Database Users

File management?

How do you access the hard disk/storage card from the device? I can't figure it out for the life of me.
Thanks!

you need to download an app from the market, i use ASTRO

Cool...thanks...I appreciate it.
Anyone have any other suggestions?

Astro is normally the file manager of choice for Android users (non-rooted, at least).
OI file manager is another popular one, and it even adds an option in your email app so that you can attach any file.
I have both, I recommend you do the same.

sccafun said:
Cool...thanks...I appreciate it.
Anyone have any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Astro as well, but I have used Linda Manager in the past and that was pretty decent, but it's been a while since I used it.

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I hope this helps other new Android users.

What about for the internal memory?

What about for the internal memory?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
internal is located in /emmc
the sdcard is /sdcard
Sent from my ADR6300 using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

deekjx said:
internal is located in /emmc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks I had no idea, it looks like a folder in my file browser so I couldn't be sure that was it.

astro is nice because it has a built in ftp client that supports sftp. that's my favorite part of it. just installed oi for email. pretty excited about being able attach any files now instead of only pictures
EDIT: forgot to say thanks thanks!!

And EStrongs is good if you want to do network shares (and supports samba).
It has ftp too. Not sure about secure ftp though, I havent installed Estrongs on my Incredible and never thought to try secure ftp on my Droid.

qwho said:
Thanks I had no idea, it looks like a folder in my file browser so I couldn't be sure that was it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was in the same boat. Thanks a bunch.

AwsmAdm said:
I was in the same boat. Thanks a bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too Thanks

Using Astro, I cannot copy/paste/move ringtones into the media/ringtones folder on the phone's hard disk....has anyone noticed this? Is there another program that will allow you to do this?

sccafun said:
Using Astro, I cannot copy/paste/move ringtones into the media/ringtones folder on the phone's hard disk....has anyone noticed this? Is there another program that will allow you to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the sdcard or the emmc folder?
I have no problem with either. I just used Astro and went into the emmc folder and created a "ringtones" folder and copied and pasted one of my ringtones into it.
Where exactly are you copying from and pasting to? If you put the ringtones into a folder on the emmc or sdcard the phone will see them.
Ringtones go in a folder called "ringtones", notifications in "notifications" and alarms in "alarms". That's all you need to do to get them to show in the list of available sounds.

Thanks for responding….my ringtones are on my SD card…I'm was trying to copy/paste or move the ringtones from there into the system/media/audio/ringtones directory.
Ah-ha, I see… you can't move the files directly from your SD card to the system directory, you have to place the ringtones in the emmc directory first….well, that's different…I'm used to Win Mo….love Total Commander…..
Ok, really..I'm not a dunce…I was able to move the files from my sd card to the emmc folder, but I cannot move to the ringtones directory from the path listed above…. :-?

sccafun said:
Thanks for responding….my ringtones are on my SD card…I'm was trying to copy/paste or move the ringtones from there into the system/media/audio/ringtones directory.
Ah-ha, I see… you can't move the files directly from your SD card to the system directory, you have to place the ringtones in the emmc directory first….well, that's different…I'm used to Win Mo….love Total Commander…..
Ok, really..I'm not a dunce…I was able to move the files from my sd card to the emmc folder, but I cannot move to the ringtones directory from the path listed above…. :-?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no reason or need to put them on the "system". I suspect we need to root to do that. But the phone will use your ringtones whether they are in the system folder, the sdcard, or the emmc. It is the name of the folder that matters. Just name them like I mentioned and they'll show up in all the right places.

On my Incredible, I can only select the default ringtones from the system/media/audio/ringtones directory. The device will not recognize ringtones from anywhere else when trying to assign ringtones for my contacts, or for the device in general.... so as is, I can only select the default ringtones, or buy new ones....ha,ha...yeah, right....I'll send the device back first....

sccafun said:
On my Incredible, I can only select the default ringtones from the system/media/audio/ringtones directory. The device will not recognize ringtones from anywhere else when trying to assign ringtones for my contacts, or for the device in general.... so as is, I can only select the default ringtones, or buy new ones....ha,ha...yeah, right....I'll send the device back first....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either you are doing something wrong or your phone is broken. Or maybe you are using a bad/incompatible file for a ringtone?
Do this for me.
Create a folder on your sdcard called "ringtones". Put it on the root of your sdcard and name it EXACTLY like that (without the quotes, of course). Place your mp3 ringtone in there. It will then show up as an option for your phone's main ringtone. Use a known good ringtone if you are having issues.
Now, that ringtone will not show up for notifications or alarms. You have to also create a folder called "alarms" and "notifications" and put the ringtones in there as well.
This works 100% for me and my Incredible (it was the same on the Droid and Devour as well - those are the only Android devices I have so far).

