[Q] help using external hard drive - Nexus 10 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hello all.
I have a quick question about using an external hard drive with my nexus 10. I bought a Fantom Drives desktop style external (with power adapter) to use with my macbook air, my girlfriends win7 laptop, and my nexus 10. I prepped the tablet by rooting it and installing StickMount because I read that was the only way to write to usb storage.
When I plug up the external with my usbOTG cable, it recognizes it and it shows up in Androzip, but none of the files that I put on it from windows show up, and also it will not let me write to it from the tablet either. When I try to write to it (a very small photo), it says "Could not move folder due to system restrictions". I have tried reading and writing to the drive from the tablet with it formatted in NTFS and also with it formatted in exFAT.
Am I just out of luck and the drive will not work with my nexus, or are there any other troubleshooting options I can try? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

jonmike13 said:
Hello all.
I have a quick question about using an external hard drive with my nexus 10. I bought a Fantom Drives desktop style external (with power adapter) to use with my macbook air, my girlfriends win7 laptop, and my nexus 10. I prepped the tablet by rooting it and installing StickMount because I read that was the only way to write to usb storage.
When I plug up the external with my usbOTG cable, it recognizes it and it shows up in Androzip, but none of the files that I put on it from windows show up, and also it will not let me write to it from the tablet either. When I try to write to it (a very small photo), it says "Could not move folder due to system restrictions". I have tried reading and writing to the drive from the tablet with it formatted in NTFS and also with it formatted in exFAT.
Am I just out of luck and the drive will not work with my nexus, or are there any other troubleshooting options I can try? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try converting the drive to fat32. It should read and write well then!

c1oud said:
Try converting the drive to fat32. It should read and write well then!
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Click to collapse
Unfortunately wont FAT32 cap at 4gb? Also, forgive my ignorance but what can I do to format it in FAT32 because my only format options in windows were exFAT and NTFS.
Thanks for the reply!

jonmike13 said:
Unfortunately wont FAT32 cap at 4gb? Also, forgive my ignorance but what can I do to format it in FAT32 because my only format options in windows were exFAT and NTFS.
Thanks for the reply!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
got it to work!! used the Verbatim fat32 format tool. It recognizes all 2 terabytes of space and reads and writes on the nexus 10. Thanks so much for the help!! Very pleased to be able to use my new external with the tablet. Now I just have to play the waiting game for my new Macbook Air to show up

jonmike13 said:
got it to work!! used the Verbatim fat32 format tool. It recognizes all 2 terabytes of space and reads and writes on the nexus 10. Thanks so much for the help!! Very pleased to be able to use my new external with the tablet. Now I just have to play the waiting game for my new Macbook Air to show up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nothing at all! The downside of fat32 is that indeed there is a limit for the size of an individual file. You can't write files bigger than 4gb. Also if you try a custom kernel with ntfs support you will be able to read from ntfs but not surely write..!

c1oud said:
Nothing at all! The downside of fat32 is that indeed there is a limit for the size of an individual file. You can't write files bigger than 4gb. Also if you try a custom kernel with ntfs support you will be able to read from ntfs but not surely write..!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can sometimes do NTFS-write. It's not unheard of. The downsides of FAT32 are also a lot worse than what you described: it's significantly more prone to corruption and doesn't handle unexpected ejections nearly as well because it's not journalled, and has no support at all for permissions. But for performance and convenience reasons, it really can't be beat at the moment.

Rirere said:
You can sometimes do NTFS-write. It's not unheard of. The downsides of FAT32 are also a lot worse than what you described: it's significantly more prone to corruption and doesn't handle unexpected ejections nearly as well because it's not journalled, and has no support at all for permissions. But for performance and convenience reasons, it really can't be beat at the moment.
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Click to collapse
I can write and read with my note 2. However i tried with stock kernel ntfs and nothing happens. I think that in terms of speed ntfs is also faster.

c1oud said:
I can write and read with my note 2. However i tried with stock kernel ntfs and nothing happens. I think that in terms of speed ntfs is also faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should have clarified. It's a kernel support thing.

