For those of you that would like the ability to transfer files between the internal memory, microSD card, and/or usb data drive from your PC, there is a way. Download and install QtADB.
NOTE: I have updated the instructions. This should work without having to download the Android SDK.
1. First you need to download and install the flavor of Java you require (x86 or x64). This is required for ADB and AAPT.
2. Next download QtADB. Copy the "QtADB_0.8.0_windows_with_libs" folder to the "C:\Program Files\" folder.
3. Finally, download ADB and AAPT binaries for windows. Copy the files to the "C:\Program Files\QtADB_0.8.0_windows_with_libs" folder.
Here is the link for Java: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jdk-6u26-download-400750.html
Here is the link to QtADB: http://qtadb.wordpress.com/download/
Here is the link for the ADB and AAPT binarie files: http://www.mediafire.com/?yegi0lp9ik5xuk0
Once you get it all loaded, connect your A500 to your PC via the micro USB port. Launch QtADB. The first time you run QtADB, it will ask you for the path to ADB and AAPT. This should be "C:\Program Files\QtADB_0.8.0_windows_with_libs" folder. You should be able to access all your storage internal and external to your A500. I am no expert on this application, but will try to help if I can.
Attached are screenshots of QtADB abd attached to my A500. The Apps and Messages tabs do not work, but so far everything else seems to. Enjoy.
So, no one wants to be able to directly transfer files from thier PC to thier external microSC card? I see a lot of views, but no comments. Has anyone else tried this? Did it work for you? Anyway, happy day.
dalepl said:
So, no one wants to be able to directly transfer files from thier PC to thier external microSC card? I see a lot of views, but no comments. Has anyone else tried this? Did it work for you? Anyway, happy day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@dalepl - to answer your question I have posted this SIMPLE method previously. I have emphasied the word SIMPLE because it's not as clever and structured as your method but is probably more suited to us non-programming noobs.
For anyone who wants to see the contents of their sd card on their PC and be able to copy/transfer files from one to the other, why not give this a try, it is very simple and works for my A500.
Before you start you need your A500 to be rooted and you need "USB Mount All version 1.3" from the Market cost $1.99
(1) Have your PC switched on, don't connect your A500 yet but switch the A500 on.
(2) Run USB Mount All and you will see your sd card as a "Device" named "ext_sdcard".
(3) Press the tab "Mount" next to your ext_sdcard. You will see two messages "Mount has been granted Superuser permission" and "Device successfully mounted".
(4) Press the "Menu" tab in the top Right hand corner of the screen, this opens a small box entitled "Settings". Press on "Settings" and you get 3 options, make certain all 3 options are ticked, ticking them if they are not. (The important thing is to have "Mount on Bootup" ticked"). Press the Back Arrow twice to get back to Home Page or where ever you started from.
(5) Re-boot the A500 and after it is back running connect it to your PC using mini usb connector.
(6) Now check your PC and open Windows Explorer, you will find under your A500 Device most of the folder/directories that are in /mnt/sdcard (which isn't all that relevent to this) BUT importantly you will find a folder/directory entitled "ext_sdcard" which for those of you who noticed is the exact name that "USB Mount All" called your sd card.
(7) Now use Windows Explorer to copy and paste whatever you want into the "ext_sdcard" folder.
(8) Please note that when you start to copy files you will get up a warning box stating "Do you want to copy XXXXX to your device?". You are given 2 choices (1) No skip this file or (2) Yes.
(9) Put a tick in the box at the bottom Left and click on "Yes".
(10) When finished safely disconnect your A500 from your PC and re-boot your A500.
(11) After re-boot go back into "USB Mount All", chose top Right menu and settings box and remove the tick from the 3rd option "Mount on Bootup". Each time you are going to copy, move or delete files first of all put the tick back in the 3rd box and when you're done take it out.
Your Done. If you use any File Explorer to look at /mnt/external_sd you will see all the files residing on your sd card including those you've just copied.
