How to get around the 4GB file size limit - Nexus 7 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I was going to transfer a few 720p movie files to my Nexus 7 today only to be told by my computer that I can't transfer any files larger than 4GB onto my Nexus 7...
...We do live in 2012, right?
How can I get around the 4GB file size limit (and why does such a thing exist in the first place!?)

I'd use Dropbox. The 4GB limit is based on how the internal SD was fashioned. Google probably figured that with a 8GB or 16GB device, no one would need to circumvent that limit
You proved them wrong.
Sent from my Nexus 7 on the XDA app. GO CANADA GO

woshiweili said:
I was going to transfer a few 720p movie files to my Nexus 7 today only to be told by my computer that I can't transfer any files larger than 4GB onto my Nexus 7...
...We do live in 2012, right?
How can I get around the 4GB file size limit (and why does such a thing exist in the first place!?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really don't see a need for transferring 4 GB at once. Why not move ONE movie at a time

the 4gb file limit is a restriction placed since the internal storage runs the FAT file system for compatibility with more PCs. i may be wrong, but android doesnt support NTFS at the moment, so the 4gb limit wont be bypassed anytime soon.
although you could just use a video file splitter.

You could use a USB OTG cable and thumb drive. Just toss the times you want on the thumb drive and rock with that.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

As mentioned, the 4GB limit is a filesystem limitation. I don't exactly know what filesystems Android supports natively though, but perhaps ext3 or ext4 would be a nice choice.

As others have said, if you're rooted you can use stickmount app and a usb otg cable to mount a stick drive to the nexus. It supports NTFS which doesn't have a file limit. It is read only, however, so you cannot move anything back on to the thumb drive, but it doesn't sound like that would be a problem for your uses. Copy and paste to tablet works great, and so does direct playback from the drive with mx player. My 1080p 15gb files play wonderfully from the stick, kind of amazing despite being egregious overkill..
I do wish there was a way to write to the NTFS drives though...

Android uses ext3 or ext4 which permits large file sizes.
Unless there is some special implementation of this file system that restricts file sizes, the actual problem is with Windows not recognizing that the device can handle large file sizes.

You are gaining NOTHING in quality with a 4GB+ video over a 1GB video.
Its a waste on such a small screen, you will NEVER be able to tell the difference.
Re-encode the video with the proper bitrate and enjoy amazing HD quality with a reasonable file size. Takes 25 min on a good modern computer for a 2 hour movie.
Queue 10 movies up before you go to bed. Done when you wake up. Pretty simple people.

Hemidroids said:
You are gaining NOTHING in quality with a 4GB+ video over a 1GB video.
Its a waste on such a small screen, you will NEVER be able to tell the difference.
Re-encode the video with the proper bitrate and enjoy amazing HD quality with a reasonable file size. Takes 25 min on a good modern computer for a 2 hour movie.
Queue 10 movies up before you go to bed. Done when you wake up. Pretty simple people.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually re-encoding it to be a smaller file is exactly what I did as a solution and you are right, the process is "simple", but not FAST. Transferring the two movies I wanted to watch would've taken about 6-8 minutes via USB. However, the re-coding took about 12 minutes each video to get them down to about 2GB each. Then I transferred the files which took 3-4 minutes.
So had the Nexus 7 didn't have the 4GB file size limit, the total time I had to wait before I leave the house would've been 6-8 minutes. But because of the file size limit, I ended up waiting a total of close to 30 minutes.
I also agree that I gain nothing in quality with a 4GB movie file due to the size of the Nexus 7's screen. However, I had already downloaded these movies which I originally planned on watching on my 1080p HDTV.
CooLoserTech said:
I really don't see a need for transferring 4 GB at once. Why not move ONE movie at a time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's actually ONE movie file that's over 4GB

Bienvenue à la vingt et unième siècle mon ami
Just go to thepiratebay.se and you can select whatever filesize and format your heart desires.

USB hard drive on Nexus 7
I just plugged in my 2.5-inch 1 TB USB hard drive into my Nexus 7 USB OTG. It is NTFS formatted. StickMount mounted it. I am now playing a 1080p video that is an 8GB file.
I was pleasantly surprised that the Nexus 7 supplies enough power to run the USB hard drive just fine.

