Hello,
Since this morning my phone doesn't see any media files. My sdcard is mounted and I can see all the files inside with a file manager. But when I open a media player it is telling me that there are no media files. Also in the ringtone menu I cannot see my custom ringtones which showed up fine until this morning. The same thing is happening in the gallery - no photos.
I tried restarting the phone - nothing happens. I have a program called rescan media, used it but still nothing. A have a nandroid backup from a week ago - I restored the backup, went into the default media player that comes with the stock rom, my albums were there, and then 2 minutes later i checked again - no music found. If I take a new picture with the camera and go to gallery I see only that new picture without my older ones, after a media rescan even this new photo disappears.
CyberTod said:
Hello,
Since this morning my phone doesn't see any media files. My sdcard is mounted and I can see all the files inside with a file manager. But when I open a media player it is telling me that there are no media files. Also in the ringtone menu I cannot see my custom ringtones which showed up fine until this morning. The same thing is happening in the gallery - no photos.
I tried restarting the phone - nothing happens. I have a program called rescan media, used it but still nothing. A have a nandroid backup from a week ago - I restored the backup, went into the default media player that comes with the stock rom, my albums were there, and then 2 minutes later i checked again - no music found. If I take a new picture with the camera and go to gallery I see only that new picture without my older ones, after a media rescan even this new photo disappears.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check to see if you have a folder named ".nomedia" in your sdcard - this is used to control if a directory and it's subdirectories are visible in the media player.
Same for me,
Gallery dont found anything, but filemanager see everithing
I tried to change the SD, to un/reinstall gallery, update my CM7 rom, wipe cache but alwaysthe same problem...
When I use filemanager to open a picture, gallery load it in about 8seconds but cant see the other pics
Yes I had this .nomedia file in the root folder of my sdcard. I've read about this file and I know that it does that. But the most strange thing is I didn't create it It is dated from yesterday at 00:23. This has to be the work of some app.
Thank you for the help the problem is solved. And greetings from Bulgaria.
Unmount and mount again in the setting and hope it solve ur problem
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
thanks a lot
I un/re mounted SD in settings, and remouved the .nomedia file on sd root (don't know who created it....)
and my pictures are came back
thanks
[TIP/TRICK] Stop Stock Gallery From Creating .thumbnails Folder! Save SD Card Space!
First off, I'll start by saying: "I am not responsible if you brick your phone! Always make a nandroid backup before using my steps/messing with Autostarts! (It's a very powerful application!)"
If you use a 3rd party gallery app (Like QuickPic, my personal favorite...) - You are probably tired of wasting over 100mb of space on your SD card... (And waiting a long time for booting up as well...) I had no need for the /sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails folder taking up space on my SD card, so this is how to disable the stock Gallery app from doing so!
I researched a little on how to accomplish this and came up with little information, so I thought I'd share:
What you'll need:
1.) Autostarts app (I used: Version 1.7.0)
---
Steps/Directions:
1.) Run Autostarts
2.) Look for these entries: Media ejecting/mounted
3.) Choose either entry (ONLY CHOOSE ONE, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH! Choosing one entry will disable both entries in Media ejecting AND Media mounted!)
4.) Click on BootReceiver
5.) Choose Disable (A popup will show saying "This is a system app, are you sure? etc.)
6.) Done! Reboot. On boot, go to /sdcard/DCIM/ and look inside for the usual .thumbnails folder, it should be contained with a few (SMALL) files now!
Note: (Make sure you disable the entry BootReceiver ONCE, it should "strikeout" (as in: draw a line through) the entry BootReceiver, to show it has been disabled on boot.) - zmag
Hmm, seems I just looked in my folder and I saw the darn .thumbnails file again... If anyone knows how to disable the stock Gallery app from wasting boot time & sd space; PLEASE TELL ME!!! - zmag
Well, it looks like this is not a big issue for anyone out there - but it still annoys me.
