my computer to the internet.
Q. How can I connect my other devices to the internet with my phone.
Tethered modem- you can use this option to connect a laptop or computer to the internet and can be used to connect to your wireless router so that your network can have the devices connected to it have access to the internet. Contacting your cell service provider is necessary to set this up.
Wireless router- You can set your phone up as a wireless router and have all your home devices connected to the internet. Contacting your cell service provider is necessary to set this up.
All of these options will affect your data plan and will be up to you if that's what you want to do.
The absolutely best way to prevent a lost or stolen phone from not being recovered is to add applications that enable tracking before you loose your phone and to set recommended options once the phone has been set up by the sales person at the cell phone store. This application can be loaded now while you still have the phone in your possession.
https/play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwiY29tLmxvb2tvdXQiXQ..
Your cell phone provider will also have recommendations to set up in your phone before you lose it that will make it easier to recover it , delete your information and lock it so it can't be used.
Your cell phone provider is also the best place to get help with most situations that occur than it is to ask for help in a forum.
In closing please remember to post responsibly and that those that your asking for help from have to be able to read and understand your question to be able to give you an accurate answer so make every effort to post a clearly written thread.
Thank you.
Unfortunatly we do not run a location service and can only help out with providing links to different web sites that provide a tracking method for finding a device.
We also are not a source for unlocking any device be it cell phone , smart phone, tablet or laptop and can only point you in the direction you need to go to get your device unlocked.
Before posting a thread asking for help make sure that you have all the info for your situation and that you include as much as possible so that we can understand what it is that you need help with. One or two word posts are not much to go on and the title bar is for naming the title of your thread and not for asking the question.
Frequently Asked Questions;
Q. How do I find my phone by it's imei number?
Q. How do I find my phone without it's imei number?
Q. How do I find my phone by it's sim card?
Q. My phone has been stolen help me find it.
A. All of these questions can be helped by visiting the sticky post at the top of the forum section on cell phones and smartphones.
http
/www.tomshardware.com/forum/58575-36-lost-stolen-phone-read-firstQ. Can I track a cell phone?
A. Hopefully your not trying to see where your friend , boy friend or girl friend is at the moment and you want to locate a lost or stolen phone. Follow the steps in the sticky above.
Q. Can I find a cell phone by location maps?
A. Some cell phones and smart phones have some GPS capability and you can see where you are when you enable the GPS on your phone. As far as tracking goes there is one web site that offers a way to find your lost phone.
https
/play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout.labs.planb&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS5sb29rb3V0LmxhYnMucGxhbmIiXQ..Q. My phone is locked after too many pattern traces it won't unlock.
Q. My phone is locked and I have forgotten my password.
Q. My phone is locked and I have forgotten my Google account info.
Q. My phone was locked by my son and I don't know what he did.
Q. Forgotton Password.
Q. How to recover Password.
Q. Unlock my phone without a Google account
These questions and more are what we get every day with people wanting unlocking help and instruction on how to get around entering a password. We cannot verify ownership and or identity so therefore it's against forum rules to be creating a thread to ask for help with unlocking. Any threads made asking for unlocking help will be closed by one of the Moderators.
Believe it or not but all of these questions can be answered by going to your cell phone provider and having them help you with unlocking your device. They can verify ownership and identity and your current service contract. All Android phones need a Google Account/Gmail in order to be activated.
Connecting to the Internet.
Q. My phone will not connect to the internet.
Q. My phone will not connect to my home network.
Q. My phone connects to the signal but I cannot surf.
Don't confuse signal strength with connection , your phone will see a network and identify it and give a signal strength but you still need a password to connect.
There is no mystery here, a smart phone or cell phone with internet capability can and will connect to your network , the coffee shop network , the school network and the library network by entering in the network password. If you want to be connected to the internet and surf the net then a password has to be entered correctly. If it's a free service like a school or coffee shop there may be a password posted to use or it may be just left open. Don't forget that passwords are case sensitive.
SD cards and there function in a cell phone.
If your cell/smart phone comes with a SD card it's a good idea to have it set to store photos , music and misc. apps on it.
Q. How can I unlock my SD card.
Q. How can I remove the write protection from my SD card.
If you didn't set the write protection or password then who did , when you do something and your prone to forget then it should be written down and kept someplace that you can retrieve when needed. A SD card does not come with those things enabled and by setting them you are the only one that knows the password and as with the unlocking policy that was spoken of previously this forum does not provide help in this area.
A SD card is included in a cell/smart phone to increase the phones internal memory and to make it easier to transfer data , photos and music.
Q. How do I format my SD card
Q. How do I recover my photos that I deleted.
Q.How do I recover my data from a formatted SD card.
A SD card is treated like a hard drive when connected to a computer and is given a drive letter so the same rules that apply to a hard drive will apply to a SD card. You can easily format a SD card while in the phone or in a card reader.
If a SD card was formatted by mistake then data of any type , even photos, can be recovered from it provided that no new data was entered onto the card after formatting and there is a web site that you can get help from for this.
http
/android-file-recovery.en.softonic.com/http
/www.appolicious.com/topics/744-how-to-recover-android-sd-card-deleted-photos-videos-audio-etchttp
/www.easeus.com/data-recovery/card-recovery-software/android-sd-card-data-recovery-freeware.htmQ. How do I transfer photos to my computer.
When connecting a phone to a computer a manager application is generally loaded to help with the interaction of the phone and the computer and photos can be easily downloaded to the application and you do have a choice as to where they are downloaded to. It's comparable to when you connect a camera to the computer and Windows will give you options to transfer
There is also the program called Samsung Kies which can be downloaded to help with this function.
http
/www.samsung.com/us/kies/For iphone users there is an app for that and it's called easy photo transfer and can be found in the Apple app store. There is also itunes for the music.
Q. How do I transfer photos and music to another phone.
The best way is to connect the two phones by blue tooth and do a file transfer between phones, this web site will help with instructions on how to do that.
http
/www.ehow.com/video_4756777_transfer-between-bluetooth_enabled-phones-devices.htmlQ. Problems with my SD card.
Be specific we can't read minds and all we have to go by is what you specify in the post.
Using the phone to connect other devices to the internet.
Q. How to connect other cell phones to the internet with my phone.
If you want to use your phone to connect other devices to the internet you can but you will be using your data plan to do so.
Mobile Hot Spot- connects other phones , tablets and laptops to the internet through your phone. Contacting your cell service provider is necessary to set this up.
Q. How can I use my phone to connect my computer to the internet.
Q. How can I connect my other devices to the internet with my phone.
Tethered modem- you can use this option to connect a laptop or computer to the internet and can be used to connect to your wireless router so that your network can have the devices connected to it have access to the internet. Contacting your cell service provider is necessary to set this up.
Wireless router- You can set your phone up as a wireless router and have all your home devices connected to the internet. Contacting your cell service provider is necessary to set this up.
All of these options will affect your data plan and will be up to you if that's what you want to do.
The absolutely best way to prevent a lost or stolen phone from not being recovered is to add applications that enable tracking before you loose your phone and to set recommended options once the phone has been set up by the sales person at the cell phone store. This application can be loaded now while you still have the phone in your possession.
https
/play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwiY29tLmxvb2tvdXQiXQ..Your cell phone provider will also have recommendations to set up in your phone before you lose it that will make it easier to recover it , delete your information and lock it so it can't be used.
Your cell phone provider is also the best place to get help with most situations that occur than it is to ask for help in a forum.
In closing please remember to post responsibly and that those that your asking for help from have to be able to read and understand your question to be able to give you an accurate answer so make every effort to post a clearly written thread.
Thank you.
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