Database Develop

SD Card Question

So when I download music from my cloud on Amazon MP3 they song goes on internal SD card. But when I move it the external SD card the stock music player says that it doesent support that type of file but when I move it back it plays fine. My question is is there a fix for this cause I need my music on my 32gig SD Card not internal 8gig

Prolly screws with the drm once u move it.. Makes it think your making copies... Not sure
Sent from my LG Thrill 4G...

When I get home tonight I'm going to try to move to computer then move back. Its just weird that it would save to internal and not external sdcard like every other android phone I've had

Damn, this whole "internal SD" thing is causing far too many problems. What's the point of an external SD card if you can't do anything with it?

^ my point exactly

/sdcard vs /sdcard-ext???

So I posted this question over and Android Forums, but no one has answered after 5 days. Hopefully I'll have better luck here.
What is the point of having an "on-board" sd card and an external card? I understand that -ext is your actual SD Card, but what is the /sdcard then and how is it different than regular "on-board storage"? What goes to either directory by default? This is the first Android phone I've had that does this, so I'm trying to familiarize myself with this.
I just bought a high quality 32GB SD card, so I'm a little disappointed that not everything is going to my SD card and instead to some onboard storage.
What are the benefits of putting things in either of these two?

I could be wrong but I think the internal memory is actually 12-16gb, but its partitioned with certain parts reserved for the operating system and apps.
I have noticed that transferring files from my computer to the internal storage is a bit faster than the external.
But then I do have a basic cheap 16gig SD card, so other cards might be faster.
I've not had any problem with the location of files, but then again I am a neat freak and I keep everything organized and know where everything is at all times

The reasoning comes from an operating system perspective. This is very much like a linux OS. Internal storage is different than ram. Android lives on seperate partitions as designed by google. Storage for the purposes of pictures, music, etc was left to be taken care of by sdcards. Since actual sdcards are more complicated than the average graduating flip phone user, manufacturers starting adding this "external" storage since it would be convenient for users like my mom. Then because geeks designed these, they still wanted to add more storage, so they designed storage you could actually get to! Hence sdcard-ext. Because many/most apps look for /sdcard as a file system, manufacturers could not skip it and just add more to the system partitions, or program installs would fail. They would either half to give a free memory card with purchase of the phone (carriers don't want to give anything away for free, and this is how it was 2+ years ago) or make storage on board that could be reachable.
In a windows point if view, think of it as all programs look for drive d: for extra storage rather than hogging c:, but since carriers didn't want to give away free d: drives, they said install it inside since it is cheaper on the board then to add a sdcard after. So, now /sdcard is like d: and /sdcard-ext would be like e:
I hope that made any kind of sense. It is honestly a useless mess, but sufficient for the unknowing or uncaring masses who just want to save more mp3's or pictures.
Nowell29
Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk

My issue is spotify fills up the internal "sdcard" Id ideally like to point spotify to use my external sd card as its a 32 gb card. But that wont work.
Has anyone tried to create a symlink to point a folder to an external folder?

Is there a way to dictate what goes where? For example, if I wanted my apps to go to my actual SD card (/sd-ext), could I do it?

AMTrombley0924 said:
Is there a way to dictate what goes where? For example, if I wanted my apps to go to my actual SD card (/sd-ext), could I do it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure that without some mild hacking*, there wouldn't be a universal way to do it. If it's doable at all, it will be on an application-by-application basis.
Some apps seem to just "do the right thing". For instance, as soon as I installed and formatted my sdcard, the camera and gallery applications moved my pictures from /sdcard to /sdcard_ext, and from then on, that's where pictures are stored as they're taken.
OTOH, Amazon MP3 is pretty stupid about keeping all downloaded music on /sdcard. When I bricked my phone for about a month, that's one of the things that kept me from trying for a full replacement: I couldn't pull the files out of an internal filesystem, so I'd lose all that music. If I could have had those stored on a removable SDcard, it wouldn't have been a factor.
*example of mild hacking: move application-specific directories from /sdcard to /sdcard-ext and replace /sdcard directory with a softlink to /sdcard-ext equivalent. It's hacky and crocky, but I think it would work, as long as /sdcard-ext is available and has the appropriate directory (target of link).

