Ever since I upgraded my work laptop to run Windows Vista, my Motorola Q hasn’t liked to tether to my computer. Specifically, when I plug in the USB cable, there is a pause, and then the PC just doesn’t recoginize it’s there.
Once in a great while it will get recognized, and once in awhile if I do the USB plug dance (where you unplug the USB cable from one PC USB socket and plug it into another, and repeat) it will, but it’s rare.
This is a bit of an issue for me because I tether my Q to my machine all the time to use it as a 3G modem (using trusty PDANet – yes it works on Vista). After some tinkering I’ve managed identify something that seems to make the Q pair to the laptop more consistantly.
Prior to connecting via the cable, turn the Q’s radio off. Plug the Q into the computer, wait for it to be recognized (either in the “Computer” view or in the “Mobile Device Center”) and, once recognized, turn the radio for the Q back on.
I don’t know why, but it works pretty reliably.
5 responses so far ↓
Andrew Becker // May 27, 2007 at 10:12 am |
Worked for me, at least on the first try. I had the exact same problem and we’re ok so far! Thanks for the tip!
Tim Pearson // May 28, 2007 at 3:19 pm |
what radio are u talking about? i just got a new laptop this weekend and i’m having a hard time w/ my Q. it connects…but after a few mins, it drops the connection totally…leaving me plugging and unplugging and reconnecting…i’m wondering if the installed sync program only stays synced for so long before it drops the Q connection off…
any help would be appreciated..
Steve Schreiber // May 29, 2007 at 12:11 am |
When I say “radio” I mean the phone radio itself (e.g. the radio that allows one to make phone calls and use data on the phone). If you go into the wireless control panel on the Q (gotten to by clicking on the home screen’s wireless network name – should be “Verizon” in the US), you can turn off the wireless. This is the same thing you’d do if you were trying to use your Q on the airplane (e.g. no send/receive happening but you can still use the phone’s organizer software/etc.).
I always keep/kept (I’m off a Q now) my Bluetooth radio off and only turned it on when I needed it for handfree calling. So, I don’t know if that interacts oddly with Vista or not.
Brad Wilks // January 28, 2008 at 12:29 pm |
Very weird…but it worked for me as well. Thanks!
MAGGIE ONEAL // March 26, 2008 at 8:21 pm |
Many thanks! When I got my Q, I didn’t find anything about Mobile 6 or Vista in the manual, so I googled and fortunately got your site. I turned off the phone/radio, connected, and strangely, rather than having me set up a new phone, Windows Mobile 6 recognized the Q as my Palm PDA (which I was replacing with a smartphone). That’s fine. Just to be sure, I didn’t turn the radio back on until the sych finished. Everything worked perfectly.
I guess Vista is ok with the Q as long as it “thinks” it’s just a PDA.