Database Users

[Q] What's a good utility to determine storage capacities.

For example, I've got A2SD installed and I want to know how much I've got available in my sd-ext partition, but none of the stock storage utilities tells me how much storage I have in my partitions. Only internal and sd card.
I'm currently running NexusHD2-ICS-4.0.4-CM9-HWA V2.0 (Kernel: tytung_HWA_r2) with 40ad2sdx.
When I'm looking at my apps via ROM Tooldbox Pro, It shows I have less then a MB left in System, but my internal storage is well over 700mb.
I had to do some digging around in File Expert to find out where my downlaoded apps where going. They wound up in /data/apps on phone internal storage, which means the script didn't install right, or it's spoofing internal storage so good, it's fooling file expert.

Mooncalled said:
For example, I've got A2SD installed and I want to know how much I've got available in my sd-ext partition, but none of the stock storage utilities tells me how much storage I have in my partitions. Only internal and sd card.
I'm currently running NexusHD2-ICS-4.0.4-CM9-HWA V2.0 (Kernel: tytung_HWA_r2) with 40ad2sdx.
When I'm looking at my apps via ROM Tooldbox Pro, It shows I have less then a MB left in System, but my internal storage is well over 700mb.
I had to do some digging around in File Expert to find out where my downlaoded apps where going. They wound up in /data/apps on phone internal storage, which means the script didn't install right, or it's spoofing internal storage so good, it's fooling file expert.
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Click to collapse
Less than a mb left in system is normal I think. The system partition is filled up by the ROM apps (hence when you flash a ROM you flash a system partition)

Try titanium backup. Internal memory is displayed as a2sd. The actual a2sd partition is displayed as internal.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda app-developers app

FreeSpace

What are the partitions used for?

So, I see that different roms needs different size of the partition layout of the built in drive.
But what is it actually used for?
I use my freespace app to look up how much space I got left. Since it is very limited space on the blade, and I want a couple of apps I need to learn more about this.
These are mine running on ColdfusionX latest release.
Cache 37mb (1 used)
Data 162mb (131 used)
System 220mb (202 used)
Where are the gapps installed? I flashed normal ICS gapps. Are these put in system or data? Both partitions used more space after installation?
Is cache just for the apps running? And like temporarly downloaded files from google play?
How come my data is used up so much? I thought this was all the space for my downloaded+installed apps? I have installed just a few, maybe 15mb worth of apps.
What about system? I was using like 179mb just after install. But now its up to 202 used. Are the 18 remaining MB wasted space?
Also, if I uninstall apps that came with the systems. would the system be more unused and more unused space would be wasted on that partition?
Need a clarification please

sliddjur said:
So, I see that different roms needs different size of the partition layout of the built in drive.
But what is it actually used for?
I use my freespace app to look up how much space I got left. Since it is very limited space on the blade, and I want a couple of apps I need to learn more about this.
These are mine running on ColdfusionX latest release.
Cache 37mb (1 used)
Data 162mb (131 used)
System 220mb (202 used)
Where are the gapps installed? I flashed normal ICS gapps. Are these put in system or data? Both partitions used more space after installation?
Is cache just for the apps running? And like temporarly downloaded files from google play?
How come my data is used up so much? I thought this was all the space for my downloaded+installed apps? I have installed just a few, maybe 15mb worth of apps.
What about system? I was using like 179mb just after install. But now its up to 202 used. Are the 18 remaining MB wasted space?
Also, if I uninstall apps that came with the systems. would the system be more unused and more unused space would be wasted on that partition?
Need a clarification please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cache is where temp play store downloads go, but most roms now redirect it to the data partition so it's safe to have a 2mb cache partition like most of us do. The data partition stores the app itself plus all data created by the app. The system partition stores the rom itself, the files needed for the phone to run, the system! Most gingerbread roms you'll be safe to have a 150-160mb system partition and 2mb cache, aloowing a much larger data partition for your apps. your 162mb data partition is very small! so no wonder you're running out of space. To create more data partition space you can install your apps on the sd card, either directly and to .android_secure or to an sd-ext partition so you can mount your phone to the PC and the apps will still run. gapps are installed in the system partition although some you can uninstall and download through the play store and then would be on your data partition. To make best use of your internal memory if you're on a gingerbread rom create a 150-160mb partition and if you're on an ICS rom then 200-210mb is best, so be prepared to give up a bit of data/app space. Also 2mb for cache will always be fine

hi guys, what if i want to re partition my sd card what would happened to my installed app on my sdcard. i mean what is the safest way to clean up my sd card then repartion it.

raizor6th said:
hi guys, what if i want to re partition my sd card what would happened to my installed app on my sdcard. i mean what is the safest way to clean up my sd card then repartion it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Backup all your apps+data using titanium or go backup.
Partitioning WILL FORMAT YOUR SD CARD

QuantumFoam said:
Backup all your apps+data using titanium or go backup.
Partitioning WILL FORMAT YOUR SD CARD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks mate , but will ultimate backup do the same as titanium backup? i dunno how to use those backup tools, after the partition will i just install titanium backup then restore all my apps? how about my mp3s, image and videos?

