Database Users

[Q] Expanding internal storage

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mmsomekid said:
My biggest issue with the Fire at the moment is the lack of expandable storage space. Does anyone know how they did the internal storage? If it is simply a micro sd card inside, can we just crack it open and insert a larger card? If not, are there any other viable alternatives (excluding "cloud" storage)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the teardown: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-Teardown/7099/1
It uses a "Samsung KLM8G2FEJA 8 GB Flash Memory". I guess theoretically you can replace that. A better solution would be to enable USB Host mode, if the USB controller supports it, and use external storage.

The SD card is fused to the MoBo, so I don't think it can be replaced. If you manage to do it, it'd be great if you posted some instructions, I think we'd all like a 64GB Fire.

I think it's possible, but you'd have to have the skill and tools or know someone that does. You need to use a hot air gun to desolder the chip and put a new one in. You may have to do some adjusting of some configurations in the os. Maybe there's a place that we can get it done, like a place that does it full time? Anyone know?

InsertUniqueHandle said:
I think it's possible, but you'd have to have the skill and tools or know someone that does. You need to use a hot air gun to desolder the chip and put a new one in. You may have to do some adjusting of some configurations in the os. Maybe there's a place that we can get it done, like a place that does it full time? Anyone know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd be willing to pay for something like that.

As selteab said before, OTG is better solution, also great for external storage gps, bt, usb audio...

where would you go to buy bigger memory chip?

eclass82 said:
where would you go to buy bigger memory chip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably from a store...
But realistically, this is not a likely mod that many would even every try to attempt. I can see the page full of threads with the subject line "I FRIED my Fire!"... now that would be a brick.
With the exception of the possibility of being able to enable USB Host mode and that is not even a given, if you need more storage, you bought the wrong device.

Ive been using my kindle in my car for audio and video.
Waiting for usb flash drive to work to perm mount it in my dash.

Where to begin?
I know you said you can potentially purchase the memory at stores, but I tried doing a search for flash memory options, & all I seem to come up with are SSDs & USB flash drives. How would I even begin searching for the kind of chips they used in the kindle online? Obviously the cost & risk are too great to probably attempt something like an upgrade, but that doesn't mean my curiousity doesn't get the better of me & I don't at least want to know what to look for!! Any help would be appreciated...even some suggestions on similar chips with larger capacity, as a jumping-off point for my search!
PS Any suggestions on the RAM would be awesome too! Considering the processor is already pretty nice, I'd think you'd really just have to upgrade the memory & RAM, & then get yourself a copy of whatever Android OS you wanted installed & you'd probably be set right?
PPS As previously stated, all the questions are hypothetical & for my own curiousity's sake, & obviously I don't really condone gutting your Kindle!

SadPanda284 said:
I know you said you can potentially purchase the memory at stores, but I tried doing a search for flash memory options, & all I seem to come up with are SSDs & USB flash drives. How would I even begin searching for the kind of chips they used in the kindle online? Obviously the cost & risk are too great to probably attempt something like an upgrade, but that doesn't mean my curiousity doesn't get the better of me & I don't at least want to know what to look for!! Any help would be appreciated...even some suggestions on similar chips with larger capacity, as a jumping-off point for my search!
PS Any suggestions on the RAM would be awesome too! Considering the processor is already pretty nice, I'd think you'd really just have to upgrade the memory & RAM, & then get yourself a copy of whatever Android OS you wanted installed & you'd probably be set right?
PPS As previously stated, all the questions are hypothetical & for my own curiousity's sake, & obviously I don't really condone gutting your Kindle!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Fire uses an SD card that is soldered to the motherboard.
And as for the second part, it's not like a pc where you can just upgrade certain components as they are usually oem and not very common to get a hold of. If it was that easy, more people would be trying to do it

Mr. P. Hone said:
The Fire uses an SD card that is soldered to the motherboard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is no sdcard in the kf:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-Teardown/7099/1

Oops, didn't mean to say SD.

