[Q] App2SD files locations - G2 and Desire Z General

I want to know where App2SD moves the files. I have flashed my device with RUU (official) and before I did that I had lots of apps moved to SD and now am not sure if the files from those apps are still on the SD card or not and if they are, where ?

It moves your apps to a magical place where they can roam free and happy

teh5abiking said:
It moves your apps to a magical place where they can roam free and happy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could have guessed that myself (the name gives it away). What I meant is which directory on the filesystem and is it system directory that I can not access from the phone itself (unrooted)

If you are asking about Android's built-in App2SD functionality, check the .android_secure directory of your sdcard.

theSpam said:
If you are asking about Android's built-in App2SD functionality, check the .android_secure directory of your sdcard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Talking about this one
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.a0soft.gphone.app2sd&hl=en
As far as I know 2.2 doesn't have this functionality

froyo has it aswell check out .android_secure

nonione said:
froyo has it aswell check out .android_secure
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using the app that I mentioned so even if Froyo has it, it wont matter
The directory is empty

telerian said:
I am using the app that I mentioned so even if Froyo has it, it wont matter
The directory is empty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's the thing - Froyo DOES have that functionality. If you're rooting you should try to know a bit more about your device before attempting something so drastic.
Now, that app does NOTHING that stock app2sd doesn't already do. Only if the dev allows the app to be moved can it be moved. If nothing is in the .android_secure folder then no apps are on your sdcard - plain and simple.
a2sd (a2EXT) is much different. It moves every bit of every app to an ext partition. You need Linux or a program capable of reading ext partitions if you're on Windows to see the apps and copy them over.
You could just get Titanium Backup and save the apps so you won't have to worry about any of this while switching between ROM's or whatever else you decide to attempt.
EDIT: Just to make it clear - the RUU doesn't touch your sdcard so whatever was on there before is still there, or should be unless you updated while on LSD and hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.

KCRic said:
Here's the thing - Froyo DOES have that functionality. If you're rooting you should try to know a bit more about your device before attempting something so drastic.
Now, that app does NOTHING that stock app2sd doesn't already do. Only if the dev allows the app to be moved can it be moved. If nothing is in the .android_secure folder then no apps are on your sdcard - plain and simple.
a2sd (a2EXT) is much different. It moves every bit of every app to an ext partition. You need Linux or a program capable of reading ext partitions if you're on Windows to see the apps and copy them over.
You could just get Titanium Backup and save the apps so you won't have to worry about any of this while switching between ROM's or whatever else you decide to attempt.
EDIT: Just to make it clear - the RUU doesn't touch your sdcard so whatever was on there before is still there, or should be unless you updated while on LSD and hitting yourself in the head with a hammer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is the deal, I rooted my phone and found out that I have no Arabic after downgrading my firmware to 1.34 so I got the RUU with Arabic (1.85) and updated the phone. before all that I used App2SD to move some apps to the SD card to save phone storage and after going toe Arabic RUU, the apps are not in that directory but everything else (photos, documents, maps, etc ..) is still there which means the SD was not wiped. I also used astro to backup my apps before doing the downgrade but it only backed up the ones on the phone storage and not everything.
I am a bit of Android newbie but am an expert in Linux (which is what Android is). I would love to root the phone but it is not possible to downgrade to 1.34 without losing Arabic .
Maybe I should mount the SD card on my laptop and do a find

Related

Being a newb SUCKS!

