I switched my mobile phone provider to AT&T for a myriad of reasons, one of which was being able to control my pictures and songs the way I wanted to. Verizon Wireless makes their users jump through hoops just to set an mp3 as a ringtone.
So… my new phone is an LG Shine (you might have seen the hilarious commercial) and I like it much better than the LG Chocolate that I had received from Verizon. I had purchased a set of cables on eBay (USB, car and AC chargers) that arrived after I made my decision to switch phones, but it turned out that they fit the new phone, too.
I did have some difficulty figuring out how to get my computer to see the phone as a removable disk, but found the following instructions online:
- Insert a microSD card into the phone.
- Go to Settings, Connection, USB Connection Mode, and select Mass Storage.
- Connect the phone to the computer with the data cable and the computer should recognize and install a driver. I’m using Windows XP Media Center with SP3.
- Once the driver is installed, you can view the phone just as you would a removable hard drive. Simply drag and drop any mp3s or photos directly onto the phone.
The other method of getting files onto your phone is to put them directly on the microSD card using the card reader on your computer.
FYI, if your computer keeps reminding you that it needs to install a driver for LG USB Modem, you can download the driver from here. It’s #20 on the list. You don’t need this driver to transfer files, but installing it will prevent the reminders from popping up on your computer.
63 Comments
I have a question? I send the video I took on my phone to my e-mail address & when I go to open it, well it appears I don’t have the right program to open the video. How do I open the video, & make it so other people can view the video easily as well. The whole reason I got this phone was so my mother-in-law could see clips of our daughter laughing & actually hear it!
@ linny: I’m not sure which format this phone uses to create videos, but have you tried VLC Media Player? It is supposed to play almost any type of media file that you throw at it.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
I just recieved a USB cable from some company (bargain cell), but after installing all the stuff (from the usb cable) it still won’t recognize it. It comes up as a removable drive for about 5 seconds and then tells me some hardware failed and then it goes away…
Hello! <333 I’m sorry to bother you, but I still need help! I recently purchased the LG Shine and I just purchased a USB cable today, and no matter what I do, my computer still cannot realize that my phone is plugged into it =[ I tried downloading that driver you mentioned, but when I tried, a warning alert came up saying that “the software you are installing has not passed Windows Logo testing to verify its compatibility with Windows XP” and it went on saying that it’ll mess up my computer if I download it. Please, help!
@ Katie: You do not need to install the driver. Windows should automatically install the needed driver when the phone is attached.
Have you done the instructions in step 1?
I am also having this frustrating problem. I purchased a data cable for my LG Shine CU720 and plugged in the USB data cable to my laptop. Nothin happended…no popup….no idication that the driver is/was installed. The only thing the cable does do is to charge the phone.
I spent 3.5 straight hours goggling the problem and came up with what I thought was a solution…a forum with a link to the LG KE970 driver which is the prelude to the LG Shine. The driver installed successfully and the PC sync software was deployed. I plug the cable to the phone and the USB connection and still nothing. Most of the program options are grayed out and I am asked to choose a Comm Port but none appears in dropdown box. I also re-booted my pc several time with the same negative result. Other forums I tried suggested changing the connection on the phone to “Data Service”. This is only the third phone I have owned and has to be the most challenging to do a simple transfer and sync.
Any other suggestions.
Another question. The driver link in Brian’s original entry shows for Verizon. soes this make a difference if the phone service is AT&T?
Once again, the driver listed in my original post is not required for connecting a phone to your pc. It is only for using your phone as a modem for connecting your computer to the internet. I don’t see the point in trying to install the driver if you are only trying to transfer ringtones or pictures between your phone and computer. The only reason I linked to it is because installing it will prevent the annoying reminder from Windows from popping up every time you connect your phone.
The PC Sync software mentioned by a commentor also doesn’t work with the LG Shine CU720. I’ve already tried that route.
Once I set my phone up as directed in the OP, I was immediately able to connect to my pc. However, there is no way that I know of to sync the data between a pc and the cellphone.
Thanks for the input, Brian. Maybe it is the cable (by Rocketfish). The several reviews said it didn’t work, however the clerk at Best Buy convinced all I needed to do was download the software which I cannot find.
I have set up my phone as indicated in the OP (this same info was posted on other sites I visited and it was also mentioned). My SD card is in secure since I dragged a few test songs via a card reader.
I want to be able to sync MS Outlook as well as transfer music and pictures. But unless my Windows XP SP2 recognizes my phone, this will not happen.
