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Process or processing typically describes the act of taking something through an established and usually routine set of procedures to convert it from one form to another, as a manufacturing or administrative procedure, such as processing milk into cheese, or processing paperwork to grant a mortgage loan, or converting computer data from one form to another.
Ok first off I'm the biggest noob at all things root as could be. I have managed to make some custom clocks for my old LG voyager way back in the day and have even jailbroke some Ipod touch's so I was able to load bootleg games and apps.
But this root thing has got my brain traped in a vortex and I really want to not just know how to root my droid (That info is everywhere) but I want to know how it all works. What terms like kernel mean and how they relate to clock speed. What is the difference between all the custom rom's? What happens when I root my phone and can't figure out what rom I should use? Do I have to reset all my apps and preferences every time i want to try a new rom?
I understand the how-to's I'm sure when I try to root my phone that I will not have much trouble doing so. But there are so many things I want to learn and know before I do anything.
I would like to say I'm not looking for links to tech reports on rom's that I will not understand I'm looking for alink (or someone who knows the things I wish to learn,) something that will explain the terms what they mean, how they relate to my phone and what outcome I should expect from loading custom rom's.
I understand that most users of this forum fall into one of two category's ONE ether super wonder techs that know exactly what they are doing and know how things work, TWO people who can read follow directions and root there phones while trying NOT to sound like noob's when they ask for help.
And then there's me I'm a number two, now I know that kinda makes me sound like **** but I really want to be a number ONE
So who want's to teach me ? Who's got some time to kill or link's to post? I'm even willing to go buy a android programmers book if there's one that would be recommended reading to help me understand the OS better.
I want to learn from the masters and this is where they all live. So will someone apprentice me ?
To close my rant out I would like to say I'm a 37 year old man with a masters in chemistry 119 IQ and ex-stream case of OCD that drive's my compulsive need to learn how things work, So I make for a good student
Thanx
รถ
Thank you so much, I was hoping to be able to reply first, (this sh*t is my crack)
Ok, First off, the kernel is the basic system that controls how the cpu reacts, as well as how programs interact with the hardware on your phone, such as the screen, wifi and bluetooth modules, accelerometer, gps, ambient light and the battery. When a dev wants to overclock their android, add a module for EXT, or TUN, or add wifi support, this is where the magic happens. this is probably the most important part of the firmware. It also controls battery life via voltage, as well as cpu speed.( the average droid can be overclocked to 1200-ish, depending on the randomness of processors, though I've heard of a ridiculous version called OMAP Ti39 or something that could be stable at 2ghz, even 2.3. As I think you may know, Fat32 doesn't support file transfers of more than about 4 gigs at a time, which is why add in ext support is so important, especially since someone made a video player that reads matroska video files (blu-ray) Ive tried it, its beautiful, (V player - on the market) after kernels is framework, the framework is what renders the gui, basically everything that you see on the screen is thanks to the framework-res. We edit it either manually, or through the use of an app called metamorph, which swaps the xml files the framework uses with edited ones, such as one I recently used to give my droid a circular battery, however these xml files can change anything you could need them to visually about your droid, you just have to find what you need. Now on to shell. shell is the engine that is accesible through command prompt and terminal using the android sdk and adb, more on that can be found easily on the google android homepage. however, much use is made through devs and an app called terminal emulator that is basically a straight to shell terminal screen app. Uses for shell may include but are basically limitless, include moving any app to your sd-card to conserve rom (rom is the phones total system memory, apps usually go in there, but before froyo, and ext partition could be used, and with froyo stock support for most apps was allotted, and without the need of an ext partition.) Ram is basically ram, if you use a rom that originally came with a larger ram supported device, something called a swap partition must be implemented, otherwise it won't boot, there is an app or two that will do that for you, manual swap creation is also possible. Swap basically creates virtual ram on the sd-card. Root access, which can be acheived manually through the recovery flashing of specific zip files, or via free apps that do it with one click, basically allows you to flash kernels, change the framework, or allow tethering which I will cover next, is possible because the kernel the phone uses is linux, the unlocking of which is called granting super user access, in ubuntu a linux distribution, typing su, and your admin password will give you access to your computers system files, much in the same way we apply it to android. (However, it is unlikely you would try to flash an alternate kernel to your desktop, as it runs on either ie36 or x64 architecture, whereas phones run altogether seperate architectures , for instance android runs on ARM, and that is the base and primary reason your phone won't run windows.) Since android is free (open-source) there is an x86 version of android, including a froyo port that you can use on laptops and desktops. (Really quickly I would like to interject that recovery is an option on all phones android based that is usually accessible by holding volume up while booting, however the droid requires you press x while booting to get to recovery, which btw is what you flash a custom version of after rooting that allows you to flash roms and kernels. It also allows for backing up all of your phones firmware and data in the event of a problem. Basically its your new best friend, get familiar.) Also there is another form of booting called bootloader, it allows you to flash specific system files that are normally untouched, a guide to using that and a program called rsd lite will help you if you've bricked your phone ( Bricked- term used to describe the state of a phone that is unable to be recovered to an earlier condition and is essentially a brick or "expensive paperweight".) by allowing you to flash a completely untouched sbf (firmware) file. note that you can also use it to change your boring m boot logo with any image that fits 480x182 bytes through a slightly difficult, but fun proccess, a guide to which ,can be found here at xda, including a file that allows for the flashing of just the logo, whereas previously you had to reactivate your phone (you just have to follow the instructions on the phone) reroot, and restore the rom you previously backed up. Now on to tethering, the most important feature available to root users, which, if carriers have anything to do with it, would normally cost an extra 10 dollars a month. (Tethering- using shell or an app with the proper kernel to allow the use of your phones mobile network via usb connection, or the creation of a wifi hotspot with your desktop or laptop.) However thanks to devs who believe that what you pay for should be used how you want, most roms will tether, even in the settings, without carriers any the wiser. Windows 7 and almost all linux will automatically tether, vista is the most difficult, and xp has a quick install init file that works like a charm. The only reason we root is because we believe in the freedom to change our phones to fit us personally, and lets face it, because we can, because its fun, because its not illegal, and it brings a sense of satisfaction and pride in pushing the limits of technology. (P.S. I tried not to take to long so I couldn't really look it over, so sorry for grammatical or vocabulary based errors.)