Its can still be mod
b63 said:
there is no sdcard in the kf:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Amazon-Kindle-Fire-Teardown/7099/1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like it will be possible to connect leads from the opposite side of this chip with another to increase GB

befreshshaveivorysalesoap said:
It looks like it will be possible to connect leads from the opposite side of this chip with another to increase GB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right. You think the threads about Bricked Kindle Fire is bad, wait until people try doing that. Then there will be I Fried my Kindle Fire threads.
If there was going to be an easy way to increase memory on this device, it would have been done already. Same for connecting a USB Thunb drive.
With a new device around the corner, not sure there is going to be much work on trying to do it now.

I too have been looking at the teardowns to figurebout if its possible to increase storage.
getting a 16gb flash chip, desoldering the old one, and reconfiguring the partitions would be the way. but how to reconfigure the new chip would be my question. desoldering and resoldering a bigger flash drive isn't impossible
trying to figure out how to solder in a sdcard and symlinking it as the sdcard is also an idea, but again, how I don't know
Sent from my HTC Glacier using xda premium

Need to know before unlocking/rooting...

Posting this in the Q/A since I have a "Q"uestion.
I am hoping to expect to receive my 16gig this week since I ordered on July 13th.
So I have a question. Before I go and unlock/root is there any steps I need to take prior to doing so?
For example, there was something with the original EVO 4g where we had to back up the original, if I am not mistaken, so we would retain the 4g keys in case anything got borked.
So, not sure if there is something I need to do before I go ahead and unlock/root my Nexus when it comes in.
And, if there is any suggestions/advice on which ROM to install once I unlock/root?
Thinking I am gonna go the JR5/Paulobrien route since it seems to be the most favorable and also seems to have the built in flash support.
One other thing.
In regards to memory issues. I plan on having many apps/games installed. Got my stand ordered and plan to hook up my PS3 controller for gaming on the stand when I can. What is the most suggested route for extra memory at this point? I see comments about OTG and what not. Do I go flash drive, do I go Micro or SD card?
I appreciate any help/advice/suggestions to get me pointed in the right direction in preparing for my Nexus 7,
Whiteice

WhiteiceDMSTech said:
What is the most suggested route for extra memory at this point? I see comments about OTG and what not. Do I go flash drive, do I go Micro or SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am waiting for my device too. I will buy the cheapest but fast enough 64gb stick available.

WhiteiceDMSTech said:
Posting this in the Q/A since I have a "Q"uestion.
I am hoping to expect to receive my 16gig this week since I ordered on July 13th.
So I have a question. Before I go and unlock/root is there any steps I need to take prior to doing so?
For example, there was something with the original EVO 4g where we had to back up the original, if I am not mistaken, so we would retain the 4g keys in case anything got borked.
So, not sure if there is something I need to do before I go ahead and unlock/root my Nexus when it comes in.
And, if there is any suggestions/advice on which ROM to install once I unlock/root?
Thinking I am gonna go the JR5/Paulobrien route since it seems to be the most favorable and also seems to have the built in flash support.
One other thing.
In regards to memory issues. I plan on having many apps/games installed. Got my stand ordered and plan to hook up my PS3 controller for gaming on the stand when I can. What is the most suggested route for extra memory at this point? I see comments about OTG and what not. Do I go flash drive, do I go Micro or SD card?
I appreciate any help/advice/suggestions to get me pointed in the right direction in preparing for my Nexus 7,
Whiteice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend that you have your device updated to the very latest release of android (4.1.1). Also make sure you have Android SDK installed with adb installed.
As far as roms go, I would wait till cm10 becomes available for the nexus 7. If you play around with the stock rom, it is really good. Its very smooth and I have not had any lag problems what so ever. I am very happy with the stock rom.
I have not tried this because I do not have the right cable, but the route that I would go with the extra storage is an otg cable that can connect to a flash drive or small external hard drive. These will have a lot more room than a typical sd card. You are probably not going to have to worry about storage if you are getting the 16gig model. I have the 16gb model and I am only half full of using all my space. But I can see where it would be cool to just load up a bunch of blu ray movies on an external hard drive and watch off that. Please pm me if you have any more questions.
Yes, I do have a nexus 7 and it is both unlocked and rooted