How do carriers get away from charging hundreds of dollars for the devices when a majority of the users have issues.
Enough babbling from me.
I agree with you, Mike. It’s a shame that this phone isn’t easier to sync with a pc right out of the box. I read yesterday where someone said that one day we’ll be able to buy unlocked phones right off the store shelf and use them with whichever carrier we want to. Maybe that will solve most of these types of problems.
FYI, I got my cable off of eBay. It was dirt cheap, but it works. I’m surprised that a store-bought cable wouldn’t, but anything is possible.
Hi!
I’m having the exact same issue as Andrew in post 3. When I plug in my phone, a mass storage device appears for 3 seconds then disappears. I believe the reason is it is for the micro SD. I don’t have a micro SD in my phone so it initializes then realizes there’s no memory card and removes the drive assignment from windows explorer.
When I got the phone, all was great, I loved it. But there are only 2 things I really dislike now that I’ve had it a while. 1) Ringtone audio files (mp3,MIDI) cannot be more than 300k. 2) Transferring media such as audio/pics/video is unnecessarily difficult.
I was stoked about the bluetooth, then realized I had to transfer each file individually. So I too bought a data cable from ebay (non LG–came with the car and AC charger just like yours). When I plug it in though, it doesn’t bring up a drive for the phone contents, only the micro SD card. I do have Mass Storage Device selected in USB connection mode.
LG Customer service says the phones internal memory will not appear as a removable drive. They say I have to use the micro SD to transfer content. I don’t believe it.
I looked around and ended up installing drivers out the wazoo, including the Verizon one mentioned in posts 6-7 by mike. I thought for sure it would work. It failed.
I’ve probably spent a good 4 hours working on getting this stupid phone to easily transfer data. All I want to do is transfer to and from the phone in batch. Too time consuming selecting each file individually and sending it over bluetooth.
Currently, the data cable is completely worthless for me, since I don’t have a micro SD. Nothing happens when I plug it in. Customer support also told me that non-LG data cables don’t work correctly. Again, I don’t believe it!
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!
I also just noticed that when I insert the USB data cab;e, a message on the phone says “Insert memory card for connecting as mass storage.”
Brian, my question to you is how are you getting your phone to display the contents of it’s internal memory in windows explorer? I am running XP Pro.
Also, would it be possible to post the driver in which you state allows for this type of connection?
3. Once the driver is installed, you can view the phone just as you would a removable hard drive. Simply drag and drop any mp3s or photos directly onto the phone.
I would love to have drag and drop functionality for transferring music/pics/videos. Do you have any other software installed?
@ Elijah: I have a microSD card in my phone and that is what the computer sees when the phone is connected. I can transfer pictures, audio, video, ringtones, etc, to it just as if it were an external hard drive. I have updated the original post to clarify that a microSD card must be inserted first.
I am unaware of exactly which driver Windows installed when I hooked up my phone as it was done automatically. My computer recognized that there was a mass storage device connected, crunched for a second, then said that it was installed and ready to use.
I am unaware if it’s possible to view the contents of the phone itself, but someone might have figured it out.
what does OP mean? I have the shine as well and cant figure out for the life how to make my comp recognize my phone. Im running XP. It should just auto recognize the device as mass storage as I have it set that way. ggggrrrr frustrating.
What do you think?
@ Brent: OP = original post.
Have you installed Service Pack 3 for XP? If not, see if that helps.
Well, I gave up.
AT&T’s website states that they do not offer tech support for transferring of data and to contact LG. I contacted LG and they told me that my micro SD needed to be formatted. I didn’t believe that since I already transferred some test songs to the Shine via a card reader and they played from the card with no problem. I let customer support guide how to format the card which involved taking a picture and then copying it to the card. Then they instructed me plug in my cable I my pc would see the phone. As frustrating as this has been I actually had a smile on my face when my pc refused to acknowledge my phone. It was my silent way of saying “you LG idiots don’t know what you are doing or talking about.
Today I packed up my LG Shine and returned it to AT&T. Besides the transfer issue, the volume level is terrible when playing mp3’s or just when the phone rings. In my opinion, no phone is worth all the work-arounds or hacks to get it to work like some of the older phones.
It is nice to a new phone, but I am back with my Motorola ROKR E1. The ring volume on my ROKR on level 4 drowns out the Shines volume at the highest level of 7, plus it has stereo speakers that sound better than the Shine and it doesn’t even have an equalizer.
Another issue I came across is there is no way to transver java games without some very detailed and lengthy instructions and the use of BitPIM.