Related

external HDD with 2 or more partitions not detected

hi ....
as title
anyone else got this problem ?
my external HDD has 280gb of fat32 and 40gb of ntfs
Which partition is first? If the fat32 is first, I would expect it to automount. The tablet doesn't support NTFS out of the box. Search these forums for NTFSMOUNT. That will allow you to mount the ntfs partition. If your fat32 is not first, you may need to mount it manually.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Euclid's Brother said:
Which partition is first? If the fat32 is first, I would expect it to automount. The tablet doesn't support NTFS out of the box. Search these forums for NTFSMOUNT. That will allow you to mount the ntfs partition. If your fat32 is not first, you may need to mount it manually.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the fat32 is first, then the ntfs
i tried ntfs mount, it wont show the device at all
iconia wont detect my hdd at all
actually does anyone here tried hdd with partitions ?
That's odd that it doesn't pick up the first partition. Even a drive that isn't split has partitions on it.
muqali said:
That's odd that it doesn't pick up the first partition. Even a drive that isn't split has partitions on it.
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Click to collapse
yeah.. thats it...
is my hdd not supported or what?
is there any compatibility hdd list for iconia ??
cause if i plug my 4gb thumb it will directly recognized ..
My Cruzer USB drive has a cdfs and fat32 partitiin, the main (fat32) partition is fine but won't show the cdfs volume.
I suspect the mount scripts are written for single volume drives or primary partition only.
Could it be that it's a Dynamic drive instead of a Basic Drive? When you connect it to windows and look at the drive partition, it should say in the left border of the drive. Not sure if Android can read a Dynamic drive. Worth a check..
Vereynn said:
My Cruzer USB drive has a cdfs and fat32 partitiin, the main (fat32) partition is fine but won't show the cdfs volume.
I suspect the mount scripts are written for single volume drives or primary partition only.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vereynn, I'm assuming it's a U3 Sandisk Cruzer. They make an app(Sandisk does) that removes U3 from it. U3 is notoriously insecure and they dropped support for it anyway. If you want it or need help finding it I can point you in that direction. Only thing I could think of is maybe the Iconia doesn't support GPT partitions, only MBR/MSDOS style. Why a 320GB USB drive would have that I don't know though, unless you specifically set it up like that with parted or something.
Euclid's Brother said:
Could it be that it's a Dynamic drive instead of a Basic Drive? When you connect it to windows and look at the drive partition, it should say in the left border of the drive. Not sure if Android can read a Dynamic drive. Worth a check..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am using MAC OSX
how can i check ?
I'm pretty sure OS X doesn't support dynamic drives, so I doubt he has one.
muqali said:
Vereynn, I'm assuming it's a U3 Sandisk Cruzer. They make an app(Sandisk does) that removes U3 from it. U3 is notoriously insecure and they dropped support for it anyway. If you want it or need help finding it I can point you in that direction. Only thing I could think of is maybe the Iconia doesn't support GPT partitions, only MBR/MSDOS style. Why a 320GB USB drive would have that I don't know though, unless you specifically set it up like that with parted or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, it's a U3 device. I don't actually use it for much, I got one of the Costco 4packs a while back and they all just sit around my desk now, but it's the only external drive I have with multiple volumes on it for testing So thanks but no real reason for killing the U3 "CD" partition, it's heading for a landfill eventually
My normal go-to USB stick is a 16GB Toshiba with a single FAT32 volume.
One of these days I'll put one of my HP laptop drives back into its DIY external case and see what the Iconia thinks about it. 3 partitions I think (one for BIOS, one NTFS for normal use and a FAT32 for recovery images)