WhiteiceDMSTech said:
In regards to memory issues. I plan on having many apps/games installed. Got my stand ordered and plan to hook up my PS3 controller for gaming on the stand when I can. What is the most suggested route for extra memory at this point? I see comments about OTG and what not. Do I go flash drive, do I go Micro or SD card?
I appreciate any help/advice/suggestions to get me pointed in the right direction in preparing for my Nexus 7,
Whiteice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the type of storage media matters. I assume you'd need a USB hub to allow the PS3 controller and storage media to plug in to your N7. A flash drive will plug straight into the OTG cable/USB hub, otherwise a card would need a reader. The main thing will be access speeds for reads and writes, so buy the media with the highest speeds vs cost your budget allows.

Why in the Hell Would Google Make a Tablet That Most People Will use to Watch Movies

Only allow a total of 16gb of storage. Wth! This is actually keeping me from buying this badass device. Hell, before even installing any apps or music, you would only be able to put about 16 movies on it. This is just ignorant to me. I'm wanting this thing so bad but I know I wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

Otg cable and SD card reader...

BLAQK ROXSTAR said:
Otg cable and SD card reader...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, once you root it. Average 'users' are either scared off by that or don't even know what that means.
That said, yes, it is very sad there isn't a bigger storage option or USB OTG host capability otb, but we make it work however we have to.
-Ara

Do people not read??
If you actually took a blind bit of notice instead of just posting rubbish. The whole point of the tablet is to use cloud storage.

For me it's different. I always looked at 32gb and 64gb devices (phones or tablets) as a waste of cash. It's so easy to just delete/replace music or movies. I guess some people have so much music and videos to store in their devices. Why not just put 4-5 movies, 4-5 gb of music, a few games and apps.
I wouldn't like to pay 100$ more just to get an extra 16gb, when I can buy a 2tb external hard drive for the same price or a 500gb portable HDD.

You need more than 16 movies on the device at one time to enjoy it?

I understand cloud storage is supposed to be the greatest thing since Japan... but if your internet connection is not rock solid you get buffer bloat and an awful experience, I would prefer to have my music local in flac.
Incidentally I'm still not sure what a tablet is supposed to do... I mean why not just use a laptop, I love android but windows is so much more capable and justifies a case.

Can't really make use of cloud storage when sitting on long car trips, and tethering 3G to watch a 3-4GB movie is far from ideal. Cloud storage is in its infancy with the bandwidth restrictions we have, not quite ready yet.

busties said:
Only allow a total of 16gb of storage. Wth! This is actually keeping me from buying this badass device. Hell, before even installing any apps or music, you would only be able to put about 16 movies on it. This is just ignorant to me. I'm wanting this thing so bad but I know I wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually don't make your decision based on the SD storage (again its not an issue for some). Have a look at the defects threads, quality of the product and manufacturing defects before you make the call. All these issues are reported from 2-3 weeks of usage.
Good luck.

epichappy said:
I understand cloud storage is supposed to be the greatest thing since Japan... but if your internet connection is not rock solid you get buffer bloat and an awful experience, I would prefer to have my music local in flac.
Incidentally I'm still not sure what a tablet is supposed to do... I mean why not just use a laptop, I love android but windows is so much more capable and justifies a case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have to ask, you wouldn't understand. Seriously. I used to make those same arguments. One doesn't replace the other. I carry an i7 notebook with 16 GB of RAM just about everywhere I go, at least have it in the truck, and I also take my tablet. If you ever get in the habit of using one or carrying one, it will make sense but it's hard to explain it to someone that hasn't gotten used to one. My other tablet is a 32 GB Transformer Prime, and I've never needed to use 16 GB. I use 25 or so GB but it's only because a lot of nandroid backups on there are old and I haven't gotten around to cleaning house that week on my internal storage. I go through about once a week or so and clear out about 10 GB or so of old nandroid backups.

Did we REALLY need another thread about storage/ Thank goodness you are not going to buy one....