(P.P.S. I recommend any book to do with android programming, but you'll need programming experience in linux, especially eclipse.)
Oh, and I'm a 17 year old junior with a vocabulary skill level of 139, just in case you wondered.
There are plenty of applications on the market where you can backup apps and data once you root, I personally use titanium, but I never restore system data if I'm flashing roms, only apps n data that comes with apps. Youre gonna have to search around other forums and whatnot to find the right roms.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Not only am I a newbie, but I am also a timid newbie. I am reluctant to mess around with the stock software, and OS that came with my gTab. Most of the great apps, and advice on this site requires you to either flash the tablet, or root the device, etc. I am WAY too chicken to try this. I would love to be able to get to the usual Market as I can on my phone. I would also like to use Swype. Is there any way to "open" up the tablet to these without "major" surgery? I think a list of apps that can be manually installed would be helpful to inexperienced "chickens" like me. Or any add ons, that might improve our new baby would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Search is a wonderful thing, everyone should try it...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858136
Warning, if you stick stock you may end up returning it
Flashing a room is not difficult if you read/search/research.
copc said:
Search is a wonderful thing, everyone should try it...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=858136
Warning, if you stick stock you may end up returning it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't be ridiculous, it is fine with a few tweaks.
Flashing a room is not difficult if you read/search/research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is like buying a brand new car, and then replacing the engine. Fine for some, but really not necessary.
Reggie777: I am going to apply the newest update to my stock g-tablet. This usually wipes out all user changes, including installed apps. I will actually follow my own post about doing the changes. I can't remember everything!
wasserkapf said:
Don't be ridiculous, it is fine with a few tweaks.
That is like buying a brand new car, and then replacing the engine. Fine for some, but really not necessary.
Reggie777: I am going to apply the newest update to my stock g-tablet. This usually wipes out all user changes, including installed apps. I will actually follow my own post about doing the changes. I can't remember everything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny I had to pull nothing out of my gtab? LOL
Why would I pull the Tegra out just to flash a rom?
PS there is a reason that thread was on page 3 as there are fewer that are not flashing roms.
Plus the original point was that the "SEARCH" was a wonderful thing.
wasserkapf said:
Reggie777: I am going to apply the newest update to my stock g-tablet. This usually wipes out all user changes, including installed apps. I will actually follow my own post about doing the changes. I can't remember everything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just did the 1.0.1-3053 update, and it appears all previous changes remained. I did have to re-root it with the z4root app. Those complaining of problems after this update seem to be running a customized ROM. You won't have these problems unless you flash a customized ROM.
wasserkapf said:
Don't be ridiculous, it is fine with a few tweaks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This whole argument is ridiculous. Not a single rom has done a single thing to the underlying "Stock" structure. They are all based from the original "Stock" stuff. The only thing they do is either add or subtract from the original base software.
There is no magic here. If you buy a new car and put shiny new wheels on it you have done the same thing. The car still has the stock engine, and basic structure. If you bought a house that was painted pink and didn't like how it looked you might paint it. Same house, just a new look.
So, your stock with tweaks is essentially the same as my stock with tweaks. I just choose to install the majority of the tweaks at one time with a simple rom update. You do yours one by one..
I don't care what anyone does with there tablet as long as you don't use it to start World War III. But the my mods are better than your mods argument is kind of silly.
Do whatever makes you happy. All I can say is that pretty much no matter what you do it can be put back to original in about 5 minutes. Boot loops, hangs, funky looking screens.. All part of the learning process. Some people seem to be more prone to it. Most of the issues I see people have come from them getting in a big hurry, not thoroughly reading the instructions given with almost every mod, and then flashing away. Slow down, read, and understand what you are doing and it will all typically go just fine.
