Problems with new computer - Page 2

Caffeina · ‎03-09-2010

I have an Android phone and a Windows 11 computer. None of my photos are in the cloud, they're all on my phone. The computer doesn't see the phone as soon as it's connected. I have to swipe down from the top of the phone screen, and there's a message to tap which opens a menu so I can tell the phone what to do. The default is charging. I select file transfer from the menu, which gives the computer permission to see the phone's files. The phone will then appear in the computer's file manager. I can then navigate to the photos and transfer them.

My phone is a moto g power. Other brands might work similarly.

gadgetgal613 · ‎07-07-2021

@Caffeina wrote:
@gadgetgal613

I have an Android phone and a Windows 11 computer. None of my photos are in the cloud, they're all on my phone. The computer doesn't see the phone as soon as it's connected. I have to swipe down from the top of the phone screen, and there's a message to tap which opens a menu so I can tell the phone what to do. The default is charging. I select file transfer from the menu, which gives the computer permission to see the phone's files. The phone will then appear in the computer's file manager. I can then navigate to the photos and transfer them.

My phone is a moto g power. Other brands might work similarly.

I'll copy and paste your instructions and send them to her. I found out her photos were in Google Photos not One Drive and one of the reasons things weren't working. Helping people who know nothing is frustrating at best. Plus, I don't have an Android phone or Windows anymore. Thanks.

DJs mom · ‎06-06-2012

@gadgetgal613 wrote:
@DJs mom wrote:
@gadgetgal613 If she has an Android phone her photos are stored in the Google cloud. Have her sign into Google on her new computer and select photos. They will come up.
They are store there instead of One Drive? She insists they are located on One Drive but, they don't show up. I just talked to her and will post back if this works or not. I still don't understand why the computer doesn't recognize her phone once it is plugged into the computer.

@gadgetgal613 I have an iPhone now, but I used to have an Android. I just logged into my Google account on my desktop and I can see all of my photos (from my Android phone and the ones from my iPhone). Tell her to log into Google, click the 9 dots at the top to open Google apps, and select "photos". All of her photos from her phone will come up on her computer

Caffeina · ‎03-09-2010

@gadgetgal613

Your friend should make sure she has access to the manufacturer's instructions on both her phone and computer. All phones have them, but paper copies are no longer routinely included with the phone. Going directly to the source should generally be the first place to look for how-toos.

@DJs mom wrote:
@gadgetgal613 I have an iPhone now, but I used to have an Android. I just logged into my Google account on my desktop and I can see all of my photos (from my Android phone and the ones from my iPhone). Tell her to log into Google, click the 9 dots at the top to open Google apps, and select "photos". All of her photos from her phone will come up on her computer

To clarify the above, photos will only be available through Google if the user previously backed them up there.

gadgetgal613 · ‎07-07-2021

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I copied and pasted almost everything and sent it to her. The biggest problem was, she doesn't know enough about computers, phones, backups or where her stuff was saved. We were looking in the wrong places and had wrong user names and passwwords. I can't stress this enough, people need to learn the basics for the devices they own. If you have an Android phone, you need to know how to connect it to your computer for a backup. If you save your data to the cloud, you need to know where it is and the user name and password. Most computer or phone failures don't come with a warning. The less you know or understand, the more you need to write things down. People can't help you if they don't have the correct information!