Database Users

Corrupted SD Card

I'm running CM 4.1.11.1 I think and just recently new apps wouldn't install, so I rebooted and all of a sudden all of the apps just turned into the standard icon and none of them said they were installed except for like 3 or 4 of them. I think the SD card is alright, but must have some kind of error in the ext filesystem as I can see all of the files on the FAT32 portion just fine. Do you guys know of any way to just fix the errors on the ext portion without reformatting it? Or do I have to kill all of the partitions and redo them?

You could use the repair ext filesystem option if you are running a recovery image that has it (Cyanogen 1.4 or RA 1.2.3) or just reformat the ext partition using gparted under linux.

Yeah, the repair ext thing didn't work. I think I may just have to clear off the entire card and start from scratch.

I got the same problem
then I backup all the apps up with: tar cvf /sdcard/backup.tar /data/app/*
then copy backup.tar to your desktop pc
then reformat your tf card and repart the partitions
when it's done,move it to your tf card FAT32 partition again
insert to your Phone
the install CM ROM
when it's done
enter the terminal or adb shell
cd /data/app
tar xvf /sdcard/backup.tar
(if it says read only filesystem something you can try reboot )
then check to make sure all the .apk files are under the /data/app directory
then type
fix_permissions
when it's all done reboot
if some apps' error
reinstall them
that's all I did
good luck to you ;-)

oh,I suggest that the size of your ext3 partition should under 400MB
that't the key to solve the problem I thought

Apps 2 SD on Modaco 1.1 ROM

Hi there,
I've got everything working on my newly reflashed Sprint Hero. (Thanks to everyone that contributed to the gigantic thread....read all (currently) 28 pages...you guys made it easy).
My question is whether apps 2 sd is actually working?
I've put completely bare ROMs on my hero (reverted back to stock ROM, wiped it, wiped & partitioned the sdcard to fat32, ext2 & swap, then flashed with 1.1). I then go to install an app and it doesn't show up on the SD card and my internal memory decreases (indicating that its not on the SD card?)
Don't think I've missed any relevant details, but Im keen to get this working.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It sounds like you did everything correctly.
try this:
adb shell
mount -o rw,remount -t yaffs2 /dev/block/mtdblock3 /system
cd /system/sd
ls
This should say:
[0;0mapp [0m
[0;0mapp-private [0m
as in /system/sd/app
/system/sd/app-private
then type:
cd /system/sd/app
ls
this should list the programs on the ext2 partition of your sdcard and, if you type:
cd /data/app
ls
you would still see the programs listed, but it is just telling you what you have installed they are not actually there, from what I understand.
Also, the internal memory on my phone also went down, but it went down 5 or so mb instead of 20 or so mb.
While I'm here would you mind telling me if when you said
dom2114 said:
(reverted back to stock ROM, wiped it,...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you mean you reverted to a Nandroid backup then you performed a factory reset, and then flashed with 1.1, because I was wondering if this is possible?

hi there crake
really appreciate the detailed reply.
did everything you said and everything was exactly as you described, except that in /system/sd, i also have a lost+found folder
did the next 2 steps you outlined and yes, /data/app was a duplicate of /system/sd/app. I didn't realize that these were the locations (one being the actual location and the other being the 'symlink') of the ext2 partition.
One final question for you. How big was your fat32 partition? It didn't look like there was a way to control how big you want the fat32 partitions relative to the ext2 partition (& the swap partition...not sure what that is).
In answer to your question: yes, thats exactly what I did.
I wanted a 100% free implementation of modaco 1.1 (i.e. no apps etc). Here's what i did just FYI:
Flashed my nandroid backup back on
Hard reset it
Turned the phone on and just put my basic gmail/facebook login details in
Turned it off and decided to take another nandroid backup in case I wanted to go back to this state...(so I now have 2 nandroid backups)
Enabled USB transfer and copied this new backup off
Wiped the SD card & dalvik cache and then partitioned the card to fat32, ext2 and swap
Transferred the Modaco ROM to the SD Card
Flashed the phone w/ Modaco
End result was a 100% 'stock' Modaco ROM...if that makes any sense.
Appreciate an answer and any info as to the partition sizes.
EDIT:
Realized that this 'new backup' I performed (in the 4th step above) is useless if I end up wiping/repartioning the sdcard as this ROM refers to apps that the modaco ROM moved to the SD. These will obviously be removed after a format/repartition.