Sprdtyf350 said:
This whole argument is ridiculous. Not a single rom has done a single thing to the underlying "Stock" structure. They are all based from the original "Stock" stuff. The only thing they do is either add or subtract from the original base software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not true.
Some of the mods are based on the zpad image, a completely different image than the g-tablet. My only objection is people saying flashing custom ROMS is a must. That is nonsense, and I will say so every time I see someone post that.
The more updates that ViewSonic put out, it seems the fewer "tweaks" that will be needed.
Can we keep the trolling to World of Warcraft?
There are minor to major changes that can be done ROM wise. What is important IMHO is to give choices to someone that is just starting.
I have the impression the op would like TnTLite version vs Vega or Cyanogen or even ZPad.
I did start like you... almost happy with stock. But the more basic things I needed I noticed the original TnT wasn't good enough. I have changed to TnTLite myself and couldn't be happier.
Just check that thread. Its one stop and change.
Good luck
Bingo! Choice is king, if you don't like the choice you choose go back to stock. But atleast show all your choices, we are not all wanting the same build, hence we are not talking IPADS.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I gather that rooting the gTab is not such a big deal after all? I had started with the impression that rooting and flashing the rom were similar, and equally "dangerous". I DID find the thread that copc referred me to after my starting this thread. We all have to start somewhere as newbies. Thanks too to Wasserkapf for his help.
Rooting will still allow you to get all VS updates. Same with doing the Market install.
Flashing a ROM can be scary, especially if you have lots of stuff on your tablet. I found that investing in Titanium Backup (requires root) was a great idea. I do a full backup every time I flash my ROM and restore apps and data afterwards; I have never lost data nor settings.
If you decide to flash TnT Lite or VEGAn (which is coming along nicely and really brings the tablet to life IMO), there are not only many posts but many friendly folks who are here to help you out.
I am very happy with my G Tablet and this community has been immeasurably helpful in making it so useful.
-=Sent from my ViewSonic G Tablet (VEGAn) using Tapatalk=-
Reggie777 said:
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I gather that rooting the gTab is not such a big deal after all? I had started with the impression that rooting and flashing the rom were similar, and equally "dangerous". I DID find the thread that copc referred me to after my starting this thread. We all have to start somewhere as newbies. Thanks too to Wasserkapf for his help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly we all start as newbies, and it's places like this that are great help.
Good News, everyone. I used z4root, and was able to root my gTab. I also was able to install Launcher Pro, so that now when I turn it on, I get the option of going to the old familiar Android layout as on my Droid. Thanks for the encouragement from you'all. The sky did not fall. Yeah!
I do have some questions, though.
1. If I accidentally load in the TapnTap home screen, I cannot get back to the launcher pro. I cannot find it on the tablet to run it. I can find the apk and it offers to install it again. So, can anyone tell me where it is hidden?
2. I downloaded the vendors apk in an attempt to get the old android market place as on my phone. But it will not install. I am sure I am doing something wrong.
3. There are some icons to the right, the web, messages, and the phone. Is there a way to remove the ones that do not work? Only the web works. I understand that the phone would not, and even the messages. But how can I remove them?
Again, thanks for the moral support and encouragement. I still find the structure of the tablet confusing. Internal SD, external SD, root, etc. Anyone out there with the technical know how could make quite a few dollars by writing a book explaining the wonders, procedures, and pitfalls of our new tablet.
Reggie777 said:
Good News, everyone. I used z4root, and was able to root my gTab. I also was able to install Launcher Pro, so that now when I turn it on, I get the option of going to the old familiar Android layout as on my Droid. Thanks for the encouragement from you'all. The sky did not fall. Yeah!
I do have some questions, though.
1. If I accidentally load in the TapnTap home screen, I cannot get back to the launcher pro. I cannot find it on the tablet to run it. I can find the apk and it offers to install it again. So, can anyone tell me where it is hidden?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On my tablet, just hitting the Home icon in the upper-right corner will do that. It is the second one from the top, on the bezel of the screen.
2. I downloaded the vendors apk in an attempt to get the old android market place as on my phone. But it will not install. I am sure I am doing something wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is the second thing on my list of tweaks. You need to download and install several files. Please follow the instructions:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=827209
3. There are some icons to the right, the web, messages, and the phone. Is there a way to remove the ones that do not work? Only the web works. I understand that the phone would not, and even the messages. But how can I remove them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to drop a different icon, from the main screen 'Desktop' on top of it, essentially replacing it. To get different icons on the main screen, open the app drawer, and tap and hold an icon. To remove it from the main screen, tap and hold, and move it to the trash can on the right.
I got as far as downloading the zip file, unzipping it. But I am not sure what "mount as R/W" means. I am also not up on the structure of the storage of the Gtablet, and my computer sees .android_secure, Android, Backgrounds, backups, DCIM, download, and Lost.Dir. As a result, I am not sure where to copy the new files to. I moved the unzipped file to the download folder on the tablet. But I am not sure where to go from here. Being a newbie bites.