Write?
geekmaster said:
I just plugged in my 2.5-inch 1 TB USB hard drive into my Nexus 7 USB OTG. It is NTFS formatted. StickMount mounted it. I am now playing a 1080p video that is an 8GB file.
I was pleasantly surprised that the Nexus 7 supplies enough power to run the USB hard drive just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While that's very impressive that the Nex7 can power the external hard drive, your scenario isn't a very viable option if you ask me. What I am looking for is fully-functional storage. There is no way currently that allows you to WRITE anything to that 1TB hard drive, am I right? You can only read. I currently have a 64GB flash drive, nice and light, and the adapter is velcroed to the back of my Nex7

T3kB0i said:
While that's very impressive that the Nex7 can power the external hard drive, your scenario isn't a very viable option if you ask me. What I am looking for is fully-functional storage. There is no way currently that allows you to WRITE anything to that 1TB hard drive, am I right? You can only read. I currently have a 64GB flash drive, nice and light, and the adapter is velcroed to the back of my Nex7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to use this kernel to do so, since it supports NTFS read and write:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804374

HunteronX said:
You should be able to use this kernel to do so, since it supports NTFS read and write:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804374
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, I'll give this a try and update in a minute.
UPDATE:
That kernel worked perfectly. It didn't automatically allow me to write to my flash drive or delete files, but I went into Paragon NTFS, unmounted, then re-mounted, and everything was super. Super as in: I can finally WRITE! =D
Thank you kindly.

The internal storage for nexus 7 is indeed not fat32, one way to prove it is to use a terminal app and concat large files all together, and you will see it bypass the 4gb limit, there was one test done and there's a 6 gig file inside the internal storage for nexus 7
Nexus 7 probably used fuse to display its contents on other oses, like windows or even macosx, using the universal file format fat32 to make it an easy process to mount stuff.
So unless there is a way to bypass and write to the storage natively, otg and a usb stick is another method...
No FTP or wifi xfers, too slow for a large mkv file

So is this an old issue? I just picked up an N7 and transferred a 5gig file to mess around and it plays just fine.

4 GB for one movie... good lord. What are you watching? Watchmen considering that's long as hell and drawn out... lol
woshiweili said:
Actually re-encoding it to be a smaller file is exactly what I did as a solution and you are right, the process is "simple", but not FAST. Transferring the two movies I wanted to watch would've taken about 6-8 minutes via USB. However, the re-coding took about 12 minutes each video to get them down to about 2GB each. Then I transferred the files which took 3-4 minutes.
So had the Nexus 7 didn't have the 4GB file size limit, the total time I had to wait before I leave the house would've been 6-8 minutes. But because of the file size limit, I ended up waiting a total of close to 30 minutes.
I also agree that I gain nothing in quality with a 4GB movie file due to the size of the Nexus 7's screen. However, I had already downloaded these movies which I originally planned on watching on my 1080p HDTV.
It's actually ONE movie file that's over 4GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

metalwraith said:
4 GB for one movie... good lord. What are you watching? Watchmen considering that's long as hell and drawn out... lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my ultimate cut of watchmen has 48gb, 1 mkv nonlossy video from blurry + dtshd track

I found this thread while searching for video size limit of Android but my dilemma is slightly different and I am not sure why I couldn't find a more elaborate discussion thread on the issue. I am talking about the size limit of the video that you are allow to capture using Android apps. I have tested it with Xperia SP and Samsung Galaxy Grand and both apps STOPPED capturing the video once the video file size reaches 4gigs, regardless of whether the storage media you are recording to is NTFS or FAT32. Is it a known built-in limit of Android OS and if it is so, anyone know of a workaround, custom mod, kernel etc that allow the capturing of video beyond that limit ?

Related

[Q] MicroSDHC, video rec., ext. hard drive, Sniffer?

