Database Develop

questions on nandroid and new sdcard...

ok so im on the latest JF rom with appstosd. everything is working great and i'm actually on the stock sd card partioned obviously. I was wondering, if I buy a bigger SD card and partion it, how would i go about making this new sd card exactly like the old sd card? would I make a nandroid backup of the old sdcard and then restore it on the new sdcard? could someone help me with this? is there extra steps i need to take to make the new sdcard just like the old one?
Thanks,
Boricua_Ace

Please try and search before posting a new thread. We all had to read way more than we wanted to figure this stuff out, there's no reason you shouldn't either.
To answer your question.
NANDroid doesn't touch your sdcard except to place the backup of your phone on it. You'll need a linux machine or adb to do what you want. If you're using linux it should be self explanatory. If you're using adb, try this:
adb pull /system/sd/app app
adb pull /system/sd/app-private app-private
reformat your new card using whatever method you used for the stock card.
adb /push app /system/sd/app
adb /push app-private /system/sd/app-private

i did search for what i was looking for specifically but need not come back with good results. thanks for the info! and i do not have a linux machine so i will be using adb which i have.

after i do those steps, do i then restore a backup from nandroid on the phone? i would also have to use apps2sd app again correct? and do i also moved everything from the Fat32 to the new sd card?

If all you're doing is replacing the sdcard and not wiping your phone (alt-w), then those are the only steps you'll have to take.
Considering all of the hybrid ways to get apps2sd i can see how this could be confusing. I'd suggest using just the sdsplit script to repartion/format your card since you probably used marcusmaximus's app to do it all initially.
Oh, and yes, you'll need to copy the stuff off of your fat32 and move them to a tempory folder on your pc too. Just copy it all back manually once it's repartitioned.

great thanks! i actually used partion manager to partion the old card. So i'll do it that way again. works for me. just wanted to make sure i dont miss any steps. i will not be wiping the phone. i'll also have to adb the dalvik-cache since i do have that on the old card correct?

No point in moving dalvik-cache since it will recreate itself anyway.
Just make sure, if you're using unionfs instead of symlinks, that you create the /system/sd/dalvik-cache directory before you reboot your phone.

thanks for all your help and patience in answering my questions. really appreciate it.

last question, im using the old appstosd app not appstosd 2 app. i believe this app uses symlinks correct?

boricuaace said:
last question, im using the old appstosd app not appstosd 2 app. i believe this app uses symlinks correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, I don't remember. I think that's correct, but you'd have to read through that thread to be sure.
I don't think symlinks are that picky and creating the /system/sd/dalvik-cache directory before you boot the phone with the new card will work in either case.
Someone should correct me if I'm wrong.

great, thanks again!

no problem. Good luck.

Apps2sd - read-only file sytem

Hey guys,
I'm new to rooting my G1 but definitally not new to modding my electronics. I'm trying to set up my apps2sd but i'm having a little trouble. Trust me, I searched, I'm not a forum noob. My sdcard is already formatted in FAT32. I check my sdcard in settings on my phone and it shows almost 8gigs of available space and another area that says "sd card secondary" - unavailable.
I've looked at some tutorials and the first steps usually include typing this into Terminal Emulator.
su
mkdir /system/sd/app
I do this and this is what I get.
mkdir failed for /system/sd/app, read-only file system.
What seems to be the issue? Can I just mount the SDcard on my laptop and get on it and make a folder "system", then inside that folder "sd", and in that one "app"? Is this the manual way of doing it? Any help is greatly appreciated. I know you guys probably deal with stupid questions all the time. Thanks in advance.

the only way ur partition can be mounted to any coputer is in linux. other than that osx or windows r to dumb to see it. repartition your whole card or just look for the mount remount commands in the q&a forum

from what i understand he doesn't have any partitions. you need to partition your sdcard to fat32, ext2/3/4, linux-swap(optional). there are many guides on this site for doing that

I want to switch from a 4GB to an 8GB card. Please help.

I can't find help for this anywhere . I've been Googling like crazy.
I have a rooted HTC Dream that saves all apps to my 4GB microSD card. I just got my new 8GB microSD card in the mail. My question is how do I transfer from one card to another without having to start everything from scratch? (By doing a hard reset/factory reset).
I tried partitioning my 8GB card on my Ubuntu desktop into the appropriate ext2 and FAT32 partitions, and then just simply copying and pasting into the appropriate partitions. I put the memory card in my phone, and well... it wouldn't boot. I tried this numerous times.
Luckily, everything worked fine when I just put back the original 4GB card.
Please help. I have no idea how to do this.

