Database Users

[Q] USB Mass Storage mode only for reading ?

I'm the only one having problems with usb mass storage? With all builds from all chef and all kernels it happens the same. I can read from the pc what is on the SD, but if I copy a file Android dont see it , the file size is 0. And new files created in android can't be readed by windows either (I can only read the files that were written on the SD before the last android boot)
I missing something? I tryied dismounting the SD from android with same results
Are you using it in the same way USB MASS STORAGE in WM6.5 ???

I use USB storage all the time and in every andrioid build I've used(about 20) I've never had any problems. There are many people like me that also have no problems, but there are also many like you that have plenty of problems. I'm not sure that anyone really knows why.

RobertsDF said:
I use USB storage all the time and in every andrioid build I've used(about 20) I've never had any problems. There are many people like me that also have no problems, but there are also many like you that have plenty of problems. I'm not sure that anyone really knows why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for answering. Do you have 2 partitions on the sd ?

Just want to check a few things:
1: you plug in via usb and select "disk drive"
2: you are not still connected via usb when trying to read the items on the sd card?
3: When you disconnect the usb, you use the usual method (right click the icon in the taskbar and select "safely remove hardware") then wait for the SD card to be prepared by android before accessing it?
Also, how are you accessing the files in Android?

Reno_79 said:
Just want to check a few things:
1: you plug in via usb and select "disk drive"
2: you are not still connected via usb when trying to read the items on the sd card?
3: When you disconnect the usb, you use the usual method (right click the icon in the taskbar and select "safely remove hardware") then wait for the SD card to be prepared by android before accessing it?
Also, how are you accessing the files in Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1 & 2: Yes. Windows assing the drive letter and can read it fine.
3: I connect Android to pc, choose USB MASS STORAGE, in windows access the new drive letter, rename a file , choose "safele remove hardware", disconnect the cable, wait for Android to "prepare the sd" , go to the file and it has the old name!!! the weird thing is that if I connect to the pc again, I see in the pc the new name!
Is like Android is working with his own FAT32 table IN MEMORY and not refreshing it.
I tried Ghost Commander/ES file manager/Root Explorer, all with the same results.
PD: I found something else... If I DISMOUNT the SD from Android Im still able to access it with ES File Manager,etc. So its not really dismounting it Why can this be happening with all builds/roms?

I have the same problem. Strange thing is it worked fine fore the first couple of days. Anybody have a solution?

Try using "Rescan Media" app after you copy your files to the SD

Still nothing. I have to boot back into winMo to transfer files to my SD card! This is really annoying,

Plenty of other tools provide media scan as well, like Optimize toolbox, Switch pro widget and more. they all worked for me.
[edit] sorry, optimize toolbox doesn't offer it, it just clears the cache :/
power control plus however has this function as well.

Files on SD card without restarting

Hi at all,
everytime I put files on the sd card, I have to reboot Android because without ES File Explorer won't show the new files I put on the memory card.
Even "Refresh" in ES File Explorer doesn't helo. Is there any other way?
Thanks!

Wifi sync is your friend

lamajstro said:
Hi at all,
everytime I put files on the sd card, I have to reboot Android because without ES File Explorer won't show the new files I put on the memory card.
Even "Refresh" in ES File Explorer doesn't helo. Is there any other way?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a well documented problem. I think it's to do with the way that android sees the SD card with booting from it but don't quote me on that. As far as I know, the best ways round it are:
1. Use dropbox. Free 2gb account and can be very useful.
2. FTP. This is my personal favourite. SwiFTP is a free FTP server for android and there are many free ftp clients for PC/Mac/Linux available. I use FileZilla (opensource ftp client).
3. I believe that if you unmount your SD card before copying files over, then remount however I don't find it particularly successful.
There are other ways like shared folders, email files etc but the top 2 above are the best for me. I use dropbox for small files and one-offs or if I'm copying a lot of stuff and don't want to reboot to winmo, then FTP.
It's also worth noting that if you are a windows user then winamp can sync music over wifi providing you install the winamp android client. However both winamp for windows and android are free.
Hope this helps..
enjoy

Ok, thank you. But that's bad.
The problem is not only that I want to put files through USB on it, it happens also when I use CurrentWidget for example that wants to create a log file on the sd card. Hmm...

