How can I tell if my computer has IrDA and how do I use it?

Question

My cellphone is no longer activated but there's a ton of pictures on it I want to save. The phone has an IrDA thingy, but how do I know if my laptop does? Is there any way to find out? If there is... how do I use it to get my pictures out?

Answer 1

Go to the control panel
Run the System applet
Choose the device manager
If you have a (plug n play) infrared device (IrDA) it should show up in the Infrared Devices section. Most IrDA devices display IrDA as part of their device name.

To use it however you will need software to communicate with your phone. Most infrared devices use proprietary standards for communication and you will need to check with the manufacturer of your phone to get the correct software.