[Q] Transfer files from N7 to External Hdd

Good Morning
I am having a panic, i am going on holiday soon and i take lots of photos. I have just got the N7 and i have managed to put photos onto the N7 via an OTG cable + card reader with SD card inserted and using Nexus Media Importer. Now i can see them and select them in the gallery but when i plug in my Ext Hdd then N7 recognises it but i can transfer the photos over.
What am i doing wrong
Tansk in advance
Slaine
Be rooted and install StickMount.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
slainesco said:
What am i doing wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You failed to appreciate the significance of the word "Importer" in the app's name.
bftb0 said:
You failed to appreciate the significance of the word "Importer" in the app's name.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is there a good exporter app then
when i attached my fat32 1tb hdd i use stickmount and it says MBR signature not found
any ideas
slainesco said:
is there a good exporter app then
when i attached my fat32 1tb hdd i use stickmount and it says MBR signature not found
any ideas
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You've barely said anything meaningful about your device - for instance if it is rooted (& what ROM and kernel you are using if so).
Your mileage will depend on both the kernel and ROM you have installed. I would think that most kernels should support FAT32, but the ROM used (e.g. stock) may not have an automounter/vold which will automatically mount the device as soon as it is plugged in.
For example, this is why people will use StickMount on lightly-rooted stock, but don't need it at all with CM10.1 - the stock kernel supports mounting of FAT HDDs, but the stock ROM doesn't take any actions automatically when they are plugged in.
Right now I'm running a recent CM10.1 nightly & just plugged into my N7:
1) a 8 GB FAT32 uSD card on a reader
2) a 150 GB HDD formatted in NTFS
In both cases, the USB device mounted (without any intervention on my part) successfully - but with the NTFS HDD in read-only mode. I would think it would have mounted the HDD in R/W mode had it been a FAT filesystem. Dismounting the devices was available via Settings->Storage.
Once you've got the device mounted, any root-aware file browser app should allow you (in principle) the ability to copy files bi-directionally. The "in principle" part is that I see reports on here complaining about successful mounts but no files showing up... so you are probably going to need to experiment.
good luck
PS I believe that SD cards in card readers can be written by Media Importer - why this doesn't extend to FAT HDDs I don't really know.
bftb0 said:
You've barely said anything meaningful about your device - for instance if it is rooted (& what ROM and kernel you are using if so).
Your mileage will depend on both the kernel and ROM you have installed. I would think that most kernels should support FAT32, but the ROM used (e.g. stock) may not have an automounter/vold which will automatically mount the device as soon as it is plugged in.
For example, this is why people will use StickMount on lightly-rooted stock, but don't need it at all with CM10.1 - the stock kernel supports mounting of FAT HDDs, but the stock ROM doesn't take any actions automatically when they are plugged in.
Right now I'm running a recent CM10.1 nightly & just plugged into my N7:
1) a 8 GB FAT32 uSD card on a reader
2) a 150 GB HDD formatted in NTFS
In both cases, the USB device mounted (without any intervention on my part) successfully - but with the NTFS HDD in read-only mode. I would think it would have mounted the HDD in R/W mode had it been a FAT filesystem. Dismounting the devices was available via Settings->Storage.
Once you've got the device mounted, any root-aware file browser app should allow you (in principle) the ability to copy files bi-directionally. The "in principle" part is that I see reports on here complaining about successful mounts but no files showing up... so you are probably going to need to experiment.
good luck
PS I believe that SD cards in card readers can be written by Media Importer - why this doesn't extend to FAT HDDs I don't really know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the lack off info. I have only had the N7 for over a week and it isnt rooted as up until one hour ago i hadnt a clue what that meant. So i guess it is stock and ive sinced realised Stickmount wont work.
I can mount a 32gb stick no hassles but the fat32 1tb external hdd with power supply just comes up with mbr signature not found
thanks

NTFS support for USB-OTG?

