Database Users

Device Information: RAM, Flash ... Storage?

Hi.
I've read some of the posts regarding RAM/ROM ... still having a difficult time understanding both. Hope someone can answer the below questions to clarify my thoughts on RAM/ROM with respect to the XDA II mini [aka Magician]
(1) If you go into setting, device_information, and then choose hardware; you see that RAM size [128], Flash size [64], and storage size [26.7]. What is storage size, is it RAM or ROM?
(2) n the memory settings, what is the best way to allocate total main memory between storage and program? Currently i have it set @ default, which is equal amounts of memory for storage and program.
Thanxs in advance for any explanations.

1: Storage = Built-in ROM
Most PPCs come with some ROM built in for programs and documents. Your Magician must have a BigStorage hacked ROM image - usually Magicians only come with ~7MB Storage, but hacking the ROM image can yield 20MB more by reallocating the (useless) Extended_ROM which is normally used by telephony providers to store their customisations and bells and whistles.
2: Your choice!
Allocating more memory to programs will give running programs more RAM to work with, which primarily means that you can run more programs simultaneously. Also allocating more RAM to programs can speed up programs that use lots of RAM such as PocketGBA, which may load up to 32MB of data into RAM depending on what game you load with it, and TCPMP, which uses RAM to buffer videos.
Allocating more memory to storage gives you more room to install programs in 'Main Memory'. Since RAM is faster than ROM, programs installed in storage allocated RAM will load faster, however they will eat up RAM which could otherwise be used by running programs. The time difference between RAM, Storage and SD cards to load programs is neglible anyway.
Personally I would rather allocate as much as possible towards programs, leaving probably as little as 10MB for storage in total. Since you have BigStorage, install programs into there instead, so you can leave your RAM for programs or for the camera (as there is a noticeable speed difference between writing pictures and videos to ROM and writing them to RAM).
Wish I had a 128MB Magician :roll: !

thanxs for clearing that up toomuchdogfur
1: Storage = Built-in ROM
Most PPCs come with some ROM built in for programs and documents. Your Magician must have a BigStorage hacked ROM image - usually Magicians only come with ~7MB Storage, but hacking the ROM image can yield 20MB more by reallocating the (useless) Extended_ROM which is normally used by telephony providers to store their customisations and bells and whistles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. Just wondering, if i were to upgrade or degrade my version of ROM, would that delete the BigStorage hacked ROM?
2: Your choice!
Allocating more memory to programs will give running programs more RAM to work with, which primarily means that you can run more programs simultaneously. Also allocating more RAM to programs can speed up programs that use lots of RAM such as PocketGBA, which may load up to 32MB of data into RAM depending on what game you load with it, and TCPMP, which uses RAM to buffer videos.
Allocating more memory to storage gives you more room to install programs in 'Main Memory'. Since RAM is faster than ROM, programs installed in storage allocated RAM will load faster, however they will eat up RAM which could otherwise be used by running programs. The time difference between RAM, Storage and SD cards to load programs is neglible anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So let me get this straight ... if were to load a application, say Pocket Music, would that effect both the "In Use" status for Storage [because it physically takes space to store the application in the program folder] and Program [because its being used].
So if a program is being runned, it should take away some memory under "Program".
If a program is installed, regardless if it is in use or not, takes away some memory under "Storage".
Is this correct?

dream_sequence said:
I see. Just wondering, if i were to upgrade or degrade my version of ROM, would that delete the BigStorage hacked ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. Most likely you would have to hack it again to regain BigStorage.
dream_sequence said:
So if a program is being runned, it should take away some memory under "Program".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep!
dream_sequence said:
If a program is installed, regardless if it is in use or not, takes away some memory under "Storage".
Is this correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it is installed in 'Main Memory' (which is the 'Storage' bit of your RAM), then yes. If it is installed in your Built-In Storage or SD card, then it will permanently take up space on that instead, but then when running it will also take up some 'Program' RAM.

How much space should be free?

Hi!
Just a small question:
After installing all my apps my space on internal memory, there is only about 7MB space left...
My question: How much should be free, for a fast device?

ruebyi said:
Hi!
Just a small question:
After installing all my apps my space on internal memory, there is only about 7MB space left...
My question: How much should be free, for a fast device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about the program memory or storage memory? If storage memory, a few mb is good for operating (such as temp files). For program memory, I usually try to get above 20 Mb

Should/can I move apps to storage card?

Hi
I have installed a few programs on my TD2 - all to device rather than storage card - and am getting a little concerned that performance may be suffering. With my prevous device I used SK Tools to move apps to the card - but I'm not 100% clear whether this is good practice.
With nothing running, Settings reports 223.10 MB free for storage (75.29 in use) and 75.87 MD free for programs (108 in use). I have installed things like Sprite Backup and Terminator, ActivePrint, SPB FreeCell, MyLife Organized PocketPC Edition, Resco Sudoku Touch and Gaz TD2 Tools.
Really grateful for any advice.
Thanks

I don't see why installing programs to the device memory should cause performance to suffer? It's only available RAM memory which affects performance, and this remains the same whether you instal to the device or to the card. It's when you open, and leave open, several programs at once that performance suffers.
The nice thing about modern phones is the amount of internal storage, which is plenty for masses of programs. The only performance issue you may have is when downloading large files with Internet Explorer, as I think it uses internal storage as temporary space for the file being downloaded, even if you tell it to save to the memory card. I don't think Opera does this though.
Installing programs to the card means you can't "hot-swap" it unless you're absolutely sure all the programs are closed.

In addition to the above internal phone mem is faster than mem card so performance takes a hit if you use the card.
And you run the risk of more freezes and resets being needed.
It is my firm belief that the use of internal mem avoids a lot of hassles all round by making the phone more stable.
And I almost forgot that internal mem uses less battery power than mem cards.