Thanks for the info, I used the 2gb (1.8-ish) sd card that came with my phone, after partitioning, the fat32 partition was somewhere around 1.4 gb. There was no option to modify partition size so I assumed it partitions the ext2 to a predetermined size and the rest is partitioned as fat32.

crake001 said:
Thanks for the info, I used the 2gb (1.8-ish) sd card that came with my phone, after partitioning, the fat32 partition was somewhere around 1.4 gb. There was no option to modify partition size so I assumed it partitions the ext2 to a predetermined size and the rest is partitioned as fat32.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe its around 450MB, mine is like 446MB as ext2, the rest of my 8GB sd card is FAT32. It automatically did this, but when I go to All Applications, Apps to SD isn't even listed as an installed application. I went to the market place and installed Apps to SD 2, and it told me I needed to read the tutorial (wtf ?).
So my guess is, the MoDaCo ROM does all the work for you that the Apps to SD program would normally do, and it just always saves it to your SD card.

simplyphp said:
I believe its around 450MB, mine is like 446MB as ext2, the rest of my 8GB sd card is FAT32. It automatically did this, but when I go to All Applications, Apps to SD isn't even listed as an installed application. I went to the market place and installed Apps to SD 2, and it told me I needed to read the tutorial (wtf ?).
So my guess is, the MoDaCo ROM does all the work for you that the Apps to SD program would normally do, and it just always saves it to your SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thats the conclusion I came to. In the adb shell, if you type apps2sd, something starts happening...Im not smart enough to know what though. Figured Id mention if someone wants to play around

Thanks you all for the info. This was exactly what I was looking for. Wanted to know the size of the ext2 partition and how to control it if we even could but looks like it's automatic as stated. Then to find a way to check to make sure the apps were getting installed on the partition.

I installed the MoDaCo 1.1 over top of all my apps/settings etc. I do have my SD card partitioned via my recovery image option.
What do I need to do to get all those apps over to my sd card and off my phone?

Apps2SD works but I'm losing Internal Memory too?

Hello,
I thought that Apps2SD wasn't working on my Modaco 2.9 ROM. I was fairly certain that this could be down to a formatting error on my SD. I formatted the SD card again on my computer and the apps still remained in the phone's memory. Or at least the internal memory displayed a reduced figure each time I installed an app.
So what I did next was to install Amon Ra's recovery (version 1.3.2).
Once I'd done that I wiped my Dalvic Cache and rebooted.
Once I'd done that I repaired my EXT Cache and upgraged it to EXT4.
Once I'd done that (and with still no memory change)
I backed up my SD Card and then partitioned it again using the option in the Recovery menu.
I boot the phone and all my apps and shortcuts are gone, as if they were installed on the SD card (which had just been partioned). When I checked the phone's memory it was STILL saying I had 73mb internal memory.
I don't get it! What's happened?!
(also posted at Modaco)

Well the thing that I found out about internal memory after numerous formatting and whatnot...is that Gmail storage takes up space using your INTERNAL memory. Meaning, whenever your Gmail is synced, it'll save those emails on your internal memory. Don't trust me? Take a look at your internal memory, then go to applications > gmail storage > clear data and you'll see that your internal memory has gone up.
To confirm that A2SD is working, open a terminal (such as Better Terminal Emulator):
To confirm whether A2SD is working properly from a terminal / ADB Shell type:
busybox df -h
You should see something along these lines below:
/dev/block/mccblk0p2 532.9M 67.1M 438.7M 13% /system/sd
The key is that you see one of the entries as /system/sd
This means that the phone is picked up your Ext2 partition.
Next if you see the above you can check that you setup the symlinks properly.
To do this type these cmds:
cd /data/app
pwd
The terminal returns /system/sd/app which means that the apps are now being saved onto the Ext2 Partition since the /system/sd = your Ext2 partition.
If it returns /data/app then the apps are still being installed onto the phone's internal rom.
Hope this helps, let me know if not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taken from somewhere, I forgot. All credit goes to that poster. Oh and Ext2 can also be 3 or 4 depending on what you have.

A2SD - Can someone point me to a how-to?

Fairly new to custom ROMs... Started with Damage 2.0.2 and been updating all the way through to 2.0.7.2, but never attempted the A2SD. Can someone point me to a good how to guide on setting this up for the first time. I have found a few forum how-to's on switching SD cards with A2SD, but most things i am finding with searches are assuming it is already setup.
Please attach links or paste in a simple how-to for me. Thanks.
Also, will I be able to keep this ROM intact, (i know i will have to backup the SD card to repartition it...), but will i have to wipe the ROM as well after the ext is built to reinstall the ROM?

