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I have a Dell with XP. Since the only thing available is dialup @ 19k to 32k, I purchased a Cricket A600 broadband modem over a week ago. When I plug it into my computer, everything slows way down or freezes. I changed it for a new one - same thing. I have tried it in 3 computers and get the same results. I downloaded the software from Cricket’s site and then plugged modem in. At least it didn’t disappear from My Computer or make the Safely Remove icon disappear. But when I click on the broadband software, it says “No Device”. I went to Options, Find Device, etc. It says “Modem not found”. Can you help please?

Cricket modems are notorious for slowing up the performance of computers. They use dial-up technology which is slow at best and offers slow broadband technology. There’s not much hope for speeding up your connection, but at least you can understand it and perhaps some of the suggestions can assist you in optimizing the performance of your Cricket modem.

Troubleshooting Modem Not Found

If your computer is not recognizing the existence of your modem and gives you the message that the modem not found, the best strategy is probably to reinstall the software for it. Some Cricket modem users have mentioned that the drivers do not seem to install correctly on their own. Since this could be the problem that you are experiencing, I suggest that you access the setup file and manually install the device drivers following the prompts that are provided for doing so. Once you have accomplished this, reboot the computer so that the new settings take place and the computer should recognize the modem. If this strategy does not work for you, consider uninstalling and reinstalling the software for the modem.

Understanding Slow Cricket Modem

The Cricket Broadband network does not work in isolation. What I mean is that it needs to have either the Sprint EVDO network or the Verizon network available in order for it to function properly. If neither of these is available, then you are going to experience slow connectivity. This is especially true in rural or less-populated areas. To put it bluntly, Cricket Broadband modem accesses the Internet using cell phone technology. Since the maximum speed is fairly slow, this means that your Internet access is going to be slow using the modem.

Troubleshooting Slow Cricket Modem: Tweaking Speed Settings

Once you have the modem properly installed and you can locate it in your list of devices, you can use this set of instructions in an attempt to tweak your modem speed setting.

1)   Look in the folder labeled Network Connections, which should be in your Control Panel and locate the Cricket Broadband icon.

2)   Right click on the Cricket Broadband icon and click on Properties.

3)   In the dialog box that opens up, you should click on the tab labeled Configure.

4)   In the Configure dialog box that opens up, find and open the drop down menu for the modem speed. If it is possible to increase the speed, do so.

Alternatively, you can try using a different Web browser and see if that makes any difference in speed.

I’m having a hard time downloading pictures from my cell phone. It’s saying I have to install a disk.

The manner in which you download pictures from your cell phone is going to vary according to what type of phone you have. I am not really sure how you have been trying to do so at this point, but look through the suggestions here for downloading photos from a phone and try one to see if you are able to transfer your photos. It sounds as though you might have a cell phone that uses a memory card for storing and transferring your photos, so look at the set of directions sealing with memory cards first.

Transfer photos using your memory card

If your phone is one of the models that transfers its photos using a memory card, you need to follow a few simple steps. You’ll need a memory card reader and possibly a special adapter so that the memory card fits into the device.

1)   Remove the memory card from your phone.

2)   Insert the memory card into your memory card reader. You might need to purchase an adapter for this step. The card adapter needs to match the type of format that your phone’s memory card is using.

Transfer photos via USB Data Cable

If your phone is one of the models with a USB port, you should be able to purchase a USB data cable to connect your phone to your computer. Make sure that you get one that will fit into your phone’s port as well as into the computer’s port. If your phone does not have software installed on it that will allow you to transfer the photos, purchase it. Some phones have this software installed already by the manufacturer while others do not.

1)   Connect both the phone and the computer to the USB cable.

2)   Locate the cell phone folder (look in My Computer under devices.)

3)   Search for the folder that contains your photos.

4)   Click and drag each file onto your desktop from the folder to transfer photos.

Transfer photos by email

It is possible to transfer your photos by email. However, you should first check with your cell phone provider to see how much this will cost you.

1)   Select the photo that you want to transfer with your cursor.

2)   Click send and a text box should appear.

3)   Enter your email address in the space where you would normally enter the phone number.

4)   Click send.

5)   Check your email on the computer or netbook and download cell phone photo to your hard drive.

I downloaded my Cricket device for Internet and it won’t allow me to use it on two accounts from the same laptop. Can this be fixed? Someone told me that my HP Windows Vista has a default program to keep multiple users from using the same program on the same device. This does not make any sense. Anyone have a solution besides returning the product?

The Cricket Broadband Modem

The Cricket Broadband Modem should work on any compatible computer that you set up with the appropriate software, including a single computer with multiple accounts. However, you may need to install the Cricket software twice in order for the other user account to recognize the modem.

Windows User Accounts

I’m not sure about the “default program” that keeps multiple users from using devices on a computer. I wonder though if perhaps the software and drivers that Cricket needs did not fully install. For example, when installing software, it’s not unusual to be prompted to make the software available to all users or only the current user.

What type of user accounts are you using? If the second account is a guest account or one with restricted privileges that too could be part of the problem. Try booting your computer up into the user account that does not currently recognize the Cricket device (without the device in place). Once loaded, insert the device into a USB port and see if the computer starts the installation wizard. If so, allow the software and drivers to be loaded into the account.

Uninstall Device

If the user account doesn’t respond, go to Control Panel > Device Manager and see if you can find the Cricket device in the list. If so, right click it and choose Uninstall. Then reboot the computer. When it boots up and detects the Cricket device, Windows should automatically start loading the appropriate drivers.

