This post details how I resolved the frustrating ”Searching Phone” and “Unable to detect your phone” error messages when connecting a Sony Xperia S smartphone to a Windows 7 PC via USB.
1. Disconnect the Sony Xperia S from the PC.
2. Turn off USB debugging if it’s enabled:
Menu > Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging
3. Clear data for the MTPapp in the phone.
Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage applications > All > Mtpapp
Try connecting my Sony Xperia S to the PC again now. If you’re lucky, PC Companion will now successfully detect your phone. If problems persist, these further steps can help resolve the problem:
4. Connect the phone via USB and go to the Device manager on the computer. Check if you can locate the phone or any Unknown/New device that could be the phone or if you perhaps see the phone as a device. Right click it and select to uninstall.
5. Still in Device manager open the list for USB controllers (Universal Serial Bus Controllers) and right click each one of these controllers and select to uninstall.
When all of this is done reboot your computer and before connecting your phone again repeat step 2.
You should of course not have to do this every time you connect your phone to your computer but hopefully this could remove any error causing your phone not to connect properly.
navi
September 17, 2012 at 4:34 pm
thanks
Gurtej singh
October 7, 2012 at 10:59 am
helo ji i have problem to conect my sony ericcsson xperia e10i to pc. pehle jab main mobile ko pc se conect karta tha to pc companion ata tha ab pta ni kya ho gya hai ji plz help me………….
zandre
November 11, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Thank you Thank you Thank you. Could not even find the solution on the sony site. I was just about to take the phone back to the shop!!!!! Thanks
Dhimant
November 24, 2012 at 7:09 pm
Thanks So much bro
Basil El-Madani
November 29, 2012 at 5:10 am
Thank you so very very much, you’r amazing ,keep up the good work ….
johhny
December 4, 2012 at 12:15 am
you saved me,thanks!I’ve spent many hours trying and cursing (I solved it through the device manager)
Stefan
December 12, 2012 at 11:10 pm
Hi I have a bug with my Sony Xperia U my sony pc companion wont detect my device i have done this 3 steps but again it cant start im not so sure about other steps i am afraid to not crash my lap top please help me it wont work on my computer too! If you need any other information please tell me i need to put sth in my phone so bad.
Haniii
February 18, 2013 at 9:42 am
The next steps don’t affect your PC.
Because your Laptop can create them again ( or install them automatically ) as it will create the Sony LT26i again and make it work better than before.
Don’t worry these other steps won’t make any problem, (there are like Cookies on your web browser which will create the same whenever you connect to the website) , but don’t uninstall other things in your Device Manager otherwise these may be hard for you to reinstall.
r
January 8, 2013 at 5:15 pm
it worked thanks
Haniii
February 18, 2013 at 9:46 am
Thanks, I tried the Add Hardware on my Control Panel but it didn’t work since it was already installed.
After the uninstallation I connected it and worked as before.
Thanks very very much for the advice.
Dave
February 24, 2013 at 8:04 am
Thanks heaps
Clear data for the MTPapp in the phone.
Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage applications > All > Mtpapp
worked like a charm
Leon
March 24, 2013 at 12:08 pm
It works ! *Crossed finger !