Make a copy of your SD card to your computer.
Reboot into recovery.
Partition Your SD card, I used 0 swap and 380 something for the ext.
Toggle MS through recovery and copy your SD card files back to your card.
Reboot.
Get Quick System Info from the market.(It shows how much memory is left on your partition, basically an easy way to tell if it worked)

durandetto said:
Make a copy of your SD card to your computer.
Reboot into recovery.
Partition Your SD card, I used 0 swap and 380 something for the ext.
Toggle MS through recovery and copy your SD card files back to your card.
Reboot.
Get Quick System Info from the market.(It shows how much memory is left on your partition, basically an easy way to tell if it worked)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by toggle MS through recovery?

It's an option in recovery it allows you to view your SD card on you computer. MS stands for Mass Storage.

durandetto said:
It's an option in recovery it allows you to view your SD card on you computer. MS stands for Mass Storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So how do I move the current apps over to the SD card once it is partitioned and up and running?

http://geekfor.me/faq/apps2sd/
This link mentions some other methods to check if it's running. However, it's for fresh rom. Maybe others can chime in to say if the information is the same for damage control roms. As far as I know, the main trick is just partitioning the sdcard using the recovery tool as durandetto mentioned. If the rom sees an ext partition, a2sd will automatically start working. I too am using dc2.0.7.2.
For me, quick system info shows a2sd working, but my internal storage is much less than I thought it would be. I understand that app data is still stored on the internal storage, but can anyone tell me if my numbers are normal or not?
A2SD Storage: 0.89GB, Free 790MB
Internal Storage: 160MB, Free 33.33MB
I probably have under 50 apps installed.

jonesdana said:
So how do I move the current apps over to the SD card once it is partitioned and up and running?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your apps will automatically be installed on your sd card, at least mine were.

e30user said:
http://geekfor.me/faq/apps2sd/
This link mentions some other methods to check if it's running. However, it's for fresh rom. Maybe others can chime in to say if the information is the same for damage control roms. As far as I know, the main trick is just partitioning the sdcard using the recovery tool as durandetto mentioned. If the rom sees an ext partition, a2sd will automatically start working. I too am using dc2.0.7.2.
For me, quick system info shows a2sd working, but my internal storage is much less than I thought it would be. I understand that app data is still stored on the internal storage, but can anyone tell me if my numbers are normal or not?
A2SD Storage: 0.89GB, Free 790MB
Internal Storage: 160MB, Free 33.33MB
I probably have under 50 apps installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have around the same amount of apps and I usually have almost 80mb after I clear my cache.

Does it matter if the apps were downloaded from the market or from another source? Because I have about 35MB of internal storage left as well but my A2SD appears to be working as well. I might have 25 apps.

durandetto said:
I have around the same amount of apps and I usually have almost 80mb after I clear my cache.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently cleared my dalvik cache to fix some market apps not showing up. However, I just did it again so I can compare results to the numbers posted earlier.
Before:
A2SD Storage: 0.89GB, Free 790MB
Internal Storage: 160MB, Free 33.33MB
After wipe of dalvik cache:
A2SD Storage: 0.89GB, Free 790MB
Internal Storage: 160MB, Free 33.24MB
Is the dalvik cache the cache you're talking about?
Jonesdana - it might help if you mention what size sdcard you have if you're curious about typical partition sizes. I know that's one of the things I was curious about when figuring this stuff out. I have an 8gb card and set the ext3 partion for 1 gig(overkill, I know), swap 128, fat for the rest.

Deleted...

e30user said:
I recently cleared my dalvik cache to fix some market apps not showing up. However, I just did it again so I can compare results to the numbers posted earlier.
Before:
A2SD Storage: 0.89GB, Free 790MB
Internal Storage: 160MB, Free 33.33MB
After wipe of dalvik cache:
A2SD Storage: 0.89GB, Free 790MB
Internal Storage: 160MB, Free 33.24MB
Is the dalvik cache the cache you're talking about?
Jonesdana - it might help if you mention what size sdcard you have if you're curious about typical partition sizes. I know that's one of the things I was curious about when figuring this stuff out. I have an 8gb card and set the ext3 partion for 1 gig(overkill, I know), swap 128, fat for the rest.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Settings>applications>manage applications Sort by size and check the Browser, market, albums and others that you use regularly and clear cache. I doubt you'll gain 50mb, but you should gain something.

Isn't the point of this to not have to do that stuff? I don't see the benefit of a2sd from this thread.