Hi. I have some questions and I will be very happy if I learn the answers
Please help me to find out
1. Does Adam support 32GB MicroSDHC card?
2. What is the resolution and fps of video recording of Adam?
3. Can we plug 1TB hard drive to it?
4. Can we disable the ambient light sensor if we want?
5. Sniffer shows 1 USB drive even a USB drive doesn’t plugged. However, we have 2 USB port. What if we plug 2 USB flash drive at a time, will it work? Will Sniffer shows both of them?
6. Can leaves work in the portrait mode?
Can anybody at least give me an answer for this question :
Does Adam support 32GB MicroSDHC card?
I want to buy "Lexar High Speed MicroSDHC 32 GB Class 10" but I'm not sure will it work with Adam or not.
Thanks
can90 said:
1. Does Adam support 32GB MicroSDHC card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SDHC supports card up to 32 GB ... why Adam shouldn't ? I should reply during February ... because my adam should have arrive.
can90 said:
2. What is the resolution and fps of video recording of Adam?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't really have any clear information but in this post on blog Rohan speaks about methode to drain power (Record HD Video and stream it over the Wi-fi networks) For me HD Video means 1080p
can90 said:
3. Can we plug 1TB hard drive to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't really have any clue ... Rohan speaks about access on sniffer with usb pen up to 128 Gb ... But be careful that Android don't seem to have access to NTFS File System, android can access FAT32 File system or Linux Standard FS (Ext 2 to 4).
can90 said:
4. Can we disable the ambient light sensor if we want?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No news, maybe
can90 said:
5. Sniffer shows 1 USB drive even a USB drive doesn’t plugged. However, we have 2 USB port. What if we plug 2 USB flash drive at a time, will it work? Will Sniffer shows both of them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that you sniffer groups disk by type. Android is an LINUX Distribution.
Then you should have USB 1 / USB 2 / USB 3 (there's 3 ports 2 USB Standard and 1 Mini Usb)
can90 said:
6. Can leaves work in the portrait mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't have any clue on it, but if there's no clue it's maybe that leaves only work in Landscape mode as Sense for HTC doesn't work on landscape mode.
I dont think it supports 1tb external hdd as of yet they said its because android has a limit on its fat 32 size i think its about 120 gig or something. But said in an interview that they were looking to extend this.
Gkar3 said:
I should reply during February ... because my adam should have arrive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I can reply that too Also I hope I can reply that before February Let's say shipping is 5 days, then we can have it in 20th to 27th of January
Anyways, thank you so much Gkar3 and lilmiks.
Gkar3, I didn't see that there is a quote about "HD video", and I'm very happy to learn that,b thanks.
For 1TB hard drive, thats very bad I use FAT32 for my macbook, and it is 320GB. I really didn't understand why it doesn't support that, shouldn't be because of FAT32.
Also for microSD, I think you are right Gkar3, I will buy Lexar 32GB now. It would be very ridiculus, if Adam doesn't support 32GB micro SD.
Gkar3 said:
I think that you sniffer groups disk by type. Android is an LINUX Distribution.
Then you should have USB 1 / USB 2 / USB 3 (there's 3 ports 2 USB Standard and 1 Mini Usb)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Mini USB is a HOST port. Meaning that you plug in a standard size USB side of a cable to your computer and the mini side into your Adam... this will allow you to mount the internal storage from your Adam as a R/W drive on your computer. (it essentially makes your Adam's internal memory act like a 'usb thumb drive')
can90 said:
For 1TB hard drive, thats very bad I use FAT32 for my macbook, and it is 320GB. I really didn't understand why it doesn't support that, shouldn't be because of FAT32.
Also for microSD, I think you are right Gkar3, I will buy Lexar 32GB now. It would be very ridiculus, if Adam doesn't support 32GB micro SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can run FAT32 on 1TB drives, but I have not heard of an Android limit on FAT32 before. Windows XP does not support formatting of external drives to FAT32 unless they are smaller than 32GB. This is a superficial limit imposed by Microsoft and there are a number of tools that will allow you to format large external drives to FAT32.
Another thing to note is that just because the base Android system did not support NTFS out of the box doesn't mean some of the XDA devs won't be able to able to add NTFS support into a custom kernel. We'll have to wait until some of the XDA devs get their hands on the NotionInk Adam before we can see what features we can add.
Also, FAT32 has a filesize limit of 4GB... so if you are trying to keep some large, HD movies on the external HDD for playback on your Adam you may want to consider another filesystem (other than FAT32).
--edit--
I'll try to plug a large FAT32 drive into my ViewSonic G-Tablet tonight and see how it works. It's running the nVidia Tegra2 chip so it should at least be similar.
i m new as you can see but i m so happy cause i found you
For me it's Linux Kernel that rules Android then if you use FAT32 then you can create file system from 2 to 8 Tb
joshua.lyon said:
You can run FAT32 on 1TB drives, but I have not heard of an Android limit on FAT32 before. Windows XP does not support formatting of external drives to FAT32 unless they are smaller than 32GB. This is a superficial limit imposed by Microsoft and there are a number of tools that will allow you to format large external drives to FAT32.
Another thing to note is that just because the base Android system did not support NTFS out of the box doesn't mean some of the XDA devs won't be able to able to add NTFS support into a custom kernel. We'll have to wait until some of the XDA devs get their hands on the NotionInk Adam before we can see what features we can add.
Also, FAT32 has a filesize limit of 4GB... so if you are trying to keep some large, HD movies on the external HDD for playback on your Adam you may want to consider another filesystem (other than FAT32).
--edit--
I'll try to plug a large FAT32 drive into my ViewSonic G-Tablet tonight and see how it works. It's running the nVidia Tegra2 chip so it should at least be similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, thanks for the informations. That 4GB limit is the thing that I'm always suffering about.
You are right, we should wait for XDA devs. to get their hands on the Notion Ink Adam. Hope this device will be popular in XDA-devs.
I will hopefully wait for your updates about FAT32 driver.