Ok, renaming the folder to "Ringtones" worked. Like I said, I'm not a dunce or new to PPC/smartphones...however, I am new to Android....with WM you don't have to jump through these hoops just to get the device to recognize the sound files, or to move files from one directory to another. Thanks for your help again, I hope this helps other new Droid users!

.Trash-1000 :HOW do I delete the files in it?

So I have my EVO mounted and while viewing the root of the SD card I hit <Ctrl>H to show hidden files and then go to .Trash-1000 and all of the files that I thought I had deleted from the music folder are in this folder.
Any info on how to get rid of these files? Even if I try to re-select them and delete they disappear for 1 sec then return... They are .flac files and are very large, so I need them gone.
What is the proper way to delete files directly from folders?

What computer are you using with your phone? '.Trashes' is the name Macintosh uses for the un-emptied trash folders. I imagine similar processes are used by other OSes. To empty it simply requires emptying the Trash (or Recycle Bin) from Finder or the like. You can also use any file browser when the phone isn't mounted to delete that folder directly.

generalExpert said:
So I have my EVO mounted and while viewing the root of the SD card I hit <Ctrl>H to show hidden files and then go to .Trash-1000 and all of the files that I thought I had deleted from the music folder are in this folder.
Any info on how to get rid of these files? Even if I try to re-select them and delete they disappear for 1 sec then return... They are .flac files and are very large, so I need them gone.
What is the proper way to delete files directly from folders?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By default on Ubuntu (and other distros with GNOME), pressing delete just puts files in a trash folder. In the file browser you'll have to "Empty Trash" to delete them.
If you want to skip sending them to the Trash in the first place, press "Shift-Delete"

I Usually delete that entire folder.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

[Q] Folder?

Hello, for some reason when I press on the folder it doesn't show any of my files, only a transparent white window. Any advice?
I'm using a SD card.

bumping this thread

Can you be a little clearer? What folder, and where is it? Is this through a file explorer, or a folder on your home page?
Just give us more to go on

johncmolyneux said:
Can you be a little clearer? What folder, and where is it? Is this through a file explorer, or a folder on your home page?
Just give us more to go on
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know how to acces the media on my SD.
Pressing on folder shows a white transparent window.

What application are you trying to access it with? Talk me through from the beginning so I can see if I can help.

johncmolyneux said:
What application are you trying to access it with? Talk me through from the beginning so I can see if I can help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea, I just need to find the media that are on my SD.
Windows mobile had file explorer, does the latest NAND have it?
I've got no idea how to access it..

There are plenty of file explorers available from the market. You just need to search on there.
I personally use Root Explorer as it allows you to modify/copy/paste system files.

The folder you are probably trying to access is simply a virtual folder you have created on your android desktop. To use it you need to drag icons to it to organise stuff into groups etc.
What you should be doing to access your SD card is using an actual file explorer/manager app like the one described above. I personally use ASTRO File Manager though.
PS. Next time you ask for help please be more descriptive of your issue/problem.

App install Fails?

hey all iv noticed this a lot with the stock 2.2 rom on my POV Mobii tegra 2 (advent vega rebrand).
e.g i uninstalled a game called jelly defence, then tried to install an updated version of it. the install fails saying aplication not installed.
ok so i then tried to reinstall the first version i had working on the tablet, and that also fails to install saying again application not installed..
why would this be happening? iv noticed that it happens on a fair few number of apps that i install, then uninstall, then try to install again and they fail to install.
installation is done via apk file from sd card. even tried over wifi and still same error.

I know this might sound rude, but did you try Google?
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4226132/application-not-installed-error-on-android

ahh, could be something to do with the certificates or the AndroidManifest.xml file.
where is this file located so that i can check its permissions?

This might be a tough nutt to crack...
"AndroidManifest.xml" file is inside .apk files.

ok i managed to fix the problem. i mounted my sd card to the pc with card reader, and in the android.secure folder there was a file called smdl2tmp1.asec , i deleted that and now the app installs fine. got both jelly defence and few others installed with no issues.
strange how i cant see that folder on the tablet itself because its hidden. need an app to see the folder and its contents directly on the tablet so i can delete it again if needed.