Reggie777 said:
I got as far as downloading the zip file, unzipping it. But I am not sure what "mount as R/W" means. I am also not up on the structure of the storage of the Gtablet, and my computer sees .android_secure, Android, Backgrounds, backups, DCIM, download, and Lost.Dir. As a result, I am not sure where to copy the new files to. I moved the unzipped file to the download folder on the tablet. But I am not sure where to go from here. Being a newbie bites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought that the instructions were as clear as anyone could make them.
3. Using AndRootFile or any other file manager that supports root access, mount as R/W, and copy the contents of G Tablet\permissions to System\etc\permissions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means to use a file manager that supports root browsing. The stock one doesn't, so you will need to install one. The link in the original post will get you the AndRootFile app, that should work. I purchased RootExplorer from the Android Market, so that is what I use. It has a "Mount R/W" button at the top, and I assume AndRootFile has something similar.
Oh, and root is to Unix/Linux/Android that Administrator is to Windows. You need root permissions to make system changes.
Once you have mounted it in R/W mode, copy the files to the folders that it says to. When done, don't forget to re-mount it in R/O mode before exiting.
My bad. I had used z4root to do the rooting. I'll try it with the one you suggested. Thanks.
Actually z4root should work for rooting the tablet. But it isn't a file browser with root access. That is where the other apps come into play.
OK. Here is my adventure so far. I got AndRootFile, and installed it. It is now working. But when I try to copy a file to another location, it does not want to copy the file. features.xml is an example of one that it shows the check box for copying, but when I get to the destination, there is nothing to paste. Frustrating. I also tried Rootexplorer, and have the same result. Now it looks as if the other new file in the new permissions folder copies, since it says it exists and do I want to overwrite. I said yes. But the second file, features does not show up even after I try to paste it. The good news is that I am figuring out the structure of the Beast, and so can move around much easier with AndRootFile, and RootExplorer. Thanks for your ongoing patience, and support.
It doesn't sound as if you are first mounting the file system in R/W (Read/Write) mode. And when finished, make sure you mount it back into R/O (Read/Only) mode before exiting.
Okay I apologize beforehand if this has been answered somewhere else in the forums. I don't have much time to look around on the forums like I used to.
I have an HTC HD7 and I like to keep my phone up to date and whatnot, but I've been reluctant to because of all the data I lose when I do the updates. Things like contacts aren't an issue, but the Zune Marketplace doesn't reinstall your apps like the Android Marketplace did. As well as loosing all of my apps, my music is gone as well. Which with my very large music library, it gets to be a huge hassle to pick out the music I want on my HD7 each time a new update comes out, whereas with Android It was all stored on my SD card and nothing was lost, the same issue for my pictures. Also I've read a bit on XBMod's cab sender, and it seems like none of the developers seem to use it, that or they're having problems with it.
So, with that said, I was wondering if there were any apps or workarounds to back up my apps/music/pictures on my phone and restore them post update.
Any sort of help or direction is greatly appreciated.
If you update officially, via Zune, then everything is retained. It is only if you go down the route of Hard/Soft SPL'ing and using custom made ROM's that you have that issue. It is also probably fair to say, that if restoring everything post update is a pain/bothers you, then perhaps following the route of Customs ROM's and multiple, quick updates is not for you?
I know that, and the hd7 isn't exactly my first rodeo, I started with my touch pro 2 and got addicted and developed ORD xD. Since then ive had an HTC aria, and a dual boot hd2. Now with my HD7 I still share the passion, ive just noticed that it's a bit more of a hassle because of the way the OS works. I will continue to update either way, but I was searching for an alternative route to post flash restoration. Its mostly the music that I wish I could keep, because as I stated I have a HUGE collection.
I hear yeah I wish more rom cookers would issue update cabs as well as a fresh install nbh file. I've mentioned it in dotcompt deepshining rom thread since he has the xbox/yuki certa cooked in. That way nothing is lost, it updates just what need to be just like Zune does.
On the other hand there is a program that backs up 3rd party apps but that's only for like save data and ****. You would have to install the app first... For instance angry birds progress. That way you don't have to do it all over...
Sent from my HD7 T9292 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
Yeah, that would make things simpler. Lol and i saw that, but it wasn't what im looking for. I really just want a way to easily reinstall my apps, and music without having to find them all or going through my collection every time. Cause out of the whole process, if you use your phone as your mp3 player like i do then you'll end up spending a lot of time doing the same thing.
you can put the music of your choice in the Music Folder (Windows 7) and check sync all items in Zune. In this way you wont have to prepare the music collection time and again.
I use this method for retaining my music, videos and pictures. I have prepared a list of apps I always use and it takes my 20-30 minutes to download and install, but its worth the fun
Hope this helps.
That would work, but I use Zune as my primary music player. So all of my collection shows there. I was considering copying just the music I want to my laptop and using that as my "dock" for my windows phone. But I was just wanting to see what other options I had before I went to that.
