How to install Motorola Phone Tools in Windows Vista

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Installing Motorola Phone Tools in Windows® Vista™ is a time-consuming task
that easily goes wrong, especially if you don’t do things in exactly the right order.

The instructions, shown below, worked for me, using the following elements:

  1. Motorola V360 handset, bought in May 2007.
  2. Motorola Phone Tools installation CD (v4.0, from 2005).
  3. Lenovo ThinkPad X61 laptop computer.
  4. USB cable linking 1 & 3 (supplied with phone)
  5. Windows Vista Business 32-bit running on 3.
  6. Motorola USB Driver v3.5.0 (downloadable) for Windows Vista (32-bit)

Instructions (order of steps essential)
I do not guarantee that this is all 100% correct!

  1. If Motorola Phone Tools is already on your computer, uninstall it.
  2. Go to http://developer.motorola.com/docstools/USB_Drivers/Handset_USB_Driver/
    (you may have to register first).
    Click Download, then Save to your desktop.
  3. From your desktop run the downloaded installation file
    Handset_USB_Driver_32_v3.5.0.msi
  4. Reboot your computer.
  5. Install Motorola Phone Tools from the CD.
    • Follow the install instructions rigorously
    • Let the routine download and install any updates to your version
      of the installation CD (5 large files in my case).
    • Opt to put a Motorola Phone Tools shortcut on your desktop.
  6. When you arrive at the actual setup stage of installation, you may find,
    depending on the vintage of the CD you've just installed from, that the
    routine will want to download a more recent installation programme.
    If so, let that update download and follow on-screen instructions.
    • If, after all that, the connection works, congratulations!
    • If it doesn't work, do not despair: just exit the installation routine.
  7. Go to http://developer.motorola.com/docstools/USB_Drivers/Handset_USB_Driver/
    (Yes: again!) Click Download, then Save to your desktop.
  8. From your desktop run the downloaded installation file. (Yes, again!)
    Handset_USB_Driver_32_v3.5.0.msi (see step 3).
  9. Double-click the Motorola Phone Tools shortcut on your desktop.
    It should now work.
    • If it still doesn’t work, reboot and try to run Motorola Phone Tools again.
    • I'm truly sorry if it still doesn’t work after all of that. It did for me after 2 hours of struggle...