Yeah, folders and files with a dot infront of their names are invisible.
It's a Linux thing!
Glad you got that sorted out!

is there no file manager app that can see these files directly on the tablet?

Just tried "iFileManager" app I got with stock tablet software and it can see hidden files/folders.
I also tried Root Explorer and it can see hidden files/folders, but this is a paid app.
Astro File Manager can also see hidden files/folders, but you need to go into Preferences-->Look and Feel-->and enable "Show Hidden Files" option.
Maybe your current file manager app also has such an option?
Hope I helped, and don't forget to give a thanks!

ahh, i have stock ifilemanager, but i dont use it, i use ES File Explorer since i can access my LAN shares with it easily over the wifi. will give ifilemanager a go in few mins time.
thanks again.

just checked ifilemanager can see the folder but it cant see any of the file which are inside the folder.

Just checked some "hidden" folders myself on my tablet.
Some have files / sub-folders inside and some don't.
Not all folders need to have files inside.

but when i check the folder on the pc via sdcard reader, there are files in the folder.
cant see them directly on the tablet, but when connected to pc i can see the files in exact same location.

[Q] Create folder shortcut from external SD card

What I want to do is create a short cut to a folder that is located on an external sd card and put it on my home screen.
I have tried alot of file managers and none I tried have this option. I did come across one fike manager which i could create a shortcut but it only had access to the internal memory.
Can anyone recommend a suitable app which i can install?

File manager HD works fine
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rhmsoft.fm.hd

I cant access the external SD card using file manager hd

Did you try to navigate back in the directory tree by pressing parent? You might need root for that.

amateurandroid said:
I cant access the external SD card using file manager hd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What rom are you running???
If you are on Thor's rom he calls the external sdcard something else and most file managers won't see it with out editing the name.

amateurandroid said:
I cant access the external SD card using file manager hd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're still on File manager HD, press HOME, and then UP and you'll see your external_sd. Otherwise it is located in mnt/ folder. If you're running thor's ROM 14.2 it is under mnt/Removable/MicroSD

shortcut to external sd
lowsum said:
File manager HD works fine
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rhmsoft.fm.hd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi all, by the life of me I was not able to create a shortcut with FM HD. A bookmark in FM HD yes, no problem.
I run stock rom.

I am running Thor's ROM 14.2
found it through File Manager HD, had to press Home and Up Twice and then in the Removable Folder. Thanks for that.
Now, back to my original query, I still am unable to create a short cut to my home screen. The options that presents include, Details, Open, Copy, Delete, Move, Rename, Permissions (all boxes ticked), Bookmark and Compress

amateurandroid said:
What I want to do is create a short cut to a folder that is located on an external sd card and put it on my home screen.
I have tried alot of file managers and none I tried have this option. I did come across one fike manager which i could create a shortcut but it only had access to the internal memory.
Can anyone recommend a suitable app which i can install?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be wrong here, but I don't think that's possible in Android. You can't put shortcuts (or linked files) on your Android desktop...at least the stock one (don't know if there's a launcher that has this capability). I have tried in many versions of Android with no success. You could, in a terminal, use Busybox to create a linked file/directory in /data/app or /data/app-private, but the link doesn't show up on the desktop (at least not for me).

With File Manager HD you can add a folder shortcut from the widget drawer, the far right tab (i'm on ICS so I can't check for the exact tab name). From there you can add a FMHD shortcut for a chosen folder.

Just installed File Browser Widget and I think it's a great little app you might want to try.
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.ceenic.filebrowserwidget&feature=search_result&hl=en

I know this might be too late but ES file Explorer can do sth like this. Simple long-press on a folred and choose "Shortcut" and you get one on your desktop.

Install File manager HD, go to the Widgets section on the apps drawer in the OS, and there is a widget for File Manager HD, add it to your home screen, it will then prompt you to create a shortcut to a folder of your choice, even one on the External SD

mrfenyx said:
I know this might be too late but ES file Explorer can do sth like this. Simple long-press on a folred and choose "Shortcut" and you get one on your desktop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to mention ES as well. They made it remarkably simple. Something that's kinda neat is that you can choose folder color between yellow and blue. Then, when you shortcut a folder, it will be the color of the folder at the time you created the shortcut. And it holds even after a reboot. Could be useful to have different colored shortcuts for organizing.
Es goes way beyond shortcuts, you get a full featured file browser with root browsing (in settings) as well as a network browser, ftp, file editor, permission editor... So much more.