[Q] SD Card access issues with Android - HD2 Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting and Genera

Hi, I don't know if this is a per-build issue but I decided to ask it here so as not to bother the devs on the other forum.
Basically from what I've seen, is that if I want to put, say a wallpaper on the SD card and then access it from Android, I either have to put it on the SD card through WinMo, or download it directly from Android. If I connect to the PC with Android and copy something over, the system doesn't see it afterwards, nor can it open it.
Is there a way around this?

shpatar said:
Hi, I don't know if this is a per-build issue but I decided to ask it here so as not to bother the devs on the other forum.
Basically from what I've seen, is that if I want to put, say a wallpaper on the SD card and then access it from Android, I either have to put it on the SD card through WinMo, or download it directly from Android. If I connect to the PC with Android and copy something over, the system doesn't see it afterwards, nor can it open it.
Is there a way around this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
from what i learnt, ATM Android can't remount sd card so if u used cable or MMC reader it won't work you have to reboot android.

shpatar said:
Hi, I don't know if this is a per-build issue but I decided to ask it here so as not to bother the devs on the other forum.
Basically from what I've seen, is that if I want to put, say a wallpaper on the SD card and then access it from Android, I either have to put it on the SD card through WinMo, or download it directly from Android. If I connect to the PC with Android and copy something over, the system doesn't see it afterwards, nor can it open it.
Is there a way around this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Reboot phone thus should make it show up
2. Transfer using Droid explorer
3. Remove SD and transfer by putting SD into pc
Either one if them should work
It'll be fixed on new builds pretty soon I think
Sent from my HTC HD2 using Tapatalk

I always end up booting WM to use usb to computer sd transfer.
For me mounting sd via usb on android appears to work correctly. The files transfer, it mounts back to the phone correctly but none of the files work.

Related

Where is the root folder for HD2?

As the title says, trying to find this root folder. Is it the Windows folder? Looking to install the XDAndroid build.
Also, which build is currently the best/most stable to install?
Thanks!
you need to install it on the root of the SD Card, not the root of the phone.
\storage card
when you connect the phone to your computer with ActiveSync/Windows Mobile Device Center... open My Computer, double-click on Mobile Device, and then double-click on Storage Card, that will bring you to the "root" folder of the SD.
Alternately, if you have a Standard SD card reader on your computer you can take the microSD out of the phone, put in a micro-to-standard SD adapter, and access it on your computer that way.... file transfer speeds will be a little quicker that way too.
As for which Android build is better.... that's like asking which Windows Mobile ROM is better.... it's all a matter of taste. Do you want a build with HTC Sense, or a base Froyo build? what kinds of options are you looking for? Overclocked or no? I would suggest going to the Android Development section on the other HD2 section, and look at the different builds, what they offer, and see which one offers the things you want?
Ryan79 said:
you need to install it on the root of the SD Card, not the root of the phone.
\storage card
when you connect the phone to your computer with ActiveSync/Windows Mobile Device Center... open My Computer, double-click on Mobile Device, and then double-click on Storage Card, that will bring you to the "root" folder of the SD.
Alternately, if you have a Standard SD card reader on your computer you can take the microSD out of the phone, put in a micro-to-standard SD adapter, and access it on your computer that way.... file transfer speeds will be a little quicker that way too.
As for which Android build is better.... that's like asking which Windows Mobile ROM is better.... it's all a matter of taste. Do you want a build with HTC Sense, or a base Froyo build? what kinds of options are you looking for? Overclocked or no? I would suggest going to the Android Development section on the other HD2 section, and look at the different builds, what they offer, and see which one offers the things you want?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I knew it had to be installed on the card, just thought there was a folder name root.
Yes, I want sense, no over clicking needed. Just a solid and stable build of Android with all hardware working. If it doesn't work out, the option to go back to windows.

[Q] How do you properly transfer files while booted into android?