I have pretty much the same issues... Me and my girl both have hd7's. Both use them for mp3 players in the cars...
I've tried making two folders and just changing th sync folder but for some reason Zune doesn't seem to recognize it that quick. Haven't figured out why but even after restarting Zune sync folder doesn't change even though settings did...
Wish Zune had options to sync two or more different devices or at least direct drag and drop from windows explorer to little phone icon at bottom of Zune.
Sent from my HD7 T9292 using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
The solution I use for quickly picking and re-syncing the music after a flash is to build a playlist in Zune specifically for the music I want to keep on the phone. Then only sync that playlist. Gets trickier for podcasts and if you download directly to the phone from Zune and "backsync" it though
Hello all very long time lurker but am here now for some help. So a few questions and description of what i wish to achieve.
I have a POS iPod touch 4th gen that I have had 2 and half years or something and really want to replace. Also have an Xperia X10 and shortly will have an LG Optimus 2X. The X10 will function for phone duties until the Xperia TX become available in Australia.
Back the the O2X though. Now turning an android phone into a Portable Media Player (PMP) is something I have been wanting to do for a while now. Naturally though this brings up a few things that will not be needed.
For the music front end I will be using Player Pro and Pics and videos will primarily be held and viewed in QuickPic.
The phone will still need to retain wifi and bluetooth capabilities, however I want to fully disable all other forms of connectivity as I will have no need of it and will not be using a sim in the phone as this will be dedicated to music, movies and pics. So does anyone know the best way gor me to go about that?
I will also have a hell of a lot of unused and unwanted apps. I would love to be able to really strip the phone back and free up as much space as possible. Now in the past I have been able to uninstall pre-installed apps from my X10. I am just unsure how to go about it on the O2X. Does anyone know how I would go about completely removing the phone, contacts, calander, stock music, stock gallery and other assorted apps?
I would also need to be using a kernel with the voodoo sound mods for the wolfson DAC. Now I was wondering if there was any recommendations there?
Finally I would also like a recommendation of the most stable ICS based ROM to go with the voodoo kernel. I would like the ROM to also include a modifiable set of notification bar widgets so I can easily turn on and of things like wifi, bluetooth, gps, airaplane mode and adjust brightness. Anyone know of anything that would fit the bill?
Must also come with a working camera app (does not need to has video recording working or panorama just basic camera duties please). Any other suggestions that you may think of feel free to post them.
Thanks for taking the time to read this and hope some of you can help me out here on my project to make an Android PMP out of a great little Android Phone.
Stoner
Note to mods: hope I am posting in the right section, feel free to move it if I am not.
Since connectivity is already built in into the android OS, you can't disable it, but I think keeping your phone in airplane mode all the time should do the trick. Anyway, taking out the sim card already disables all connectivity that involves telecommunications.
If you want to remove system apps, you have to root your phone first. The forum already has so many guides on rooting. Then all you have to do is use any root file manager, go into system/app and delete the apps there. Not everything can be deleted though, some are crucial for the functioning of the phone.
The other way is to download a rom, open the zip and delete everything you don't need that's under system/app and install it. No guarantees that your phone will boot up though, if you happen to hit an app that is crucial for the rom to work. Then you can flash the rom and it's done.
There are many kernels that use voodoo, just find one that fits any rom of your choice.
Finally: ICS roms still have some bugs, seeing that you are going to use it as a PMP, I recommend not upgrading to ICS or later until roms made from LG's sources start popping out. I hear that CM10 (that runs on jellybean) will be released shortly after LG releases their ICS update.
Almost all roms have a camera app, no worries there!
TL;DR Install any rom you'd like that seems to fit the bill. Root your phone, open the particular rom's zip file and remove apps you don't need that are in system/app, flash it to your phone (with recovery mode of course). Flash kernel to your liking.
Looks like LG is no better than Sony when it comes to OS Updates haha
shall look at stock based Rome for now then. Try and find a JB skinned one if possible.
Then play trial and error with what apps I can remove before flashing and which I have to leave and possibly just freeze. New it was something simple but its been a while. I hope I can remove all the basic apps that make it function like a phone otherwise I guess I will make do with freezing and hiding them. Love removing all clutter possible.
Will be waiting to see if CM10 can come along much less buggy than all the CM9 and ICS ROMs that I have looked at. Silly LG hampering the development of ROMs because there isn't an official ICS update to work off and its late 2012 already. Hoping for some good news though with what I have read about SK and them getting ICS.
Just got my wife a Lumia 520 and i noticed it does not have a file manager... is this normal?
I'm used to have file manager on Android so this is quite lame...
Also any idea on how to add musics (MP3/WMA) on the ringtones?
Thks
So... the Internet has these things called "search engines" which you can use to find all manner of cool things. You should really try using one of them.
1: Yes, it's normal that there is no file manager built into WP8. There wasn't one in WP7, either. This is not news. Know what you're buying...