Moricon said:
Did we REALLY need another thread about storage/ Thank goodness you are not going to buy one....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto

Moricon said:
Did we REALLY need another thread about storage/ Thank goodness you are not going to buy one....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shove it up your ass.

busties said:
Shove it up your ass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He's actually right. If you actually took the time to use the search function, there are actually numerous posts regarding cloud storage and the use of an USB OTG. Search next time.

busties said:
Only allow a total of 16gb of storage. Wth! This is actually keeping me from buying this badass device. Hell, before even installing any apps or music, you would only be able to put about 16 movies on it. This is just ignorant to me. I'm wanting this thing so bad but I know I wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Movie wise, if you officially buy them they will be in cloud storage requiring network connection and you also have the option to download them. If you load the mp4s onto your device it takes up space

Or do what I did and use a NAS server (I use a raspberry pi - for low electricity cost what with it being on all day/night - with samba client and 1TB external hard disk) at home and copy films and content you want for the day/week/month off of that. Can stream from it up to about 720p with no problems any higher requires a bit of buffering if I am in the house or even at another wifi spot (a bit more buffering required depending on connection).
As for portable storage I have installed about 21 games already including some like shadowgun, batman, NOVA 3 and Modern Combat 3 that take up a load of space and I still have 5GB left free on the Nexus. If you want more room then I hear Apple make a nice 32GB wi-fi only model for just £479...oh and that's not expandable either. Even if you go for the 16GB wifi only the money you save by buying the nexus 7 is enough to rent more than a film a week for the next year.

My plan is too use my USB OTG cable (that i ordered from amazon) for use of movies and the 16 Gb for apps

busties said:
Only allow a total of 16gb of storage. Wth! This is actually keeping me from buying this badass device. Hell, before even installing any apps or music, you would only be able to put about 16 movies on it. This is just ignorant to me. I'm wanting this thing so bad but I know I wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They want to push their cloud services and media through google play. How many movies do you need on there at once?

You could make the same argument about any tablet that doesnt have infinite storage.
"What's the point of a tablet that can't store every movie ever made in the contiguous 48 states!!?! Argh!"
If you think its a stupid product, don't buy it...but you don't have to come over here harshing on our buzz.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

busties said:
Only allow a total of 16gb of storage. Wth! This is actually keeping me from buying this badass device. Hell, before even installing any apps or music, you would only be able to put about 16 movies on it. This is just ignorant to me. I'm wanting this thing so bad but I know I wouldn't be able to enjoy it.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
streaming.
just enjoyed my nexus7 for at least 4-hr streaming 2 movies from my fileserver and wife watched Viki (korean dramas) for at least 3-hr, and play some games for a couple more.
from 98% battery to 4%.
lotsa storage left.
ps: i think Google intend this to be a stay-at-home device where u can get WiFi (and file shares)

[Q] Please tell me how to add 8gb more memory to my Nexus 4?

Hello colleagues, today became the owner of LG nexus4. Some time ago I wrote a brochure that the phone come with a slot for a micro SD card and without reference to the source or a second opinion, I bought the phone with 8GB memory. till now i have a phone with 16gb and somehow fit in it, but this 8gb are not enough for me. My question is if there is a way to add storage hardwarly somehow?

Nope, it's impossible. The only way would be to buy a different device.
Unless you want to find a ROM/kernel that supports USB OTG, and you could use a flash drive to store things. I'm not sure how well implemented this is on the n4 though.

That's easy. Just download Google drive; it offers 15gb free space .
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

badboy47 said:
That's easy. Just download Google drive; it offers 15gb free space .
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And of course, how could I forget. The main reason for the lack of space is because Google is pushing cloud storage. It is the future after all, and I find it is so much easier than worrying about physical storage space.