FAT32 File Limitation

I have many movies that I want to put on my tablet to watch. Most are over 4 GB in size since their HD. You cant transfer them to the SD because of the FAT32 size limitation. Since Android doesn't recognize SD cards formatted to EXT3, you cant format the SD that way to allow the higher size file transfers.
I got myself an adapter on ebay so I could hook my portable 1TB drive to the tab. It connects the usb end of the tab cable and makes it into the micro usb end that goes into the drive. Only problem is that it didn't work. The tab doesn't put out any power to run the drive.
Is there an app or tweak that can be made to have the tab push power out to do this?
dubie76 said:
I have many movies that I want to put on my tablet to watch. Most are over 4 GB in size since their HD. You cant transfer them to the SD because of the FAT32 size limitation. Since Android doesn't recognize SD cards formatted to EXT3, you cant format the SD that way to allow the higher size file transfers.
I got myself an adapter on ebay so I could hook my portable 1TB drive to the tab. It connects the usb end of the tab cable and makes it into the micro usb end that goes into the drive. Only problem is that it didn't work. The tab doesn't put out any power to run the drive.
Is there an app or tweak that can be made to have the tab push power out to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Link to said device?
natious said:
Link to said device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesnt matter because it doesnt work........
USB Host Adaptors do not put out power of any decent level on the TAB, this is not a software limitation as I understand it but actually a Hardware Limitation in the pinouts. Most USB Host/USB On The Go portable devices don't put out the sort of power required for a HDD.
At any rate, said device should work with an externally powered HDD, instead of a USB powered one.
Whether the videos are mkv or avi. You can get a splitter software.
Splitting is much faster than Transcoding. You can split your files within seconds and then copy them over.
Trust me. I know it's inconvenient, but it's just so stupid how manufacturers keep ignoring USB host.

