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Hi, a family member passed away a few months ago and I was given her phone by her sister to use if I wanted. She had the phone and charger, and thats it. I stay in the UK and the phone I use is on O2. The phone she had was the Experian L but she had her phone through a contract with virgin media.
When I initally put my sim card in and turned the phone on it said 'virgin media, this phone has been reported lost/stolen'. In order to unclock it from this security lock I needed her insurance company(through virgin) to provide me with a 4 digit pin to unlock the phone. This was very hard to get as the insurance people are different from virgin media, but after a while they agreed to give me the code if I sent a copy of her death certificate in. I did this and got the code thankfully. I was told that I wouldnt be able to use my o2 simc ard in the phone because the handset was locked on Virgin. I was told if I paid £15 I would receive the unlocking code through the post in a week or so.
I did this and got a letter through the door with the instruction on for to unlock the handset. Basically its a 16digit number that I enter and the phone become unlocked. However, after all this Ive just realised I think there is a phone lock on the phone i.e. a pin she must have set herself? I think this because when I power the phone up without a sim, all I can see is the date/time, with her name underneath, and also underneath that is a keypad. When you press any button on the keypad and hit enter it says wrong pin? That happens without a sim card so I presume it is a phone pin lock she had on her phone is that correct? If so, is there any way around this? Ideally I would like to keep whatever pictures etc are on the phone however I realise that might not be possible. Ive tried to download the sony suite however it wont allow me to use the suite because it tells me on the computer I must enter the pin on the phone to continue! bit of a nightmare to be honest.
Any help/suggestions with what I can do? Many thanks
Solved! Go to Solution.
Sorry to hear about your loss,it is always tough to lose someone close. I wish you the best.
There is an option to recover if data and location are enabled:
/t5/FAQ/How-to-unlock-a-phone-w-o-reseting-reformating-the-phone/m-p/927295#U927295
Otherwise,you need to perform a software repair using PC Companion.The process will erase all internal memory.You might need to charge your device for about 1-2 hours before so the device has at least 60% battery.
Make sure the device is not connected to computer or laptop and turned off (sometimes you have to press power button and volume up until the device vibrates 3 times or on some devices you have to press the small button near the SIM tray or on the back of the device).
Open PC companion->support zone->phone/tablet software update->repair my phone/tablet blue highlighted.Follow the steps given,do not connect your phone until prompted to press volume down while plugging USB cable. If PC companion does not start the repair process, you might need to run it in compatibility mode with Windows 7 (in some cases XP).
Sorry to hear about your loss,it is always tough to lose someone close. I wish you the best.
There is an option to recover if data and location are enabled:
/t5/FAQ/How-to-unlock-a-phone-w-o-reseting-reformating-the-phone/m-p/927295#U927295
Otherwise,you need to perform a software repair using PC Companion.The process will erase all internal memory.You might need to charge your device for about 1-2 hours before so the device has at least 60% battery.
Make sure the device is not connected to computer or laptop and turned off (sometimes you have to press power button and volume up until the device vibrates 3 times or on some devices you have to press the small button near the SIM tray or on the back of the device).
Open PC companion->support zone->phone/tablet software update->repair my phone/tablet blue highlighted.Follow the steps given,do not connect your phone until prompted to press volume down while plugging USB cable. If PC companion does not start the repair process, you might need to run it in compatibility mode with Windows 7 (in some cases XP).
Hi thanks for your quick reply. Unfortunetly that does not work. When I eventualy contect the experia to the usb when prompted, I get a message in pc companion saying 'your phone/tablet memory is not accessible, Pc companion needs to have access to phone/tablet in order to connect the phone/tablet. Please check the following 1)The sim card is inserted and the pin code entered. 2) The screen of your phone/tablet is unlocked.'
Obviously I cant unlock the screen, as that is the problem ive got:s . Any ideas from here or is there no way around this? Thanks for your help
disconnect the phone > turn off the phone > run PCC > click on repair > then connect the phone when prompted, the phone has to be off.
The device needs to be turned off,read the steps carefully.