Best thing I can suggest is making a nandroid backup, then run the switchrom script, so everything is then stored entirely on your FAT32 partition. Copy your FAT32 to your 8GB FAT32, then switchrom everything back in place. No guarantees it'll work to be honest, although I see no reason it shouldn't if you've partitioned it in the same way.

On the old card
cp /system/sd/app/* /sdcard/app
Cp /system/sd/app-private/* /sdcard/app-private
Then copy those 2 folder to the fat32 of the new card, then:
Cp /sdcard/app/* /system/sd/app
Cp /sdcard/app-private/* /system/sd/app-private
You will have to remount /system and mkdir's first, though.

How/where would I do this? Doing it on my desktop didn't work, and I can't do it on my phone, since the phone won't boot with the new memory card.

mahasmb said:
How/where would I do this? Doing it on my desktop didn't work, and I can't do it on my phone, since the phone won't boot with the new memory card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
supremeteam256 said:
On the old card(as in from terminal on phone or better yet, recovery console.)
cp /system/sd/app/* /sdcard/app
cp /system/sd/app-private/* /sdcard/app-private
Then copy those 2 folder to the fat32 of the new card, then:
on the new card
cp /sdcard/app/* /system/sd/app
cp /sdcard/app-private/* /system/sd/app-private
You will have to remount /system and mkdir's first, though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what he meant lol, it was a hidden message, if ya can find it, luckily i can break the code

vamopyros_wrath said:
This is what he meant lol, it was a hidden message, if ya can find it, luckily i can break the code
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i like you.

Cool...
Thanks for the replies so far but if booting into the "recovery console" is when you hold [Home] and then press [End call], then my phone still won't boot with the new memory card while trying that approach. Is there any other way? Maybe I did something wrong, I don't know.
Edit: (some hours later):
Alright, I decided to try and repartition the card on my phone instead of my desktop. I followed these instructions: http://androinica.com/2009/09/08/ho...tition-to-install-android-apps-on-an-sd-card/
And then I booted into recovery mode (and followed supremeteam256's instructions) to move the rest of the files to the new microSD card. It seems to work now. The apps are there and such. I'll post back again if there any problems or anything to note from this move. For both my future reference and anyone else that may benefit from this.
Thanks a lot for all your help everyone.

The only way to make sure this works is to use switchrom. Search on XDA. It is a script that should be standard in every recovery menu. I've changed cards and phones with zero problems. It will work every tine.

need help pls dont kill me!

hello all first post and hopefully last post... I have tried to search and search and read and read but still confused on some things. I just have a few questions the confusion comes from instructions how to do things but no reason or explanation why. so anyways here goes I started with no knowledge of any of this so I dont need help with root, and flashing roms or installing and using adb... I have a G1 with pvt board I also plan on using just the linux-swap for now not the compcache one so here goes
1) what is the difference in partitions (ext2 ext3) what is each needed or used for? like your main fat32 is for storing apps and data? one is a ram swap kinda like virtual memory? I just not sure if I would need ext 2 or ext3 or both...I am using hero roms... does the linux-swap partition count as a ext2 or 3? and lastly why do u need to convert a ext2 to and ext3 you cant just create an ext3 off the bat?
2) how do I know if the rom does not say what type of swap it is using as in comp or linux swap? I have read about the user.cfg file but kinda unclear in that... do I have to edit it or just check it from the zip file and see the settings? if so I see downloads for a user.cfg (of course prolly not the settings I need for that rom) but I just edit it and throw it on fat32 partition and it should work automatically? if the rom has compcache working can I still disable it and just use a linux-swap and just change the size of the swap?
3) what is the difference between the user.cfg and userinit.sh?
4) after the rom is flashed (my update.zip) it is ok to delete it off the sdcard?
5) so lastly if I want to put pics / music / videos do I just throw them on the fat32 partition but in what folder so it recognizes it? or do I need to download some kind of file manager to get into the flashed rom so I can see the correct media / download / camera folders and place them there? if I have to go the latter route do I need to do the whole adb "push" thing to get them in there? reason why I ask is with a normal G1 when you connect it with the data cable to your computer i can just see the folders but when rooted and flashed obvioulsy there is nothing to see
6)apps2sd runs and saves on what partition?
please dont kill me I honestly did search and read all over just seems confusing most of the "guides" tell me how to do things but I dont know why those things are usefull or needed to be done