I use MDJ Froyo HD 4.6, and there are practically no problems when using mass storage option... After unplugging the files are on the SD card... Only sometimes have to reboot, but not very often...

Why so complicated? Use "Multi Mount SD Card" (it´s free) to connect to PC and you will see new files without rebooting.

lamajstro said:
Ok, thank you. But that's bad.
The problem is not only that I want to put files through USB on it, it happens also when I use CurrentWidget for example that wants to create a log file on the sd card. Hmm...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're now saying that applications are unable to create files on the SD then there is something wrong with your card. I'd recommend copying everything off it and reformatting it (use disk management to format it, and use the largest cluster size available).

Some builds suffer from this problem and some don't.
Im using HD2ONE 0.3.6 and it's working fine. File explorer detects the new files after transferring via USB Cable
I love this build paired up with the CM6.1.1 Gingerbread Theme

kashifsiddique said:
Some builds suffer from this problem and some don't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've heard many people complain about not being able to see files after copying them across, but I've never heard anyone say that an app could not make a file on the sd card.

I am having the same exact problem. I was transferring files from this PC to my phone and everything was going fine (it refreshes right away after disconnect) then suddenly, my SD Card got corrupted and I was forced to reformat. I used the same ROM (Darkstone's SUPERAM FROYO) and after that, it won't sync anymore. I even tried removing it and using the HD2ONE (mentioned above) ROM and it was the same. I went home, copied everything from my SD backup from the other PC and same symptoms.
I thought I was missing a sync app or something but no. I looked into each of the folders I copied and most of them are blank.
I hope someone can save us!

I find it easiest and safest to just use ES Explorer to access the network shares and copy files wirelessly. The way our data.img is mounted, giving the pc full access to the sdcard is just not a good move. There was good reason when you connected to windows' sync software it disables your phone from accessing the card.
Even though the hd2one build seems to handle it correctly I almost never do it anymore unless it's for big files. It saves the wear and tear on the usb port anyway.

I had that "problem" too, but for me it was easy to solve. Here is the whole procedure:
So, i want some files to put on my sdcard, i plug in the usb cable and select the option "use as a storage", dont check the "use allways" or "dont ask again" (or whatever this is called on your machine). Now the computer "see" the phone and i put my files on it. In this moment i cant browse the sdcard on my hd2, because its reserved for windows now, (thats why currentwidget cant write onto it, same if you have a wallpaper in some "wallpaper" folder on sd).
Now, when i am done, usually i unplug the usb cable for some seconds and then i plug it in again and choose the option "charge only" and the sdcard gets mounted in android like it should and all my new imported files are visible.
Its the same on WinMo, if you choose there the "HDD" option, you cant browse the sdcard on the mobile. Only if you choose "use active sync"(slower) you are able to browse the sdcard.
cheers
ps: the quickest way for me now is to use wifi and shared folders

[Q] Question re: USB Disk drive

OK, I just downloaded and installed the 3.1 update, running stock OS.
CONFIG
I have a 32GB A500 which I assume is main memory / SSD. I also added a 32GB micro SDHC chip in it, and for testing, an 8GB thumb drive in the large USB port. They all show up in system Settings,
When I have had the A500 connected via the mini-USB port, the memory / SSD shows up, but not the sdhc card, and not a thumb drive if i plug that in (when I look at it as an extended drive)
Some applications can see memory / SSD, and the micro SDHC chip. For example, ES File Explorer has a tab which cycles between the memory / SSD file system, and that on the SHDC chip. It doesn't include USB storage.
QUESTION
First, I'd like to confirm that something (anything) can read the USB file system.
Next, I am looking for a utility that would allow me to see all three file systems: main/SSD, SDHC, and USB, and move things back and forth between them, and to/from my PC as well. Recommendations?

As far as I know there is nothing that will allow you to read the 'external' drives from PC. This was supposed to be fixed in 3.1 (just another thing borked..), so go figure when or IF it'll ever be available.
Incidentally, my 2.2 Archos 101 did all that perfectly, but the new android versions won't, funny eh?

