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Hello XDA Developers.
I have hit a brick wall trying to partition my 8gb SD card for my MyTouch3g, and could use a little help, i can getting very frustrated and any help will be appreciated .
Questions:
1) Is there any way to partition the 8GB SD card on the computer, then just put it into the MyTouch3g?
2) How do i know what size partitions should be for my 8GB card?
I cannot get adb set up on the computer properly to do it, also many of the guides are for the G1 and involve typing things in the recovery console with the hardware keyboard.
I have googled for hours trying to find a guide specifically for partitioning with the Mytouch3g without using adb, but could not find one.
Side note: I rooted my phone using the 1touch method.
you can use Amon_Ra's recovery and it'll do it for you automatically.
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/22/how-to-root-the-mytouch-3g-or-g1-in-one-click/
...
maybe dumb question, can i flash the Amon_Ra's recovery img after already having the cyanogen recovery img...or do i need to start with a clean slate?...and any advice if im using the stock 4gb SD card as far as partitioning/format for better performance?
i need help too...
please help a noob!!!
i'm in the exact same boat. using cyanogen 4.0.2 also and an 8gb sd card too.
please help...
Same
Yeah im worried about flashing another recovery image over the Cyanogen recovery image.
I rooted using the 1-touch method that auto installed Cyanogen Recovery image....dont know if flashing another recovery image would brick it or not
if you guys have the myTouch and unsure, unroot then root again using the Amon_Ra method on unlockr
http://theunlockr.com/2009/08/22/how-to-unroot-your-mytouch-3g/
I use Amon_Ra's recovery and I know it does the partition for me automatically, but how do I know what size my partitions are ? For example, there are some roms that require 96Mb's for Swap...Any help will be greatly appreciated and thanx to all the Devs for their hard and continous work on the G1 and MT3G....
unk2009 said:
I use Amon_Ra's recovery and I know it does the partition for me automatically, but how do I know what size my partitions are ? For example, there are some roms that require 96Mb's for Swap...Any help will be greatly appreciated and thanx to all the Devs for their hard and continous work on the G1 and MT3G....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ask this in every thread?............search please!!!!
Cyan's recovery should have an option to auto format your card
you can use Amon_Ra's recovery img without flashing it to your phone!
Just boot it, instead of flashing it.. and select the option to partition the sdcard and then reboot...
No changes to your phone... just a partitioned sdcard!
use the following commands with fastboot loaded on your phone (back + power)
fastboot boot your_recovery_img.img
Hope this helps
philicibine said:
you can use Amon_Ra's recovery img without flashing it to your phone!
Just boot it, instead of flashing it.. and select the option to partition the sdcard and then reboot...
No changes to your phone... just a partitioned sdcard!
use the following commands with fastboot loaded on your phone (back + power)
fastboot boot your_recovery_img.img
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
does this really work? first time i have seen this reported. Have you done it? If you have could u give me some more detailed instructions on how to do it. Please and thank you. If this is a totally noob request I apologize,I am new to this.
Follow this guide and you can partition the card how you like.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=535914
It really is easy to do, just try.
Here's what I am doing. I'm a complete noob and it took days and days of tinkering and reading through this site to refine this. I've done it multiple times now with experimental ROMs and it works great for me.
Put your SD card in your computer's reader, or a 3rd party reader device. Copy all the files to your hard drive in a backup folder of some kind.
Go get GParted at http://gparted.sourceforge.net/
You can download the iso image. Use a program like http://www.imgburn.com/ to burn the iso image to a CD which will be bootable.
Once you have the Boot CD with GParted you can boot your computer up with it in the disc drive. Make sure your BIOS settings have the CD before your hard drive to check for boot sequence.
GParted will start up, I pick the defaults. It reads my SD reader with my 8GB Class 6 inserted. Make sure you select your SD card from the drop menu, the default is my computer hard drive which you don't want to touch!
I delete all the partitions on the card.
The first partition is your FAT32 and it will be the largest partition.
The next Partition you want to make is an ext2, ext3, or ext4 partition. I use ext3. I make this partition about 800 MB. This is where the Cyanogen ROM will copy your apps to automatically when it detects it.
The last partition is going to be a Linux Swap file and should be about 32 MB.