I think the reason is people wish there were a simpler way than to have to download 13 programs and do this do that...
But still, thanks.
Johnny0906 said:
I think the reason is people wish there were a simpler way than to have to download 13 programs and do this do that...
But still, thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may be right. Looking closer I am going to change the directions. You do not have to install the SDK to get this to work. You can download ADB and AAPT files from the QtADB site.
I believe someone else in another thread mentioned Droid Explorer. Works great for me.
tomlogan1 said:
I believe someone else in another thread mentioned Droid Explorer. Works great for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took a look at this one and although it does look good and does most of the same thing QtADB does, I still perfer QtADB. For one, I can delete, move, and copy files from the A500 external storage to the PC and vice versa from right within QtADB. I did not spend much time with Droid Explorer and it may be able to do the same thing, but I did not find it. All in all, I guess it will be up to each user to pick the one they like. Both seem to be good options.
File transfer directly between PC and external_sd (WiFi)
dalepl said:
So, no one wants to be able to directly transfer files from thier PC to thier external microSC card? I see a lot of views, but no comments. Has anyone else tried this? Did it work for you? Anyway, happy day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use WiFi File Explorer, from the Market. I can easily transfer files directly between my PC and my SD card over the same WiFi net. See http://www.appbrain.com/app/wifi-file-explorer/com.dooblou.WiFiFileExplorer for details. Don't even need the USB cable! My mobile phone can act as a WiFi hotspot (HTC Desire Froyo from Telstra) so I'm never anywhere that this can't work for me.
HTH.
dweebken said:
I use WiFi File Explorer, from the Market. I can easily transfer files directly between my PC and my SD card over the same WiFi net. See http://www.appbrain.com/app/wifi-file-explorer/com.dooblou.WiFiFileExplorer for details. Don't even need the USB cable! My mobile phone can act as a WiFi hotspot (HTC Desire Froyo from Telstra) so I'm never anywhere that this can't work for me.
HTH.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to hear. I saw many people asking in other threads about this ability, but had not seen anyone mention how except for taking your micrSD card out and using an adapter to hook it up to your PC. I have been using QtADB since I got my HTC Droid Incredible a year ago and gave it a try with the A500 and it worked, so I thought I would let everyone know. It is good that now there are three alternatives listed for everyone.
dweebken said:
I use WiFi File Explorer, from the Market. I can easily transfer files directly between my PC and my SD card over the same WiFi net. See http://www.appbrain.com/app/wifi-file-explorer/com.dooblou.WiFiFileExplorer for details. Don't even need the USB cable! My mobile phone can act as a WiFi hotspot (HTC Desire Froyo from Telstra) so I'm never anywhere that this can't work for me.
HTH.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I should just add, I think the default browse folder when you install it is /mnt/sdcard. Just change the default to /mnt in the app's menu, and then on the pc you can browse to either sdcard or external_sd from the local IP address the program gives you on the tablet.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
dweebken said:
I use WiFi File Explorer, from the Market. I can easily transfer files directly between my PC and my SD card over the same WiFi net. See http://www.appbrain.com/app/wifi-file-explorer/com.dooblou.WiFiFileExplorer for details. Don't even need the USB cable! My mobile phone can act as a WiFi hotspot (HTC Desire Froyo from Telstra) so I'm never anywhere that this can't work for me.
HTH.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow this is awesome just tried it out and its nice
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
garbagecanman said:
Wow this is awesome just tried it out and its nice
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad it worked for you.
I use ES File Explorer, its free and fairly straight forward. I can access any shared file on my PC and move/copy any file from my A500 to my PC and vise-versa. It also accesses Dropbox, which is handy. Probably not a perfect solution, but it works well enough for me. I'm sure there are other file explorer apps out there that do the same thing, but I've been using ES since I got my Archos 5IMT way back when so I'm used to it.
karlkarloff said:
I use ES File Explorer, its free and fairly straight forward. I can access any shared file on my PC and move/copy any file from my A500 to my PC and vise-versa. It also accesses Dropbox, which is handy. Probably not a perfect solution, but it works well enough for me. I'm sure there are other file explorer apps out there that do the same thing, but I've been using ES since I got my Archos 5IMT way back when so I'm used to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. The real difference between using a file explorer on the tablet and the solution I gave is that no shared folders or dropbox are needed. You can access all the folders on the PC and all the storage on the A500. The interface is just like the Windows Explorer, so there is no big learning curve. I do like that this is showing people different ways to get to the same solution. Now they can use the one that best fits them.
