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Backing up my contacts. |
kooksy
Joined: Aug 17, 2004
Posts: 17
PM |
Hi,
I have a K700i phone and need to backup my contacts. The software available to me is to sync with MS Outlook but all I need is a backup program....Nokia have this so I thought SonyEricsson would??
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thanks! |
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
PM |
using bluetooth or infra red in contacts you can choose "send this folder" and it creates a VCF file with everything in the folder you are in (or all if you choose that as your folder)
this then is a standard file that can be imported elsewhere and (I think as I have never tried it) even sent back to the phone in future
_________________
...Unless I'm very much mistaken
my K700 review
[ This Message was edited by: masseur on 2004-11-04 09:51 ] |
kooksy
Joined: Aug 17, 2004
Posts: 17
PM |
Nice one...I'll give that a go  |
vineet_d
Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: MumBhai
PM |
@masseur: I am sorry but never seen such a option on my k700i  From where can u get "send this folder" option  pls tell.
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This message was posted from my Hand's
[ This Message was edited by: vineet_d on 2004-11-04 11:23 ] |
masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
PM |
how weird! I really thought I was replying to an pxxx question.
anyway in K700 its phonebook, options, advanced, send all contacts
this does the same thing
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CyberVisitor
Joined: Dec 21, 2001
Posts: > 500
PM |
@vineet_d
From the addressbook you can choose to send an individual contact or all contacts using Bluetooth or IR. The item(s) are then sent to the PC:s default Bluetooth/IR folder as seperate VCF files. These files can be opened in e-mail applications and/or sent back to the phone and therefore serve as backup files.
To send all items, you go through the preference menu in the phonebook. To send an individual contact, it's easiest to just scroll in the addressbook to the contact you want to backup and choose to send it (either through Bluetooth or IR).
Remember this though. When sending contacts which have individual pictures and/or ringtones assigned to them, the pictures and ringtones are sent as well. This means that if you have the same picture for - let's say - ten contacts, the same picture is sent with each contact. When you then choose to restore the phonebook by sending all contacts back to the phone, the same picture is sent ten times (renamed with numbers). If you have a large phonebook with the same picture for all contacts, your phone will need a lot of free memory while restoring, otherwise you will get a "memory full" error message. If memory is enough, you can erase the "extra" pictures afterwards and reassign the same picture for the contacts you want though (this method also goes for ringtones).
Good luck! |
vineet_d
Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: MumBhai
PM |
Thanks! but whenever i tried sending contacts from my k700i to pc via  it creates .vcf file for each entry  i guess something to do with my sw settings
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masseur
Joined: Jan 03, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Sydney, London
PM |
that is strange, I tried it before posting (as I almost always do) and from the P910 I got a single file called all.vcf and from the K700 I got a single file called Whole Phonebook.vcf
either I, or CyberVisitor, will try and reproduce what you are getting
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CyberVisitor
Joined: Dec 21, 2001
Posts: > 500
PM |
@vineet_d
It's related to how your PC:s Bluetooth software handles incomming PIM-files. Check your preferences. If there are no such preferences, you will have to live with the way your Bluetooth software recieve the phonebook entries on your PC (as a whole file or as individual files for each contact). In both cases though, the pictures and ringtones are sent with each contact as I mention above.
[ This Message was edited by: CyberVisitor on 2004-11-04 11:53 ] |
vineet_d
Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: MumBhai
PM |
I have taken some screenshots of my sw-
This is the local service dialog box in which PIM transfer service is selected.
Now click on properties.
This is the property screen.
Now when i click on Business Card I get only these options.
Please suggest what to do
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CyberVisitor
Joined: Dec 21, 2001
Posts: > 500
PM |
@vineet_d
Some Bluetooth software offer the setting to choose between "individual files" or "one file". Yours doesn't. Each contact is therefore saved as an individual VCF file when recieved by the PC using Bluetooth. Here's a workaround.
Choose "Microsoft Outlook" or "Outlook Express" in the dialog that is presented in your last picture. Then send the contacts (all or those you want to backup) using Bluetooth. Those contacts are then sent to the prefered applications VCF file and saved in it. Find that VCF file afterwards and make a copy of it. You can then store it as a backup for future needs. It's a compatible format that the phone can recieve when you need to do a restore.
However, note that it's perfectly fine to save each individual VCF file as a backup too. If you ever need to do a restore, just mark them all and choose "Send to [your Bluetooth units name]" and they are all sent properly to your phone.
In your case, I'd go for the latter. Otherwise, in case the e-mail clients VCF file isn't completely empty when sending your contacts, you could get unwanted contacts (not on your phone) "restored" if you choose that in the future. Of course you could make sure that the clients VCF file is empty before doing the backup, but I see no reason not to go for the individual files as a backup option.
[ This Message was edited by: CyberVisitor on 2004-11-04 13:12 ] |
kooksy
Joined: Aug 17, 2004
Posts: 17
PM |
This is way too much hassle! Nokia have a program that can do this easy...why haven't SonyEricsson?
Think my BlueTooth software only has folder too, so I will backup to Outlook then export the file to a CSV format.
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CyberVisitor
Joined: Dec 21, 2001
Posts: > 500
PM |
Quote:
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On 2004-11-04 14:33:26, kooksy wrote:
Think my BlueTooth software only has folder too, so I will backup to Outlook then export the file to a CSV format.
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I really don't understand why it's so important for you to have the option to transfer all the contacts into one single VCF file. When you do a restore later on, all those contacts will be restored, and maybe that is fine today... but in the future when you really need to do the restore, some of those contacts could be obsolete. If you then instead have each contact saved as individual files, those obsolete contacts can be deleted from your backup folder before the actual restore process. If everything is saved as a backup in one single file, you will have all contacts restored (even the obsolete ones) and then you will have to manually delete these contacts from your phones addressbook.
I can only see positive things about having each contact stored as individual files for backup. Picture this for instance: You by misstake delete a contact from your phones addressbook. Now you want to restore it. Find the individual contact in your PC:s backup folder and transfer that contact back to the phone. Very simple indeed!
[ This Message was edited by: CyberVisitor on 2004-11-04 13:48 ] |
kooki
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 381
From: bangalore, india
PM |
hey!
u stole my name!!! |
vineet_d
Joined: Apr 15, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: MumBhai
PM |
@CyberVisitor:
Thanks a million for that explanation.
@kooksy:
No its not a hassle, it just depends on the software ur using.
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Posted: 2004-11-04 10:43