Lastly, I tested the Motorola Moto Z9 and although users compained the battery life was not as indicated and it has some weird, raised buttons on the numbers, it was easier to type, the screen and functions worked great, the volume with just like the ROKR, and the picture quality was fine for what I need. It is a little longer than the Shine and is also a slider. What I also liked about the Z9 is that both the answer and end call buttons are on slider making it easier than the Shine to answer call without having to change the setting to “answer with any key. Also, the “back” button is on the slider as well, unlike the CU720.
Why didn’t I just buy the Z9. Simple. The shine would have cost me $49.99 after the rebate and the Z9 would be $199.99 after the rebate. That’s a hefty difference in price. But it may be worth it.
Hey. just to let some of you know, If you have a device that takes sd cards (like a digital camera) use the adapter for your microsd card to put it in the other device. I use it all the time and my stuff downloads perfectly (if it is the right format) the cable isn’t needed. (if you want to put games and applictaions on you’ll have to download it from the phones internet. it happens if you use the usb cord or another device with most of them.)
i am having no problems getting music on my phone… but i need to know if there is any way to set any of that music as my ringtone. If there isn’t, I need to know how to download the ringtones onto my phone. I have the microSD card, but no cable (but I can get one if neccessary).
please help…
@ lizzy: All you have to do is select a music file on your phone and go to Options - Set as ringtone.
If only it were that easy. The only options I have in my at&t music file are add to playlist, search, delete, information, and cancel. And for some reason when I try to pull up the music directly from my microSD card, it says it’s empty…. now what?
@ lizzy: The only other thing I can think of is the file size it too large. I think they have to be under 300kb to be applied as ringtones.
I’m at a loss on why the microSD card files aren’t being recognized. ???
HELP!!! My display is almost completely gone on my LG Shine CU720 and since it is under warranty they are sending me a replacement and I was going to transfer my photos to the mini SD card when I got home from vacation today, but now I can’t see enough of the screen to see what I am selecting. I have transfered before but I could see. Does anyone know the steps or a way to transfer all the photos at the same time to the card? I don’t have a USB or I would do it that way, but still can’t see it to know what I am doing!? Thanks so much, I don’t want to lose my photos of my kid that are on there.
@ Mary: Wish I could help you, but I don’t have the Shine any more. I would suggest asking your question here.
SOLUTION!!! (for those with a memory card but no usb cable!)
I’ve been having the same problem in trying to find a way to set my music as ringtones. Here’s what you can do:
-Make sure the file is appropriate.. 30 seconds or less, mp3 format
-When you add your music to the memory card, it shows up as a song but not as a ringtone right?
The solution is to create a different folder rather than using the “Music” folder the phone automatically creates for you. Transfer your music to this new folder you’ve created. The ringtones should show up as long as it fits the requirement! :] Hope this helps!
ok…so far all of your comments have been very helpful. I just need to know one more thing:
HOW do you make the song 30 seconds or less???
@ taylorjoy: Use a music editor. Nero Wave Editor is a good one, but I think there are several free ones available online, too.
Hi i need help
i bought the cu720 i place the sd card in and connected it to the pc. and changed connection to mass storage. all it does is charge the phone it doesnt make any folder or anything where i can drag and drop
I keep seeing posts over and over about the USB cables. If you are connecting a cable to you phone and all it does is charge it is not a data cable, it’s a charging cable or you do not have a micro SD installed and the phone set to Mass Storage device.
I myself made that mistake and now have 2 cables.
One cable I bought at Best Buy It only charges the phone. It said right on that package CHARGING CABLE.
The other USB cable I bought at the AT&T Store says Data Cable for LG And LG Trac phones. This cable allows me to copy files on to my phone.
Another KEY feature to keep in mind is you MUST HAVE an Micro SD card installed in order to copy files onto the phone, you cannot copy any files, or see the memory on the phone without an SD card installed.
The 1 gig built into the phone is not accessable Via a Cable. Download ringtones using the phone or Phone company web site (And get stuck paying for them) if you use the internal built in memory.
Now that being said. If you by your Micro SD card with the Micro SD to Standard SD adapter, you can take your Micro SD put it in the adapter and using a Standard SD card reader (Like your digital Camera for instance or printer) connect it directly to you computer all the music files must go in the Games and Applications folder created by the Phone on AT&T network phones. Even if you create sub folders on you SD while plugged into the computer the Phone will not see them (and Vice versa) If you create sub folders with the sd card in the phone, when connected to the PC You will not see them.
once the MP3 are in there you can play them.