Ok so.. I finally after months flashed my second rom
HAd some trouble, I have to admit..
DC~~
I had trouble and I did some wiping and messing with my SD chip and that was the only way I could functionally get a flash..
I just spent a day and a half setting my phone up to my liking and its become apparent apps2sd isn't working and my SD card only has one 1.5 partition out of 2 gb.
Sorry if there are posts with directions of how to work from this point to keep everything while enabling apps2sd and transfering
I dont know where to start searching.
Thanks guys.
"The noob"
get a app called dconfig, it has an option to move your apps so they're on the card.
other than that im not sure what youre asking.
it might be simpler just to flash your phone, format your card and start from scratch.
Cloned2 said:
Ok so.. I finally after months flashed my second rom
HAd some trouble, I have to admit..
DC~~
I had trouble and I did some wiping and messing with my SD chip and that was the only way I could functionally get a flash..
I just spent a day and a half setting my phone up to my liking and its become apparent apps2sd isn't working and my SD card only has one 1.5 partition out of 2 gb.
Sorry if there are posts with directions of how to work from this point to keep everything while enabling apps2sd and transfering
I dont know where to start searching.
Thanks guys.
"The noob"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do some searching on here, goggle & ppcgeeks for how to root, flash a recovery image, partition your sd card and flash a rom. just make sure the guide you are using and the rom you use is for a cdma based hero.
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=90380 heres good guide to get you started.
I'm rooted I might just need to flash the Rom with the SD card.formatted correctly... I'm going to try to re find where the apps are stored and save them... id love to just be able to correct my SD config and set up apps2sd and move em over so I can keep my home screen set up as well as the info supplied in my apps and todo lists..
Thanks for the info ... on the road right now (passenger.seat )
Maybe I'm not a newb, I'm just stupid... I rooted using ubuntu karmic and I had apps2sd working before I moved to damage control
Sent from my HERO200 using Tapatalk
hmm.. Damage control rom comes with Dconfig and it has apps2sd enabled and move apps to sd checked.
Ok heres the thing..
I had a Modaco rom before and with apps2sd enabled and the SD formatted properly.
Plugging my phone into a computer would open up 2 drives... One 1 designated to be 1.5 gb and another .5 gb
How ever now I only see one.. the 1.5 gb
My memory is running low as if everything i've installed is in the phone.
searching through the phone i can't seem to find where these apps are being saved...
Are they on the elusive .5 gb partition I can't seem to see??
i think not... I just rebooted and my available space is 63.74mb
It's all becoming a no brainer that i should reflash the rom with the correct specifications to the SD chip...
But what I want to know, is there a way around this. ( I don't see any options, but I'd love to reformat my SD correctly and get apps2sd working on my own, moving all my apps over there while keeping any stored data intact...) <--- is this possible??
[maybe i should learn how to communicate clearly LOL]
For the moment, Ill back up my SD contents and hunt down how to partition correctly.. then I'll see if I can't find the folders where it is storing downloaded apps... then I'll disable then enable the apps2sd setting in dconfig and download an app... if all goes well i'll start pushing my apps over and do the whol "fix apk uid" in the recovery menu...
Hell maybe ill even decide to get a newer recovery besides 1.2.3 while im at it hahah.. any suggestions would be appreciated
# cd /data/app
# pwd
/system/sd/app
# cd /data/app-private
# pwd
/system/sd/app-private
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... Why is my memory so low???
I'm about to take my SD chip out and see if I cannot access the contents of these folders without it in...
MY APPS2SD IS WORKING AND HAS BEEN WORKING
Sorry guys... somethings just up[or rather DOWN] with my memory and my SD card reads differently...
Cloned2 said:
Being a newb SUCKS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's only one way to stop being a n00b: Learn.
You're doing fine. My suggestion is to not take it all on at once. Focus on one problem, fix it, learn from it and move on to the next one. You'll be a pro in no time.
I would guess that you need to repartition the SD card when moving from one ROM to the next, but I've never really played with apps2sd. See? You know more about it than I do!
download app: quick systems info
to see if your a2sd is working and how much is being used.
use the dconfig to make sure you have dalvik cached moved to sd... reboot the phone.
i am guessing at this....
you say you had a2sd working before with Madaco and could see 2 drives... that sounds wrong to me. if a2sd was working, then you should not see the 2nd drive. you are only able to see the main larger drive and that is it.. the others are used by android and not available to us.
now that you can not see the 2nd drive. sounds like a2sd is working. the app i suggested should confirm for you.
I did get everything working and my memory remains the same when I install applications.... perhaps I could see the second drive because I'm running Linux and/or the way I formatted the sd or the extension...
Sent from my HERO200 using Tapatalk
I think what you are describing is your SD-EXT partition (the a2sd partition you made). If you have a 2GB card and partitioned your card to be .5GB EXT, then it will appear your SD is 1.5GB. You get what I'm saying?
I used to be able to see 2 partitions as well. I think it was only with 1.5 ROMs.
If you want to mount both partitions then all you need to do is reboot into recovery and select the USB mount. Then both partitions will show up.
But you really don't need to mess with that second partition. Go to the market and download Titanium Backup. That will backup all your apps and settings. Restoring is a little annoying to do since you have to click for every app but if you buy the donate version then you don't have to do that.
centran said:
I used to be able to see 2 partitions as well. I think it was only with 1.5 ROMs.
If you want to mount both partitions then all you need to do is reboot into recovery and select the USB mount. Then both partitions will show up.
But you really don't need to mess with that second partition. Go to the market and download Titanium Backup. That will backup all your apps and settings. Restoring is a little annoying to do since you have to click for every app but if you buy the donate version then you don't have to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I perfer Backup For Root Users... does the same thing but is free and is one-click one-shot deal.

