GSM-based cell phones use SIM cards to store information pertinent to the phone, including the device's contact information, user interface and, depending on the settings of the phone, voice mails and stored contact data. If you want to back up the information of the SIM card onto your computer, download the SIM data directly onto any computer system.
Step 1
Connect the USB end of the SIM card reader into a USB port on the computer. It does not matter what USB connection port you use to hook up the computer equipment.
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Step 2
Slide the SIM card into the open SIM card slot of the card reader. Wait a moment until the computer states it has detected a new, removable device.
Step 3
Click the "Start" icon in the lower left corner of the desktop, then choose "(My) Computer" and double-click the removable device icon. This loads a window with all the data stored on the SIM card.
Step 4
Click-and-drag over all the files on the SIM card you want to download. This highlights the information.
Step 5
Right-click in the highlighted area, then select "Copy" from the pull-down menu.
Step 6
Right-click in the location on the computer you want to copy the data to (such as the desktop or "My Documents"). Choose "Paste" from the pop-up menu. The data downloads from the SIM card onto the computer.