I've seen where some people use a 64 MB swap file but I think the general consensus of 32 is fine.
Once you are done, close out GParted and pull the CD out when it ejects your tray. When you reboot the computer without the CD in it, your Windows OS should boot right up like normal.
In Windows you should see the large FAT32 partition on your SD card. Windows won't see the ext3 or swap partitions. Copy your SD card files back to your SD card and eject the card.
When you put the card in your MyTouch3G, turn on the phone. Leave it alone when your screen comes up. The Cyanogen ROM will detect your ext3 partition and begin copying all your apps to it. At first it will look like you have no apps but they will begin appearing as they are copied to your SD card. It may take a couple minutes depending on how many apps you have.
The GParted CD is an easy way in the future to wipe out partitions on your card and set it up for you.
Currently I have a Sprint HTC hero running MoDaCo v 2.2 (has A2SD included). My SD is partitioned with ext 2 and swap. If I was to get a larger SD card to replace the one that's currently in the phone, is there a way I can completely copy all the partitions from the old one to the new one without having to do any maintenance on through phone's recovery image? Or will there always be a few things that need to be done through the recovery image (re-partition the new card, etc)? Is this process listed somewhere already (changing SD cards)? Thanks.
You could use droid explorer, Linux, adb shell, or Android commander to pull the data from you extra and swap partition. Then format and push to your new card.
EasierLikeThis said:
Currently I have a Sprint HTC hero running MoDaCo v 2.2 (has A2SD included). My SD is partitioned with ext 2 and swap. If I was to get a larger SD card to replace the one that's currently in the phone, is there a way I can completely copy all the partitions from the old one to the new one without having to do any maintenance on through phone's recovery image? Or will there always be a few things that need to be done through the recovery image (re-partition the new card, etc)? Is this process listed somewhere already (changing SD cards)? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've got it backwards. You need to do EVERYTHING through the recovery image... don't know why you'd have a problem using it.
Make a Nandroid + EXT backup of the phone.
Turn on USB-MS, mount the phone on your computer.
Copy the contents of the sdcard to your computer, *including* the Nandroid backup.
Unmount the phone, turn off USB-MS.
Now power-off the phone.
Replace the sdcard, boot the phone back to recovery. Do NOT allow the phone to boot Android, all you'll get is endless FC errors and you'll have to reboot it again anyway.
Partition the new sdcard.
Turn USB-MS on, mount the phone on your computer.
Copy the sdcard files, including the Nandroid backup, back to the sdcard.
Unmount the phone, turn off USB-MS.
Now restore the Nandroid backup. This puts your apps back onto the EXT partition.
And now you can allow the phone to boot Android.
posguy99 said:
You've got it backwards. You need to do EVERYTHING through the recovery image... don't know why you'd have a problem using it.
Make a Nandroid + EXT backup of the phone.
Turn on USB-MS, mount the phone on your computer.
Copy the contents of the sdcard to your computer, *including* the Nandroid backup.
Unmount the phone, turn off USB-MS.
Now power-off the phone.
Replace the sdcard, boot the phone back to recovery. Do NOT allow the phone to boot Android, all you'll get is endless FC errors and you'll have to reboot it again anyway.
Partition the new sdcard.
Turn USB-MS on, mount the phone on your computer.
Copy the sdcard files, including the Nandroid backup, back to the sdcard.
Unmount the phone, turn off USB-MS.
Now restore the Nandroid backup. This puts your apps back onto the EXT partition.
And now you can allow the phone to boot Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a problem using it, its very robust and easy to decipher. I just wasn't sure what steps would go into changing SD cards and keeping everything the way they are. What you've described here is perfect. Thanks very much. Time for me to go get a bigger, higher classed SD card to replace this stock 2gb card. Thanks.
I'm on a 32b mytouch.
with AMON_RA 1.2.3 recovery and CM 4.2.13
I used the amon_Ra recovery to setup my card. wipe~> wipe Dxxxx~> format with ext 2 ~> convert ext2 to 3
From what CM site says it should work 100% on its own. I have a feeling its not the case with my phone, is there a way to confirm this.