Messy sd card

I installed all my apps in internal memory ...
but all these apps created ''messy'' folders in my sd card ... making it even more messy.
Is there a way to ''ask'' these apps to install in specific sd card folder??
like \\sd\apps\data\
If you mean Froyo apps2sd they are all stored in a folder called .android_secure
Some apps also create folders on the SDcard for storing data regardless if you installed it on sd or internal.. Thats the developers choice I guess, where to put them.
ranchu said:
I installed all my apps in internal memory ...
but all these apps created ''messy'' folders in my sd card ... making it even more messy.
Is there a way to ''ask'' these apps to install in specific sd card folder??
like \\sd\apps\data\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there just app data folders, any you delete will either be restored when you next boot up your fone or next run a certain program so your wasting your time deleting any
They haven't installed on the sdcard. Like others have said, these folders are actually what the app creates to store data on. Some are images the app uses, others may be cached items or backups.
i think what the op means, is,if there is any way to tell the app where to put his data on the sd card, like on windows where you can tell a program where to instal.
and as far as i know that is not possible.
Thats why i have My_Music, My_Wallpapers, My_Ringtones etc. folders in my card, so it can be as messy as it wants, but my own stuff is there in one place. Easy to find.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
dragonithe said:
i think what the op means, is,if there is any way to tell the app where to put his data on the sd card, like on windows where you can tell a program where to instal.
and as far as i know that is not possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly!~

[Q] what is stored on the HD2 internal storage?

besides apps, is there anything else stored in the internal storage? i just got android on my HD2 and got everything set up, and i really don't feel like formatting my sd for a2sd, and i won't need too much space for apps.
also, is there a way to install apps on the sd without formatting anything? thanks.
System stuff, like the system.img from the android build you downloaded, uhh cache, HSPL/SPL, MAGLDR (This is if you're using a NAND android build). Mhm, pretty much that? Note even if you delete some system stuff it won't really free of storage for apps, as the memory is partitioned (meaning that it has a set amount of available space for apps, etc, and a set amount for system).
Well you could use the the freed system data for apps, just navigate to /system/apps and copy your apks to there. You can use droid or root explorer, or any explorer that has access to the roots of your device.
You can try move2sd, but it doesn't completely install the app to sd, it just moves a big chunk of the app to sd, leaving some left in the phone.
huh, seems like moving to sd will work for stuff like Astro File Manager but not system stuff PowerAmp. gonna try games if i can get them to download from the market.
have another question. is it possible for WP7 to load from the SD and boot from android, preferably without deleting the contents of the sd? i can't deal with magldr because of my touch screen problems. whenever i use the end key, my touch screen could start freezing, and i've set up android so that i never have to use the end key.
isoDUB said:
huh, seems like moving to sd will work for stuff like Astro File Manager but not system stuff PowerAmp. gonna try games if i can get them to download from the market.
have another question. is it possible for WP7 to load from the SD and boot from android, preferably without deleting the contents of the sd? i can't deal with magldr because of my touch screen problems. whenever i use the end key, my touch screen could start freezing, and i've set up android so that i never have to use the end key.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WP7 needs to be installed on NAND with magldr. You can run android off SD,then. Thats the only way to dualboot.
zarathustrax said:
WP7 needs to be installed on NAND with magldr. You can run android off SD,then. Thats the only way to dualboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crap.. i was afraid of that. oh well. guess i'll stick with android for now. will prepaid work with the web daypass on t-mobile?
Kailkti said:
Note even if you delete some system stuff it won't really free of storage for apps, as the memory is partitioned (meaning that it has a set amount of available space for apps, etc, and a set amount for system).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow didn't realize that... thanks for the insightful info