Limited Storage

How are you guys getting around the limited storage/lack of expandable memory issue? I'm thinking of picking up a goflex satellite wireless drive to store high def movies there to watch over wifi on short trips but not sure how it actually interacts and if i will run into any issues with the vids
I bought a 2tb western digital my book live to store movies and music and use the wd2go app to stream to my tab 10.1. Its working well so far.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
willow09 said:
I bought a 2tb western digital my book live to store movies and music and use the wd2go app to stream to my tab 10.1. Its working well so far.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
even when you're out on the road and stream high def vids?
Mainly Amazon MP3 has been a life saver.
When you sign up you get 5GB of free storage. However when you buy any album thru Amazon MP3 you get upgraded to unlimited music storage and 20GB of storage for other media/files. I was able to upgrade when Lady Gaga's album was $.99 on release day.
That has solved alot of my music storage issues. Also with Netflix working on the device, I have ALOT of content to watch.
I'm still working on a way to take more videos with me, I'm really hoping that when I get my 30-pin to USB adapter that you can use Mass Storage devices with it since I usually have to carry around 2 500GB HDDs with me for school anyway.
Jamieson555 said:
Mainly Amazon MP3 has been a life saver.
When you sign up you get 5GB of free storage. However when you buy any album thru Amazon MP3 you get upgraded to unlimited music storage and 20GB of storage for other media/files. I was able to upgrade when Lady Gaga's album was $.99 on release day.
That has solved alot of my music storage issues. Also with Netflix working on the device, I have ALOT of content to watch.
I'm still working on a way to take more videos with me, I'm really hoping that when I get my 30-pin to USB adapter that you can use Mass Storage devices with it since I usually have to carry around 2 500GB HDDs with me for school anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i saw a youtube video where a guy tried this with an external hdd. sadly, the tab rejects it because it is a "high power usb device". it cant supply enough power to it i suppose.... :-(
but usb stick etc work fine, they are getting pretty big too these days. and i think an external ssd should work too...
js931 said:
i saw a youtube video where a guy tried this with an external hdd. sadly, the tab rejects it because it is a "high power usb device". it cant supply enough power to it i suppose.... :-(
but usb stick etc work fine, they are getting pretty big too these days. and i think an external ssd should work too...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankfully I might not have that issue.
Both the HDDs I take to school has an optional hook up for external power, just in case you aren't able to get power from the USB/Firewire Port.
Man i was hoping at least one person in here has used the seagate's battery powered wifi external harddrive and can comment on the compatibility between the tab and video support
ph00ny said:
even when you're out on the road and stream high def vids?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using wifi hotspots yes, but I only have a wifi unit. I havent tried by tethering my SGS2 and using H or 3G, will have to test that one out.
I only have a 16gb GT, only put a few playlists from iTunes on it and put the rest of my music on Google Music and Amazon Cloud Player. I then ripped some movies and put them on the tab, about 5 movies.
Half of my storage is now gone, maybe a little more than half. It is going to have to come down to movie/video management to keep space open on the GT.
Google/Amazon cloud music is awesome for your entire collection and just leaving a playlist or two on your GT.
For long trips you could add and remove videos by using the USB adapter.
willow09 said:
Using wifi hotspots yes, but I only have a wifi unit. I havent tried by tethering my SGS2 and using H or 3G, will have to test that one out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Outside of LTE based service, i can't see this happening with HD videos.