2: There are apps (both on the Store and on this forum) which add very limited file browsing and management capability. However, the OS is extremely restrictive of app permissions - moreso than your typical Android build - so most of the filesystem is unreadable and all but a tiny portion of what's left is read-only.
3: Did you even read the little info sheet that comes with your phone? You would save us all a bunch of time if you did. Connect the phone to your computer using USB. It will appear as an MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) device. You can use this to copy media files (including songs and ringtones) to the phone, as well as copying other media files (such as pictures or video you took) from the phone to the PC. If you're running Windows, it will also offer to install an app to make synching easier. Pretty much every OS has tools for working with MTP devices, including all desktop-oriented Linux distros I've ever tried.
Think of the apps as the file browser. An app that can manipulate a certain file type will show you all of that type of file on your phone. Coming from android you will have to rework your way of using your phone. And SKY DRIVE is your friend. And I'm glad you posted your question because I for one have used and love wp8 although I use my note 2 as my daily. I love people that say search for the answer yet give a long drawn out sarcastic answer anyway.
1.No file browser.
2.Use apps for manipulation of said files
3.Sky drive is your friend. It COULD be said it's wp8s file manager.
4. Have fun!
Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
You can hook your phone to your PC and use the Windows Phone app for desk top, this will let you browse your files as far as music, ringtones, pictures and videos; I'm not sure if it includes documents but it the closest to what you are looking for because system files are off limit like the guys just explained.
What I don't understand is if you can view your files from your PC why can you do the same from the phone? Oh well maybe one day like in an update; this would be cool for browsing for files on your SD card...
GoodDayToDie said:
So... the Internet has these things called "search engines" which you can use to find all manner of cool things. You should really try using one of them.
1: Yes, it's normal that there is no file manager built into WP8. There wasn't one in WP7, either. This is not news. Know what you're buying...
2: There are apps (both on the Store and on this forum) which add very limited file browsing and management capability. However, the OS is extremely restrictive of app permissions - moreso than your typical Android build - so most of the filesystem is unreadable and all but a tiny portion of what's left is read-only.
3: Did you even read the little info sheet that comes with your phone? You would save us all a bunch of time if you did. Connect the phone to your computer using USB. It will appear as an MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) device. You can use this to copy media files (including songs and ringtones) to the phone, as well as copying other media files (such as pictures or video you took) from the phone to the PC. If you're running Windows, it will also offer to install an app to make synching easier. Pretty much every OS has tools for working with MTP devices, including all desktop-oriented Linux distros I've ever tried.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so i appreciated the help but i don't really explain well in the OP.
I apologize for the way i wrote the OP, i was frustrated after unsuccessful search for a way to work around the limitations of the OS...
I did not know that the WP7 and 8 did not add an file manager, but the other part i did know :/ so no need to be so sarcastic in your reply (last time a used a Windows based phone it add windows mobile and it did have file explorer much like other OS's).
What i really meant was if anyone knows a way to work around the OS locks on the file system and of course an file explorer that uses it... But after more search i find none
I'm still pretty happy with the lumia 520... just frustrated that i cant add files were i wanted.
Yeah, that exact question has been asked before. People are working on it. Part of the reason I wrote my webserver app was to facilitate deeper exploration of WP8 in the hopes of finding a way to unlock more permissions. So far, no dice. The OS is still young, however.
With that said, from a "what can I do with it" perspective, it's best to think of WP8 as being like iOS: until or unless "jailbroken", everything runs with extremely low permissions.
GoodDayToDie said:
Yeah, that exact question has been asked before. People are working on it. Part of the reason I wrote my webserver app was to facilitate deeper exploration of WP8 in the hopes of finding a way to unlock more permissions. So far, no dice. The OS is still young, however.
With that said, from a "what can I do with it" perspective, it's best to think of WP8 as being like iOS: until or unless "jailbroken", everything runs with extremely low permissions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks for the info .
After some research i got the idea that WP8 as worst than iOS in terms of restrictions :/...
Thats really a shame because this Lumia 520 hardware its really nice for the price. It will be awesome wen someone is able to root it.
Still i will keep using Android on my personal phone... (this one was bought for my wife).
sinister1 said:
You can hook your phone to your PC and use the Windows Phone app for desk top, this will let you browse your files as far as music, ringtones, pictures and videos; I'm not sure if it includes documents but it the closest to what you are looking for because system files are off limit like the guys just explained.
What I don't understand is if you can view your files from your PC why can you do the same from the phone? Oh well maybe one day like in an update; this would be cool for browsing for files on your SD card...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far i can't move files (wma and MP3) to the inner folders on the ringtone folder... and the custom ringtone option does not let me chose other files than the one it came from factory
Not really a big bummer but it just seems a stupid limitation...
"Inner folders"? I just dragged files to Phone\Ringtones and they appeared at the top of the list, under "Custom". I didn't even need to resize them or change the genre, as WP7 required.
