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
Hi All,
Does anyone know of an App that can show how full the EXT2 or EXT3 partition of the SD card is?
I've read that there is a command that can be run from the terminal.
The reason I ask is that I have a lot of Apps and am wanting to see if it is worth increasing th size of the EXT3 partition.
Thanks.
jrc91 said:
Hi All,
Does anyone know of an App that can show how full the EXT2 or EXT3 partition of the SD card is?
I've read that there is a command that can be run from the terminal.
The reason I ask is that I have a lot of Apps and am wanting to see if it is worth increasing th size of the EXT3 partition.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Download Quick System Info from the market. There's a free and a pro version. I find the free version is good enough.
Fyi. The command is
df -h
ok i have got a ext partition
(somone tell me how to check which one iv got) however the apps are still installing to the internal memory!
i know this has been asked like a thousand times but i can't find a answer.. please help!
Which ROM have you got? If it's WildPuzzle, run adb shell and type in
Code:
a2sd reinstall
then press enter. It will reinstall apps2sd and move all your apps to the partition before rebooting the phone.
Not all apps are moved to ext position or sd. You may notice a slight decrease in phone memory due to dl of browser cache etc
Im using the wild puzzle rom v0.7 and im having this prob.... i posted it twice in the thread bt no one replied to that...
ok i did the entire procedure stated by danne_jo... got my 160 mb free... then installed all the apps required by me(installed apps using iAPK 0.3) and rebooted the phone... now only 3 out of 60 apps(those 60 apps that i had installed) are shown in the apps drawer... and under the "manage applications" it shows all the apps bt as 0 kb in size
also the internal memory went from 160 to 105 after the reboot
so after that i reinstalled all the apps and now the internal memory is only 70 MB
i dont understand???
what should i do??
i think the sd ext partiton doesn't mount coerrectly.
you can type "adb shell /system/bin/a2sd check"
that will show you message to check ext partition mounted?
if not, you can type "adb shell /system/bin/a2sd reinstall" to correct the Apps2SD.
ww231 said:
i think the sd ext partiton doesn't mount coerrectly.
you can type "adb shell /system/bin/a2sd check"
that will show you message to check ext partition mounted?
if not, you can type "adb shell /system/bin/a2sd reinstall" to correct the Apps2SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first of all thnx
bt
can u plz explain in a bit elaborated way... im a noob!!!
if not familiar with adb,
you can use "root explorer" to check the directory of /system.
if ext partition mounted , we can find /system/sd.
under /system/sd/app ,we can find the apps had been installed.(See the attachment)
my propose to partition sd_card first,(1 fat32 , 1 ext)
then copy ROM to sd_card
wipe
reinstall
You can find the step by step procedure at danne's post.
If it is your ext partition not being mounted on boot, flash this. http://db.tt/G5OrCYD
ww231 said:
if not familiar with adb,
you can use "root explorer" to check the directory of /system.
if ext partition mounted , we can find /system/sd.
under /system/sd/app ,we can find the apps had been installed.(See the attachment)
my propose to partition sd_card first,(1 fat32 , 1 ext)
then copy ROM to sd_card
wipe
reinstall
You can find the step by step procedure at danne's post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which Post by danne_jo are u talking bout??
One Final Question
I've got everything working perfectly now...
so if i take a nandroid backup now... will it also backup the app data that is stored on the EXT partition of the card or not??
coz if not then the nanroid backup is usless...
or is there any other way to take the backup of the app data on the EXT??
the answer is yes,
nandroid backup everything.
you don't care where is the apps located.
Hello All,
First of all I would like to say a big thank you to everyone contributing in this forum as it is very helpful and makes your life with gadgets interesting
I have some questions concerning App2SD
I have rooted my X8 using the modded superoneclick that uses the newer exploit for android 2.1 and after that used the Xrecovery way to install app2sd.
So here come the questions:
After the installation most of the applications needed to be reinstalled, has anyone else experienced the same thing?
I also saw that the phone was working much faster and 90Mbytes of free memory where being shown right after the hack.
Now after installing loads of applications the free memory shown is ~60Mbytes, does that mean that many of the apps dont get installed to the sdcard?
If I rerun the app2sd zip from Xrecovery will that move those apps or it will mess up everything?
Thanks in advance
try install titanium backup.. if there is a2sd, so your app2sd is working.
i never get such problem
i use SOC 1.3.0 and script for app2sd2.1 mod (dalvik-cache to sd)
(not from xrecovery)
well, a2sd exists but the available internal memory keeps going down..
parisstc said:
well, a2sd exists but the available internal memory keeps going down..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mmm.. lets check again,
try install terminal / shell
than :
$ cd /data/app
$ pwd
if the result is /system/sd/app
than your app2sd.sh script is right,
if still on /data/app ,, you must reistall app2sd, but uninstall it first.
thanks for the reply
The result is /system/sd/app
so I wonder why the available internal memory keeps going down..
when i type
cd/adb
it always show "not regconized internal promp.....bla..bla..."
what wrong???
i already copy all app2sd in memory card, and also make partisions ext3 and fat32
parisstc said:
thanks for the reply
The result is /system/sd/app
so I wonder why the available internal memory keeps going down..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
now I'm wondering too.
what apps did u install btw.
if the a2sd is working, maybe data app is too big, coz app2sd didn't mount that dir into sd.
evilteater said:
when i type
cd/adb
it always show "not regconized internal promp.....bla..bla..."
what wrong???
i already copy all app2sd in memory card, and also make partisions ext3 and fat32
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you 'cd' to 'adb tool' folder in your windows? using cmd right?
if you did, type : adb shell
if adb works., continue with your app2sd manual.
there's another tread deep about this btw