I recommend go backup. Run the backup, partition the card then reinstall go backup and click the restore button

QuantumFoam said:
I recommend go backup. Run the backup, partition the card then reinstall go backup and click the restore button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see, how about the backup I made earlier using ultimate backup? this way I don't have to reflash a rom?
thanks a lot mate.

raizor6th said:
I see, how about the backup I made earlier using ultimate backup? this way I don't have to reflash a rom?
thanks a lot mate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U don't need tto reflash a rom to partition SD card

QuantumFoam said:
U don't need tto reflash a rom to partition SD card
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Click to collapse
yeah, well I uh.. got the problem solved using the application called SDmaid, my Sdcard has a free space now. thanks again.

Do custom ROMs save a significant amount of system space?

I want to free up a bit more space on my 16gb nexus 4. Right now the system portion is taking about 3.5 GBs. I was wondering if custom ROMs use a smaller system area. Looking at unexpanded install files for different ROMs and comparing them to the stock install tar file, it does look like the stock is a bit bigger than custom ROMs (cyanogenmod's install tar was about 107mb while stock was about 330mb). Its hard to tell though since those install packages/files are compressed tar. Could some of you with custom ROMs post your system area size?

not really. maybe a rom like slim bean might be a little bit smaller but not that big of size difference. and btw the stock rom is an image (.img) and cyanogenmod is most likely a zip (.zip), which is more compressed, so zips are usually smaller files than images

lazer155 said:
I want to free up a bit more space on my 16gb nexus 4. Right now the system portion is taking about 3.5 GBs. I was wondering if custom ROMs use a smaller system area. Looking at unexpanded install files for different ROMs and comparing them to the stock install tar file, it does look like the stock is a bit bigger than custom ROMs (cyanogenmod's install tar was about 107mb while stock was about 330mb). Its hard to tell though since those install packages/files are compressed tar. Could some of you with custom ROMs post your system area size?
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Click to collapse
Welling looking at Titanium Backup it says CM10.1 Jellybo is taking up 867mb with basic Gapps. It says i have 440mb free. So to me by going off that info the system part is only about 1.4gb. Most of my gapps like gmail, maps that kind of stuff is on the data part.

No matter what ROM you flash the space you have available to you is the same.
Smaller ROM just will give you more free space in the /system partition. Which you can't access without root anyways.

albundy2010 said:
No matter what ROM you flash the space you have available to you is the same.
Smaller ROM just will give you more free space in the /system partition. Which you can't access without root anyways.
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Click to collapse
Yeah space is already reserved for the system so it doesn't matter. Just flash whatever ROM you feel most suites your needs.

zephiK said:
Yeah space is already reserved for the system so it doesn't matter. Just flash whatever ROM you feel most suites your needs.
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Click to collapse
From my understanding what the OP is asking is if other roms will have more free space on the system part most likely because he wants to install more apps on the system part to free up space on the data part. Titanium Backup allows you to do this. I do it on my wife's Gravity Smart to free up space on the data. Not really sure what all you are going to move since there is so little space there.

Prod1702 said:
From my understanding what the OP is asking is if other roms will have more free space on the system part most likely because he wants to install more apps on the system part to free up space on the data part. Titanium Backup allows you to do this. I do it on my wife's Gravity Smart to free up space on the data. Not really sure what all you are going to move since there is so little space there.
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First off, why would you want to install apps into the /system/app/ folder? It makes no sense, it's not going to free up significant space that every body has to use. This phone isn't the G1 where we had limited storage and people had to install apps to the sdcard (apps2sd). It logically makes no sense.
Restoring system apps via Titanium Backup is also not a good idea and tends to leads you to trouble upon flashing ROMs and restoring system apps. Then people wonder why their phone is having force closures or acting funky. This is the Nexus 4, a highend phone not a Gravity Smart, a phone I never even heard of. No offense.

zephiK said:
First off, why would you want to install apps into the /system/app/ folder? It makes no sense, it's not going to free up significant space that every body has to use. This phone isn't the G1 where we had limited storage and people had to install apps to the sdcard (apps2sd). It logically makes no sense.
Restoring system apps via Titanium Backup is also not a good idea and tends to leads you to trouble upon flashing ROMs and restoring system apps. Then people wonder why their phone is having force closures or acting funky. This is the Nexus 4, a highend phone not a Gravity Smart, a phone I never even heard of. No offense.
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You bring up bad memories. It was so complicated just to have all your apps, you would need to jump thru all the loops. At least now storage is easy to come by.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

A little OT, but are there any custom MTD partitions mods for the N4, so that unused /system space could be made available for /data

Root - put stuff wherever you want.

How much free space should be in /system?

So I flashed the new RU update with twrp today and after I booted, it said I'm almost out of system space(0mb) So I deleted some of the folders in the apps folder and it boosted up to 195mb. So my question is, is this the average free space in that partition?

I second this. What did you delete? I need space!

You don't really need free space in /system, normally nothing is written there (once you installed supersu or other 'special' apps).
You could delete the preinstalled office suite or abby for example. Also Google Apps that you don't really use (Kiosk, Books, Videos, Music...)

Yeah I did that in the end. I did need space. Installing SuperSU + Xposed leads to 0mb free.
Sent from my YD201 using Tapatalk

Why flashing a custom ROM does not resizes system partition

when flashing a custom ROM if the ROM requires less space than stock ROM then if it can decrease the size of system system partition then a lot of unused system space can be shifted to as internal storage . I am using a custom ROM with aroma gapps and out of the 3 Gb system partition only 1.5 GB is used and i am only getting about roughly 9 Gb of free space. If there is anything i must notice then please elaborate... but it will be nice to see if system partition gets resized dynamically based upon the ROM size it will be better in my opinion