Its automatic, theres a Apps2SD script in the rom that starts up on boot to activate the EXT. You can type df in terminal to see how much space is being used and some roms allow you to see secondary storage via settings which is EXT partition.
bowlofturtle said:
I'm on a 32b mytouch.
with AMON_RA 1.2.3 recovery and CM 4.2.13
I used the amon_Ra recovery to setup my card. wipe~> wipe Dxxxx~> format with ext 2 ~> convert ext2 to 3
From what CM site says it should work 100% on its own. I have a feeling its not the case with my phone, is there a way to confirm this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you've partitioned your phone correctly, Cyanogen ROMS have an automatic apps2sd feature installed. Another very easy way to confirm is to go to select menu, settings, Sd card and phone storage, check how much internal phone storage you have. Then, go into market place, install a few random apps, go back to your sd card and phone storage and recheck your internal memory. If the number has decreased, then your apps are still being installed onto your internal memory and something isn't right.
when i pull out my SD card. should all my apps disappear?
i'm assuming it should, when i remove my SD all my apps are fully functioning.
Question:
I've noticed I'm pretty much at my limit for space on my current SD card (like 80MB remaining on a 4GB!)...
I've ordered an 8GB card to replace this one... but how can I "clone" my current 4GB card (with a2sd partitions) and then copy it over to my 8GB card, without losing data, settings, apps, etc? Is there a way?
Thanks in advance.
Do this all from within Clockwork Recovery:
1) Make a nandroid backup
2) Connect the phone to a computer
3) Partitions menu > mount USB storage
4) Copy all contents from the old SD card to a temporary folder on your computer (including the clockworkmod folder which contains the nandroid backup you just took)
5) Unmount and disconnect from computer.
6) Pull battery to shut the phone off, or if you would prefer you can boot the phone and then turn the phone off immediately afterward. Pulling battery just saves time.
7) Put new SD card in
8) Boot into clockwork
9) Format the card with Clockwork w/ ext partition
10) Connect to computer, mount USB storage again, copy all files back to the phone
11) Unmount and disconnect cable from computer
12) Nandroid > advanced restore > Restore sd-ext only
13) Reboot and you're done.
And if something goes wrong, it's not really a big deal since you will still have the original files on the old SD card so you can try again or ask for help to try another method.
Sounds complicated enough to work. I'll try when the card comes and let you all know. Thanks!
gfinockio said:
Sounds complicated enough to work. I'll try when the card comes and let you all know. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yeah, I think it's the easiest way to do it with Windows, since you can't read the ext partition from the computer. You could probably just copy the contents of both partitions through Linux if you're comfortable doing that.
Doesn't a nandroid backup the ext partition too?
If you're using windows you could just backup your fat32 partition on your PC and partition your new card and then copy all your files back and do your nandroid restore.
I think this would work...
jdwhite87 said:
Doesn't a nandroid backup the ext partition too?
If you're using windows you could just backup your fat32 partition on your PC and partition your new card and then copy all your files back and do your nandroid restore.
I think this would work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clockwork does not back up my ext partition. It can't mount it or anything. Not sure why. Might be because its ext4, but when I do nandroids the sd-ext backup always fails.
I have to use Ubuntu and mount as storage. Then both of my partitions mount on my computer and I can do as I please. For me this seems easiest anyway. Simple copy and paste and it can be done from a live cd for those that dont already have Ubuntu.
Sent from my cm7 Aria.
drumist said:
Do this all from within Clockwork Recovery:
1) Make a nandroid backup
2) Connect the phone to a computer
3) Partitions menu > mount USB storage
4) Copy all contents from the old SD card to a temporary folder on your computer (including the clockworkmod folder which contains the nandroid backup you just took)
5) Unmount and disconnect from computer.
6) Pull battery to shut the phone off, or if you would prefer you can boot the phone and then turn the phone off immediately afterward. Pulling battery just saves time.
7) Put new SD card in
8) Boot into clockwork
9) Format the card with Clockwork w/ ext partition
10) Connect to computer, mount USB storage again, copy all files back to the phone
11) Unmount and disconnect cable from computer
12) Nandroid > advanced restore > Restore sd-ext only
13) Reboot and you're done.