Devious12345 said:
hello all first post and hopefully last post... I have tried to search and search and read and read but still confused on some things. I just have a few questions the confusion comes from instructions how to do things but no reason or explanation why. so anyways here goes I started with no knowledge of any of this so I dont need help with root, and flashing roms or installing and using adb... I have a G1 with pvt board I also plan on using just the linux-swap for now not the compcache one so here goes
1) what is the difference in partitions (ext2 ext3) what is each needed or used for? like your main fat32 is for storing apps and data? one is a ram swap kinda like virtual memory? I just not sure if I would need ext 2 or ext3 or both...I am using hero roms... does the linux-swap partition count as a ext2 or 3? and lastly why do u need to convert a ext2 to and ext3 you cant just create an ext3 off the bat?
2) how do I know if the rom does not say what type of swap it is using as in comp or linux swap? I have read about the user.cfg file but kinda unclear in that... do I have to edit it or just check it from the zip file and see the settings? if so I see downloads for a user.cfg (of course prolly not the settings I need for that rom) but I just edit it and throw it on fat32 partition and it should work automatically? if the rom has compcache working can I still disable it and just use a linux-swap and just change the size of the swap?
3) what is the difference between the user.cfg and userinit.sh?
4) after the rom is flashed (my update.zip) it is ok to delete it off the sdcard?
5) so lastly if I want to put pics / music / videos do I just throw them on the fat32 partition but in what folder so it recognizes it? or do I need to download some kind of file manager to get into the flashed rom so I can see the correct media / download / camera folders and place them there? if I have to go the latter route do I need to do the whole adb "push" thing to get them in there? reason why I ask is with a normal G1 when you connect it with the data cable to your computer i can just see the folders but when rooted and flashed obvioulsy there is nothing to see
6)apps2sd runs and saves on what partition?
please dont kill me I honestly did search and read all over just seems confusing most of the "guides" tell me how to do things but I dont know why those things are usefull or needed to be done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ill answer the 4th question coz im a lazy dawg,
and the answer is.......... YES!

Devious12345 said:
hello all first post and hopefully last post... I have tried to search and search and read and read but still confused on some things. I just have a few questions the confusion comes from instructions how to do things but no reason or explanation why. so anyways here goes I started with no knowledge of any of this so I dont need help with root, and flashing roms or installing and using adb... I have a G1 with pvt board I also plan on using just the linux-swap for now not the compcache one so here goes
1) what is the difference in partitions (ext2 ext3) what is each needed or used for? like your main fat32 is for storing apps and data? one is a ram swap kinda like virtual memory? I just not sure if I would need ext 2 or ext3 or both...I am using hero roms... does the linux-swap partition count as a ext2 or 3? and lastly why do u need to convert a ext2 to and ext3 you cant just create an ext3 off the bat?
2) how do I know if the rom does not say what type of swap it is using as in comp or linux swap? I have read about the user.cfg file but kinda unclear in that... do I have to edit it or just check it from the zip file and see the settings? if so I see downloads for a user.cfg (of course prolly not the settings I need for that rom) but I just edit it and throw it on fat32 partition and it should work automatically? if the rom has compcache working can I still disable it and just use a linux-swap and just change the size of the swap?
3) what is the difference between the user.cfg and userinit.sh?
4) after the rom is flashed (my update.zip) it is ok to delete it off the sdcard?
5) so lastly if I want to put pics / music / videos do I just throw them on the fat32 partition but in what folder so it recognizes it? or do I need to download some kind of file manager to get into the flashed rom so I can see the correct media / download / camera folders and place them there? if I have to go the latter route do I need to do the whole adb "push" thing to get them in there? reason why I ask is with a normal G1 when you connect it with the data cable to your computer i can just see the folders but when rooted and flashed obvioulsy there is nothing to see
6)apps2sd runs and saves on what partition?
please dont kill me I honestly did search and read all over just seems confusing most of the "guides" tell me how to do things but I dont know why those things are usefull or needed to be done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) EXT2 and EXT3 are linux filesystems. If you have an EXT partition on your SD card then this is where apps will be stored. You may notice that if you're running a Hero ROM with no A2SD (/Apps2SD) you will only have about 20mb left for apps. You can make this linux partition as big as you want (within reason). Most people use 512mb, because it's all the space you will ever need for apps.
On to the differences between ext2, ext3 and ext4. Most people use ext3, the reason being is it uses journalling, making it faster and more efficient than ext2. There's nothing wrong with ext2, but ext3 is just a bit better. All ROMs with A2SD support will lit you use ext2 and ext3. Ext4 is less well supported. Personally I use it, just because it's newer than 3, but it's not supported by all ROMs.
So, just got for ext3.
Linux swap is totally different from ext filesystems. As you suggested it is virtual memory, which is essential on Hero ROMs. Personally I use a 64mb partition.
So my 8GB card looks like this
FAT32 - 7.5GB
EXT4 - 500mb
Linux-Swap - 64
2) I think you mean user.conf and userinit.sh. These files tell the ROM what settings to use for Swap and CompCache. It's not essential, just ignore it.
3) user.conf and userinit.sh work together. userinit.sh is one you edit, and user.conf initiates userinit.sh. Again, no ROMs require this, don't worry about it.
4) yeah you can delete update.zip. Personally I keep all my ROMs on the root of the sdcard so I can flash/reflash whenever I want to.
5) You put media on the phones Sd the same way as if it was not rooted. Connect the cable, pull down the notification bar, choose "mount" and drag and drop your files over. Windows won't see your ext partition btw.
6) Apps to sd saves to your ext partition, be it ext2/3/4 ect.
Sorry for the long post just wanted to make sure I answered everything.