Easy answer...
Use removable storage for data, on-board storage for apps.
If you have too many apps for on-board storage, consider a slimmer ROM for your phone. Remember on-board storage also works as RAM for your apps, so the more you have available, the more apps you can run.

DeathJester said:
Use removable storage for data, on-board storage for apps.
If you have too many apps for on-board storage, consider a slimmer ROM for your phone. Remember on-board storage also works as RAM for your apps, so the more you have available, the more apps you can run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd check on that last statement if I were you!
The Topaz has 3 memory areas.
One for flashed ROM.
One for operating RAM.
AND one for storage.
It makes no difference how much you put in storage RAM.
It does make a difference how many apps are running at any one time in operating RAM.
A slimmer ROM image won't make much difference either.
How much of that ROM image is unnecessarily floating around in operating RAM at any one time will make a difference.
Go to settings/system/device information/hardware inforamation
I currently show
RAM size
288 MB
Flash memory size
512 MB
Storage size
342.47 MB
That's a lot of free storage available onboard that is just waiting to be used.
If you go into settings/system/memory you will find storage and program memory values displayed.
Install an app and the in use value of storage memory goes up.
Run an app and the in use value of program memory goes up.
Showing that they are two quite separate physical areas running "independantly" of each other.

Thanks!
Thanks for the helpful responses - much appreciated.
Andrew

werdna72 said:
Thanks for the helpful responses - much appreciated.
Andrew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your welcome to any help we can give.

storage capacity

why is the storage capacity is diffrent from devic to other?
for ex. my device has 141 MB and my friende device has 190 MB

the ammount of storage memory shown as 'free' depends on the size of the rom you are using, and also what programs you have installed to the phone memory,

He means the storage memory not the program memory ... we want to know the internal memory storage capcity of the Leo !! so we can judge where to install app and games, in device mem or SD mem ... any answer

lol, oh is THAT what he meant, oh, ok.
Right, well the storage memory is 512meg, however a good chunk of that is taken up by the ROM when it installs, and roms are different sizes (anywhere from 175 - 250 meg) .
Also, when you install an app, and choose to install to device instead of sd card, it installs into whatever is left over after the rom has been installed. .
And that is why the 'storage' memory shows around 250 or so total before adding programs.
Clever ****.

thanks but I can't keep on with your sophisticated info about the total storage capcity of the device ... let me tell u what mine is : when I go to settings, then SD card and Phone storage, the Total storage is 194.55 from the first day of using it ... now after about 1 week, I installed a huge amount of apps, themes and games in dev memo and SD card memo, the total storage is the same ... ? but my colleagues total storage capcity is different ( ex 140 MB ) ... shouldn't be the same total capcity in all the devices ? keeping in mind that we have different roms in each our 3 devices ...
Thanks for your help

the total storage memory of a blank hd2 is 512 megabytes. when you load the rom and it installs windows and any programs and extras (facebook app, the example photos and music, etcetera) they all go into that 512 megabytes. whatever is left is the available storage memory.this is then used for programs you instal (ignore storage card) your contacts, temporary files, everything. if you get two completely untouched t mobile hd2s and compare the total storage they should be just about identical, but that will probably be different to an untouched o2 hd2.
when chefs cook roms they often take out lots of stuff.(the photos for instance) so a t mobile phone that has been flashed with a new rom will have a different total storage than thee original.
most people haver roughly 200 to 300(broadly speaking) megabytes storage available.

is there a way to change the internal storage?

I think depend on ROM that you use. Each ROM not same free space.

[Q] question about internal memory

hey guys so finally I was able to move most of my apps to the storage card as I had only less than 40 mb left on the internal storage,
I used the adb method that was posted on this forum, know that i have over 140 apps installed, I kept on purpose the IGO and 4 other apps on the internal memory which take about 50 mb by. But besides that I moved all the other apps to the storage card. The weird thing is that I am now left with about 115 mb out of a total 380 mb from the internal storage.
What is taking the remaining memory from the internal storage?

You'll still have some space taken up by the apps you left on for widgets etc, and the ones that went to the sd leave a few kb's behind.
The rest is all bloatware my friend, timescape, what's app and all the other sh*t they won't let you uninstall.

Also cache from most programs.
Sent from my R800i using XDA App

yes whats app, timescape, postcard, the sims 3, tetris, playnow etc are some culprits, i cant wait for root to remove this bloat i dont need.

Annoying really.
The SIMS. I hate the SIMS.
Postcard ? Really ??
What's App, 1 year free sub then can't uninstall if you don't pay.
Testris ? In 2011 ??
No thanks, I'd rather have the memory... Oh, I can't !

hykhleif said:
I used the adb method that was posted on this forum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The adb method will only use the SD Card? or it is the same as moving the app to the SD CARD (Some part of the app will still be on the memory?)
if SD Card only please add the link on how to do it ..
Thanks a lot..

hykhleif said:
hey guys so finally I was able to move most of my apps to the storage card as I had only less than 40 mb left on the internal storage,
I used the adb method that was posted on this forum, know that i have over 140 apps installed, I kept on purpose the IGO and 4 other apps on the internal memory which take about 50 mb by. But besides that I moved all the other apps to the storage card. The weird thing is that I am now left with about 115 mb out of a total 380 mb from the internal storage.
What is taking the remaining memory from the internal storage?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 380MB you're talking about is actually the available RAM size (from a total of 512MB). The storage space for installed apps resides in the NAND flash which has a total of 400MB free.
The RAM size will reduce as more background tasks are running, i.e. you kept opening apps and didn't close them properly.
The NAND flash storage space will reduce as you install more and more apps, but many apps are able to offload their data files to the SDcard.