And if something goes wrong, it's not really a big deal since you will still have the original files on the old SD card so you can try again or ask for help to try another method.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm stumped on step 9 - what menu option in Clockwork will format the ext partition? What menu?
gfinockio said:
I'm stumped on step 9 - what menu option in Clockwork will format the ext partition? What menu?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Partitions menu
CallMeAria said:
Partitions menu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What version has that menu option? I don't see it.
Interesting. I was sure you could format a card with ext partition through Clockwork but apparently you can't. You can do it through ROM Manager though, so I guess you may have to boot into the phone to get to it.
The programs on the ext partition won't show up yet of course. Don't be alarmed. Just partition the card through ROM Manager, then once you're done doing that, do the nadroid advanced restore. If there are any problems after a reboot (i.e., it didn't work correctly), go back and try doing the regular full nandroid restore.
gfinockio said:
What version has that menu option? I don't see it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
v2.5.0.1
This doesnt create a partition though. It just formats an existing partition. You'll have to use drumist's method of going through Rom manager to actually create the ext3 parition from the phone.
CallMeAria said:
v2.5.0.1
This doesnt create a partition though. It just formats an existing partition. You'll have to use drumist's method of going through Rom manager to actually create the ext3 parition from the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried running ROM Manager - of course, it's installed on the 4GB card which isn't on my phone when I have the 8GB in to format. So then I re-installed it using the APK... but I get the exclamation mark when it boots to recovery to format... probably because a2sd is installing the same program on the ext part which it is now trying to format.
I think I'm going to have to format/partition it using Linux somehow instead, no?
gfinockio said:
Tried running ROM Manager - of course, it's installed on the 4GB card which isn't on my phone when I have the 8GB in to format. So then I re-installed it using the APK... but I get the exclamation mark when it boots to recovery to format... probably because a2sd is installing the same program on the ext part which it is now trying to format.
I think I'm going to have to format/partition it using Linux somehow instead, no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
someone recommended in another thread that when that happens you just pull out the battery and then use volume down+power to boot back into recovery and it should then work.
But the method I use is to do it from Ubuntu (a linux version). If you dont want to install Ubuntu on your computer you can make a bootable CD or USB drive with Ubuntu on it (directions for this are on the Ubuntu download page) and actually run Ubuntu from the CD/USB without ever installing it on your computer. From there you can use gParted to create paritions. And while I recommend making backups, gparted even allows you to resize and move partitions without deleting anything.
gfinockio said:
Tried running ROM Manager - of course, it's installed on the 4GB card which isn't on my phone when I have the 8GB in to format. So then I re-installed it using the APK... but I get the exclamation mark when it boots to recovery to format... probably because a2sd is installing the same program on the ext part which it is now trying to format.
I think I'm going to have to format/partition it using Linux somehow instead, no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that's what I was worried about. My suggestion then is to format the card through linux if you have a SD card reader. Easiest way is to use an Ubuntu LiveCD. Do you know how to do this on your own?
Also, definitely do a full nandroid restore once the SD card is reformatted. Since you booted the phone and tried to install an app, it's possible something got screwed up -- nothing to worry about though because a full nandroid restore should revert everything.
drumist said:
Yeah, that's what I was worried about. My suggestion then is to format the card through linux if you have a SD card reader. Easiest way is to use an Ubuntu LiveCD. Do you know how to do this on your own?
Also, definitely do a full nandroid restore once the SD card is reformatted. Since you booted the phone and tried to install an app, it's possible something got screwed up -- nothing to worry about though because a full nandroid restore should revert everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm reverting back now, going to sleep on it, and then investigate formatting it via LiveCD tomorrow morning. It's been several years since I've had to go near anything Unix.
By the way, another option is to just do a clean install on your phone with a ROM that has ROM Manager built in. Use that to do the format on the SD card.
drumist said:
By the way, another option is to just do a clean install on your phone with a ROM that has ROM Manager built in. Use that to do the format on the SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That got me thinking...Ive never had a problem adding an ext partition using Rom Manager. Ive done it to 3 SD cards now without a single issue. BUT, Ive also always done it while on cm6/7 which both came with Rom Manager pre-installed with the rom and quite a bit of integration with the rom manager app...just a thought...
EDIT: Scratch that, I used it for 2 SD cards, the 3rd was done with Ubuntu.