Running out of space

As the title suggests on my N1 i keep running out of memory space. I use APP2SD but not all of the apps can get transfered. So what can i do to fix this problem? Some apps like Shazam i need,K-9,handcent, Flextp, but apps like Quickoffice and books i dont need but those wont delete.Any advice?
Install Titanium Backup.
Use to to either uninstall the apps you dont want (including ones built into ROM if youre rooted) AND/OR us it to force apps to the SD card.
KidTech said:
but apps like Quickoffice and books i dont need but those wont delete.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since they're in /system/app, you cannot delete them without rooting. And even if you can delete them, it won't help you to solve your problem. If you want many application without having space problem, you need to root, install custom rom, use Apps2SD(it will install applications to SD card Ext partition) or Data2Ext.
I'm in the same boat as well. I am consistently hovering around 21-22 mb free. With all the recent updates, it eats up all my memory.
Freaking flash is still 12 mb, google maps is 9.7 mb, music 7.7 etc. Half the google apps I don't even use such as books 4.3 mb and goggles 3.8 mb.
I have to uninstall a few programs every once in a while so I can update another...uggh I guess Google didn't see this coming when they made the n1!
I'm with you. It's annoying as crap.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Try to see if you can find move2SD Enabler (not sure if it's on the market). It forces your apps to be able to move to SD card. It requires you to be rooted so I'm not sure if that's up your alley or not
Really rooting is your only solution. With root you can have hundreds of MB free, or even cyanogen ROM lets you move all apps giving me 120 MB free with my 89 apps installed.
RogerPodacter said:
Really rooting is your only solution. With root you can have hundreds of MB free, or even cyanogen ROM lets you move all apps giving me 120 MB free with my 89 apps installed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using dalvik to sd too? Im using dtapps2sd and i get between 18--23mb of free space on any given day. My sd card is too slow for dalvik to sd, and anything below 20mb and i stop getting things like email notifications.
If you are rooted... and if you have a decent SD Card (I just use the one that came with mine). I would suggest putting something on it that supports Darktremor. I swear by it for sure... after setting up an sd-ext... installing Darktremor and then running cachesd... I have tons of programs on my phone and I constantly put more on and have not had any issues since. Before, I would run out of memory even with dta2sd. I started removing stuff I didn't use often then decided to finally try out cache2sd and... now... no more problems. It seems like it might be a bit slower on the startup than before (though I never tested to see if it actually is or by how much) but after that it seems to run smooth as silk for me with tons of room to spare. My sd-ext is only 512 MB but you can modify it as you like with the proper partitioning utilities.
Though... this suggestion comes with the advice that you might want to know a bit about what it is I am suggesting before you actually do it. Read into it before you try anything.
Others have lightly touched on it, but most of the google apps are installed directly to the /system partition which is separate from where your downloaded apps are installed. Really, the only way to get additional space is by rooting your phone. The easiest thing to do would be to get Titanium Backup and merge all the updates for system apps back into the ROM. Whenever a system app gets updated, the updated program chews up your available space unless you merge it back into the ROM.
There are also additional options like apps2sdext, but they get a little more advanced as it requires partitioning the sdcard.
liam.lah said:
Are you using dalvik to sd too? Im using dtapps2sd and i get between 18--23mb of free space on any given day. My sd card is too slow for dalvik to sd, and anything below 20mb and i stop getting things like email notifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