Assuming he has the proper drivers installed, what if he went micro usb connected to pc and thumb drive in tablet. He could read/transfer files from thumb to tablet and have the pc read/transfer to/from the tablet. If that makes sense or helps.

Get a file explorer and go to the mnt directory. the internal, external and usb storage are all there.

I guess I'd be happy with an answer to the first question below, happier with an answer to the second:
1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.

GCurry said:
I guess I'd be happy with an answer to the first question below, happier with an answer to the second:
1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I use Root Explorer and I can see the USB Storage in the MNT directory in the root of the device.
2) from the PC, adb i assume, but i've never done this. For network, try Samba server - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.funkyfresh.samba&feature=search_result.

GCurry said:
I guess I'd be happy with an answer to the first question below, happier with an answer to the second:
1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer the first one, no, there is no application to read the external data drives.
As for the second, to transfer files between these, you need to get a file explorer like Root Explorer. The multimedia apps have the ability to access the external data drives so if you want to store music and/or movies on them, you do not have to use up your internal memory.
Hope that answered your question.

Does 3.1 add ntfs support??....if not can I make it support without rooting my tab??
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

Root explorer works great, so does File Manager HD

GCurry said:
OK, I just downloaded and installed the 3.1 update, running stock OS.
QUESTION
First, I'd like to confirm that something (anything) can read the USB file system.
Next, I am looking for a utility that would allow me to see all three file systems: main/SSD, SDHC, and USB, and move things back and forth between them, and to/from my PC as well. Recommendations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Astro, in Astro I see them all. Home, Up and you'll see all the storage areas.
Astro will allow you to move things back and forth between SD, USB and Internal storage.
Nothing that I know of, will allow you to directly view your USB or MicroSD using your PC, by directly I mean through the microusb connection.
There's an app called Wifi File Explorer Pro which may allow you to see them on the PC however I'm not certain as I never used it extensively and may be more trouble than it's worth as you'll have to open a port in your router for it to work properly.
Hope this helps.

Any file manager can access /mnt/external_sd and /mnt/usb_storage.
Drive mount or USB mount all can mount ntfs drives. Must be rooted.
Can only access internal memory front PC. End of story until google/Acer fixes it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk

Euclid's Brother said:
Any file manager can access /mnt/external_sd and /mnt/usb_storage.
Drive mount or USB mount all can mount ntfs drives. Must be rooted.
Can only access internal memory front PC. End of story until google/Acer fixes it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on 3.1 ota and I wanted to root it for ntfs support.....but don't want to void my warranty.....(weather here is too humid so generally all electronic devices don't work or something or the other happens to them)...so I will unroot later to claim my warranty.....what else can I do with root.....(no custom roms..).......
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App

1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any file system application (ASTRO, Root Explorer) can access all storage devices in your system. The location for the storage devices is /mnt.
Note that the /mnt/sdcard directory is actually a FUSE mount of /data/local
The directories related to storage are:
/mnt/sdcard - a FUSE image of /data/local. This is internal storage.
/mnt/external_sd - The microSD card. Must be FAT32.
/mnt/usb_drive - A USB drive of some sorts...can be a thumb drive or a hard drive. Not sure about 3.1, but 3.0.1 needed this drive to be FAT32.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer...other than ADB, no (until Acer fixes that). When you mount your tablet to your PC, you are connecting to a FUSE partition, which is an image of /data/local. You can transfer files between /data/local (via FUSE partition) and your PC. Unfortunately, because you are accessing a FUSE partition, you are restricted to only /data/local (so you can't get to /mnt). ADB is a known exception (as it uses USB Debugging to access the tablet), but that isn't graphical at all (all command line, which means it is a lot of typing).

op mentioned ES file explorer
Use it myself - as I really like the interface and the LAN access works great for me.
You can see all your storage devices from es explorer
/mnt/sdcard = internal memory
/mnt/external_sd = microsd card
/mnt/USB_drive = USB based storage device
If you want to mount ntfs you need to root.