Here's my post from the other thread
jdwhite87 said:
Rom manager - partition SD card - choose your partitions. It will reboot into recovery and try but fail to partition your card. Pull battery. Replace battery - hold volume down and power. Wait for it to try and find the libde. Img then press volume down and it will highlight recovery then press power. It will boot into recovery and finish partitioning your card.
I think that's how I got it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did this with two different SD cards on fr008. Both were sandisks. One was a 16 gb class 4 and the other was an 8 gb class 6. I couldn't get gparted to partition the 8 gb for whatever reason. I didn't know what Ubuntu was when I partitioned the 16 gb
It seems like an oversight that maybe of the masses of people with Android devices that one day the general (non-xda) population would want a simple way to transfer their sd card data to a larger card...
I Imagine there are a bunch of people out there clueless.
Hell, I read XDA and there was still no clear simple way in this thread.
(I got here from a Google search for SD CARD CLONE)
Got it to work, finally. Required some back-and-forth with the Nandroid backups, but I have everything running off of my 8GB SD card now, without reinstalling!
Now, to sell off my 4GB card... anyone?
Hi mates,
When we are flashing a Custom Rom from the CWM, we are normally instructed by the Devs only to do few steps on CWM like “Wipe Data/Factory Data Reset, Wipe Cache etc.. which we simply follow, but most of the people don’t know, including me, what these options and many other options of CWM are really standing for.
When I googled, I could not find a thread which explains about these options in a single thread, so I would like to share with my friends about what I found the Common Options of the CWM here...
Obviously these are commonly applicable for all the devices which are having CWM, but I am always concern about my favorite Galaxy S II.
People who are completely new to Recovery and these options, I suggest them to read this thread first and give a thanks to it's author.
What Is Recovery & Download Mode?
The oder and segregation of the below items in the CWM menu may vary or some of them may be removed in different custom recoveries designed by respective Developer.
CLOCKWORKMODE BASED RECOVERY MENU
1) Reboot Menu :
reboot system now
This one is self-explanatory.
2) Install Menu :
choose zip from (internal/ external) sdcard /
Lets you install any zip file (with any name) from any location on your SD card. The file can be for a ROM, a kernel, an application, a theme or any mod as long as it is in recovery-flashable zip format.
apply /sdcard/update.zip
This one is essentially the same as the ‘apply update from sdcard’ option of the main menu. widely used option for installing a ROM that you have downloaded and copied to your SD card. Entering this option will bring up a screen that will allow you to browse your SD card for the zip file.
apply update from sdcard
This can be used for installation of any official or unofficial update, ROM, kernel, theme etc. that is in a zip format installable from recovery, as long as the file is named update.zip and it has been placed on the root of your SD card (i.e. not in any sub-folder). Selecting this option will bring up a rather annoying confirmation prompt but this has saved us on multiple occasions from a lot of trouble we would have been into due to accidental key presses.
toggle signature verification
Turns the signature verification on and off. When signature verification is on, you will not be able to install any custom ROMs that haven’t been signed by the developers (most custom ROMs aren’t signed). Switching it off skips the signature verification check and proceeds with the installation.
toggle script asserts
Seldom-used option for a vast majority of users. It simply turns script asserts on or off. If you don’t know about these (I don’t), it’s best not to change this option.
3) Wipe Menu
wipe data/factory reset
This option wipes all user data on the device as well as cache. Doing this will leave your phone in the state it was in when you bought it or when any custom ROM was first installed. It will also wipe any sd-ext partition that you might have setup. (see more about sd-ext below under partition)
wipe cache partition
This is a good practice to do this before flashing any ROM. The /cache partition just stores temporary files that are not critical to device operation and can be re-generated easily, this Wipes the cache partition of the device to clear all the data accumulated there over use. This is often used before installing a new ROM, app, kernel or any similar mod via recovery.
Wipe Dalvik Cache
Allows you to wipe the cache for the Dalvik virtual machine. The dalvik cache wipe is quite similar to cache wipe but it stores the post ran java applications. Since Android is JAVA based, it uses the same java virtual machine for compiling. The dalvik cache just stores post-compiled applications in order to speed up the system. Wiping this just forces the system to re-cache those application. It causes no problems but a slight hint of lag on first boot. This is required before most ROM installations and at other occasions too, for fixing some problems.