GoodDayToDie said:
"Inner folders"? I just dragged files to Phone\Ringtones and they appeared at the top of the list, under "Custom". I didn't even need to resize them or change the genre, as WP7 required.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i tried every folder on the phone (that are available to the user) and the OS still does not let me choose custom musics for ringtones... :/
Exnor said:
Well i tried every folder on the phone (that are available to the user) and the OS still does not let me choose custom musics for ringtones... :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Music files should go into the music folder and ringtone files go into the ringtone folder, this is what I did; I put in an SD card and created Folders on it with the same name as the ones on the internal storage and placed all my music and ringtone files there, when you go to ringtones it shows up under custom, if your talking about alert tones for MMS or SMS then you are out of luck other than ringtones the only thing you can change is your alarm tones.
This is a big mistake by MS by not allowing users to use customer tones form email and SMS or MMS their are customers that are actually returning their phones and exchanging them for Android and even iPhones because of this and other limitations. Users have been asking for this since 2011 on MS's very own suggestion page (check it out here) and MS hasn't even responded or given a hit to fixing this issue.
For you guys who know me well and see that I bring this subject up a lot, I apologize but MS needs to wake up and stop trying to restrict even the simplest of tasks.
1. Connect the phone via USB. An MTP device, with the phone's name, will appear (for example, in Windows Explorer).
2. Open the phone device. You will see a "drive" called "Phone". There may be a second volume called "SD card".
3. Open the Phone volume. You will see the following folders: Documents, Music, Pictures, Ringtones, Video.
4. Open the Rintones folder. It should not have any sub-folders.
5. Copy the music you want to use, as MP3 or DRM-free WMA (I think DRM-free AAC/M4A also works), into this folder.
6. On the phone, go to Settings, then Ringtones+Sounds, and tap on the box under Ringtone.
7. Scroll to the top of the list. There will be a header "Custom", under which the music you added to the Ringtones folder will be listed (by title metadata, not file name).
8. Tap the Play icon beside a song if you want to see how it sounds as a ringtone, then tap the song you want to use as your ringtone.
If this doesn't work, be very, very specific about what step looks wrong (i.e. is not as described) and what you see instead. Also, be specific about the kind of music you're trying to use. I have tested using 128Kbps (constant bit rate) stereo 44.1KHz MP3 and WMA files of up to about 4:40 long.
sinister1 said:
Music files should go into the music folder and ringtone files go into the ringtone folder, this is what I did; I put in an SD card and created Folders on it with the same name as the ones on the internal storage and placed all my music and ringtone files there, when you go to ringtones it shows up under custom, if your talking about alert tones for MMS or SMS then you are out of luck other than ringtones the only thing you can change is your alarm tones.
This is a big mistake by MS by not allowing users to use customer tones form email and SMS or MMS their are customers that are actually returning their phones and exchanging them for Android and even iPhones because of this and other limitations. Users have been asking for this since 2011 on MS's very own suggestion page (check it out here) and MS hasn't even responded or given a hit to fixing this issue.
For you guys who know me well and see that I bring this subject up a lot, I apologize but MS needs to wake up and stop trying to restrict even the simplest of tasks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok i'm gonna try with an SD card and i will post my results. Thks for the tip :good:
GoodDayToDie said:
1. Connect the phone via USB. An MTP device, with the phone's name, will appear (for example, in Windows Explorer).
2. Open the phone device. You will see a "drive" called "Phone". There may be a second volume called "SD card".
3. Open the Phone volume. You will see the following folders: Documents, Music, Pictures, Ringtones, Video.
4. Open the Rintones folder. It should not have any sub-folders.
5. Copy the music you want to use, as MP3 or DRM-free WMA (I think DRM-free AAC/M4A also works), into this folder.
6. On the phone, go to Settings, then Ringtones+Sounds, and tap on the box under Ringtone.
7. Scroll to the top of the list. There will be a header "Custom", under which the music you added to the Ringtones folder will be listed (by title metadata, not file name).
8. Tap the Play icon beside a song if you want to see how it sounds as a ringtone, then tap the song you want to use as your ringtone.
If this doesn't work, be very, very specific about what step looks wrong (i.e. is not as described) and what you see instead. Also, be specific about the kind of music you're trying to use. I have tested using 128Kbps (constant bit rate) stereo 44.1KHz MP3 and WMA files of up to about 4:40 long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep did all that ...
The only thing i did not try yet is to create a subfolder in the Ringtones folder like i've read somewhere... i will try to do all the processes again and try other tips and i will post my results as soon as i can.
Thks for the help
GoodDayToDie said:
1. Connect the phone via USB. An MTP device, with the phone's name, will appear (for example, in Windows Explorer).
2. Open the phone device. You will see a "drive" called "Phone". There may be a second volume called "SD card".
3. Open the Phone volume. You will see the following folders: Documents, Music, Pictures, Ringtones, Video.
4. Open the Rintones folder. It should not have any sub-folders.
5. Copy the music you want to use, as MP3 or DRM-free WMA (I think DRM-free AAC/M4A also works), into this folder.
6. On the phone, go to Settings, then Ringtones+Sounds, and tap on the box under Ringtone.
7. Scroll to the top of the list. There will be a header "Custom", under which the music you added to the Ringtones folder will be listed (by title metadata, not file name).