I have since "frozen" the stock Camera and Gallery apps with Titanium Backup Pro, and still; no luck.
Now, granted when I reboot my phone and look in my DCIM folder it doesn't seem to be creating the .thumbnails folder 100% of the time. But the folder is still being created somehow, and my only guess is from a third-party app (and I can't seem to pinpoint which one) but I'm gonna test to find out which and post my results...
I wish someone out there could give me some input, I've been talking to myself here for too long. - zmag
This isn't the same, but you can create a filetype named '.nomedia' and place it at the root of the folder where you want and it will stop displaying the thumbnails in the gallery app.
http://smartadopter.wordpress.com/2...mbnails-showing-in-the-android-photo-gallery/
OK I believe I may have found the possible solution to this problem.
I was searching around on how to fix this problem as well, and tried a few things myself and believe I have found a solution, so I had to sign up for xda to share with everyone else. So please be gentle as this is my first post, although im a long time lurker.
I also got rid of the stock gallery (uninstalled with Titanium Backup) and now use Quick Pic. although I have removed the stock gallery it still builds that 60mb+ thumbnails directory on my SDcard. I was using SD Maid to delete it but it gets annoying that it kept reappearing even after the uninstall of stock gallery.
Now to start fixing,
I realized it was actually a large single file itself named ".thumbdata3-1967290299" in "sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails/" that was taking up the 60mb+ , the smaller individual thumbnails Quick Pic created only added up to a 1mb or so.
So what I did was I just grabbed a random useless file from my SD card I didn't need anymore (an alarm clock plus backup .bak file, but I would assume the *new file" option in root explorer would do the same) and I renamed the unneeded file the same name as the file in /.thumbdata/ (the the .thumbdata3-19672902099).
Now I had a .thumbdata file that was only 1.75kb and just simply moved it to the sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails/ folder and replaced the 60mb .thumbdata file with the smaller one.
After a few restarts of my phone, opening and browsing Quick Pic, checking my thumbnail size a few times with both SD Maid and Root Explore - I now have a much smaller 1.75kb file instead of the old 60mb file.
Hopefully this well help some of you out and solve your problem as well, as far as I can tell it is no longer making that thumbnail file expand so large on my phone.
Phone: HTC Hero CDMA
ROM: Cyanogenmod 7.1
Carrier: i-wireless/sprint
hewillmakehell said:
OK I believe I may have found the possible solution to this problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've tried both your copied file trick and making a new file with root explorer, both to no avail. ".thumbdata3--1967290299" always reverts to its old size if any app associated with the gallery is opened.
has yours really stopped reappearing?
i can't figure out where the large thumbnail data is stored, but it must be in the system somewhere...
problem solved
hey i figured out how to fixed this on my atrix. should be the same for all android phones.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=28447099#post28447099
There's no "external.db" inside my "com.android.providers.media" folder.
However, I didn't even understood what I was supposed to do with this file. What he meant with "trim the thumbnails table with an sql editor"?
I quoted the post you linked below:
i found the place where the thumbnail data is stored, which was making the huge thumbnail file and crashing Entertainment Center.
it isn't storing the entire ".thumbdata3--1967290299" file (which can be hundreds of mb for some people), rather a large (tens of mb) .db database file that is being used to recreate it on demand.
/data/data/com.android.providers.media/databases
external.db
with Root Explorer i could view the file, and Speed Software also sells an sql editor which you can use to trim the thumbnails table.
*be careful: deleting entries from this file also seems to delete it from the device! i deleted all records from the thumbnails and images tables..
learn from my mistake. i thought it would regenerate, but it deleted all images from /sd card. good thing i backed up all my photos first, but better to use the filter option and trim out only the records for files that are no longer on the device.
".thumbdata3--1967290299" now reappears, but a whole lot smaller.