Apps2SD
EDIT: Removed the original instructions because of errors. If you want to install A2SD version 2.5, follow these instructions on this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=666420
My apologies for any issues the original instructions may have caused.
Now, for a bonus. If you installed A2SD verison 2.5, you can also move your dalvik-cache to your sd card. This will free up more space on your internal storage. This is completely optional and does not affect the operation of A2SD. Simply enter the phone's console via adb shell, then type /system/bin/a2sd cache. The dalvik-cache will be relocated to /system/sd/dalvik-cache. If you do this, make sure the phone is fully booted.
You can move your dalvik-cache manually without version 2.5.
In the adb shell, type the following commands:
mkdir /system/sd/dalvik-cache
chown 777 /system/sd/dalvik-cache
cp /data/dalvik-cache/* /system/sd/dalvik-cache
rm /data/dalvik-cache
ln -s /system/sd/dalvik-cache /data/dalvik-cache
And that's it.

tkirton said:
Okay...here's the breakdown of how to activate A2SD (a.k.a. Apps2SD)
1. (Optional) Download A2SD version 2.5: http://www.darktremor.com/files/misc/a2sd-2.5-signed.zip. Save the file to your SD card. If you don't want to download this version, skip this step.
2. Reboot the phone into recovery mode.
3. Partition the SD card by selecting Partition SD Card -> Partition SD.
4. Once you have partitioned it, press the back button to go to the main recovery menu.
5. If you downloaded the A2SD version 2.5, flash the program by selecting Flash zip from scard -> a2sd-2.5-signed.zip. Otherwise, skip this step.
6. Reboot the phone. A2SD will start when the program boots and will automatically move your programs located in /data/app and /data/app-private.
7. To validate, go into the console of the phone by typing adb shell and press ENTER. Type ls -l /data and press ENTER. Look for the entries app and app-private. Check to see if entries look like the following:
app -> /system/sd/app
app-private -> /system/sd/app-private
If you see this, then A2SD is working.
Now, for a bonus. If you installed A2SD verison 2.5, you can also move your dalvik-cache to your sd card. This will free up more space on your internal storage. This is completely optional and does not affect the operation of A2SD. Simply enter the phone's console via adb shell, then type /system/bin/a2sd cache. The dalvik-cache will be relocated to /system/sd/dalvik-cache. If you do this, make sure the phone is fully booted.
You can move your dalvik-cache manually without version 2.5.
In the adb shell, type the following commands:
mkdir /system/sd/dalvik-cache
chown 777 /system/sd/dalvik-cache
cp /data/dalvik-cache/* /system/sd/dalvik-cache
rm /data/dalvik-cache
ln -s /system/sd/dalvik-cache /data/dalvik-cache
And that's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using just the aps2sd 2.5 zip I always start with about 153 meg out of 159 meg and after all my apps are back using titanium backup (about 60 apps) I still have over 135 meg free. I never had this before I used this zip. I did not run the dalvik cache command either. After checking however my dalvik-cache is being moved to /system/sd/dalvik-cache. I see no diff in the phone than before I moved this to the SD either. It just frees up lots of space and lets you load many many more apps

so what exactly does one gain from doing this? just more space? i can't imagine there would be any increase in speed, and wouldn't this have a tiny negative impact on power usage? (small but theoretically still there)

I've never tried this either...
So, if your sdcard dies, could you just reflash the rom over itself and everything would be gravy?
-edit-
After you've installed a new card and formatted it properly, of course.

Can you flash the 2.5 over existing a2sd? or would you have to redo everything when done?
redram38 said:
Using just the aps2sd 2.5 zip I always start with about 153 meg out of 159 meg and after all my apps are back using titanium backup (about 60 apps) I still have over 135 meg free. I never had this before I used this zip. I did not run the dalvik cache command either. After checking however my dalvik-cache is being moved to /system/sd/dalvik-cache. I see no diff in the phone than before I moved this to the SD either. It just frees up lots of space and lets you load many many more apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

bbv203 said:
Can you flash the 2.5 over existing a2sd? or would you have to redo everything when done?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can flash the 2.5 over the existing a2sd! I am not sure if you have to wipe the Davlik Cache, but I would recommend it. You will probably have a lengthy boot time as the Davlik Cache is written.

hmmmm...one way to find out I guess!
mjweisberg said:
You can flash the 2.5 over the existing a2sd! I am not sure if you have to wipe the Davlik Cache, but I would recommend it. You will probably have a lengthy boot time as the Davlik Cache is written.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Apps2SD for 2.1 Rom?

does anyone have any instructions for apps2Sd for the 2.1 rom? I have no idea what I'm doing with this, and Im tired of not having any space on my phone to dl apps! thanks for any help in advance.

if you are running an a2sd enabled rom,
1. backup your entire sd card to your pc
2. boot into recovery
3. select to partition sd
4. partition to ext 2 and then to ext 3
5. use the default settings of 32mb swap / 512mb data
6. reboot
7. move your previous data back to your sd from your pc
you should be good to go. if you start seeing a significant drop in system memory, go back to recovery and flash the attached zip

troyboytn said:
if you are running an a2sd enabled rom,
1. backup your entire sd card to your pc
2. boot into recovery
3. select to partition sd
4. partition to ext 2 and then to ext 3
5. use the default settings of 32mb swap / 512mb data
6. reboot
7. move your previous data back to your sd from your pc
you should be good to go. if you start seeing a significant drop in system memory, go back to recovery and flash the attached zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What if is the 32mb swap & the 512mb Data sizes for? What happens if I make them bigger?