honestly i am lazy, so the only thing i did was use the stock cyanogen allow any app move to sd setting. and it really made a difference. i guess if i wanted to install games that are 200 mb then this wouldnt help. but this method gave like 110mb free so i was happy enough with that.
i never researched the cache2sd or darktremor's method.
also in the past i did use root explorer to move some things from system/ to data/ etc to maximize as much as possible.
There is actually a method that can force enable "Move to SD" button for all apps. Check this link for more info
http://androidforums.com/desire-tips-tricks/160560-force-apps-install-sd-without-root.html
However, please be reminded that this implementation is actually based on the Google's app2sd.
So if you move apps with Widgets to SD, they will fail to launch the next time you reboot your phone
Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk
bassmadrigal said:
Really, the only way to get additional space is by rooting your phone. The easiest thing to do would be to get Titanium Backup and merge all the updates for system apps back into the ROM. Whenever a system app gets updated, the updated program chews up your available space unless you merge it back into the ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Finally! This works, thanks for the tip. It was soooo obvious, but I had never used Ti for this. Tap&hold and choose "Integrate update into ROM".
I just did that to Facebook, Twitter and Google Maps & got over 25 megs new space immediately.
liam.lah said:
Are you using dalvik to sd too? Im using dtapps2sd and i get between 18--23mb of free space on any given day. My sd card is too slow for dalvik to sd, and anything below 20mb and i stop getting things like email notifications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any card besides pure crap is fast enough for Dalvik2SD.
And this thread is absolutely pointless. This was discussed like 100000 times. There's ONE real solution - and it's A2SD, Apps2EXT, Data2EXT, and another zillion of names for the same thing - rooting, repartitioning SD card, and moving the apps and Dalvik-cache to the EXT partition. All the other solutions are temporary, and while giving some more air to breathe, don't really solve anything for anyone that downloads enough apps.
FAQ, question 9.
Jack, I'm looking into tweaking my partition table to make use of the/cache that hardly gets used in CM.
Do you know much about it?
My biggest problem is getting solid information on the N1 partitions, since I've stumbled across conflicting info...
Any help/guidance would be appreciated!
I guess the most guidance is in the Unrevoked site, the guys who achieved S-OFF on Desire. They have a bootloader that can change the partition sizes, and there's a post on Desire forum with the explanations of booting kernel while switching the partition sizes by passing boot parameters to the kernel.
The problem with Nexus is that unlike Desire, the bootloader will still see the original partitions. So if you change the recovery and the kernel to run with different values, overriding default partitioning (which you can do - it's explained for Desire, I remember reading a thread with explanations there), the bootloader won't play the game. Boot and Recovery will have to remain in place, otherwise the phone won't boot. And if anything goes wrong and the recovery won't boot one day - you'll need to repartition the ROM from the bootloader again and install stock to get going. Lots of work.
What you can do, and what might be better/easier to do, is just to link part of your ROM there - install system apps to /cache, for example, or such. Just remember not to wipe it then
Thanks for the heads up, Jack!
Still got a lot of reading to do on this one...
I have around 168 apps and with 'round 32mbs available ...FYI I am using CyanogenMod
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
I have over 200 apps with 42+ mb free... I still wanna play with my partitions... xD
Jack_R1 said:
Any card besides pure crap is fast enough for Dalvik2SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did use dalvik 2sd for a while, I believe I'm using a 16gb kingston class2. While the phone was still certainly usable, there was a noticeable decrease in performance.