Gallery opens so much faster now, and Entertainment Center works again!
hope it helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i bet it is hiding somewhere. maybe it's slightly different on other phones.
the issue was that i had an ever-expanding sdcard/dcim/.thumbnails/.thumbdata3--1967290299 file being recreated every time i accessed the gallery viewer, even after that thumbnails folder was erased.
my device was keeping track of ALL the media files that were ever on it, not just the ones presently on it. so the more files that passed through my device, the bigger the thumbdata file kept getting. the external.db file contains a table that lists all media files along with a bunch of attributes for each. apparently this db file is used to generate the thumbdata file. all the info for deleted files just leads to more padding inside the thumbdata file, so it keeps getting bigger.
by trimming the table i meant to delete the records in the external.db that correspond to thumbnails for media no longer on the device. that file is an SQLite file, so to open it you need a special viewer/editor. i first used the SQLite Viewer that comes with Root Explorer. with that, i could see the all the redundant thumbnail entries. to edit it, i got the SQLite Editor, though i'm sure there are other ways. then it's a matter of recognizing which files it lists that are no longer on your device, and getting rid of those rows from the table. in my case the external.db file went down from 8mb to 500kb after i did that.
screenshot 1 showing tables inside external.db, using SQLite Editor
screenshot 2 showing 'thumbnails' table
TBN FILE 2gb
hi
i have a huge thumbnail file in he sd card its almots 2GB
i have already came to opeing the list for thumbnails in the editor
but i dont know how to filter it that i can delete only the files which are not in the sd card (i.e already deleted ) plss guide me throught ,,, this and u will be a star:good:
whitebreadstyle said:
i bet it is hiding somewhere. maybe it's slightly different on other phones.
the issue was that i had an ever-expanding sdcard/dcim/.thumbnails/.thumbdata3--1967290299 file being recreated every time i accessed the gallery viewer, even after that thumbnails folder was erased.
my device was keeping track of ALL the media files that were ever on it, not just the ones presently on it. so the more files that passed through my device, the bigger the thumbdata file kept getting. the external.db file contains a table that lists all media files along with a bunch of attributes for each. apparently this db file is used to generate the thumbdata file. all the info for deleted files just leads to more padding inside the thumbdata file, so it keeps getting bigger.
by trimming the table i meant to delete the records in the external.db that correspond to thumbnails for media no longer on the device. that file is an SQLite file, so to open it you need a special viewer/editor. i first used the SQLite Viewer that comes with Root Explorer. with that, i could see the all the redundant thumbnail entries. to edit it, i got the SQLite Editor, though i'm sure there are other ways. then it's a matter of recognizing which files it lists that are no longer on your device, and getting rid of those rows from the table. in my case the external.db file went down from 8mb to 500kb after i did that.
screenshot 1 showing tables inside external.db, using SQLite Editor
screenshot 2 showing 'thumbnails' table
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the sam issue, but unfortunately your solution didn't help me. I have only a couple of pictures on my phone, but a lot of GBs of music on SDCard and I think this is he reason why .thumbdata3 file is so large on my phone.
I also tried using SDRescan as proposed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28516079&postcount=6, but that didn't help either.
I've done some more research and found a solution here: http://www.mobilephonetalk.com/show...in-memory-card&p=311954&viewfull=1#post311954. After I deleted the .thumbdata3 file, created a blank one with Root Explorer and removed write permission to it, the file stays at 0 bytes and Camera and Gallery apps still work fine.
mihir880 said:
hi
i have a huge thumbnail file in he sd card its almots 2GB
i have already came to opeing the list for thumbnails in the editor
but i dont know how to filter it that i can delete only the files which are not in the sd card (i.e already deleted ) plss guide me throught ,,, this and u will be a star:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it sure would be nice if android did that automatically
i don't know how though, sorry.. maybe there is a way, but it is surely safer to backup the media files to another drive, trim the db, then move them back if necessary.