The only problem with cloud storage is it requires a wifi connection and you cannot directly stream from it if wifi speeds arent fast enough, ex. music/movies. Thats why i despise cloud storage unless you need to store files that do not have to stay on your phone 24/7

Snyper0012 said:
The only problem with cloud storage is it requires a wifi connection and you cannot directly stream from it if wifi speeds arent fast enough, ex. music/movies. Thats why i despise cloud storage unless you need to store files that do not have to stay on your phone 24/7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have enough data, it can be useful anywhere you have a data connection. But of course, not everyone has that.

punish said:
Hello colleagues, today became the owner of LG nexus4. Some time ago I wrote a brochure that the phone come with a slot for a micro SD card and without reference to the source or a second opinion, I bought the phone with 8GB memory. till now i have a phone with 16gb and somehow fit in it, but this 8gb are not enough for me. My question is if there is a way to add storage hardwarly somehow?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello punish, you can add hardware storage only with usb otg. Read this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2181820
You should have an otg y-cable and flash a zip in recovery.

But then you still have to be next to a power source for your extra storage. This is the single thing that seriously annoys me with the devices today.
I remember getting my old 5th gen iPod video 80gb back in 2005 when it first came out. And it still works perfectly fine today despite being 8 years old and using a hard drive instead of flash storage.
I mean how can companies offer a device with 8gb (5gb usable) and possibly suggest it is enough. That is 10 times less than a product from 8 years ago.
I know they are pushing cloud storage but still in today's world it is turd.
Not everybody has unlimited data.
No provider will have great reception everywhere.
Devices nowadays are pushing 1080p screens and you will only possibly be able to stream 1080 media on lte which will lower your reception areas down significantly.
Streaming files from the cloud will consume far more battery than playing local content.
I don't even understand how they thought that we are in a current state where cloud storage is better than local.
At least not until we have gigabit mobile internet and mobile sized flash storage that can write at those speeds. It's just a gimmick that can be used for backing up non important files and if your lucky streaming music.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Alright, this thing is a real piece of crap but it'll have to do if you really need/want extra storage: http://www.zerolemon.com/details.ph...r-battery-case-2250mah-removable-battery-pack
You'll have to be a little handy since it needs to be modded. Basically, there's a LOT of wasted space inside the case, which makes it perfect for adding a usb flash drive / card reader.
I'm using a Kingston G2 reader with a 64gb microsdxc card. I'm really hoping they release a G3 with uhs support soon.. Class 10 is so slow.
The biggest issue I have with "cloud" services is the stupidity of Google Play Music. It'll cache and cache and cache with no limits. Sooner or later, it'll have gobbled up all the storage.

derp

eksasol said:
^ That's a battery case dude.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
reading comprehension

Sorry didn;t bother to read the rest of your message. Seems interesting, but maybe a bit of work. It's probably better to hope for the Nexus 5 to have OTG support and 32gb.
I was thinking about the Sandisk WiFi flashdrive: http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Connect-Wireless-Flash-SDWS2-032G-E57/dp/B00DBX371C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

Thank you very much for you help colleagues. I want to ask, is it necessary to have my phone root and different from my original ''rom'' to connect to an external memory?

punish said:
Thank you very much for you help colleagues. I want to ask, is it necessary to have my phone root and different from my original ''rom'' to connect to an external memory?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes because you have to use a custom kernel.

Desno365 said:
Yes because you have to use a custom kernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you have to put custom rom and this kernel on my phone .

try this instead:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Conne...&sr=8-1&keywords=sandisk+wireless+flash+drive

sensei22 said:
try this instead:
http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Conne...&sr=8-1&keywords=sandisk+wireless+flash+drive
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Big gotcha with Wireless flash storage - when you connect to the wireless storage, you give up access to the cell network or other wifi you were using for data. Thus, you have to choose - data or storage. You can't have both.
Best solution to add 8gb more memory to a Nexus 4 is to get rid of the Nexus 4 and get a phone with more memory.

Hello colleagues, I finally decided to flash rum on my Nexus, but I do not rely ANSWER (micro usb flash memory). Can you tell me what you would read my phone or who put my rоm with any kernel?

