Samsung Galaxy S4 Not Recognized by Windows 7

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Not Recognized by Windows 7

Anonymous

I bought my Samsung Galaxy S4 from Walmart about a month ago, and it's on the Verizon network. I mention this because I think it might have a factor in why something isn't working here.

Soon after I got the phone, I connected it to my laptop (Dell Inspiron running Windows 7) and was able to open the folder on my phone using windows explorer so I could transfer photos/music to/from the device.

When I connected my phone that first time, it wanted to download Verizon software, and I declined. The second time I connected my phone to my laptop, I agreed to download the Verizon software... after that, my computer didn't want to recognize my device anymore. I tried uninstalling the Verizon software, switching to different USB ports, and trying some of the troubleshooting suggestions on similar posts on this website.

I tried using Microsoft's USB Troubleshooter (which found no problems) and the Kies 3 program to no avail.

When I plug in my phone, it gets recognized as being "connected as installer." It just wants to keep downloading the Verizon backup assistant/software upgrade software. If I select on my phone for it to be connected as a media device or a camera, the computer does not recognize it. It doesn't get recognized in Explorer. Kies 3 doesn't detect it.

With the way technology has advanced, I would expect a simpler plug and play option--not this mess.

My Lenovo phone (from overseas) does get automatically detected, and that is actually the only way I can transfer photos from my S4 right now--to switch the memory card over from the S4 to the Lenovo and then connect the Lenovo to my laptop.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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4 additional answers

Answer 1

Hello Laura,

Welcome to Microsoft Community Forum.

As per the description, I understand that your Samsung Galaxy S4 phone is not getting recognized by Windows. You were able to access the phone and transfer files the first time but after downloading Verizon software Windows fails to recognize the phone when connected. You have already tried a number of troubleshooting steps like uninstalling Verizon software, switching to different ports, running USB troubleshooter and kies 3 but none of them helped you enough to get this problem resolved.

I would appreciate if you can provide us the following information to help us understand the issue better.

What do you mean when you say “it gets recognized as being “connected as installer”?
What happens when you connect the phone to the computer? Do you get any error message?
Are you able to connect and access other USB devices on this computer?

Let’s try these methods below and check if that solves the problem.

Method 1:

Let’s follow the troubleshooting steps in the Samsung link below and check if that works.

Cell Phones: What do I do if Kies is not seeing my Device?

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faq/FAQ00029015/29183

Method 2:

Uninstall and Reinstall the latest USB Drivers for the Samsung S4 Device on the Computer

Please follow these steps and check if that resolves the issue.

Step 1: Uninstall the Device Drivers

Disconnect the Samsung S4 Device from the computer.
Press “Windows Logo” + “R” keys on the keyboard, type “devmgmt.msc” in the “Run” Command box and press “Enter”.
Search for the Samsung S4 device from the device list, right click on it and then select “Uninstall”. On the un-installation window, if you have an option: “Delete the driver software for this device” you may select that and then remove the corrupted drivers from the computer.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete it and the restart the computer if prompted.
After the restart, connect the Samsung S4 device back to the computer and then open the Device Manager again. Now, click on the “Scan for hardware changes” button and check if Windows 7 detects the phone and installs an appropriate driver automatically.

Step 2: Check the Windows updates for any latest driver updates.

Press “Windows Logo” + “R” keys on the keyboard, type “Control” in the “Run” Command box and press “Enter”.
Select either of the options: “Small icons” or “Large icons” from the “View by” menu on the upper-right corner of the “Control Panel” window.
Click on “Windows Update” and then click on the “Check for updates” link from the left pane of the window to receive a fresh list of updates.
If the updates are available, then install all the updates listed there.
Follow the on-screen instructions and restart the computer, if prompted.

If Windows Update does not offer any latest Windows 7 compatible drivers, download and install the latest driver software from manufacturer website.

Step 3: Update Driver Software from the Manufacturer’s website:

Download and install the latest version of the SAMSUNG Kies program from the Samsung website and check if that resolves the issue. You may download the SAMSUNG Kies setup file from this link:

Download SAMSUNG Kies 3.0

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/faq/FAQ00059171/81102

Note: Using Third Party Software, including hardware drivers can cause serious problems that may prevent your computer from booting properly. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Third Party Software can be solved. Using Third Party Software is at your own risk.

Hope this helps. Please let us know the results. Feel free to write us back for any further assistance, we’ll be glad to assist you.

Answer 2

Hello,

Thank you very much for the update on the issue.

I truly appreciate your efforts in resolving the problem. It is good to note that the issue is resolved and that the steps you updated will help other community members to solve their similar issues.

In addition to that, please feel free to reply, in case you face any other issues with Windows in future. We'll be glad to assist you again.

Answer 3

Ok I think I figured this out or one possible reason. It worked for me.

The problem is the device name change on your phone in About has change from the last time it was plugged into your computer. I had been playing around and the name had changed from "My Name" (SGH-M919) to "My Name" (SGH-M91.

How I got my computer to recognize my phone over the USB cable and so I could figure out the above name change problem.

On my phone under USB computer connection I changed from Media Device (MTP) to Camera (PTP). (note this may not be necessary). I then restarted (rebooted) my phone while still plugged in with the USB to the computer. Computer is on. As the phone booted up the computer started to install device. In the Device Manager it correctly installed Samsung Mobile USB Composite Device under Universal Serial Bus controllers and under Other Devices it had Samsung_Android with a yellow triangle !. On my phone I changed Camera (PTP) to Media Device (MTP) and my computer installed the correct MTP device driver. Phone can now be seen under Portable Devices in Device Manager and in windows Explorer.

No you probably do not have to do the camera/media device switch. If you change your phones name you and want to connect it to a computer you prior had connected the phone to you can do the reboot the phone while connected to the computer USB trick.

Just to double check my solution. I went back and change my devices name "My Name" (SGH-M919) and connected it back to my computer and the computer recognized it immediately.

I am sure this will make many people happy and keep their hair in their heads though I have lost mine. :-)

Answer 4

Hi Bata,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community forums.

Do you get any error message when you try to connect the Phone?
Have you tried all the steps provided by Mann?

I would have you try the following steps and check if the phone is able to connect via USB.

**Method 1:**Try to run the Fixit tool from the link below.

Hardware devices are not working or are not detected in Windows: ****http://support.microsoft.com/gp/hardware\_device\_problems

Also, run the following fixit to fix common issues with USB devices.

Diagnose and fix Windows USB problems automatically

http://support.microsoft.com/mats/Windows\_USB\_diagnostics

Method 2:

Remove and reinstall all USB controllers.

Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Security, and then, under System,clicking Device Manager. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
In the list of hardware categories, find and expand Universal Serial Bus controllers.
Right-click every device under the Universal Serial Bus controllers node, and then click Uninstall to remove them one at a time.
Restart the computer, and let the USB controllers get reinstalled.
Plug in the phone via USB cable, and then test to make sure that the issue is resolved.

Additional Information: Update a driver for hardware that isn't working properly

Hope this information is helpful. Do let us know if you need any further assistance.

Answer 5

Anonymous

The first link did not work.

I plugged my phone into my Pc.

It downloaded and installed drivers and said ready for use.

I open up My pc but does not show the device.

I use that Kies and cant find it.

any Ideas?

Thanks

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Not Recognized by Windows 7

4 additional answers