You need to buy the 32gig version for starters. Then get music and docs in the cloud so you have all the internal space open for movies. Then get a cloud storage service so when you get back to your room at night you can watch movies, erase the ones you've watched, and download more from your cloud drive. Basic storage management is all its going to take. Or you could take a laptop and hook it up to the tab at night and do the above process. Last I checked this tab is not meant to be a portable Hi-Def surround sound movie theater. They might market it like that (I haven't seen it) but its meant to watch home movies, view pictures, Google+, browse the web, use apps, and listen to some music.
I am waiting for the USB adapter comes out (I am not confident enough in my soldering to doctor one up as shown in another thread), and then I'll just attach the SD Reader I already have, and buy some SD cards.
In all, SD cards are much smaller than the goFlex drive, and don't need any battery, charging, or whatever. The drawback is of course cost - about $50 per 32gb SD card (so 512gb = $800 or so (16 x 32gb), as opposed to $200 for the goFlex 500gb) - so it more matters what you consider more valuable - smaller carry size and 0 extra power requirements, or a that can carry everything, but that is larger, and requires charging or a power source.
Get the USB adapter and a handful of cheap 8GB flash drives. It's hacky, but if you're not able to access cloud-based storage then it should suffice. You can get those postage stamp sized drives for about $10 now. Watching a movie with the adapter plugged in might not be all that good, so just use the file manager to copy from the USB drives to the Tab as needed.
ph00ny said:
How are you guys getting around the limited storage/lack of expandable memory issue? I'm thinking of picking up a goflex satellite wireless drive to store high def movies there to watch over wifi on short trips but not sure how it actually interacts and if i will run into any issues with the vids
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious about Seagates GoFlex Satellite wifi drive also but I can't find one at a nearby store to buy & test out.
sounds like a nice drive from what i read about it, but just another device to have powered up
get camera connection kit, and buy a couple 16GB thumb-sticks.
It also means you can't connect to the internet while connected to the Seagate WiFi drive. Which seriously limits your multitasking capabilities.
Got a USB Host adapter yesterday
I tried connecting a powered external hard drive to the GT USB adapter today and it didn't work. I tried xFAT and NTFS disk formats but it wasn't having any of it. It either complained of a corrupted USB drive or an empty one, even though it wasn't empty or corrupt. Thumbdrives and sd cards in an adapter work fine though. I plugged a mouse in too to check it out and it worked great. I just ordered a 32 gig SD to use with it. ~60 gig of available content is pretty decent.
majkeli said:
I tried connecting a powered external hard drive to the GT USB adapter today and it didn't work. I tried xFAT and NTFS disk formats but it wasn't having any of it. It either complained of a corrupted USB drive or an empty one, even though it wasn't empty or corrupt. Thumbdrives and sd cards in an adapter work fine though. I plugged a mouse in too to check it out and it worked great. I just ordered a 32 gig SD to use with it. ~60 gig of available content is pretty decent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think u need FAT32, honeycomb doesnt work with NTFS etc...
js931 said:
i think u need FAT32, honeycomb doesnt work with NTFS etc...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honeycomb is doing fine with NTFS on the Transformer. I tried it 5 times with 5 different Drives and Sticks and they all are working very well.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
I'm still waiting for Google Music to be released in the UK so I can upload my 30gb of music. However we have had Spotify for years, coupled with my free premium account and "all you can eat phone data" i have made a lot of playlist that I just stream them to the phone and tab.

