Downloading... Do not turn off target! Samsung Galaxy S3 PLEASE HELP.

[AC Question]

So I bought a new USB cable for my phone but it has never been able to connect to my laptop so I can view/transport files from my phone to my laptop.

After NUMEROUS questions on yahoo answers, I was able to get a helpful answer which told me:

Switch the phone off.
Reboot in Download Mode. (Volume Down + Home + Power)
Press Volume Up to continue.
Once it's in Download Mode connect it to your laptop. Windows should now detect it and load the driver.
When that finishes, disconnect the phone and switch it off (you may need to remove the battery to get out of Download Mode)

I have done as said and i am still at the point of it "Downloading... Do not turn off target!"

It has been 4 hours now and I am at a point where I am worrying. The issue is as well, my laptop hasn't even detected the usb, nothing on my laptop has happened.
Is this normal? does it usually take this long? Am i going to lose files on my phone? Should I stop this process and how if its safe?

 

[spagman]

Download mode is not for transferring files from your phone to pc.
Download mode is used to flash firmware to the phone.

If you have not done so yet.... It's safe to pull the battery and restart your phone.

Make sure you have the samsung usb drivers installed on your computer.

There are many threads on this topic.

 

[Alkaidaa]

Do not turn of target