Wipe Battery Stats
Wipes the saved battery usage statistics and effectively recalibrates the battery. Useful in various scenarios when Android isn’t showing correct battery levels.
4) Nandroid menu
backup and restore Undoubtedly one of the most important features provided by a custom recovery, the backup and restore feature – also known as Nandroid backup – allows you to take a snapshot of your phone’s entire internal memory including all partitions, and save it on the SD card.
Backup
Takes a Nandroid backup, as explained above.
Restore
Lets you restore a previously taken backup. Entering this option presents you with a list of existing backups from the SD card that you can choose from for restoration.
Advanced Restore (new options are available separately to restore from external or internal SDcard in the latest CWM)
This option is similar to the Restore option but once a backup has been selected to be restored, this option allows you to choose what parts of it to restore. You can choose to restore the boot, system, data, cache and sd-ext partitions.
5) Storage menu
mounts and storage
Allows you to perform maintenance tasks on all the internal and external partitions of your android device
mount/unmount /system, /data, /cache, /sdcard, /emmc.
These options let you toggle between mounting or unmounting these respective partitions. Most users don’t need to change these options.
format system, data, cache, sdcard or sd-ext
These let you directly format any of these partitions. Take extreme care with this option as formatting any of these partitions will result in losing all data on them, especially the boot and system partitions. Formatting the system partition will remove your ROM and leave your phone without an operating system while wiping the boot partition may brick your phone unless you restore or flash another one before rebooting your device. See below more explanation about these partitions.
mount USB storage
Lets you enable USB mass storage mode for your SD card right from recovery so that you can connect it to your computer via USB and transfer any files to/from it without having to leave recovery.
6) Advanced
This section contains a few options most users will not require, Here are the options from this section:
Report Error
In case of errors, this feature can be used to save a log of recent ClockworkMod recovery operations on the SD card that you can later report from Android using ROM Manager.
Key Test
Lets you press any of the hardware keys to see if they are properly functioning, and to see their key codes.
Partition SD Card
This option gives you a no-frills way to partition your SD card properly for use with ROMs that support data2ext (a very handy hack for low internal memory devices that enables an /sd-ext partition on the SD card to be used as the internal user data storage i.e. as the /data partition). Once this option is selected, you will be given options to choose the sizes for the /sd-ext partition as well as an optional /swap partition on the SD card, and will then automatically format it for you, leaving the remaining space for normal SD card usage. This option will wipe all data from your SD card so use it with caution!
Fix Permissions
Fixes the file permissions for the internal memory partitions back to default. This is very useful as a fix for several errors and Force-Closes that start appearing after you or an application you installed and provided root access end up messing up the permissions of important files.
PARTITIONS :
The Android uses several partitions to organize files and folders on the device. Each of these partitions has a distinct role in the functionality of the device, but not many Android users know the significance of each partition and its contents. In this guide, we will take you on a tour of Android partitions, what they contain and what can be the possible consequences of modifying their content.
Let’s start with a list of standard internal memory partitions on Android phones and tablets. These are:
• /boot
• /system
• /recovery
• /data
• /cache
• /misc
In addition, there are the SD card partitions.
• /sdcard
• /sd-ext
Note that only /sdcard is found in all Android devices and the rest are present only in select devices. Let’s now take a look at the purpose and contents of each of these partitions.
/boot
This is the partition that enables the phone to boot, as the name suggests. It includes the bootloader and the kernel. Without this partition, the device will simply not be able to boot. Wiping this partition from recovery should only be done if absolutely required and once done, the device must NOT be rebooted before installing a new one, which can be done by installing a ROM that includes a /boot partition.
/system
This partition basically contains the entire operating system, other than the kernel and the bootloader. This includes the Android user interface as well as all the system applications that come pre-installed on the device. Wiping this partition will remove Android from the device without rendering it unbootable, and you will still be able to put the phone into recovery or bootloader mode to install a new ROM.
/recovery
The recovery partition can be considered as an alternative boot partition that lets you boot the device into a recovery console for performing advanced recovery and maintenance operations on it. We have already learnt about this partition and its contents above.