In order to use a song as a ring tone, it must be under 300 kb Sample again these you have to create your self using some type of sound editing software.
I will say the Razer v3 was a whole lot easier customize and the motorola tools included a sound editor when i bought it. Wish the Shine had the same tools
all you guys need to do is make the file less then 300kb which should be about 17-20 secs for a normal song, put your card in a cardreader and make a folder named “my_sounds” thats it
Hi brian, just a question, was your lg shine good quality?
did it last very long? cuz i heard some bad reviews on it, but i really want it, and i just ordered it.
what are the goods and the bads?
thanks
@ Natalie: The Shine was gorgeous, had a high-quality build, great battery life, and an excellent easy-to-use menu interface. The only reason I got rid of it was because of AT&T’s poor coverage in my area.
i just got it, and im already in lovee!!
all those bad reviews make no sence at all!
=D
I have everything working and USB MassStorage, What i dont got working is how can i take the pictures or videos Out of my cellphone ( the ones i took from the cellphone itself ) any Software i may need?
@ Natalie: I know, right? The only reason I don’t have mine anymore is because of AT&T’s lackluster coverage in my area.
@ Robert: Transfer your pictures to the memory card, then plug into your computer and they will appear as USB Mass Storage. You can set your phone to automatically save all photos you take directly to the card, which is what I recommend.
hey, k so i was trying to make a song my ringtone, this is what i did
i found a song thats 30 secs or less and, sum1 said sumthing about making ur own folder, instead of the “music” folder the phone has on. so i made one called my music and i put the song on my phone but i still couldnt make it my ringtone. can you help me? cuz i dont really like the songs they give you.
i mean i put the song IN the folder i made then ON my phone*
@ Natalie: Make sure the file size isn’t too large. It must be under 300kb to be set as a ringtone.
hey. this has nothing to do with a usb lead lol. My media player on my lg shine wont play any songs on my memory card unless i move them to my phone memory i just wondered if someone would tell me if i could change that or not??
i took a video on my shine
before i had a microSD card in it, so it saved to internal memory. now, how can i get it onto my pc? the video is important to me so i really need to find a way. please help me out here.
thanks in advance.
-jay
I don’t know about you guys but I have music already in my sd card and rings I have used before, but i can’t use them on the phone. The are less than 200kb and under 15 secs, but the phone tells me, as I try to set it as a ringtone, it says “non suitable content”. I have heard the At&t has made new phoens tough so you have to buy music and ringtones from them, so I am at a loss.
wow that was really great thanks and now i will show my friends that now so you should be happy now ok by
I have spent hours and hours trying to get that damn LG PC Sync to work right, and nothing works. It acts like it’s going to work, then flashes right back off. I have a micro-sd card, and can transfer files that way, but the main thing I want to do is edit my phone book without having to type it all in using the phone’s keyboard. I’ve tried a free pc sync program - “Bitpim” but they don’t support the CU720…. yet. I’ve just sent an e-mail to LG, but I doubt I’ll get any good news. It shouldn’t be so freaking hard just to sync a phone book! It makes me miss my old Nokia. No real features, but so easy to work with, and sounded great. I just hope someone somewhere comes up with some answers soon!
heyy can you please help me=] ok i put the music on and then when i want to set it as my rington it say thats its to large. dose that mean i can only put like a few sec on as a rington and if so how do i do that?
i’ve downloaded ringtones/ mp3 songs to my lg shine phone. i have a 2 gb memory card. some of the songs work, but a few of the songs do not play. so i tried to delete the songs that do not work from my phone but it does not work, so i tried deleting it from my mac. so when i plug in my phone, the songs that don’t work do not appear on my laptop, but the songs are still appearing on my phone. and i cannot delete it because it says i have to update my library. when i click the option to update the library all it does it go to the at&t logo screen for a while and then goes back to my main display screen. the songs are still there! and i don;t know if its taking space! but they are not deletable or playable! please help me delete these songs from my fone! thanks!
i have tried all of the above and it wont let me download without a sd card. It says the mass storage has to be and when i put it on it wont let me it sisplays a error message and dissapears what should i do
can any1 help?
@ joe: You have to have a card in the phone in order to transfer files from the computer to the phone.
Why you have to have a micro SD in your phone to transfer ur pics into your comp????
you can not do only with the USB Cable????????