Coldheat1906 said:
What if is the 32mb swap & the 512mb Data sizes for? What happens if I make them bigger?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually, you can set swap at 0 (its not used anyway, unless you are gonna use the new Fresh Toast rom)
you can set data to be larger if you like (though not needed unless you are gonna install ALOT of mega mb apps)

Thanks, besides that is there anything else that I need to do or can I just start downloading apps..... Also how can I verify that they are going to my sd card?

Coldheat1906 said:
Thanks, besides that is there anything else that I need to do or can I just start downloading apps..... Also how can I verify that they are going to my sd card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go into your command prompt...
adb remount
adb shell
cd /data/app
pwd
if it says /system/sd/app your apps2sd is working! if it says /data/app, it's not

dec3ption said:
go into your command prompt...
adb remount
adb shell
cd /data/app
pwd
if it says /system/sd/app your apps2sd is working! if it says /data/app, it's not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok,....now I really feel like a noob.....
When I try to do a adb remount it says "device not found"
I also do have "USB Debug" selected.
Edit: Ok.... had to re-install the SDK..... I think it's working now.

Thanks
Im flashing my rom right now so I will see how this works out

I have a problem
Im using the Fresh rom with android 2.1 which should have app2sd enabled, but for some reason my apps dont go the sd card? Any help with this, I 've formatted based on the instructions, but it doesnt seem to work for me?

troyboytn said:
actually, you can set swap at 0 (its not used anyway, unless you are gonna use the new Fresh Toast rom)
you can set data to be larger if you like (though not needed unless you are gonna install ALOT of mega mb apps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I beg to differ...the A2SD version 2.5 will activate swap if it sees the partition. That's the file you posted as part of the instructions.

amallama said:
Im using the Fresh rom with android 2.1 which should have app2sd enabled, but for some reason my apps dont go the sd card? Any help with this, I 've formatted based on the instructions, but it doesnt seem to work for me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Validate by doing this:
1. At your computer (in the Android SDK Tools directory), type adb shell
2. Once you are in an adb shell, type ls -l /data
3. Look for the entries app and app-private. The two entries should look like the following:
app -> /system/sd/app
app-private -> /system/sd/app-private
If they don't, you'll need to validate you have an ext3 partition on your sd card.
If you do, download A2SD version 2.5 from http://www.darktremor.com/files/misc/a2sd-2.5-signed.zip and put it on your SD card (in the same place you put custom roms). Go into recovery and flash this file (it won't erase anything...it's just going to install a2sd version 2.5). Reboot phone and perform the same steps above.
If it still isn't working, PM me and I'll continue to help you.

tkirton said:
I beg to differ...the A2SD version 2.5 will activate swap if it sees the partition. That's the file you posted as part of the instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
will it activate swap on any rom?, is it required? can it actually just be left at 0 (users choice) to not use swap?
dont mean to step on toes here, just realized this is your creation (guess you know more than I).....sorry if I spewed some misinfo

troyboytn said:
will it activate swap on any rom?, is it required? can it actually just be left at 0 (users choice) to not use swap?
dont mean to step on toes here, just realized this is your creation (guess you know more than I).....sorry if I spewed some misinfo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem...the previous version (2.0) didn't turn on swap...that was actually handled by another routine from my Darktremor kernel (never released...that's why you never seen it).
If you don't want to activate swap, you can go into the phone and type /system/bin/a2sd noswap. It will put a flag file on the system that, if present, will tell a2sd not to use swap file although one is present.
Swap is not required. If a2sd doesn't see the swap partition, it simply won't activate swap...all other functions will activate as normal.
It will activate swap on any rom provided that the swap partition is using /dev/block/mmcblk0p3 (third partition on the SD card). The sd partition feature on the RA Recovery does this automatically.

hi i have a the wildfire got it rooted but not sure how to install apps2sd,apk im on software 2.1
i did have a custom rom cyanogenmod 6.1 and that had apps2sd but the wildfire 2.1 dosent and would like some advice on how to do it please any help wud b nice thanks