Related
For those of you who are uncertain of how to use adb commands or are afraid of editing their db check out the link below for more details about the app.
This is a quote from the site below explaining what it is:
"It's a Windows application that lets you sideload apps on ANY Android device, on any carrier, without the Android SDK installed. And you DON'T HAVE TO BE ROOTED"
Sideload Wonder Machine
***Note I am not the developer of this app or have any connection to it other than the fact that I happened to see the post and figured I would spread the word to everyone here. I have tested it on a ATT Captivate (which was already rooted) and it works as described.
so does this mean you can load any .apk file from the web into this Sideloader program and when the Captivate is plugged into the computer it will install it without issues?? and no need for modifying the no-market value settings thru root explorer?
Sticky Needed.
IT WORKS!!!
I tried this program yesterday and can confirm that it works
so its a cleaner way to install apk files into the captivate instead of editing the dbsettings file?? do I just save the apk file to my computer then just plug the captivate into the computer then select the file and run the program?
This lets you sideload any app (.apk file - android app file extension) that you can download on your computer, and it does not require rooting.
You need to download the samsung drivers for the phone (sammy website), upgrade to .net 4 (google search), download the wonder machine program from the beginning of the thread, and turn on usb debugging on the phone (settings>applications>development>usb debugging on)
Download an .apk somewhere on the net (I chose bansai blast as my first one). MOVE THAT FILE INTO THE FOLDER WITH THE UNZIPPED WONDER MACHINE. If you don't then you will get a "loader.bat" not recognized error when you hit go. Next, plug in your phone, pull down the notification tap and mount your sd card to the computer (I know that the instructions on android central say to keep your phone in charge only mode, but then the program will not find your phone if you don't mount the card). On the wonder machine hit choose file, and select the apk file you downloaded (again, in same folder as wonder machine program). Hit ok. Then hit go. It should pull up a dos looking command window and display your serial number (If you have a firewall like zonealarm, be sure to let the program access the net and your trusted zone - serial won't display if you don't) and a "press any key to continue." Do that and it should take a second to say "install successful. press any key..." Check your phone and the app should be in your apps list. Hope this helps, as it took me a while to figure all this out.
droid explorer offers better functionality. still, good find
with droid explorer am I able to copy the dbsettings file directly to my micrsd card then open SQLite from my phone edit and paste back into the origin dbsettings and overwrite it? or does that have to be done thru the comp??
I can confirm too that this program works great.
Sorry for the late responses but here they go:
poulosjr said:
so its a cleaner way to install apk files into the captivate instead of editing the dbsettings file?? do I just save the apk file to my computer then just plug the captivate into the computer then select the file and run the program?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct, plug in your phone, place the apk anywhere on your comp, and browse for the apk thru the app. this then installs the apk directly into your phone.
poulosjr said:
with droid explorer am I able to copy the dbsettings file directly to my micrsd card then open SQLite from my phone edit and paste back into the origin dbsettings and overwrite it? or does that have to be done thru the comp??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With this app you do not have to edit the db, the only down side of this app is that you have to install the apks via your comp.
systoxity said:
droid explorer offers better functionality. still, good find
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, with this app you lose a bit of flex ability since this method installs via your comp. But for those people who dont want to edit or use the adb push method it could not get any easier. I personally end up installing apks when i am on the road all the time so i prefer the permanent methods on my phones.
this works awesomely!
just make sure to put the .apk's in the same folder as the sideload program
+1 to this. Not the most convenient method but quick if you have your computer with you
i hate logging into windows. I'd love a mac version!
but I do have this on my windows ( i believe it is an androidcentral.com app ) and i used it a lot until i started messing with my phone and learned about adb.