Hi was wondering if it is possible to format my 64gb pen drive to NTFS and get my G2 to recognise it using a USB-OTG?
mimicuk said:
Hi was wondering if it is possible to format my 64gb pen drive to NTFS and get my G2 to recognise it using a USB-OTG?
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Click to collapse
It doesn't appear to recognize it on mine. I tried a Sandisk Ultra 32GB that I've used on my Samsung TV, and it couldn't handle it. It could handle FAT32 on a Sandisk Cruzer using the same OTG adapter.
Disappointing if you want to access large files. I'm going to try ext3 next.
Edit....
I formated it on my Linux system, and it does read ext2, if you have that available. If you need large files, then that would be one solution. Maybe you can install NTFS-3G support, which is what Linux uses.
martyfried said:
It doesn't appear to recognize it on mine. I tried a Sandisk Ultra 32GB that I've used on my Samsung TV, and it couldn't handle it. It could handle FAT32 on a Sandisk Cruzer using the same OTG adapter.
Disappointing if you want to access large files. I'm going to try ext3 next.
Edit....
I formated it on my Linux system, and it does read ext2, if you have that available. If you need large files, then that would be one solution. Maybe you can install NTFS-3G support, which is what Linux uses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can use exfat...and it recognize well
anyen said:
you can use exfat...and it recognize well
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Click to collapse
That's good to know for those that use windows. For Linux, which I use, it would take some work to get it, whereas ext2 is standard, stable, and works.
Perhaps F2FS (Flash Friendly File System, from Samsung) would be another possibility, although I don't know if it's available at all.
Hi guys, if you want NTFS support on your LG G2 all you have to do is install Paragon exFAT, NTFS & HFS+.
Googled for G2 OTG NTFS support, came in here, tried Paragon and came back to tell you it worked flawlesly with my NTFS 1tb 2,5" external hdd.
thanks man .. tested with lg g2 kitkat stock rom .. just mounted onstorage\usb storage 1..2 ..3 .. you can even format your hdd :-o

Hard drive shown as corrupt

Guys I am having a problem with my HP 1 TB hard drive. When I plug it in my phone using otg there is a notification saying that "your hp hard drive is corrupt, tap to fix " which takes me to a format manu.
Of all the file managers available , only es file explorer is able to read the contents but writing operations are not allowed.
The otg cable is fine because I can use all my USB drives without any problems
The HDD itself is not corrupt as I can read/write on it using my PC/laptop
Note: when I first bought the HDD it was working normally on my phone ( it was blank back then) but then I had to format it to FAT32 for it to work with my PlayStation 3, after then I again formatted it to NTFS and transferred around 200 GB of movie and series in it and here I am.
Any help is appreciated
Android does not support NTFS natively.
uicnren said:
Android does not support NTFS natively.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like I said when I first bought it was working fine ( I didn't check if it was NTFS but it must be because hdd's normally come as NTFS )
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA Labs
I had the same issue w/SanDisk 128 dual USB. Download 2Tware's Fat32Format (CNET has it) or a similar, third-party app and format the drive in FAT32. Hopefully, that'll fix your issue as it did mine.

Fire 10 suddently says nfts flash drive is unsupported, it read fine last week

I know it only supports FAT32, but until i lost my adapter that came with my Samsung 10 it used to read the ntfs flash no problem, but now says unsupported file structure. I was also using a different flash that was lost with the adapter. I bought the same adapter on ebay but using a different flash. Could that be the problem? Im not rooted, but that didnt matter before. Want to be able to transfer movies over 4GB like i have until this week. Thanks
Yankee6 said:
I know it only supports FAT32, but until i lost my adapter that came with my Samsung 10 it used to read the ntfs flash no problem, but now says unsupported file structure. I was also using a different flash that was lost with the adapter. I bought the same adapter on ebay but using a different flash. Could that be the problem? Im not rooted, but that didnt matter before. Want to be able to transfer movies over 4GB like i have until this week. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NTFS is designed for the Microsoft Windows operating systems, not on some Android devices.
You can try to format as exFAT or FAT32. exFAT is same as NTFS.
You can transfer your movies using MTP.
AmznUser444 Dev said:
NTFS is designed for the Microsoft Windows operating systems, not on some Android devices.
You can try to format as exFAT or FAT32. exFAT is same as NTFS.
You can transfer your movies using MTP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exfat didnt work either same error as with NTFS.
Yankee6 said:
Exfat didnt work either same error as with NTFS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because Amazon doesn't pay to Microsoft to use NTFS and ExFAT.
You can transfer your media from your PC to Fire tablet using USB.
AmznUser444 Dev said:
Because Amazon doesn't pay to Microsoft to use NTFS and ExFAT.
You can transfer your media from your PC to Fire tablet using USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but it DID work before. I guess no one can explain how this was possible then and not now. I keep the tablet at work and bring flash drives to transfer movies. Wanted to be able to transfer movies over 4 gig, but guess ive lost the ability to do that now.
You could try exFAT/NTFS for USB by Paragon. Maybe that can read the drive

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