---------- Post added at 09:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:42 PM ----------
strom87 said:
I've done some more research and found a solution here: http://www.mobilephonetalk.com/show...in-memory-card&p=311954&viewfull=1#post311954. After I deleted the .thumbdata3 file, created a blank one with Root Explorer and removed write permission to it, the file stays at 0 bytes and Camera and Gallery apps still work fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i guess that's one way of doing it. it just means all the thumbnails have to be recreated every time you open the gallery or file browser.
strom87 said:
I had the sam issue, but unfortunately your solution didn't help me. I have only a couple of pictures on my phone, but a lot of GBs of music on SDCard and I think this is he reason why .thumbdata3 file is so large on my phone.
I also tried using SDRescan as proposed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28516079&postcount=6, but that didn't help either.
I've done some more research and found a solution here: http://www.mobilephonetalk.com/show...in-memory-card&p=311954&viewfull=1#post311954. After I deleted the .thumbdata3 file, created a blank one with Root Explorer and removed write permission to it, the file stays at 0 bytes and Camera and Gallery apps still work fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you removed write permission from the thumbdata3 file with RootExplorer. If I try this, then I get a message, that that is not possible on the SD-Card and nothing happens!! The permissions stay !!!
Sunnymen1975 said:
How did you removed write permission from the thumbdata3 file with RootExplorer. If I try this, then I get a message, that that is not possible on the SD-Card and nothing happens!! The permissions stay !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try creating a folder instead of a file(no need to set permissions). So far, it's working
lbrfabio said:
You can try creating a folder instead of a file(no need to set permissions). So far, it's working
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another quick way that seems to work:
Code:
rm -rf /mnt/sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails && touch /mnt/sdcard/DCIM/.thumbnails
rm -rf /mnt/sdcard/external_sd/DCIM/.thumbnails && touch /mnt/sdcard/external_sd/DCIM/.thumbnails
Hello, I also have this problem. Now I put another file with that name and that seems to work.
However, I came on this because my device went suddenly very slow.
Is it possible that the application that writes these .thumbnail files is still searching through the complete device, even when it cannot update the file?
And, how can I inspect what app is causing this file or slow down?
Fixed!... deleted .thumbnails folder and then created a file called .thumbnails using root explorer....thats worked for me in my THL w1..saved 1.2 gb of space!
Is there anyway to stop the stock camera from posting pics in the DCIM folder? I am somewhat ocd and would like them to be posted in a folder of my choosing.
estranged1977 said:
Fixed!... deleted .thumbnails folder and then created a file called .thumbnails using root explorer....thats worked for me in my THL w1..saved 1.2 gb of space!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Created a file or a folder?
petrsiri said:
Created a file or a folder?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try create folder (I do this and see no more thumbdata3-files yet two months)
Hello,
it's a little bit difficult to explain my problem. it started few days ago when my 7.7 didn't turn on.
Then i read about the trick to press the power button longer than 10 seconds and it really worked. First I was glad but then i found out, that my picture gallery and my mp3 player was empty!
First I thought that everything was deleted, but that wasn't true. The files are still there. In fact it seems that the system has changed the "/sdcard" area to "/root". So the apps can't find the files.
I uploaded a file where you can see what i mean. On my Smartphone is also a "/sdcard" instead of the "root".
My 7.7 is rooted, no other modifications have been made...
Who can help me to solve this problem without doing a reset to factory setting..
That's just how the stock file browser shows it, it's not actually mounted at /root.
If the gallery and music player are empty you could try giving it a little time for the media scanner to add your media. If it doesn't show up, then wipe the data of the media storage app and restart your tab. You may have to restart it again after it has built its database to get everything working properly.
i wiped the data, didn't work
what if the internal storage is really mounted as /root now? what can i do to change it?
because the empty gallery and mp3player aren't the only problems now. if i take a picture, i cannot use the preview to look at it. it says "no elements" then. so i think its a problem more deep in the system...
i really dont understand how this could happen, i just turned the tab on..
If you have ES File Explorer, it should show that same "root" folder as actually being the internal "sdcard" folder. I don't think it has anything to do with actually being rooted, it is just how the built in File Manager lists the folder.