Hi as title says I want to know how to transfer files propelry while booted into android kernel.
For example when you plug in your phone vai USB and use as card reader I can easily transfer files to and from but the problem is that when I unplug and go to view these files on phone the file system hasn't updated and I cant locate them on card.
Ive tried the unmount feature aswell as a hot reboot but nothing. Only way I can seem to do it is to power off and then boot back into android.
Is there any easier way or procedure that I need to follow?
TheATHEiST said:
Hi as title says I want to know how to transfer files propelry while booted into android kernel.
For example when you plug in your phone vai USB and use as card reader I can easily transfer files to and from but the problem is that when I unplug and go to view these files on phone the file system hasn't updated and I cant locate them on card.
Ive tried the unmount feature aswell as a hot reboot but nothing. Only way I can seem to do it is to power off and then boot back into android.
Is there any easier way or procedure that I need to follow?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
best bet is to load the files in winmo then boot into android
Dude that wasnt my question, obviously I can do that, thats not the point.
My question was the best way to transfer files while booted into android, if it possible then obviously booting into windows and back to android every time you want to move/access files isnt the "best" way and its inconvient.
I appreciate your reply but your answer was irelivant unless its the ONLY way which I doubt (well hope)
Does anybody have a solution?
As of now, the only good way to transfer files is indeed through WinMo (or with a MicroSD USB reader, with phone powered off or in WinMo). Most Android builds support USB Mass Storage, but I haven't heard of one that handles it perfectly (which isn't too surprising, considering Android runs -sort of- from the SD card).
So in short, no there is no other way at this moment that I know of.
Edit: There is a way: through WiFi! There are some applications available on the market that turn your phone into an FTP-server, I use Websharing (Lite) for this. They don't need an unmounted SD card, so they'll probably solve your problem.
StephanV said:
Edit: There is a way: through WiFi! There are some applications available on the market that turn your phone into an FTP-server, I use Websharing (Lite) for this. They don't need an unmounted SD card, so they'll probably solve your problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I was thinking more of teh same route, Ive been using drop box for the moment but FTP server would be much better.
I was hoping there would be a solution to been able to access teh files that have been sent via mass storage mode but this could be just as good.
thnx for suggestion.
This is not a quickfix, but I was frustrated with the same problem last night when I was trying to locate the files that I just transferred to the phone. I noticed that unmounting, and remounting doesn't refresh the folders in the system. But I managed to find the transferred files after unmounting the sd card, and then browsing to the root sd card path instead of the mounted partition.
So, instead of mnt/sdcard/ you should look for the files in /sdcard after unmounting the card. See if that works, at least it worked for me last night.
Use droid explorer

Files on SD card without restarting

Hi at all,
everytime I put files on the sd card, I have to reboot Android because without ES File Explorer won't show the new files I put on the memory card.
Even "Refresh" in ES File Explorer doesn't helo. Is there any other way?
Thanks!
Wifi sync is your friend
lamajstro said:
Hi at all,
everytime I put files on the sd card, I have to reboot Android because without ES File Explorer won't show the new files I put on the memory card.
Even "Refresh" in ES File Explorer doesn't helo. Is there any other way?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a well documented problem. I think it's to do with the way that android sees the SD card with booting from it but don't quote me on that. As far as I know, the best ways round it are:
1. Use dropbox. Free 2gb account and can be very useful.
2. FTP. This is my personal favourite. SwiFTP is a free FTP server for android and there are many free ftp clients for PC/Mac/Linux available. I use FileZilla (opensource ftp client).
3. I believe that if you unmount your SD card before copying files over, then remount however I don't find it particularly successful.
There are other ways like shared folders, email files etc but the top 2 above are the best for me. I use dropbox for small files and one-offs or if I'm copying a lot of stuff and don't want to reboot to winmo, then FTP.
It's also worth noting that if you are a windows user then winamp can sync music over wifi providing you install the winamp android client. However both winamp for windows and android are free.
Hope this helps..
enjoy
Ok, thank you. But that's bad.
The problem is not only that I want to put files through USB on it, it happens also when I use CurrentWidget for example that wants to create a log file on the sd card. Hmm...
I use MDJ Froyo HD 4.6, and there are practically no problems when using mass storage option... After unplugging the files are on the SD card... Only sometimes have to reboot, but not very often...
Why so complicated? Use "Multi Mount SD Card" (it´s free) to connect to PC and you will see new files without rebooting.
lamajstro said:
Ok, thank you. But that's bad.
The problem is not only that I want to put files through USB on it, it happens also when I use CurrentWidget for example that wants to create a log file on the sd card. Hmm...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're now saying that applications are unable to create files on the SD then there is something wrong with your card. I'd recommend copying everything off it and reformatting it (use disk management to format it, and use the largest cluster size available).
Some builds suffer from this problem and some don't.
Im using HD2ONE 0.3.6 and it's working fine. File explorer detects the new files after transferring via USB Cable
I love this build paired up with the CM6.1.1 Gingerbread Theme
kashifsiddique said:
Some builds suffer from this problem and some don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard many people complain about not being able to see files after copying them across, but I've never heard anyone say that an app could not make a file on the sd card.
I am having the same exact problem. I was transferring files from this PC to my phone and everything was going fine (it refreshes right away after disconnect) then suddenly, my SD Card got corrupted and I was forced to reformat. I used the same ROM (Darkstone's SUPERAM FROYO) and after that, it won't sync anymore. I even tried removing it and using the HD2ONE (mentioned above) ROM and it was the same. I went home, copied everything from my SD backup from the other PC and same symptoms.
I thought I was missing a sync app or something but no. I looked into each of the folders I copied and most of them are blank.
I hope someone can save us!
I find it easiest and safest to just use ES Explorer to access the network shares and copy files wirelessly. The way our data.img is mounted, giving the pc full access to the sdcard is just not a good move. There was good reason when you connected to windows' sync software it disables your phone from accessing the card.
Even though the hd2one build seems to handle it correctly I almost never do it anymore unless it's for big files. It saves the wear and tear on the usb port anyway.
I had that "problem" too, but for me it was easy to solve. Here is the whole procedure:
So, i want some files to put on my sdcard, i plug in the usb cable and select the option "use as a storage", dont check the "use allways" or "dont ask again" (or whatever this is called on your machine). Now the computer "see" the phone and i put my files on it. In this moment i cant browse the sdcard on my hd2, because its reserved for windows now, (thats why currentwidget cant write onto it, same if you have a wallpaper in some "wallpaper" folder on sd).
Now, when i am done, usually i unplug the usb cable for some seconds and then i plug it in again and choose the option "charge only" and the sdcard gets mounted in android like it should and all my new imported files are visible.
Its the same on WinMo, if you choose there the "HDD" option, you cant browse the sdcard on the mobile. Only if you choose "use active sync"(slower) you are able to browse the sdcard.
cheers
ps: the quickest way for me now is to use wifi and shared folders