Larger Files

I have ordered the OTG cable but while I wait I'll pose the question.
I've placed a 3gb mkv on the N7 and it plays like a champ but would like to get a larger jump drive to place movies on (larger than 2gb). Will the N7 recognize a NTFS partition or would I need to format it as something else?
agrover5279 said:
I have ordered the OTG cable but while I wait I'll pose the question.
I've placed a 3gb mkv on the N7 and it plays like a champ but would like to get a larger jump drive to place movies on (larger than 2gb). Will the N7 recognize a NTFS partition or would I need to format it as something else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bump
I just tried a 4.37GB mkv file on a 16GB NTFS stick - it all works fine here

Debating whether or not to exchange 16GB for Pro

After using a 16GB Darcy for 10 days I'm now tempted to exchange it for a Pro. Basically, I could use the extra space. I was going to buy a USB 3, 500GB ssd for adopted storage which will put me at the cost of a Pro anyway. I tried adopted storage on Darcy with a 320GB HD and set it all up, but as soon as I opened ES file explorer and gave it the permission it asked for, I lost access to the disk and had to forget it then reformat it. My guess is I should have Denied that permission request because once ES cached it's files and wrote to the disk it must have invalidated it. I'll know that for next time but my point is that adopted storage on Android can be tricky. So I'm wondering, can you hear the SSHD in the Pro spin when things are quiet? That would be a con for me. And the biggest con is the lack of ir blaster on pro remote. I have volume on my TV working with this and how would I accomplish that with the Pro? I don't believe CEC can control volume on my TV. Just CEC power control is working for me. If someone with some experience with these models can chime in here it will help me make a decision. Thanks.
DJarkIV said:
After using a 16GB Darcy for 10 days I'm now tempted to exchange it for a Pro. Basically, I could use the extra space. I was going to buy a USB 3, 500GB ssd for adopted storage which will put me at the cost of a Pro anyway. I tried adopted storage on Darcy with a 320GB HD and set it all up, but as soon as I opened ES file explorer and gave it the permission it asked for, I lost access to the disk and had to forget it then reformat it. My guess is I should have Denied that permission request because once ES cached it's files and wrote to the disk it must have invalidated it. I'll know that for next time but my point is that adopted storage on Android can be tricky. So I'm wondering, can you hear the SSHD in the Pro spin when things are quiet? That would be a con for me. And the biggest con is the lack of ir blaster on pro remote. I have volume on my TV working with this and how would I accomplish that with the Pro? I don't believe CEC can control volume on my TV. Just CEC power control is working for me. If someone with some experience with these models can chime in here it will help me make a decision. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have had the shield pro for almost a year now, never heard the hard disk, control volume with the shield fine, if it cant then the settings is in your tv to use external volume source. I may also add been rooted since day one with zero problems that I didnt cause myself
jionny said:
I have had the shield pro for almost a year now, never heard the hard disk, control volume with the shield fine, if it cant then the settings is in your tv to use external volume source. I may also add been rooted since day one with zero problems that I didnt cause myself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info. I want to clarify that ES didn't ask for root permission regarding the adopted storage. It was simple storage permission request, "access storage, photos, etc." ES may have viewed it as external storage although it was setup as internal through Android. I'll have to experiment with that again to confirm that's what happened.
DJarkIV said:
Thanks for the info. I want to clarify that ES didn't ask for root permission regarding the adopted storage. It was simple storage permission request, "access storage, photos, etc." ES may have viewed it as external storage although it was setup as internal through Android. I'll have to experiment with that again to confirm that's what happened.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use to use es when I first rooted but my personal opinion is it sucks, I now use Xplore
jionny said:
I use to use es when I first rooted but my personal opinion is it sucks, I now use Xplore
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree more. ES has practically became malware over the years. On my phone I use Amaze. I installed Amaze on the Shield but can't use it without a mouse. I just downloaded Xplore as you recommend and will give it a try. Speaking of mouse, I'm looking to purchase a Bluetooth RII i8 mouse/keyboard/ remote. Is Bluetooth the way to go over Wifi-Direct on newer Shields?
DJarkIV said:
I couldn't agree more. ES has practically became malware over the years. On my phone I use Amaze. I installed Amaze on the Shield but can't use it without a mouse. I just downloaded Xplore as you recommend and will give it a try. Speaking of mouse, I'm looking to purchase a Bluetooth RII i8 mouse/keyboard/ remote. Is Bluetooth the way to go over Wifi-Direct on newer Shields?
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My personal experience with the RII i8 with the shield is doesnt work very well, maybe just my experience. I happened upon a logitech K400 plus keyboard/mouse and it works flawless, only disapointment is I rather have something smaller like the i8
DJarkIV said:
Thanks for the info. I want to clarify that ES didn't ask for root permission regarding the adopted storage. It was simple storage permission request, "access storage, photos, etc." ES may have viewed it as external storage although it was setup as internal through Android. I'll have to experiment with that again to confirm that's what happened.
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my guess is that is what happened, personally I believe es explorer is garbage at one time the best but not anymore, I use Xplore
I've a 2017 16gb model with a 250GB Samsung EVO SSD in a USB 3 enclosure. I filled it with 50+ games (more than 10 of LightSpeed Studios) and emulators, the speed is awesome and the problems non existant. The free space is aroud 100 GB.