Another option, perhaps Fix Permissions in Recovery may fix your issues.
can i find a tutorial to fix permission in recovery mode?
When I'm trying to copy the DCIM folder to my PC I get a 'The library,drive or media pool is empty' I tried a different USB port and computer but still et the same error. Although I can seem to copy other folders but not the DCIM one.
How do I fix this?
Currently on 02/09 Mahdi ROM and b44 test4 HellsCore kernel.
FIX: There was a corrupt jpeg file that was causing the problem.Deleted it and everything was back to normal.
TheQuarterMile said:
When I'm trying to copy the DCIM folder to my PC I get a 'The library,drive or media pool is empty' I tried a different USB port and computer but still et the same error. Although I can seem to copy other folders but not the DCIM one.
How do I fix this?
Currently on 02/09 Mahdi ROM and b44 test4 HellsCore kernel.
FIX: There was a corrupt jpeg file that was causing the problem.Deleted it and everything was back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's strange that one corrupt file would be the cause.
Sent with my Nexus® 10 minus 3
SOLUTION
TheQuarterMile said:
When I'm trying to copy the DCIM folder to my PC I get a 'The library,drive or media pool is empty' I tried a different USB port and computer but still et the same error. Although I can seem to copy other folders but not the DCIM one.
How do I fix this?
Currently on 02/09 Mahdi ROM and b44 test4 HellsCore kernel.
FIX: There was a corrupt jpeg file that was causing the problem.Deleted it and everything was back to normal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I’ve had the same problem this morning and been solving it for few hours by now. Finally I have solve it.
Go to you device->then open DCMI folder->go to camera folder (the folder which has your pictures) Then you must find the pictures that can’t be viewed . I mean there are in those pictures a few pictures that are empty. The picture is there as a file but when you try to view it or open it, There is nothing on the pictures. It says the file is empty. That causes the error 'THE library, drive or media pool is empty' and it stops the copy- paste process when it hits that file, and give’s that error. So locate those 'empty' pics, delete them , and then you should be able to copy paste the whole folder. Yes you will need to go thought your pictures to locate those empty one's. I've done it by selecting 20-30 pictures at once and try to copy them, if it gives the error in those 20-30 pics the empty one is somewhere between those 20-30 pics.I had around 400 pics and in those 400 they were 4 empty ones, which I had to delete. Prolly some kind of error every 100 pics you take... Don’t ask me why .
Try this and post did it work for you ?
GL
Sorry for digging up an old thread but I've been encountering this problem for quite a while. Is there no other way to root out the bad files? I have encountered this issue when copying other files too from the Nexus 4.
Hi All,
For the second time in a year or so, my media files have all been wiped from default locations. About a day ago, I realised that everything from:
Internalsd/DCIM/**
Internalsd/DCIM/Downloads
externalsd/DCIM/**
All WhatsApp media files
it seems to have just been my media based files (pics, videos, sound files, pdfs), but the .thumbnail files are still there?
Last time I found some .nomedia files in some dirs, and removed them and apps were then able to see the files, as well as some files deleted which I painstaking recovered using Undeleter and GT Recovery, which got back the majority of them.
This time round however, the files have simply been wiped, Ive got no explanation. Using the undeletetion apps, I can see the files that I had previously deleted manually. But not the files I believe to have been wiped.
There was a dozen or so apps updated automatically via the play store the day before, but i couldnt say whether this was around the time the files were wiped. Also it seems that the files were only wiped from the 'default' media file locations. image files in dirs I had created are still there on externalSD.
I didnt have a backup of these media files, so I guess they are gone, unless anyone has any ideas?
What Im more concerned with is to discover why it happened and prevent it from happening again.
Im running CM12.1 nightlies, although I only update about once a week, never had a problem except this deletion issue twice.
Any ideas/comments/solutions most welcome - as Im pretty bemused.
Cheers.