[Q] sd card will not mount when hooked up to computer

on my iconia when i plug into computer i only see a500 internal files i go to storage and see sd i click on that and cant see any files. i know they are there because they are my zips for updates.when i mount into card reader i see them that is the only way. in applications the sd card is detected it shows me how large and how much space left. the only rom i can see is the xoom rom. right now im using tahooney its a real pain to have to take out card to put update files on when i reboot into recovery it detects there because im able to install other roms. any help is appreciated
Unfortunately, it's by design and it's Google's fault. I use a memory stick to transfer files, personally. It's WAY faster.
thanks it was driving me nuts tring to figure that out do apps and pictures go to the sd card or do they also need to be transferred i saw the android secure folder when i mounted on laptop. also can you update roms thru a memory stick i guess will recovery read it
Bugs me as wall and I do believe this issue it what causes many on here to end up with currupt update.zip files.I know it takes longer but I use network to move files or take SD card out. This eliminates a step from moving the file. Pain but it is what it is.
File manage HD seems to be the fastest for me to access network shares.and even my private FTP that I have hosted by just host.
Good luck
I've said it before, I will say it again. Droid Explorer.

[Q] Need Help. Phone Bricked

I was following this guide to root, install a custom recovery, and then flash a ROM onto my phone. I rooted successfully and created a back up. I then copied the backup onto my external sd card. I then put the custom rom onto my sd card and entered recovery mode on CWM. I wiped my device and then realized that the custom rom was the incorrect file. I then went to restore and it gave me an error md5 mismatch. I then went to restore of external sd card and it said it could not find the directory. I then went to restart phone and CWM said I was not rooted anymore and asked if I wanted root access and I hit yes.
My phone will not start and just remains in the Samsung loading screen with an unlocked graphic with the words "custom" under it. I am able to get back into CWM recovery but nothing else seems to work. I appreciate any help I can get. Thanks
domisterwoozy said:
I was following this guide to root, install a custom recovery, and then flash a ROM onto my phone. I rooted successfully and created a back up. I then copied the backup onto my external sd card. I then put the custom rom onto my sd card and entered recovery mode on CWM. I wiped my device and then realized that the custom rom was the incorrect file. I then went to restore and it gave me an error md5 mismatch. I then went to restore of external sd card and it said it could not find the directory. I then went to restart phone and CWM said I was not rooted anymore and asked if I wanted root access and I hit yes.
My phone will not start and just remains in the Samsung loading screen with an unlocked graphic with the words "custom" under it. I am able to get back into CWM recovery but nothing else seems to work. I appreciate any help I can get. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can either use a MicroSD to SD adpater and the computer's card reader to copy a ROM over and flash it, or ODIN back to stock, and start over.
Ol' Dirty Bastard said:
You can either use a MicroSD to SD adpater and the computer's card reader to copy a ROM over and flash it, or ODIN back to stock, and start over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Much better. Was that so hard? Thank you for details.
(jab)
Any ideas why it cannot find directory when I try to restore from my external sd card.
write protected
domisterwoozy said:
Any ideas why it cannot find directory when I try to restore from my external sd card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clueless here. Made a post about it.
I just discovered today more than just myself are unable to plug the handset into a computer to exchange files. I can get things off the phone onto the computer, but not vice versa.
Also the handset itself is fussy when it comes to viewing it's own external SD card. It would seem it doesn't take much for it to disappear, once in recovery.
fukenbiker said:
Clueless here. Made a post about it.
I just discovered today more than just myself are unable to plug the handset into a computer to exchange files. I can get things off the phone onto the computer, but not vice versa.
Also the handset itself is fussy when it comes to viewing it's own external SD card. It would seem it doesn't take much for it to disappear, once in recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This phone does not support mass USB storage. It uses MTP and PTP protocols. This information is available in several threads in the forum. Now, of course, even with MTP and PTP you should be able to still transfer files from a PC to the Ext. SD card considering you have the correct drivers. Perhaps your SD card isn't playing nice with your phone? Have you tried removing the card from your phone and transferring files to it dierectly from you PC via SD slot or card reader? Have you tried other brands? I find Samsung cards work best, but that is just me, This will help to see if it is the phone (possibly cable) or the card that is having issues.