[Q] Copy music to sdcard0 and play with Apollo

Hi!
I'm kind of new to this, so forgive me if this is a stupid question.
I installed CM10.2 on the eMMC along with TWRP recently.
I am looking for a way to use the 1 GB of space (labeled as sdcard0) I can access when i connect the device to my computer to store some music and play it though Apollo.
My questions / concerns are
1. Is there an easy way to increase that 1GB to store more music (i know I could use an external SDcard, but am just inquisitive)
2. My nook shows up as a portable device on my pc (running win 7) when settings in storage are set to media device, but it gives me an error every time i copy a file saying the device has been disconnected, even though i can copy one media file at a time (i cant copy more then one file at a time)
3. If i change the setting in storage to mass storage, it shows up in my pc as a drive but then i can not copy anything to it as it dosent not seem to be accessible
4. If i do get media onto the 1GB partition (one song at a time), Apollo will not query that location to look for music, and if i use the file manager to open the file in Apollo it dosent remember it once the song is over. Any help to get the files playing smoothly in Apollo from the location would be appreciated.
Just wanted to give you all a big thumbs up for all the great work, and thanks in advance for your help.
Cheers!!

icezbox said:
I am looking for a way to use the 1 GB of space (labeled as sdcard0) I can access when i connect the device to my computer to store some music and play it though Apollo.
My questions / concerns are
1. Is there an easy way to increase that 1GB to store more music (i know I could use an external SDcard, but am just inquisitive)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would need tor repartition the internal eMMC. I have never done it (my Nook came with a 4GB partition for sdcard0), but there are instructions in the forums.
icezbox said:
2. My nook shows up as a portable device on my pc (running win 7) when settings in storage are set to media device, but it gives me an error every time i copy a file saying the device has been disconnected, even though i can copy one media file at a time (i cant copy more then one file at a time)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like an issue with the MTP implementation in Windows 7 (works fine in Linux here). You may want to change the storage settings and use the USB mass storage mode, so your PC will see the Nook as a standard USB drive.
icezbox said:
4. If i do get media onto the 1GB partition (one song at a time), Apollo will not query that location to look for music, and if i use the file manager to open the file in Apollo it dosent remember it once the song is over. Any help to get the files playing smoothly in Apollo from the location would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may want to use the sdcard0 partition as if it was a “proper” sdcard, provided that you are using CM, you can enter this in a terminal:
Code:
setprop persist.sys.vold.switchexternal 1
After rebooting, applications should see the sdcard0 volume as a proper SD card (and scan it for media as expected).

Thanks a lot for the help. I did find the thread to reparation my emmc, but they recommended to keep it at 1GB, so will stick with that for now to solve my other problems.
You mentioned to change storage settings to USB mass storage, however when I do that, like i said it does show up in windows, but i can not access it giving an error that the drive is not connected and I should connect a drive.
with regard to your comment on making it a "proper sdcard" i must be doing something wrong, cos it does not make any change, may be i need to do it as a super user or something like that, or type in some code before the command you provided.
Thanks again!!

icezbox said:
with regard to your comment on making it a "proper sdcard" i must be doing something wrong, cos it does not make any change, may be i need to do it as a super user or something like that, or type in some code before the command you provided.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think what he must be referring to is swapping internal and external sdcards. See my NC Tips thread linked in my signature, item A16.
And I'm not sure why you think going to 1GB/5GB scheme is bad and staying with what you have is best. By far most users prefer the old 1GB/5GB scheme.
Sent from my BN NookHD+ using XDA Premium HD app

Copy problems

Upgraded to 6.0, backed up my external sd card and then had Marshmellow format it to be bound with internal memory. Seems to have worked, however when I connect to my computer with the usb cable and try to copy files back to the phone, it analyzes the file and ask if I want media files to be able to play on my device. I say yes and then it pops up and say can't copy file, device is disconnected. The computer still sees the phone but no files will copy to it.

So I solved my own problem. In developers options there is a new select usb configuration menu. It appears to default to charge only, but there are several other options. I selected media transfer protocol and now I can move files. It won't stick as my default though. Every time I have connected to the computer, it goes back to charge only and I have to change it to move files.

That's the default connection type. It's a security thing so things can't be copied off your phone without your knowledge when you were just trying to charge it.