3) user.conf and userinit.sh work together. userinit.sh is one you edit, and user.conf initiates userinit.sh. Again, no ROMs require this, don't worry about it.
should be user.conf you edit
If you are willing to learn you can go here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=542899
AdrianK is right though its not needed ,but it good to know all your options.

AdrianK said:
3) user.conf and userinit.sh work together. userinit.sh is one you edit, and user.conf initiates userinit.sh. Again, no ROMs require this, don't worry about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually i think you have this one backwards Adrian. the userinit.sh is what the a2sd script makes a call to upon every boot to activate your linux-swap partition and it uses the various system defaults usually, the userinit.sh then makes a call to the user.conf to see what values it is suppose to use for the various things if they are different then the system default values, and will use the ones in the user.conf. user.conf is the one you edit to change the various values.
or at least this is my understanding of how it works.

ok so basically I just open the zipped rom and see if there is a userinit.sh file in there which means apps2sd is already in the rom... then look at the user.cfg... but do I try to edit the user.cfg before I flash the rom and re-zip it then flash or am I able to edit the user.cfg after I have flashed the rom... I know I believe I am supposed to use the notepad++ to edit it from unbuntu live or is there another way to do it? when I connect and mount my phone in normal working mode not (terminal or console mode) all I see is the update.zip file on there I can not see any of the ext partitions is that normal? as in you can only see your fat32 and what files (music pics) that you put on there? is there any way to view the ext partitions?
like I said if I have an edited user.cfg file with the settings I need do I need to "push" it to the flashed rom via adb? or would it be easier to just edit it then re-zip then flash? oh and by the way what is the direct path to the user.cfg and userinit.sh? as in what folders do they normally reside in?
THANKS you guys are seriously helping me alot soon I will be cooking my own roms.... I just need an understanding of these things not just guides telling me to type stuff even though they work doesnt mean I know whats going on
btw I am trying to use MLIGN-HeroV2.1.6 rom and super laggy for me so I know the partoition sizes are wrong or not working correctly or swap is not enabled....and yes I have an 8g transcend class 6 card... all the others in the thread say its very fast with no major home screen lag and such so I messed up on settings and partions

you must put the userinit.sh and user.conf in /system/sd (your ext3) and chmod 755 both of them.
there are good instructions for using and editing them in the link dan0zone gave you.
the userinit.sh and user.conf (as far as i know) do not come standard in roms, the a2sd scripts reads and runs them on the first boot, more technically the a2sd sends a call out to see if there is a userinit.sh then if there is and if it is the userinit.sh from that link, it then looks at the user.conf to see what values it uses.
i always use pspad to edit my user.conf (and any other android related file) in windows. here is a link to pspad.