I just wanted to say thanks for the quick guide. I was concerned about messing around with the db settings and screwing stuff up. I have absolutely NO problem installing non-market apps through my pc--thanks a lot dude!
I've been using it. My phone is unrooted. I used it to add 2 apps. A live wallpaper and a need for speed game demo.
Thanks to all of you !!
by following all that you posted I was able to root with super user , save with rom mgr , load wireless tether which was my goal.
Just to update were i screwed up must remember with super user (update zip) put the whole zip file on phone as a stand alone not in any folder . With side loader must be in the same folder as side loader to work , of course with micro net 4 installed, on the pc and debugging enabled , samsung usb driver installed on pc and superuser must installed to use side loader
thanks for all you help !!!
how do you to drag apps to samsung galaxy s using usb i rooted the phone and im using one click lag fix . firmware version 2.1. thanks
you mean adb install "filename.apk" ?
copy app to sd card.
open root explorer, copy app in system/app frolder and install.
DONE!
If you just want to copy apps the your SD card, I do it through Windows explorer. Very easy.
i need to no how to drag to my Samsung Kies when the usb is connect sd or phone i try to use bluetooth some file work some dont so i try to open the phone hardrive to drag a file in but it wont let me how can i get around this. cheers
If you can see the SD-card on the phone but can not drag and drop files, try this...
Highlight the file you want to transfer
Right click the mouse
Click on "Copy"
Go to where you want to put the file
Right click the mouse
Click on "Paste"
niceday123 said:
i need to no how to drag to my Samsung Kies when the usb is connect sd or phone i try to use bluetooth some file work some dont so i try to open the phone hardrive to drag a file in but it wont let me how can i get around this. cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a bit difficult to understand what you are trying to say, but... does the "Mass Storage" mode not work for you?
Has anyone been able to transfer files from an android phone to the a500? I have been able to copy from a thumb drive, but have not had any luck with my rooted Samsung captivate running mosaic rom
Try samba filesharing on market
File expert lets you isolate any installed app (under apps tab top right) in to a folder called 'backup'.
From there you can bluetooth the app to your iconia or drop it onto pc via file expert then use same on iconia to load it onto it.
Hope helps.
My trick is copying via Bluetooth. Before copying rename extension of file to ".txt". I think that all Androids knows this extension, so transfer is not stopped. After copying rename file on both devices to previous name.
Hope helps.
Or use such shared network resource - NAS, email, web services and so on. But first option works on new Android without anything else.
I've copied using nas or pc, but I'm out of town and away from my pc. For some reason I didn't think of using bluetooth. Won't be as fast as the usb, but I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the suggestions.
I have been using CM9 ICS on my Note for 4 days on and off. And needless to say, it has been a great experience. So I thought I would start this thread for everyone else who is using CM9 and would like to share their tips/tricks.
- I would like to start off with this particularly useful tip I discovered. The music player crashes a LOT and when you boot back up you notice several copies of you tracks. This happens to me the most with the stock music player. Hence I have switched to winamp which seems to be a lot more stable. The fix for the duplicated files after a crash (force close) is very simple. You either need to perform a factory wipe from clockworkmod (messy) or go to Settings>Apps>ALL>Media Storage>Clear Data and REBOOT. Once you have a fresh start, you need to backup the "[PLAYLISTS] Media Storage" data with Titanium Backup. Next time you have a crash, fire up Titanium Backup and restore the DATA ONLY from the Media Storage backup you made earlier. Reboot. Your library should be free from duplicates now. I also recommend switching to winamp. Winamp too crashes sometimes but you can use the same fix for it. If you happen to load more tracks, launch winamp and make sure the library has updated fine and perform another backup of Media storage from Titanium Backup. BTW, winamp also has an option for lock screen integration.
