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Mobile Gadget News :: Making Your Mobile Life Simpler _ Motorola MPx220 _ Getting the data off a broken phone

Posted by: swan Jan 8 2007, 02:14 PM

Good morning and happy new year MPx'ers!

well, I finally did it, I killed my phone. I was being a little careless and it fell out of my pocket, rebounded off the wall, and the inner LCD was destroyed. I can see roughly the top 1/4 still, the rest is shattered.

My question is it possible to pull off the data on the phone onto a computer via the USB port? Pictures/songs are easy, but what about my contact list (those not on the SIM card) or text messages that I can't read? Is it possible to pull this kind of data off?

As always, thanks for the help!

Posted by: awarner Jan 8 2007, 03:23 PM

Using Activesync and Outlook that came with the phone you can sync yout contacts and calender,
This is one of the main features of the device.
As for text messages there are a few third-party application available which can move text messages to the PC. Jeyo are one of the better known.

Posted by: runningtiger Jan 8 2007, 06:37 PM

"SmsCool" has a free demo that will transfer your text messages to your computer. You can use Microsoft's free utility "MS Remote Display Control" to display what's on your device's screen on your computer. Presumably it would display the whole screen and not just the top 1/4. This would allow you to look around your phone and see what (if anything) else you want to get off of it.

Good luck!

Posted by: swan Jan 10 2007, 01:46 PM

Thanks a lot guys, these programs are exactly what I was hoping for.

Posted by: swan Jan 11 2007, 01:37 PM

Well Jeyo works perfectly as advertised, it's fun to be able to whip through text messages using a keyboard biggrin.gif. MS Remote Display Control, on the other hand, is amusing. I download it onto the connected computer, run the install where everything goes smoothly. Problem is, once it's installed you need to activate it through the phone which I can't see, hehe. The instructions state that once I have the phone connected via active sync and the Remote program open I then:

3. On the device, tap on Start -> Programs -> cerdisp.
4. Tap OK -> Connect
5. Leave Hostname as PPP_PEER and tap OK

Problem is, can't get past step 3. D'oh. Well, if anyone is bored and would be inclined to run through this for me, and write down the button steps I'd be extremely grateful. Otherwise, I'll continue to use Jeyo, thanks again for all the help guys!

Posted by: runningtiger Jan 11 2007, 08:43 PM

"MS Remote Display Control" is only "amusing" 'cuz you're trying to use it in a way that it was not intended. When things are normal, it works "as advertised" too, meaning well and easily. Remember, it's actually a PPC program that you're using on a SmartPhone. So, the screens are not formatted for your device. And, just to be clear, the only thing it will do - if you get it running - is allow you to see your phone's screen on your computer. If Jeyo has already let you get your messages and you've got your contacts ActiveSync'd to Outlook, then, from your original post, it's unclear to me if you still need this. But, here goes...

I think there are other programs for displaying your screen on your computer, but I don't know what they are or if you can install any of them without being able to see your screen. After the fact is tough. But, maybe you'll have better luck with one of them though. Sorry I can't give you any names. Ask in another thread and you might get someone else's attention and help.

(*note to self: make a speed dial shortcut and a voice tag to CERDisp in case this ever happens to me so I can start the program without seeing it. wink.gif )

Re: MS Remote Display Control
It's tough 'cuz you need to know where it is on your start menu to activate it. But, if you find it somehow...

Like you said, first you connect via ActiveSync and run the Remote Host program on your computer. On my phone, when I open Cerdisp the "About CERDisp" screen immediately pops up and then it sits for a strong 30 seconds before the "CE Remote Display" screen comes up with 4 buttons you can choose from. But, unfortunately for you, none are linked to the soft buttons.

I noticed when it opened it was by default on the "hide" button. I moved one button to the left to select "connect". If you go two presses to the left it automatically jumps up a row to "settings" and if you press left again it's back to the bottom row and "exit". It'll just keep going in this backward loop around all four choices if you keep pressing your D-pad left. When it opens on the default "hide" you can also go three presses right and you'll end up on "connect" that way too.

After "connect" is pressed (by using the action key on your phone) it immediately goes to the "Connect" screen that shows the hostname as PPP_PEER. From here you just press the action key again which behaves the same as if you had pressed the down key once to jump from that box to the "OK" button and then pressed the "enter/action" key again on the D-Pad. Do it one way, or the other.

So...
1) start the host program on your computer
2) start the CERDisp program on your phone and wait at least 30 seconds (I'd wait more just to be certain.)
3) move one click left and press the action key on your device
4) press the action key one more time and hope your screen shows up in the blank window on your computer's desktop. It takes about two seconds to show up on mine.

Good luck!

If you make it to the "CE Remote Display" window and accidentally hit "hide" the whole program disappears and I haven't found a way to get it back without re-booting and starting over. "Exit" is self-explanatory. "Settings" brings up a "settings" window where you can set the refresh rate. One press of the action key brings you back to the "CE Remote Display" window where you're trying to choose "connect". What I'm getting at is, there doesn't seem to be any trouble you can get into if you accidentally press the wrong key that you can't see. It looks like the worst case scenario is you just won't get to where you want to go (having your device screen show up on your desktop) and will probably just have to re-boot to start over and try again.


Posted by: GrYph0n Jan 12 2007, 02:53 AM

Use Jeyo Mobile Companion screen capture feature to locate CERDisp in your start menu. With your phone connected, open Jeyo, goto Tools, Capture Screen. On your phone, press home, Jeyo: refresh screen capture, phone: press start, Jeyo: refresh, phone: next page, Jeyo: refresh, etc. until you find it on your phone, then follow runningtigers directions from there. You can also hit refresh on Jeyo with every action on the phone to see an updated screen. Something to note though, is that I am not sure if you will be able to use MS Remote Display while Jeyo is running and connected, so if you encounter any problems (make sure to note the button presses on the phone), close Jeyo and try again. That is about the best solution I can offer at this point. Above all, good luck, and let us know how it all turns out.

Posted by: abatis Jan 12 2007, 03:04 AM

Jeyo is one of my all time favorite Smartphone (and works with PPC) programs. Recently I switched my wife from a Qtek 8500 to a Cingular 3125 (Unlocked for T-Mobile). http://www.mobilegadgetnews.com/index.php?showtopic=6841 to the rescue. A very nice program.

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