/data
Also called userdata, the data partition contains the user’s data – this is where your contacts, messages, settings and apps that you have installed go. Wiping this partition essentially performs a factory reset on your device, restoring it to the way it was when you first booted it, or the way it was after the last official or custom ROM installation. When you perform a wipe data/factory reset from recovery, it is this partition that you are wiping.
/cache
This is the partition where Android stores frequently accessed data and app components. Wiping the cache doesn’t effect your personal data but simply gets rid of the existing data there, which gets automatically rebuilt as you continue using the device.
/misc
This partition contains miscellaneous system settings in form of on/off switches. These settings may include CID (Carrier or Region ID), USB configuration and certain hardware settings etc. This is an important partition and if it is corrupt or missing, several of the device’s features will will not function normally.
/sdcard
This is not a partition on the internal memory of the device but rather the SD card. In terms of usage, this is your storage space to use as you see fit, to store your media, documents, ROMs etc. on it. Wiping it is perfectly safe as long as you backup all the data you require from it, to your computer first. Though several user-installed apps save their data and settings on the SD card and wiping this partition will make you lose all that data.
On devices with both an internal and an external SD card – devices like the Samsung Galaxy SII – the /sdcard partition is always used to refer to the internal SD card. For the external SD card – if present – an alternative partition is used, which differs from device to device. In case of Samsung Galaxy S series devices, it is /sdcard/External_sd while in many other devices, it is /sdcard2. Unlike /sdcard, no system or app data whatsoever is stored automatically on this external SD card and everything present on it has been added there by the user. You can safely wipe it after backing up any data from it that you need to save.
/sd-ext
This is not a standard Android partition, but has become popular in the custom ROM scene. It is basically an additional partition on your SD card that acts as the /data partition when used with certain ROMs that have special features called APP2SD+ or data2ext enabled. It is especially useful on devices with little internal memory allotted to the /data partition. Thus, users who want to install more programs than the internal memory allows can make this partition and use it with a custom ROM that supports this feature, to get additional storage for installing their apps. Wiping this partition is essentially the same as wiping the /data partition – you lose your contacts, SMS, market apps and settings.
Now whenever we install a ROM or mod that requires we to wipe certain partitions before the installation, we should be in a better position to know what we are losing and what not and thus, we’ll know what to backup and what not.
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http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1134290
Yep. Been done before a long time ago. Tho I do admire your initiative in putting the info together
Stifler69 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1134290
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No Doubt this one should be on the top of this thread,
What a simple and awesome explanation about the Recovery & Download mode, many thanks to pulser_g2
I know, majority of users only need the simple steps and shortcuts, they don’t care what’s happening internally and theoretically, but some are really curious to know…
Many thanks mate....
zaheedahmed said:
No Doubt this one should be on the top of this thread,
What a simple and awesome explanation about the Recovery & Download mode, many thanks to pulser_g2
I know, majority of users only need the simple steps and shortcuts, they don’t care what’s happening internally and theoretically, but some are really curious to know…
Many thanks mate....
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Nah mate you do what you have to do. It is a good thread and provides good information. Nice work. Just wanted to show you Pulsers thread as well though because he has done something similar to yours long time ago..But anyway good work and if you need any help let me know
Thanks, will save later text in PDF and keep it on PC just to have one more tutorial about things
Awesome write up!! Brilliant!
As you are so knowledgeable about CWM, perhaps I can ask you a question?
When I do a backup, it says that no external SD card was found, so it skipped the external?
When I check under mounts, the only option for the external SD card is to UNmount.... This would suggest that the card is mounted, correct?
So how would I go about backing up the external card too?
Thanks!
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Question, if i do nandroid backhp through CWM, i suppose it saves files that i dl such as apps/games, or i need to download later again 600mb+?
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shaggyskunk said:
Awesome write up!! Brilliant!
As you are so knowledgeable about CWM, perhaps I can ask you a question?
When I do a backup, it says that no external SD card was found, so it skipped the external?
When I check under mounts, the only option for the external SD card is to UNmount.... This would suggest that the card is mounted, correct?
So how would I go about backing up the external card too?
Thanks!