Cricket Broadband Software

You may need to download and install the Cricket software from the MyCricket.com Web site. First, check to see if you have it installed. Depending on the Cricket modem you have the location varies.

The location for UM100C modems is as follows:

C:\Program Files\Cricket\QuickLinkMobile\QuickLinkMobile.exe

The location for A600 modemsis:

C:\Program Files\Cricket\CricketBroadband\CricketBroadband.exe

If the software is installed, you may be able to drag and drop a shortcut onto the desktop of the other user. If it is not installed, download UM100C software here or A600 software here. Mac software is also available here.

Hopefully one of these suggestions will get your device to work for all users on your computer. If not, contact Cricket support for further help.

I am using Windows XP. When I try to insert my N73 Nokia mobile data cable into the USB port, my mobile displays that the PC suite is activated, but there is no response from my computer. Can anyone help me?

Connecting the Nokia N73 to a PC

The Nokia N73 smart phone can connect to a compatible computer in one of three ways: the USB Nokia Connectivity cable, Bluetooth, and infrared. Of course, your computer will need to have a Bluetooth or infrared adapter in order to take advantage of the second two options. For now, let’s concentrate on using the data cable since that’s what you currently have.

First, your computer will need the Nokia Suites software if you don’t already have it installed. Once you’re sure the software is installed on your PC, go ahead and connect the Nokia phone to the PC using the supplied USB data cable.

Telling the Nokia it’s Connected to the PC

Once the two devices are connected, press the menu button on your cell phone and choose Tools > Data Cable. This tells the smartphone that it is connected to the computer. From there, choose the purpose of the connection (PC Suite, Media Player, Mass Storage or Image Print).

Update Software

If the PC still doesn’t recognize the device, consider updating both the Nokia’s software as well as the computer’s. Updates often solve known connectivity issues so it’s worth trying. To update the phone’s software, press the menu button and choose Tools > Device Manager > Options > Check for Updates. If an update is available, plan on updating it. Make sure that you have plenty of battery power or plug the phone into a power supply. Perform the update during a time when you do not need to use the phone. Next, go into the Nokia PC Suites software and check to see if updates are available for the software itself.

Update Nokia Device Drivers

Another possibility is that the phone’s device drivers are not installed on your PC or the drivers have become corrupt. You can download new drivers from Nokia’s Web site.

Finally, if the updating the software and device drivers doesn’t work, it may be possible that the data cable is damaged. Inspect both ends to be sure that there aren’t any bent pins. If you have several USB ports on your computer, try plugging the cable into different ports.

How do I re-configure my iPod? Everything was downloaded with Windows Vista. I want to use Windows XP.

This happens a lot with Mac/PC users - music is downloaded with one operating system, but then the user switches to another operating system, but the process should be the same for Vista and XP.

Repair the iPod

When you connect to iTunes, there is an option to repair the iPod. This is actually a bit misleading, and instead of repair, you are actually erasing everything on the device and starting over with the factory settings. Make sure that anything you want to save is backed up first, before you try any kind of repair. If this is a hand-me-down iPod and you don’t care about what is currently on it, go ahead and wipe it clean and start over.

Install the latest version of iTunes on the computer you are going to be using. Connect the iPod to the PC - hopefully iTunes will recognize the iPod.   On the first page, where you see information about the iPod, you will be able to click on the repair button and start the repair process to bring it back to factory settings.

Authorize the Computer

If you are using a new computer and want to synch your iPod to this new computer, you can go to the iTunes app on the iPod while it is connected to the computer and deauthorize it. First, make sure that your files are backed up to an external drive or CD ROM(s).  In the new operating system, download iTunes, setup the account and then import the files from the back up media. You can then go back to the iTunes store and “Authorize” the new computer.

In order to backup your iPod to a CD or external drive, go to Backup, then File and select Backup to Disc. You can also manage your music and video files from a third-party software system such as ephPod, which is a Windows application that is able to quickly transfer songs and libraries.

I cannot open videos that I have transferred from my Nokia mobile to my PC. What to do? Please help.

Watch Media Files from Nokia Phone on your PC

It should be possible to watch media files that you send from your Nokia phone to your PC - here are some steps to try to sort it out. The first thing that you need is a copy of the Nokia PC Suite installed on your computer. Depending on your Nokia phone model, you should have this program on a disc included with your phone. If you haven’t already done so, put the disc in your computer disc drive and follow the prompts to install the program. The Nokia PC Suite program will enable you to seamlessly transfer material between your PC and your Nokia phone, install new software for your Nokia phone and connect your PC to the Internet through your phone. For more general information about the Nokia PC Suite, check out this Nokia PC Suite information page.

Connect your Nokia Phone to your PC

Once you have the PC Suite loaded on your computer, you can attach your Nokia phone with either a USB cable or a Bluetooth connection. When the Nokia is properly synched you should see an icon in the panel on the bottom right of the Windows screen.

Open the Nokia PC Suite and Media Player

Click to open the phone device screen, and then choose the mode of transfer for the files. From the list called Select Mode, choose PC Suite. Now, using the All Programs list inside the Start Menu, choose to open the Nokia PC Suite Program. Once open, select the Nokia Multimedia Player.

Select and Play Media Files on your Computer

When the player opens you should be able to browse all the media files and video clips that are stored on your Nokia phone and play them on your computer through the Nokia PC Suite media player. Simply click File on the top left of the Nokia Player screen, then Open.

Provide More Specific Details

If you are trying to email the files from you phone to your computer, or if you are having trouble opening the files in a different player, the steps above might solve the problem. If not, you might want to write again and provide some more specific details about the file you are trying to open, including the file type and the player you are using and we can take it from there. Good luck!