8. Tap the Play icon beside a song if you want to see how it sounds as a ringtone, then tap the song you want to use as your ringtone.
If this doesn't work, be very, very specific about what step looks wrong (i.e. is not as described) and what you see instead. Also, be specific about the kind of music you're trying to use. I have tested using 128Kbps (constant bit rate) stereo 44.1KHz MP3 and WMA files of up to about 4:40 long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally i got it to work...
Like i've said i've done the above (like you suggested) the 1st time and repeated and nothing happen.. so i reset the phone!
Copied just one file to the ringtone folder and success it worked (!). I don't know why it did not the other times ... Now my wife can copy her musics and put hers ringtones as she like.
Here is my device info in case its usefull for anyone:
model: Lumia 520
MMN: RM-914_eu_portugal_281
OS version: 8.0.10211.204
HW rev:1.0.0.0
Firmware rev: 1030.6408.1309.0003
Thanks for the help guys
OS is young and the questions you posted, really needs to be solved. MS has put too much restrictions in OS but I think it will open some APIs and remove some restrictions in WP blue update due in early 2014. I only need limited file explorer to manage my personal files, a good Music & Video app(VLC is coming) and a notification center, that's it. All would be well for me to jump the ship from Android.
Btw, try Kirik file browser. It gives you some limited accessibilities on SD card.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Vishwal said:
OS is young and the questions you posted, really needs to be solved. MS has put too much restrictions in OS but I think it will open some APIs and remove some restrictions in WP blue update due in early 2014. I only need limited file explorer to manage my personal files, a good Music & Video app(VLC is coming) and a notification center, that's it. All would be well for me to jump the ship from Android.
Btw, try Kirik file browser. It gives you some limited accessibilities on SD card.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I completely agree. MS still as lot to do on this OS... But for people who don't need more computing options its a good choice (i think i like it better than iOS...).
Thx for the tip, i've already try it does help a little.
So far besides the OS limitations my biggest disappointment is the store... there is not enough programs to satisfy my needs :/ But like i stated before i'm happy with the device (actually my wife is lol since its her that uses it).
Switching from Android... hmm no. I don't see myself switch to WP or iOS (btw i have iPod touch 4th gen) for so many reasons, but to start the integration with my Google account and services.
I had a Qtek back in 2k3 (actually was a job phone) and used Windows Mobile (or was it CE?? cant remember) and back then i love it. But the "updated" Windows OS for mobile does not give me the same experience. Android so far is my favorite (gonna give a try to Ubuntu touch since i use Ubuntu at work... lets see how it performs).
The whole thing is that WP8 is designed to protected installed apps _from other installed apps_. Any data an app writes, is completely off limits to any other application. So a file manager would be compeltely pointless. If someone would create one, you could create files and maybe even download files in the folders you created.... but no other app would ever see that data.
this makes programs that can download data (Windows File sharing, FTP clients, etc..) to be played by another program (music player, video player, etc..) impossible.
I do agree though that WP8 needs to create a single 'unmanaged, unprotected data pool' where all apps can write / read, probably organized by folders just so people understand it.
If an app then wants to write data there, it knows it got no protection and is on its own. But if an app wants to write personal data (appointments, messages, contacts, that kinda of thing) it can write it in it's own data store like WP8 is now and the data is protected from every other possible app.
If they will do this for Blue... I don't know. I haven't seen it on a list anywhere yet.
Well, you can ask the OS to open a file (the equivalent of ShellExecute on Win32) and that can be used as a form of inter-app communication and file passing (sending a file from a file browser to the media player is possible, for example). The trick is that it's a blind push; there's no way to ask for the file back, or query what files there are. Also, the other app needs to choose to download the file.
There are Capabilities in the WP8 security policies which could be used to make a decent file browser, at least for the basic stuff (media libraries, documents, a "common area" on the file system, etc.). However, we cannot currently sideload any application which uses them, and I very much doubt MS would let us publish such an app through the store (although it might be worth trying...)
GoodDayToDie said:
Well, you can ask the OS to open a file (the equivalent of ShellExecute on Win32) and that can be used as a form of inter-app communication and file passing (sending a file from a file browser to the media player is possible, for example). The trick is that it's a blind push; there's no way to ask for the file back, or query what files there are. Also, the other app needs to choose to download the file.
There are Capabilities in the WP8 security policies which could be used to make a decent file browser, at least for the basic stuff (media libraries, documents, a "common area" on the file system, etc.). However, we cannot currently sideload any application which uses them, and I very much doubt MS would let us publish such an app through the store (although it might be worth trying...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am fairly certain the current situation will probably change with WP8.1.
if wpdev voice website is an indication of their intentions for wp8.1, things will look very nice soon enough.