What happens to shield pro after the hard drive dies

Hi,
I only purchased the shield pro yesterday and am already wondering whether I made a major mistake and should have gone with the 16 gb instead, as what happens if the hard drive dies? Are the default apps/os installed on internal flash or the hard drive itself? If on the hard drive then that is a really bad mistake on nvidias part, as when the drive dies, so does the shield, anyone know the answer? Would I be able to backup the os/factory default setup etc to an sd to use once the drive fails? If it had been an ssd this wouldn't have been an issue sadly.
Thanks for you're time.
Dave.

+1
Sent from my SM-G925K using XDA Free mobile app

karios525 said:
Hi,
I only purchased the shield pro yesterday and am already wondering whether I made a major mistake and should have gone with the 16 gb instead, as what happens if the hard drive dies? Are the default apps/os installed on internal flash or the hard drive itself? If on the hard drive then that is a really bad mistake on nvidias part, as when the drive dies, so does the shield, anyone know the answer? Would I be able to backup the os/factory default setup etc to an sd to use once the drive fails? If it had been an ssd this wouldn't have been an issue sadly.
Thanks for you're time.
Dave.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nvidia shield pro bas a micro SD slot, soo you just need to makes some backups.
And if im correct, if you have an enought memory you could install the whole android to it
Tapatalk-kal küldve az én C6903-el

SD card backup
swarced said:
Nvidia shield pro bas a micro SD slot, soo you just need to makes some backups.
And if im correct, if you have an enought memory you could install the whole android to it
Tapatalk-kal küldve az én C6903-el
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I have only had the shield pro for a week and am still getting used to android as an os, are there any clear instructions/videos/faqs to guide me into.....
1) How to back android and everything nvidia installed (everything which i haven't done myself, which in all honesty is just kodi and a few addons) onto an sd card, is there any particular software I should use? I don't plan on rooting as it is a new concept for me and don't see why I would want to, unless there is no choice
2) How large an sd card would be required
Thanks for you're time and patience
Dave.

karios525 said:
As I have only had the shield pro for a week and am still getting used to android as an os, are there any clear instructions/videos/faqs to guide me into.....
1) How to back android and everything nvidia installed (everything which i haven't done myself, which in all honesty is just kodi and a few addons) onto an sd card, is there any particular software I should use? I don't plan on rooting as it is a new concept for me and don't see why I would want to, unless there is no choice
2) How large an sd card would be required
Thanks for you're time and patience
Dave.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If im correct, to backoup a full system with apps and files, your device must be rooted.
I recommend installing a custom recovery designed for shield TV, for the backup process.
At least you need 4gb of SD card storage.
I recommend a 6gb sdcard for that purpose.
Tapatalk-kal küldve az én C6903-el

On the Shield Pro, everything is on the hard drive. And it can't even be swapped with another of the exact model, as there no way to install the OS on it since the tools to do so aren't released by Nvidia.
If it dies, your console is dead; unless you can get it repaired/replaced by Nvidia.

Damn
I have a question then. If you add an external hard drive to the shield tv, can you install games straight to the hard drive rather than using the internal storage of the 16gb model?
If so does it does is the obb directory on the hard drive too with the game data? If not the shield is not worth it as a gaming machine as you would fill up the memory too quickly like a phone.

With phones you can do that with root, if you buy an SD card im sure you can install apps on it
sended from iPhone 9

Luxferro said:
On the Shield Pro, everything is on the hard drive. And it can't even be swapped with another of the exact model, as there no way to install the OS on it since the tools to do so aren't released by Nvidia.
If it dies, your console is dead; unless you can get it repaired/replaced by Nvidia.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about fastboot and recovery partitions, are they on hard drive too?
Sent from my Nokia 3310 using free xda app

visitor29 said:
What about fastboot and recovery partitions, are they on hard drive too?
Sent from my Nokia 3310 using free xda app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, everything is. Without a hard drive the console should boot into nvidia's APX mode. Info here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/APX_mode and http://http.download.nvidia.com/tegra-public-appnotes/flashing-tools.html
To use this mode, you need the APX driver, and then NVFLASH. Good luck finding documentation on how to exactly prepare a hard drive for shield TV though. I found one guy who claims to have swapped in a 1TB hybrid SSD. But talking with him hasn't gone to well...

bigfella35uk said:
I have a question then. If you add an external hard drive to the shield tv, can you install games straight to the hard drive rather than using the internal storage of the 16gb model?
If so does it does is the obb directory on the hard drive too with the game data? If not the shield is not worth it as a gaming machine as you would fill up the memory too quickly like a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you root and use foldermount yes you can do this.