Also, you can check this out. It supposedly enables Mass USB storage for this phone...though it still says it doesn't work for the Ext. SD card. I have never tried it, so if you do it is at your own risk but maybe it will help? Good luck.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mohammadag.samsungusbmassstorageenabler
The app says it is for the SIII, but people have reported it as working with the S4 as well.
thank you
scott14719 said:
This phone does not support mass USB storage. It uses MTP and PTP protocols. This information is available in several threads in the forum. Now, of course, even with MTP and PTP you should be able to still transfer files from a PC to the Ext. SD card considering you have the correct drivers. Perhaps your SD card isn't playing nice with your phone? Have you tried removing the card from your phone and transferring files to it dierectly from you PC via SD slot or card reader? Have you tried other brands? I find Samsung cards work best, but that is just me, This will help to see if it is the phone (possibly cable) or the card that is having issues.
Also, you can check this out. It supposedly enables Mass USB storage for this phone...though it still says it doesn't work for the Ext. SD card. I have never tried it, so if you do it is at your own risk but maybe it will help? Good luck.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mohammadag.samsungusbmassstorageenabler
The app says it is for the SIII, but people have reported it as working with the S4 as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am too happy to experiment like that. The AT&T S4 running GoldenEye with no add ons is the best darn handset I've ever enjoyed. I love being rid of the bloatware. I don't miss it a bit. I will fuss around with the SD interface as I do have resources like you mentioned, I can try a different chip. I didn't consider that a bad chip would cause the computer to consider the entire handset as "read only", yet you suggest it's possible?
fukenbiker said:
I am too happy to experiment like that. The AT&T S4 running GoldenEye with no add ons is the best darn handset I've ever enjoyed. I love being rid of the bloatware. I don't miss it a bit. I will fuss around with the SD interface as I do have resources like you mentioned, I can try a different chip. I didn't consider that a bad chip would cause the computer to consider the entire handset as "read only", yet you suggest it's possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything is possible and it would be a simple way to maybe help identify where the problem lies. Better yet, take your sd card out of your phone and try a transfer. That will let you know if it has anything to do with it. If it still doesn't work, it more than likely has nothing to do with the SD card.
Can you transfer files from your External SD card to your phones internal SD memory and the other way around (via a file manager on your phone)?
If you can, I can't see how it would be a "read' only problem.
scott14719 said:
Anything is possible and it would be a simple way to maybe help identify where the problem lies. Better yet, take your sd card out of your phone and try a transfer. That will let you know if it has anything to do with it. If it still doesn't work, it more than likely has nothing to do with the SD card.
Can you transfer files from your External SD card to your phones internal SD memory and the other way around (via a file manager on your phone)?
If you can, I can't see how it would be a "read' only problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should unhook my phone from the 3.5mm jack and look into this. As I type, my S4 is piping in my playlist to provide the wife and I musical background for our activities. I remember using "Root Explorer" recently to delete a nandroid backup, and to move said playlist off the SD card into Phone memory. The "write protected" error showed up directly after building this playlist, using the computer to organize it. It's brand new, and as a good troubleshooter, we always look at the last thing you did different. I used the "windows explorer" to edit my playlist on the phone while it was plugged up together.
It's turning out to be a bigger deal than just myself, and I should pursue your recommendation for testing and reports, but it's not broken enough to fix and it's Sunday night, and the music is more important at this juncture.
Edit:
I powered down and then removed the Micro SD, and when I powered back up, it showed that cool padlock icon with the label "Custom" screen during boot up. I hadn't seen that screen on boot up since I used Casual to get a TWRP recovery.
I tethered the handset to the Desktop and opened the windows explorer. Obviously it just showed phone this time, instead of phone and card. I tested copying files and it worked fine, the "write protected" error was gone.
I unhooked, powered down, put the micro SD card back in, powered up and noted the boot up screen was back to normal. Tethered up again and voila! Files can be written to the phone and or the card and no more "write protected" error.
Funny little fluke. Problem solved. Curiosity remains.

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