hopefully one of you would know this answer...
i have the droid 4 as well and i have an aftermarket stereo in my car that has a USB connection. i can plug in my phone and it wont recognize any music until i turn on USB mass storage (obviously) but the problem i'm having is that (what i think is happening) the phone is pretty much mounting the internal sd card first for some dang reason and then the external sd card second. but i can't back out of the /sdcard folder to go into /sdcard-ext where all of my music is.
is there any way to change the mounting order? <--- that's my question.
My phone is rooted and currently running the latest CM9 ROM.
Thanks
-Andrew

Apps will always install on the internal sdcard, no way around this.
Spotify to external SD is simple. First, erase everything and logout. During the login screen press menu and you will be able to change the default location. Login and synch and you're done.
Disabling the internal mount;
etc/vold.fstab
put an "#" before the line "dev_mount sdcard /mnt/sdcard:: 25 /devices/platform/omap/omap_hsmmc.1/mmc_host/mmc1"
This should disable mounting the internal drive. I haven't tested it though. It is possible the OS won't be able to see the internal mmc when it's not mounted.
It's also possible to swap internal with external. BUT... I've read mixed reports on an LG forum where users complained about problems with their phones. So be carefull if you want to test that out. Have to say though, apart from LG users I haven't read problems on other devices. Search for drive swap vold.fstab if you wanna try.

would it be possible to re-partition the phone's memory so that it's: system, internal, and sdcard, rather than having the sdcard and sdcard-ext seperate? I have a 16 gb micro sd card that I plan on keeping in my phone at all times that I plan to store general media on, but I'd like to keep all my apps on the internal storage. I know the process will probably cause me to lose all my data, but I've got nothing important on it. Also if this was the case would I also have to install a new version of android? Forgive me if I seem ignorant, I've only partitioned my hard disk via a bootable usb, so I'm a bit inexperienced.

cm10 nook color 5gb internal problem

so my nook is showing 1 gb data and 5 gb internal media but it wont allow me to install apps to the internal media on cm10 and it did on cm9
anyone else have this problem?

infektedpc said:
so my nook is showing 1 gb data and 5 gb internal media but it wont allow me to install apps to the internal media on cm10 and it did on cm9
anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does not install apps to internal media anyway. It installs them to /data unless you tell them to install to SD. And on CM7, if you did not have an SD, you could swap emmc and sdcard so that apps are fooled. Maybe that is how you did it. CM10 does not have that feature implemented get.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk

infektedpc said:
so my nook is showing 1 gb data and 5 gb internal media but it wont allow me to install apps to the internal media on cm10 and it did on cm9
anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can have a larger data partition. Instructions are elsewhere in this forum.
QI0CM787SV, 12/11/2010
ES1.2, cyttsp
PA2.99, 20121121

Thanks
infektedpc said:
so my nook is showing 1 gb data and 5 gb internal media but it wont allow me to install apps to the internal media on cm10 and it did on cm9
anyone else have this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info guys

Internal Storage for Media
leapinlar said:
It does not install apps to internal media anyway. It installs them to /data unless you tell them to install to SD. And on CM7, if you did not have an SD, you could swap emmc and sdcard so that apps are fooled. Maybe that is how you did it. CM10 does not have that feature implemented get.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Leapinlar. Thanks for tips thread and for the partition repair scripts. I have done multiple intalls to emmc trying to rectify an internal storage issue. Unlike the user above, I'm not trying to install apps to the media partition, just trying to save files(pictures) to internal storage. My media partition is currently 4.2 gigs, but each time I try to save or open the gallery a message pops up that "no sd card is present." I am new to the NC but not to rooting, and have had a really good experiences with CM and Kang builds on a Galaxy S2. I have never used an sd card on my phone and media files save to the internal storage with no issues whatsoever, so I'm wondering if the CM nightlies for NC are so radically different than the JB rom on my phone as to cause errors in accessing the internal storage on the NC. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