Sent from my SGH-I727R using xda premium
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Thank you for your appreciation,
I would like to express once again as I mentioned in the starting of the thread that this is only a humble effort of the undersigne that I searched for such information and combined at one place here....
As far as I know about your problem of SD card storage, this is a compatibility issiue which varries on one custom recovery to another, also one SD card to another. such issues are fixed by developers in their latest versions of recoveries.
I experienced once the same issue which was resolved when I changed my SD card.
And my current (touch) recovery of Redpill v1.3 allows me to Backup and restore from external SD card with all available options flowlessly.
Thanks
X-Plosiv said:
Question, if i do nandroid backhp through CWM, i suppose it saves files that i dl such as apps/games, or i need to download later again 600mb+?
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Between CWM & Titanium, you should not have to download anything.
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X-Plosiv said:
Question, if i do nandroid backhp through CWM, i suppose it saves files that i dl such as apps/games, or i need to download later again 600mb+?
Sent by powaaaaah of GT-I9100 Taparatatatalk!
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Of course it backs up all your installed apps and system data along with the ROM, but it do not back up the additional data which is downloaded and stored in User's partition of your SD card by the applications, such data will remain on your SD card untill you format it, available to support your apps when you return to the previous ROM.
awsome eplanation
as above posts say awsome explinationculdnt b clearer now then all
zaheedahmed said:
Of course it backs up all your installed apps and system data along with the ROM, but it do not back up the additional data which is downloaded and stored in User's partition of your SD card by the applications, such data will remain on your SD card untill you format it, available to support your apps when you return to the previous ROM.
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Yes, but when I do format/wipe all, I guess then it deletes all that is on SD card as well, such as game files and music? If so, I'd rather just copy paste it on my PC, then after doing all wipes and formats, just copy back from PC
Zaheed, you are far too humble! Your post was brilliant, informative & timely.
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X-Plosiv said:
Yes, but when I do format/wipe all, I guess then it deletes all that is on SD card as well, such as game files and music? If so, I'd rather just copy paste it on my PC, then after doing all wipes and formats, just copy back from PC
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When you do normal wipes (data/ factory reset, cache, dalvik) before installing/restoring ROM, it won't touch any data which is saved in your SD Card normally, but it is more safer if you back such application data to you PC which normally find in a folder "Android/ Data /xxx" in the root of SDcard
Thanks for info.
I have read a lot on this but am still nor clear whether a wipe data/factory reset includes a full cache wipe. Most rom install instructions tell you to do both, but it seems a wipe cache is redundant if you factory reset.
SimboXXX said:
Thanks for info.
I have read a lot on this but am still nor clear whether a wipe data/factory reset includes a full cache wipe. Most rom install instructions tell you to do both, but it seems a wipe cache is redundant if you factory reset.
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Yes, you are right, I also understand the same, but the option for merely wiping cache is kept for using in some odd situations, like when we fingered to the ROM and got some error, then we got a no-wipe version of the existing ROM to reflash, such case we need only to wipe cache…. I have got an error recently on CWM when I reflashed my no-wipe Checkrom v6 without wiping anything, then I wiped only cache, problem solved…..
what ever may be the theory, do as the developers directed for their ROM…..NO RISK
shaggyskunk said:
Zaheed, you are far too humble! Your post was brilliant, informative & timely.
Sent From my Two Tin Cans & String Device on The Wookie Network
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thanks mate...
Thanks for the thread, you can never know too much. On second thoughts, there's probably no danger of that.
What would be really good if you have the knowledge, is a detailed guide on CWM Edify scripting. I'm sure many people would find that useful, especially me. There doesn't seem to be a lot of good guides or information on the language, at least I can't find them yet. If you have any good links I'd definitely appreciate it as well.
Here's another bit of information, that answered a question I had....
In case anyone else has this question...
Here is the answer from:
http://android.stackexchange.com/qu...ter-no-sd-ext-found-skipping-backup-of-sd-ext
" This means you do not have an ext3/4 partition on your sdcard. This really ins't a big deal, this is like a legacy part of the nandroid backup process. CM doesn't "officially" support the sd-ext partition any more anyhow."
Hope it helps someone else... In the end, the answer is pretty straight forward.
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