Raj Agrawal

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Sync And Control Android Phones From Your Computer [Android]

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— AndroidPC project has been withdrawn by its author. Hence, this article is no longer valid —

AndroidPC v.2.0 is one of the best mobile managing suits available for Android phones, enabling the users to quickly connect their Android phones with the computer, regardless of the operating system, whether it be linux, mac or windows. The user can easily send and receive SMS, calls, get desktop notifications for incoming calls and messages, sync contacts and messages with the computer.

I’ve been hunting for a mobile managing suite since the day I bought an Android powered HTC Wildfire. Mobile managing suits really help to make things more convenient to control your cell phones without having the need to physically touch them. I recently discovered this tiny app called ‘AndroidPC’ that performs much more than it’s size. It allows the users to connect and take control of Android phones with a computer bearing a Mac, Linux or Windows operating system. It is compatible literally with any operating system.

android green
Android!

In order to use AndroidPC, you need to install AndroidPC app on the phone and a provided Java App on your computer.

  • Make sure you have a Java Runtime Environment install on your computer, or else get it from Java’s website:
  • With that, get AndroidPC for your phone from the Android market or with the QR code:
qrcode androidpc
Scan this QR Code
  • At last, you need a working Wi Fi connection (I know that sucks, but for now this the only connectivity path the app supports) and follow the steps from this link: Installation – How To

To summarize, here are some key facts about AndroidPC,

The Goodness –

  • Runs on all operating system platforms
  • Low on system resources
  • Small size
  • Receive and make a phone call from PC
  • Send and receive files on Android phones
  • Manage contact information and messages
  • Reply to messages from PC without the need of touching the phone
  • View your phone’s information
  • Missed call list

What sucks –

  • With the version 2.0, you can only use the suite with a working Wi Fi connection, the author is working on adding the USB support in the upcoming versions.
  • No support for Bluetooth

Installing Old Hardware Drivers On Windows 7

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Dealing with the compatibility issue

Recently, I was stuck with installing drivers on my computer loaded with a newly purchased copy of Windows 7 Ultimate OS. I’m referring to a Pentium 4 processor, Intel 845G 64MB integrated graphics and 512MB DDR desktop. Windows 7 seemed to run well, with the luxurious features of Windows 7 like Aero and Media center turned off. The only bad thing is that Windows 7 is not very friendly with the older stuff. “Many” of the older applications (including drivers) were failing to install on the new OS. After some troubleshooting efforts, I found a simple way to deal with the compatibility issue.

windows 7 beta boots creen
Windows 7 boot screen

Steps to install old hardware drivers on Windows 7:

  • Install a freeware file compression software 7 Zip,
  • Jump to the location where you have the setup/zipped driver file you are willing to install,
  • Right click on the setup file, unzip and extract it to any convenient location,
  • Now you can try updating your drivers by pointing the ‘hardware update wizard’ to the unzipped folder location,
  • Select “Reinstall with recommend settings” and this should do the job,
  • If it still doesn’t work out, all you can do is wait till a new fix is introduced via windows update or an update through the driver manufacture’s website or just by upgrading your hardware.

The compatibility issue is just for the time being and all the applications that you used on XP will soon work with 7.

Booting And Installing Windows XP Setup From Any USB Drive

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A Complete Guide For A Successful Attempt

windows xp pendrive
Bootable Windows XP Pen Drive

I have read some tech forum threads and am surprised to see people stuck with a myth that ‘it’s impossible to make a bootable Win XP setup with a portable drive’. With my effort of busting this myth, i will share a step-by-step but a slightly crooked method to install Windows XP from your portable drive. Whether it be a memory card, pen drive or even your digital camera, all are welcome.

Make sure you are prepared with the following perquisites:

  • A Portable Drive with at least 2 GB free space (Higher capacity is recommended),
  • Intermediate level of knowledge and experience of using a computer and Windows XP,
  • Windows XP Setup Disc or ISO (Setup packs that have been stripped for performance and other tweaks may not work!),
  • A Computer capable of booting the computer from a USB drive,
  • Tools that will do the job: USBPrep8,  PEtoUSB and Bootsect.

Procedure:

  • Extract the PeToUSB_3007 contents into the USB-Prep8 folder,
  • Go into the folder named USB-Prep8 and double-click the following  usb_prep8.cmd),
  • Make sure you select the newly created command prompt window and click any key to continue,
  • A new program is started (PeToUSB) Do not change any of the settings, just click start and let it run,
  • Once PeToUSB is finished, DO NOT CLOSE any of the windows the program created,
  • Go your start menu and click run if your using classic start menu,
  • Enter the following command into your run window (CMD),
  • Once you have run that command, a new window will appear with the words command prompt,
  • Providing you have used the file setup suggested, input the following ( cd bootsect ),
  • Type in the following ( bootsect /nt52 :R ) Replace R with the drive letter of your usb drive,
  • You will see the message (Bootcode was successfully updated on targeted volume) if it worked right,
  • You may NOW close all the windows except for the window that was created when you ran USBPrep8,
  • Providing you closed all the right windows, the USBPrep8 Window will now contain 7 Options,
  • Press 1 on your keyboard, this will bring up a window, locate your XP folder and highlight it, click ok,
  • Press 2 on your keyboard, the program will ask for a used drive letter, example: T or Z,
  • Press 3 on your keyboard, the program will ask for your USB Stick drive letter, enter it now.Press 4 on your keyboard to start the USBPrep8 process,
  • The program will ask you if it is ok to format a drive contained in the letter you gave in #14, click yes,
  • The program will start to copy the needed files, be patient,
  • The program will then ask you if you wish to copy these files to the USB stick, click yes,
  • Finally once it has finished copying the files, it will ask you if you want to make the stick the preferred boot drive, click yes after which it will ask if you wish to un-mount the usb stick, click yes.
  • Now, restart your PC and set the boot sequence priority to ‘USB’ and you will successfully boot the Windows XP setup from your portable drive!

Thanks to Geeks! blogger Chronious and LockerGnome.com for sharing this great idea.