crcook60 said:
Hi Leapinlar. Thanks for tips thread and for the partition repair scripts. I have done multiple intalls to emmc trying to rectify an internal storage issue. Unlike the user above, I'm not trying to install apps to the media partition, just trying to save files(pictures) to internal storage. My media partition is currently 4.2 gigs, but each time I try to save or open the gallery a message pops up that "no sd card is present." I am new to the NC but not to rooting, and have had a really good experiences with CM and Kang builds on a Galaxy S2. I have never used an sd card on my phone and media files save to the internal storage with no issues whatsoever, so I'm wondering if the CM nightlies for NC are so radically different than the JB rom on my phone as to cause errors in accessing the internal storage on the NC. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the Nooks are different than many phones. On many phones, the internal media storage is named "sdcard". And external cards end up getting called something like "ext_sdcard". That way when apps look for "sdcard" to store their books, music, whatever, it ends up using internal storage. But for the Nooks, internal storage is called "emmc" and only external cards get called "sdcard ". And since many apps will not run unless it can find "sdcard", CM7 has a setting that lets you swap emmc and sdcard. So internal storage gets called "sdcard" and external cards get called "emmc". That is for users that have no external card inserted. But that is not yet implemented in CM10. So until that does get implemented the work around is to insert an external card. There are hacks you can use, but most are not simple.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk

leapinlar said:
Yes, the Nooks are different than many phones. On many phones, the internal media storage is named "sdcard". And external cards end up getting called something like "ext_sdcard". That way when apps look for "sdcard" to store their books, music, whatever, it ends up using internal storage. But for the Nooks, internal storage is called "emmc" and only external cards get called "sdcard ". And since many apps will not run unless it can find "sdcard", CM7 has a setting that lets you swap emmc and sdcard. So internal storage gets called "sdcard" and external cards get called "emmc". That is for users that have no external card inserted. But that is not yet implemented in CM10. So until that does get implemented the work around is to insert an external card. There are hacks you can use, but most are not simple.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info, thanks. I'm rather techy, but it's funny how the more you know, the more you realize there is to learn. I only mentioned my phone as it seemed a fair reference point as it is running AKOP JB, and the settings for it and the Nook are all but identical. Storage settings on both devices show two partitions( is that the term?) each labeled "internal storage" the first on each dedicated to data and the second to media. On the Nook that media portion seems inaccessible even from a PC; it shows up as "My Nook Color," or some such, if I connect as an MTP device, but if I attempt to drag and drop a file a message pops up saying the device has stopped or has been disconnected, even though it is clearly visible and connected. I believe your tips has a link for fixing adb/usb(?) but I haven't gotten that far yet. It is fun to be learning a new device and your guides are invaluable. I picked up the NC as a refurb, full warranty, for $75 so it was hard to pass up. Now that I'm fairly certain all partitions are healthy( thank you) I think I will move back to a larger data partition, pop in an sd card and just enjoy the Nook and continue to learn as I go by following your work and suggestions. As an aside, I have had zero performance issues with the CM 10 nightlies beyond a tiny bit of lag here and there and continue to be amazed that there is so much life in the older hardware. Again, thank you.

You may want to try USB mass storage rather than MTP. Go to settings, storage, menu, USB computer connection, and check off mass storage rather than MTP. MTP can be flaky sometimes. After you plug in the cable, you need to go to the notification area and enable the computer connection.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk

Thanks again for the info I reformatted to the 5gb data and 1gb emmc. Much better now. I'm still very new to this forum but have been reading it for awhile now. You guys are the best
Sent from my NookColor

infektedpc said:
Thanks again for the info I reformatted to the 5gb data and 1gb emmc. Much better now. I'm still very new to this forum but have been reading it for awhile now. You guys are the best
Sent from my NookColor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good job! And welcome to the strange and wonderful world of "Nookering"!
QI0CM787SV, 12/11/2010
ES1.2, cyttsp
PA4.1.2, 20121121

leapinlar said:
You may want to try USB mass storage rather than MTP. Go to settings, storage, menu, USB computer connection, and check off mass storage rather than MTP. MTP can be flaky sometimes. After you plug in the cable, you need to go to the notification area and enable the computer connection.
Sent from my Nook HD+ using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes that has been my experience with that protocol with other devices over the years. A day or so ago with usb enabled the PC wouldn't recognize the NC. Last night I went back to the 5/1 partitioning scheme, popped in a 32 gig sd card and went to bed. Tonight I turned on usb storage and my machine picked up the sd card immediately, and I was able to drag and drop a few music files in typical fashion. While the issue of not being able to access that "internal" media storage still perplexes me (I can be extremely O/C about tech working the way it's "supposed to,)" I'm simply not going to sweat 1 gig when I added an additional 32. As my experience with the Nook Color grows, more will be revealed. Thanks
Carl

Marshmallow, SD Cards, App Data storage

I feel like I'm missing something. I recently upgraded to Marshmallow on my 8gb Moto G (2014). I saw the stuff about the adopted SD so I thought I'd try it with my 16gb card. I did this and then I found that Google Play and Pocket Casts, my two big data apps, are impossible to move to adopted storage. My internal storage filled up pretty much instantly with music and podcasts. Since my SD card is encrypted I can't just drop my music onto it with USB anymore.
So I go reformat my SD card and have it be portable. Now it's impossible to move the data from Google Play, Pocket Casts and Merlin Bird ID app to my SD card as I used to be able to. Any new pictures I take are also saved with the app on internal storage. So now with my SD card as portable my internal storage fills up quickly and I'm once again boned.
Am I missing something? This new SD card management thing is worlds worse for me than Lollipop and I'm really tempted to downgrade but I feel like I'm missing something. Should I learn how to partition my SD card and make some of it adopted and some portable? Am I missing a setting or button to fix this?

You can connect your phone on the computer and access the SD card as always on MM, at least you should be able to (I am).
If your SD card doesn't appear when you connect your phone on your PC try to chance the connection setting on the notification area.
The new SD card management thing just makes your data more... Secure. It doesn't forbid you of copying things to your SD card via USB (but accessing it via an adapter is forbidden, tho)

I just upgraded wife's 2014 moto g last night and initially used her original 32gb card, but allowed it to be formatted for internal storage. Now i'm trying to use a 128 card I bought tonight. It keeps dropping out of the format with some sort of Java error message that goes away quickly. I have to then "fix" the card with mini partition manager on a Windows PC. It works fine for the other storage type. I tried even a 64GB Fat32 partition with other half not formatted, does same thing. I think Android is reformatting from scratch and it appears creating another smaller partition (as that what partition manager shows). Any ideas? I suppose this new Android scheme is only good for up to 32GB cards.

If you have SuperSu, untick 'Mount namespace separation'.
It causes SD problems.

Confused about using micro SD cards on this phone

Just received my RP2 yesterday and I'm really confused on how SD cards are used. I currently have it formatted as portable.
Here's the problems I'm seeing:
- Camera doesn't have an option to save to SD card.
- The Google photos app doesn't see any pictures/videos on my SD card.
- plugging into my Windows 10 computer, I only see internal storage.
I've tried formatting as internal, didn't seem to resolve any of the issues above. Not sure I like the idea as internal. When does it decide to use the SD card? It even warned that apps may be slower when formatting as internal.
So far I'm only able to use my SD card for Netflix downloads and Google Play Music downloads.
Never had this problem with any previous phones (Xperia XZ1, Nokia 7.1, LG G6)

I've noticed this on my razer phone aswell tried to use a 128gb card and it just absolutely tanked my loading speeds to the point phone wouldn't boot with said sd card in mounted as internal storage. Took said card out phone works fine. It was a class 10 speed too guess they need to be alot faster in read/writes to work properly

It appears the photos app couldn't see my SD card due to a common bug. I had to clear data and cache from system apps "Media Storage" and "Settings Storage". After clearing, photos app now sees my SD card and I can also see it when plugged into a computer.