-I use ES explorer for general messin around with the filesystem. How you set it up is also simple. Get ES explorer, go to settings and enable Root Explorer, superuser will ask for permission, say yes. Now scroll up a bit and you will see the Home Directory option. Set it to "/". Yes, that is just slash. Now when you hit 'up' in the explorer window you can leave the sdcard location and explorer the system files. Now you internal sdcard's(storage) location is "/sdcard" or "/mnt/sdcard". The external (microsd) path is "/mnt/extsdcard". I haven't tried OTG USB mounting but the path for that would be "/mnt/usbdisk".
-There are SEVERAL ways of getting files on you sd, internal or external. The easiest way is to reboot>recovery>mounts & storage>mount USB storage. But that gives you access only to the internal sd. You can use ES explorer for sharing files wirelessly with your windows machine using the SMB protocol which is very robust. I suggest you google for instructions. You can also use QtADB, which gives you access to you external card too. And then there is dropbox. Dropbox now uses a temp system location for downloading files. The path to the temp folder is "/sdcard/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/scratch". You can use ES explorer to go to that path and 'retrieve' your downloaded files. Works especially well with .zip's.
-Now, the default boot animation is cropped on the sides and is kinda lame. So I thought I would try and fix it. I couldn't fix it with resizing the jpegs. So I just snagged some bootanimations from the web. I liked the one I attached below the most. It's called Machina and runs full screen on the Note. No cropping Now once you download that zip, you need to get it on your sd. Do it any way you like. Set up root on ES explorer and also enable Write Mode. DON'T FLASH THE ZIP WITH CLOCKWORKMOD. Locate the file on ES explorer, copy it, navigate to "/system/media" and paste it. You'll notice there is a bootanimation.zip there. That is the default one and you should back it up on your sd. Once backed up, delete the default one and rename the download zip to "bootanimation.zip". Reboot. BTW, I take no credit for the boot animation.
Please hit the thanks button if any of this helped you. I will be adding more info as I come across it.
Click HERE to see a quick youtube video of the boot animation.
Camera doesn't work, I'll pass
I got the nexus bootanimation to be fullscreen. I 'borrowed' hdr jpgs from a tablet build. HERE is a short youtube clip. You will find the zip attached below. Again, DO NOT FLASH WITH CLOCKWORKMOD.
stefan.buddle said:
Camera doesn't work, I'll pass
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not everyone cares about the camera lol
Thank you for the thread and the animations!
Another tip for file transfer (which has been mentioned earlier, in the CM9 thread) is to use Airdroid. I use that method as it feels more convenient to be able to keep the phone on.
I like the machanic bootanimation thx
Akerskuuug said:
Thank you for the thread and the animations!
Another tip for file transfer (which has been mentioned earlier, in the CM9 thread) is to use Airdroid. I use that method as it feels more convenient to be able to keep the phone on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Airdroid is quite possibly the best/most useful app I have seen on Android until now! Thanks for the tip.
acidburn89 said:
-Now, the default boot animation is cropped on the sides and is kinda lame. So I thought I would try and fix it. I couldn't fix it with resizing the jpegs. So I just snagged some bootanimations from the web. I liked the one I attached below the most. It's called Machina and runs full screen on the Note. No cropping Now once you download that zip, you need to get it on your sd. Do it any way you like. Set up root on ES explorer and also enable Write Mode. DON'T FLASH THE ZIP WITH CLOCKWORKMOD. Locate the file on ES explorer, copy it, navigate to "/system/media" and paste it. You'll notice there is a bootanimation.zip there. That is the default one and you should back it up on your sd. Once backed up, delete the default one and rename the download zip to "bootanimation.zip". Reboot. BTW, I take no credit for the boot animation.