Also, when the release marshmellow for for it, you'll be able to put in a SD card and then format and use it as internal storage. You can do the same with other removable media as well (usb drives, ect).

Luxferro said:
Yeah, everything is. Without a hard drive the console should boot into nvidia's APX mode. Info here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/APX_mode and http://http.download.nvidia.com/tegra-public-appnotes/flashing-tools.html
To use this mode, you need the APX driver, and then NVFLASH. Good luck finding documentation on how to exactly prepare a hard drive for shield TV though. I found one guy who claims to have swapped in a 1TB hybrid SSD. But talking with him hasn't gone to well...
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Already tested and you right - device boot in apx mode without hdd.
Sent from my Nokia 3310 using free xda app

Anyone try to clone the drive to another? I'm interested in buying this version

Trigger911 said:
Anyone try to clone the drive to another? I'm interested in buying this version
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Yeah, I cloned the hard drive to the exact same model, and it didn't boot. There's more stuff going on than a simple hard drive swap.

Ohhhh I get mine today I think I might have made a mistake lmao

Hmm, this thread didn't exactly help with my decision I was sold on the 500gb version, but now I'm not so sure. I'm mainly going to stream movies and games, but still, 16gb isn't alot. I wish there was a 128gb version or something.

The HDD should easily last 5+ years which by then this device will be defunct. I don't see the issue.
Weekly / monthly TWRP backups to USB / SD can also be done.

I messed around pretty extensively with it awhile back. I posted in the nvidia forums, but was wrong about what I was seeing. After throwing every manager I could think of at it, cloning it, and imaging it in backbox Linux, I assumed it was encrypted because I'd never messed with anything tegra.
The short of it is, for anyone trying to find info... It's a proprietary file structure that likely needs a key to access. It's not fat, ext, or ntfs. It might not even be partitioned. I haven't been able to nor seen anyone gather a picture of what the sdhdd actually looks like. I even tried doing some really unconventional stuff (don't ask) and nothing. Just having access to apx-nvflash isn't enough.
The deal with the 1tb drive is that Seagate has a version of the 500gb drive available in a 1tb. That and the 500 gb are also used in the PlayStation 4 from what I could find. It's a Seagate slim sdhdd. The one thing I did figure out, or at least I think I did, was that the flash portion of the 500gb is devoted to swap. I sort of assumed theyed put the system on the flash, but found that isn't the case. The whole thing is swap partition to speed it up. I'd never used a hybrid drive so hadn't really thought about how I'd divy up those partitions. I guess it makes sense but why not just put the system there and use the other 490gb for storage... Anyhow...
-So its a Seagate slim 500
-There's a 1tb version of this drive that I suppose you could flash if you could figure out the file system.
-You need access to apx-nvflash and probably keys.
-The drive does not even show up on most partition managers.
There are copies of the .img in the nvidia developer site for both the 500gb and the 16gb.
I think that it's likely the guy claiming he got the 1tb working is boasting, but its possible if he has more access than us. Maybe an employee?
Also, I haven't tried, but I know that nvidia built the 16 gb unoys without sata connectors. However. I'm curious if they left the 16gb of flash nand on the 500gb units. I wonder what might happen on a 500gb version flashed with the developer 16gb img. If it was left on there it would take care of a lot of worry for folks concerned about the hdd.

Vintervilan said:
Hmm, this thread didn't exactly help with my decision I was sold on the 500gb version, but now I'm not so sure. I'm mainly going to stream movies and games, but still, 16gb isn't alot. I wish there was a 128gb version or something.
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Yeah I think even if you DL all the apps on there you would only use about 50 gigs of data. I thought I could turn this thing into am emulator beat but I can only store the roms on a micro sd card and not the 500GB hd.