Sorry to bother, seems like i am having a bit of a problem here. I follow the method and instructions you gave but for some reason its not reading it at all when i plug the usb cord in. I beleive i’ve already done the download in all, its not working. I have just the usb cord no miroSD. I need major help because no one that works at att know or would not go to details for us rookies… please help.
looking forward for ur help.
saysophia
@ say sophia: From what I can remember from when I had this phone, you must have a microSD card installed in the phone in order to transfer files with the data cable. Pictures and music files stored on the phone can be transferred to the card, then transferred from the card to the computer and vice versa.
HTH!
Can I not transfer pics stored in my LG shine handset(I am not using any microSD card) to my laptop using a USB cable only? Do i need to buy a microSD Card to enable the transfer?
Brian, you told Robert: “@ Robert: Transfer your pictures to the memory card, then plug into your computer and they will appear as USB Mass Storage. You can set your phone to automatically save all photos you take directly to the card, which is what I recommend.”
How do you transfer your pictures to your memory card? I select a picture, then I hit options then copy then memory card then it shows me a folder that says pictures but when I open it there are still no pictures in it.
Please help.
@ Kevin: I wish I could be of more help, but I don’t have the LG Shine anymore. I do remember there being a default option that automatically saved any photos directly to the card as they were taken with the camera, but I’m not sure about transferring pics from internal phone memory to the card. Maybe another user can provide you with the details for doing that.
cue another user!
Thanks anyway Brian.
@ Kevin: There’s a wealth of information here about AT&T phones. If you register, you can search inside this particular forum for the LG Shine CU720.
Hope that helps!
Bit Pim folks Google Bit Pim to get into the phone itself.
BUT, the cable will do MOST of what Bit Pim will for a Shine.
The Shine will “see” any photos, videos, music you transfer to the card. You can select them just like the ones IN the phone.
I have switched from the sony ericson to a lg shine and would like to know how to connect via usb to the internet. Anyone?
Hello all! After months of searching and busted attempts at accessing the FILES on my ATT Shine…I have finally done it! Thanks to info on the ATT Forum by methodjs!!! I have been able to connect via cable to my laptop to access my microSD using the USB mass storage connection but I wanted to access the actual phone files to change IM & other alert tones.
Until now it appeared to be IMPOSSIBLE….hurray…many thanks to methodjs & others for their investigations !! I have not figured out yet how to use the BITPIM calendar/phone contacts etc yet (if it is possible) but just to gain access to the FILES is FANTASTIC! Hope this works for others~!
This is the link:
http://forums.wireless.att.com/cng/board/print?board.id=LG&message.id=27798&page=1&format=page
I don’t have the usb cable for my phone cause I was under the impression that you can transfer files by loading them into the micro SD card from your laptop (using the adapter) then plugging the micro SD card into my phone. Although When I plug in the SD card (using the adapter) nothing happens. Its like my laptop doesn’t recognize the SD card. Anything I’m missing here?
I’ve got a lg shine too i download ringtone on my computer and i want to put them on my phone but i can’t set them as a ringtone they only play as a music fileee i tried everything cut the kb file change the format aac or mp3 nothing is walking and try bitpim it don’t recognize my phone so i don’t know what to do its since 4 days that i try to find a solution do you can help me pls
I just got an LG Shine CU720, and purchased a Rocketfish USB cable for it. I also have the micro-Sandisk and followed every instruction step by step to access it through my PC to move pictures and music. Nothing. Problem: the cable.
On the packaging of the cable, it says it is a “USB Charger and Data Transfer” cable, and below says software not included. After hours and hours of looking online for help since it only charged the phone, and the “software” that wasn’t included, I went to Rocketfish’s website. I looked up the model number of the very same cable. The description of this cable online says it’s for charging only, and in the list of phone models it works for, not one was the CU720. But, it is on the package that I purchased, says it’s data transfer as well, and works for CU720.
Long story short, the packaging on the USB cable from Rocketfish was false, and is NOT a data transfer cable. Well, now that I know what the problem is, it’s going back to the store. If you have one of these phones, don’t buy any USB cable but the one AT&T / LG sells, may be a little more expensive, not sure, haven’t bought it yet. However it will save you a lot of time and greif. Hope this helps.
I have the shine and really like it but i want some games on my phone. I have a 2g micro card but no cable, I downloaded a lot of java games that work on my friends phones but not mine it just shows a “?” next to the app. What should i do a lot of others have had this problem. i just want some games without using wap because i have no web on my plan PLEASE HELP!
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[...] to port my number to AT&T and get out of the 2 year contract that I had signed. I went with the LG Shine, an absolutely gorgeous phone with wonderful features and excellent battery life. The only problem [...]