For file management I use Solid Explorer. It's not remote friendly, but you can use it very well with the joystick.
cyberdionisio said:
I've a 2017 16gb model with a 250GB Samsung EVO SSD in a USB 3 enclosure. I filled it with 50+ games (more than 10 of LightSpeed Studios) and emulators, the speed is awesome and the problems non existant. The free space is aroud 100 GB.
For file management I use Solid Explorer. It's not remote friendly, but you can use it very well with the joystick.
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I ended up keeping the 16GB darcy and added a 500GB Samsung T5 SSD as adopted stage. Seems like a good setup so I'm happy. I also have a new USB 3 hub on the inner port. Now I just have to figure out how to bypass the convertible mode on the outer port so I can have adb on without losing the ability to hook up media/storage devices to that port. I may have found a way but it requires a factory reset after the build.prop string is added. I'll get around to trying it out soon.
Sorry to barge in on this convo - but I have a similarish qu. I've just bought the 16Gb today (not shipped yet) and will be either using a 256 flash drive, or my 1TB WD USB 3 HDD.
The thing that's putting me off is the fact that when you add the HDD/SD to the Shield, it can't be read on a PC afterwards. So how on earth would I transfer anything to it once it's been formatted by the Shield?
jonboyuk said:
Sorry to barge in on this convo - but I have a similarish qu. I've just bought the 16Gb today (not shipped yet) and will be either using a 256 flash drive, or my 1TB WD USB 3 HDD.
The thing that's putting me off is the fact that when you add the HDD/SD to the Shield, it can't be read on a PC afterwards. So how on earth would I transfer anything to it once it's been formatted by the Shield?
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You're not barging in, that's what xda is for. So I'm not sure what your goal is but if you want to add to the Android internal storage then you will keep that Drive of your choice plugged into the Shield and consider it integrated. To transfer files back and forth you could use another drive of your choice which would just be a transfer drive. That Drive is not formatted by the Shield but it's readable and you can manage it with a file manager. My preferred method would be just using a usb 3 cable (usb a to usb a) Shield to computer directly. It's basically the same way you would hook up your phone to the computer to transfer files. Another way which is supported by most file managers would be wireless transfer. You have a lot of options. I recently just added a Samsung SSD as adoptable storage which is now considered part of the internal storage. It's working well.
DJarkIV said:
You're not barging in, that's what xda is for. So I'm not sure what your goal is but if you want to add to the Android internal storage then you will keep that Drive of your choice plugged into the Shield and consider it integrated. To transfer files back and forth you could use another drive of your choice which would just be a transfer drive. That Drive is not formatted by the Shield but it's readable and you can manage it with a file manager. My preferred method would be just using a usb 3 cable (usb a to usb a) Shield to computer directly. It's basically the same way you would hook up your phone to the computer to transfer files. Another way which is supported by most file managers would be wireless transfer. You have a lot of options. I recently just added a Samsung SSD as adoptable storage which is now considered part of the internal storage. It's working well.
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Haha I know, I'm just being courteous
That makes perfect sense though. In which case I might use the 1TB hard drive for removable storage (movies etc) and then get a 128Gb flash drive to replace the integrated 16Gb (ie adoptable).
The other thing is, I didn't buy the Shield controller. I do have a spare Xbox One & PS4 pad. Do they work equally as well - bearing in mind that I'll be using it for PC streaming, emulation and Android gaming?
Cheers!
That makes perfect sense though. In which case I might use the 1TB hard drive for removable storage (movies etc) and then get a 128Gb flash drive to replace the integrated 16Gb (ie adoptable).
Just to clarify, it won't replace the 16GB internal storage but add to it. The Android System will still remain on the 16GB internal but the drive you add as adopted will contain the Data portion after you set it up and have the Shield "move Data" to it. It's not a perfect system and some apps will still prefer to install to the 16GB. But if you enable developer options and check "force apps to external regardless of manifest" you will have the ability to move the stubborn apps to your adopted storage drive.
The other thing is, I didn't buy the Shield controller. I do have a spare Xbox One & PS4 pad. Do they work equally as well - bearing in mind that I'll be using it for PC streaming, emulation and Android gaming?
As far as the controller, I'm not 100% sure. If those controllers use Bluetooth to pair they should work. You can select settings-add accessory and attempt to pair them. If you look around you will find that answer.
If you change the external storage as a GPT drive instead of MBR. the nVidia Shield can use it for added internal storage. But it won't do it without this change which you can do on a Windows PC with Disk Management.You don't need a PRO.
orbinick said:
If you change the external storage as a GPT drive instead of MBR. the nVidia Shield can use it for added internal storage. But it won't do it without this change which you can do on a Windows PC with Disk Management.You don't need a PRO.
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Yeah, we're way of topic at this point. I decided a while ago I'm not exchanging for the Pro. Instead I added a Samsung T5 500GB. Your post is very interesting, can you explain further? I'm a Mac user so I did originally format my disk with the GUID partition scheme (GPT) before setting it up as adoptable storage. But from my experience, you can pretty much add just about any disk I ever tried as adoptable storage regardless of the partition scheme. The Shield ends up formatting it beforehand although I'm not sure if it changes the partition scheme for you. What more can you do with GUID that you can't do with MPT?

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