How to use Droid Explorer with an Android device

Introduction The Droid Explorer software is a suite of applications that allows any user to manage it's Android powered device.

Introduction

The Droid Explorer software is a suite of applications that allows any user to manage it's Android powered device.

Droid Explorer can be downloaded from: http://de.codeplex.com

The Droid explorer allows the user to:
- Install/Uninstall APK files right from explorer
- Reboot device in to recovery mode
- Open files for viewing / execution locally with the default file type executable
- Drag & Drop file copy from Explorer
- Flash Recovery Image
- Package Manager (Install & Uninstall)
- No need to mount SD card to access files from computer
- Access files in other directories besides SD card
- Copy files from device to local clipboard
- Capture screenshots

The Droid Explorer tool requires the following prerequisites to be installed on your computer:

* Windows XP or later
* .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
* Windows USB Drivers
* Android SDK (this can be installed during the Droid Explorer Setup Wizard)
* OEM Drivers
* Optionally: Rooted Android Device with busybox (I've listed this as optionally, because I've used Droid Explorer with 3 unrooted devices and it worked like a charm).

The Android SDK will be automatically installed by the Droid Explorer installer.
The Android USB drivers can be downloaded from:

Google USB drivers download URL:
http://developer.android.com/sdk/win-usb.html

OEM USB drivers download URL:
http://developer.android.com/tools/extras/oem-usb.html

Steps (3 total)

1

Enable USB Debugging from Android developer settings menu

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1. On your Android device press the Menu button
2. Navigate to the Settings menu
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the Settings menu until you can see the Developer Options menu
(if this option is not visible, tap on "About phone", then tap 7 times on the "Build Number")
4. Once you have opened "Developer Options" tap on the On / Off control to enable / disable the "Developer Options"
5. After "Developer Options" is enabled, go to the "Debugging" category, and enable the "USB Debugging" option
6. Once the "USB Debugging" option is enabled, you can close the Settings menu

2

Connecting Android device to PC

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Now that your device is configured for debugging, you will have to connect it to the PC via the data cable and start Droid Explorer. Once Droid Explorer starts, the Select Device screen appears. Here your device should be listed and and you should select it by double clicking it. If your device is not listed, you can use the "I don't see my device" option.

3

Droid Explorer Usage

Once Droid Explorer is started you can use it for:

* Install / Uninstall the applications
* Take screenshots
* Record videos of your device screen
* Install update files
* Backup and restore files
* Capture and save debug logs

Conclusion

If you are a tester or a android developer and you need a software that makes development easier then you should try Droid Explorer