Tips: Increasing internal memory capacity by 50%, managing effectively

Requirements: You're play is rooted and ext2 partition is available on youre sd card.
1. Install Link2sd v2.0.2 from market.
The updated version allows you to convert system application to user apps. Thus, pre-install games can now be move to be user apps.
2. convert pre-install apps to be user apps, and create link to the application.
you will notice somehow an increase in the available internal memory.
I hope, I help somehow..
I apologize if others can't follow my information above. I included here the more detailed instructions for using link2sd, please see link :-D
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1217578&highlight=dev+link2sd&page=5
cedie1001 said:
Requirements: You're play is rooted and ext2 partition is available on youre sd card.
1. Install Link2sd v2.0.2 from market.
The updated version allows you to convert system application to user apps. Thus, pre-install games can now be move to be user apps.
2. convert pre-install apps to be user apps, and create link to the application.
you will notice somehow an increase in the available internal memory.
I hope, I help somehow..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root Explorer can do the same thing too. I used it to get rid of the God awful games preinstalled on my phone
Sent from my sexy, sultry, suave Xperia Play sporting this season's Ice Cream Sony swimwear
How would I know if the ext2 partition is available on my SD card?
neverwinter said:
How would I know if the ext2 partition is available on my SD card?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use root explorer and there should be a folder sd-ext check in there
Sent from my R800a using XDA App
I never worry about space on mine. If you are rooted, you can use DroidSail Super App2SD. Its free and it works perfectly. I have transferred every single game to SD and they all work perfectly (every game that came on the phone, every game I have ever downloaded). I am consistently at about 250MB free.
zektor said:
I never worry about space on mine. If you are rooted, you can use DroidSail Super App2SD. Its free and it works perfectly. I have transferred every single game to SD and they all work perfectly (every game that came on the phone, every game I have ever downloaded). I am consistently at about 250MB free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for telling me about that, there is no hassle with partitioning sd card now
Cool, i´ll try it. More internal memory!
I like it because if something did not work (I have not encountered a game or app that has not when moved) the option exists to move it BACK. It is very similar to an app I used to use on the Tapwave Zodiac back in the Palm days. One of the main reasons to have root on the Play is this app!
cedie1001 said:
Requirements: You're play is rooted and ext2 partition is available on youre sd card.
1. Install Link2sd v2.0.2 from market.
The updated version allows you to convert system application to user apps. Thus, pre-install games can now be move to be user apps.
2. convert pre-install apps to be user apps, and create link to the application.
you will notice somehow an increase in the available internal memory.
I hope, I help somehow..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you for your update
but personally , i allways remove preinstalled apk by system-app-remover
does it can change the system apk to user apk , then move/link to SD ??
anybody tried that ?
mehdi.moha said:
thank you for your update
but personally , i allways remove preinstalled apk by system-app-remover
does it can change the system apk to user apk , then move/link to SD ??
anybody tried that ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yap!
i already done that.
system apk to user apk, and vice versa.
then link to SD
to those who want to partition their sd card to ext2 partition, simply download mini tool partition on youre pc, create partition (not more 1gb), it should be primary type and ext2.
i hope it helps
You can actually go up to ext4 without problem on this phone. Oh, and if you don't want to download a program to partition your sd card, and are confident in your adb abilities, look here.
OK...I think I just bricked my XPlay? When I tried to convert the Android Framework (I think that's what it's called) from system app to user app, my phone suddenly restarted, and is constantly restarting without getting into the UI at all... any idea what has happened here and how it can be fixed?
neverwinter said:
OK...I think I just bricked my XPlay? When I tried to convert the Android Framework (I think that's what it's called) from system app to user app, my phone suddenly restarted, and is constantly restarting without getting into the UI at all... any idea what has happened here and how it can be fixed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Android framework is like system32 for windows. Basically, don't mess with it. You're not bricked. Use FlashTool to reflash the .ftf file for your phone version.
Sent from my R800x using XDA
Thanks for letting me know. Will I loose all my info such as SMS, contacts, etc.? And where can I find info on how to reflash and get the correct .ftf for the phone?
Here is the FlashTool thread, and pretty much just search the Development subforum to find the thread that specifically deals with your phone model, whether it's x, i, at, or whatever else there is.
Flashing that .ftf will put you back to stock, so hope that you had your contacts backed up with your Google account. And SMS will be gone, as well as everything else that was personal.
Thanks a lot...it's unfortunate if I can't get my info back...
nvm
Sounds like you're not allowed to move that one.
Sent from my R800x using XDA
Thanks for the info...I got my phone working again... the firmware I flashed is much better than the previous that was installed. Everything runs faster, and PSX games run smoother and faster...

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