Adrian had it right except for the flip flop between user.conf and userinit.sh. You don't want to edit userinit.sh unless you know what you are doing. The user.conf and userinit.sh files are not in the ROM itself. They need to be pushed to /system/sd via adb or terminal emulator. See my signature for the link to the details.
You will not see your ext3 or linux-swap partitions in Windows. You can use adb shell, terminal emulator, a root explorer or Droid Explorer to see those.
Also, if you'd like to edit your user.conf right on your phone, download Text Edit free from the Market.
Here's a big tip. Investigate two scripts. One is called switchrom.sh and the other is called bart.sh which is an update to switchrom.sh. It will save you a lot of headaches later on.
Hope I got it all.

man you guys are great thanks for the replies I think I understand it all now. I will try the pspad and see how that works out although the text edit free seems like a more easier way if your not around a computer... the question I have if I path to /system/sd what if I have an ext 3 and 4 which one would it end up in? ext2 it wont I assume? in some guide I read they say to just put it on the sd card like as in the fat32 part which I know is wrong! or they just didnt explain in further details.... oh god didnt want to get into the chmod 755 cause I didnt think I needed to do that now I will have to go figure out what that does and its purpose... there has been many thread arguments over wether to use chmod 755 I just thought a linux-swap about 96 or so with a swappiness setting of say 60 would be fine didnt think I would need to enable or set up chmod 755
thanks so much!!
dan0zone's link I have read before i can download the userinit.sh file but have no user.cfg to play with are the user.cfg all standard or generic until I or someone else edits them? where can I get a user.cfg file was not in the link dan0zone posted

chmod 755 = -rwxr-xr-x = for a regular file whose user class has full permissions and whose group and others classes have only the read and execute permissions.
there you go. /system/sd is what the directory associated with /dev/block/mmcblk0p2 which is what your ext2/3/4 (doesn't matter) is.
the only thing you need to chmod 755 are the userinit.sh and the user.conf after you place them in your ext2/3/4 partition, and the reason is so that they may run after being called by the a2sd script at boot up.

ok thanks about the chmod 755 I believe i get it seems to be a permissions thing....
any answer on the user.cfg file if it is a generic template file or where to get one unedited?
thanks for the switchrom and bart tip I totally understand that but for now I dont have anything I need to save and backup just doing it bare but in the future i will use those on ce I get better at all of this.... which thanks to all of you i am understanding this ALOT better.....

you can get one from the link that was provided earlier, it shows what the system defaults are beside each of the settings, so if you want to set it all to the system defaults then you can.

ah sorry I am stupid I just saw the title of the userint.sh file I didnt open it too see there was a user.cfg in it.... thanks
I plan to repartition and setup the userinit and user.cfg all over again this is probably the worst question yet but I just plan to stick my sd in my computer and reformat the whole card is that enuff to completly wipe it or will the ext and linux-swap still be in there?

if you are using windows then it will only format the fat32 partition, to get your card back to one partition, you can use parted in the recovery console to rm your partitions then make a single fat32 partition or just rm all partitions then re-make them to whatever size you want.

You can also format your sd card (wipe everything including partitons) by going to Settings, SD Card, Unmount, Format/Erase (not sure what it's called). This seems to work sometimes. You should use parted anyway since you will need to repatition your card there so no need for the extra step. BTW, it's user.CONF not user.CFG. just a heads up if you plan on searching. My signature has all the necessary links to pretty much everything you will need.

AFAIK if the rom has a2sd included, you wont have an option to unmount the sd card.

knowfear said:
AFAIK if the rom has a2sd included, you wont have an option to unmount the sd card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed you are correct, sir. I haven't done it this way since the JF1.51 days. I use either parted command line or GParted on Ubuntu so I didn't even check the settings when I wrote that.

[Q] How do you format the internal NAND as ext3/4?

First post and first topic here, bear with me a little. I have a rooted phone and when I wanted to make a symlink using Terminal Emulator, to my horror, the internal NAND mounted at /mnt/sdcard is formatted as FAT32, so I get an access denied error.
The main reason I wanted to make a symlink is because the darn alarm application doesn't detect Musics outside the /mnt/sdcard/Samsung/Musics directory! I think the method I wanted to use to solve it seems overkill but I think it's the most worthwhile, as I do plan to try a lot of other things with this phone.
Important info is probably that I'm a linux newbie.

You can mount the dir to get an alias without using symlinks although it's possible to format it as ext of course.
Sent from my superior GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Whoops, thought this was in the A500 section.

I'll take the plunge and see what I can do with mke2fs. Also, it seems like I can only do ext2, as finding a mkfs.ext3 seems difficult. Will post here once I'm done. See you guys next week.