Please hit the thanks button if any of this helped you. I will be adding more info as I come across it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also you can put the bootanimation.zip to /data/local which makes it permanent if you update the rom(in the future i hope )
Placing the bootanimation in /system/media makes it change in every rom update-flash cause the flash formats the system but leaves /data as it is
And if you have different bootanimations in /system/media and /data/local the /data/local bootanimation wins
afilopou said:
Also you can put the bootanimation.zip to /data/local which makes it permanent if you update the rom(in the future i hope )
Placing the bootanimation in /system/media makes it change in every rom update-flash cause the flash formats the system but leaves /data as it is
And if you have different bootanimations in /system/media and /data/local the /data/local bootanimation wins
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. I can confirm that it works. Thanks!
acidburn89 said:
-There are SEVERAL ways of getting files on you sd, internal or external. The easiest way is to reboot>recovery>mounts & storage>mount USB storage. But that gives you access only to the internal sd. You can use ES explorer for sharing files wirelessly with your windows machine using the SMB protocol which is very robust. I suggest you google for instructions. You can also use QtADB, which gives you access to you external card too. And then there is dropbox. Dropbox now uses a temp system location for downloading files. The path to the temp folder is "/sdcard/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/scratch". You can use ES explorer to go to that path and 'retrieve' your downloaded files. Works especially well with .zip's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What i also discovered.If you connect phone to the pc with usb cable you can not see the sdcards in windows explorer....BUT i installed some time ago the Android Commander windows application (google it) and i can see both sdcards (ext and int) and i can also copy paste files from/to phone to/from pc
afilopou said:
What i also discovered.If you connect phone to the pc with usb cable you can not see the sdcards in windows explorer....BUT i installed some time ago the Android Commander windows application (google it) and i can see both sdcards (ext and int) and i can also copy paste files from/to phone to/from pc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe I'm just plain stupid and I have missed something, but I tried installing AC and connecting the phone without result. Did you do anything more than just connect it using USB?
Akerskuuug said:
Maybe I'm just plain stupid and I have missed something, but I tried installing AC and connecting the phone without result. Did you do anything more than just connect it using USB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope.Do you have usb debugging ticked?i also have google drivers installed in my pc
Adjust Touch Sound volume
Hi,
I recently flashed my SGN to CM9 Nightlies. still in practical mode
Does anybody know how to lower down the touch sound volume? quite noisy typing at night..
Thanks.
Hey guys, I hate to create such a silly post, but I really haven't had any luck searching... but.. I transferred some files from my PC to my kindle via connecting it as a mass storage device. However, I am unable to find them anywhere when I'm on kindle.. Where are they located?!
Thanks in advanced
higherbeing said:
Hey guys, I hate to create such a silly post, but I really haven't had any luck searching... but.. I transferred some files from my PC to my kindle via connecting it as a mass storage device. However, I am unable to find them anywhere when I'm on kindle.. Where are they located?!
Thanks in advanced
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you trying to find them? If you're using a file manager, they will be somewhere on /sdcard
Sent from my Butta'd Kindle Fire using Tapatalk.
Well, they are PDF files.. I tried to use Adobe Reader, but that didnt work. Then I tried to just navigate to the files with ES File Explorer and Astro File Explorer, and I just can't find any of the directories that I see when I'm connected via USB. I just checked /sdcard/ and that folder is empty
Search for them by namebis ES File Explorer.
Sent from my Butta'd Kindle Fire using Tapatalk.
I tried that a couple times now... but it doesn't find the files.. just to make sure, I placed the pdfs in /books, /downloads and in the root of the drive that shows up when connected via USB.. but i cant find it
The root that shows up is /sdcard on yr kindle. Did you disconnect the kf properly? You may not have written the files if you just pulled out the cable!
Sent from my Kindle Fire using XDA
higherbeing said:
Hey guys, I hate to create such a silly post, but I really haven't had any luck searching... but.. I transferred some files from my PC to my kindle via connecting it as a mass storage device. However, I am unable to find them anywhere when I'm on kindle.. Where are they located?!
Thanks in advanced
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same issue. Boot back into twrp and mount and unmount the sd card. That should fix your issue.
I am assuming you are running a custom rom.