Trying to move KODI / SPMC data to SD card or USB drive - Shield Android TV Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I noticed on a few different occasions that my KODI (now using SPMC but they both behave the same way) app data growing to more the 6 Gigs thereby making my 16Gig shield run out of memory. I have been uninstalling and reinstalling to work around the issue.
I'd like to resolve it so I tried following the instructions in the thread below. :
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=268766&pid=2319979#pid2319979
I'm not using adoptable storage and am trying to get this working with either an SD card (shown as /storage/4B2F-56AC) or a USB 3.0 thumbdrive (shown as /storage/98FB-2ABF).
I created a file in /sdcard called "xbmc_env.properties" (I also tried "spmc_env.properties" even though SPMC is supposed to recognize both).
I added the follow text in the file : xbmc.data=/storage/98FB-2ABF/
Unfortunately with this file sitting in the /sdcard location, SPMC refuses to run.. It just sits at a black screen. I force closed the app, restarted the Shield and it still does the same thing... Sits at a black screen.
When I remove the file SPMC returns to working normally so I know it's trying to process the file.. I'm just not sure why it's not working.. It's simply one line of code in a file so it's not rocket science but I simply cannot get SPMC to launch when the file is present.
Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong ? I'd still like to move the DATA to an external source so if it grows unexpectedly in the future it doesn't interfere with other SHIELD TV apps and functions.
On a side note...
I DID notice that the culprit files that were taking up all the space in the SPMC / KODI install were .cache files... I'm thinking I should just be able to delete them ( I actually did but SPMC was still acting up) to reclaim that valuable space ?

Hmmmm.. 57 views and no replies..
I guess this hasn't been attempted very often on the Shield.
If someone could successfully take a crack at this and post a how to it would be greatly appreciated.
I tried again yesterday on both an SD card and a USB drive w/o any luck. One thing I did notice though was that when I tried to actually write to both devices through the Shield using X-Plore, it failed. With the SD card it prompted me how to enable write access and I eventually was able to copy data over to it but with the USB drive it simply failed and I couldn't get copy anything to it while it was connected to the Shield.
I should lastly mention that I am NOT rooted and am fully stock.
Is this even possible using external storage ? I don't want to setup these device as "Internal Storage" as it's my understanding that when doing so you are replacing the current internal storage (my 16Gigs) with the SD (or USB thumb drive). I tried doing so with my SD card a while back but noticed periodic slow downs on the Shield so I undid the change.

It seems as though the "Adoptable storage" option has improved with the latest update.
I converted my USB drive to Internal Storage and let the Shield do it's thing.
When all was done I was able to goto the SPMC app settings and choose to have the app on the USB drive vs. the internal 16Gb storage. I made the switch and SPMC appears to be working ok. Time will tell if I see any noticeable performance impacts.
I already use a centralized SQL DB for all media info so I'm hoping performance will be the same.
Mods... You can probably close this thread.

the.teejster said:
It seems as though the "Adoptable storage" option has improved with the latest update.
I converted my USB drive to Internal Storage and let the Shield do it's thing.
When all was done I was able to goto the SPMC app settings and choose to have the app on the USB drive vs. the internal 16Gb storage. I made the switch and SPMC appears to be working ok. Time will tell if I see any noticeable performance impacts.
I already use a centralized SQL DB for all media info so I'm hoping performance will be the same.
Mods... You can probably close this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mention a change in performance when using your sd card. You do understand that you must use a class 10 or preferably higher class to make it the same or faster than current internal storage?
I was trying to do the same thing as you but in my case I chose to move internal storage to a 64gb usb 3.0 usb drive.
Then I noticed kodi's performance was absolutely ****ty. The reason for this is because it tries to read data from the usb drive, and somehow kodi doesn't handle that well. My solution was to let the app be installed to adoptive storage but let the .kodi data be read from the actual internal storage.
This eliminated all performance issues!

Don't you need a UHS Class 3 device?

I have since tried converting and testing out both my USB thumb drive and my Class 10 SD card by converting them one at a time to internal storage and moving SPMC over.
I honestly thought my 6 month old USB 3.0 thumb drive would have been faster than a 3 year old SD card but I was wrong.
I have noticed a small performance decrease but nothing near as bad as you mention that currently warrants me to revert to internal storage. Time will tell as I use it more.
shaggydiamond said:
You mention a change in performance when using your sd card. You do understand that you must use a class 10 or preferably higher class to make it the same or faster than current internal storage?
I was trying to do the same thing as you but in my case I chose to move internal storage to a 64gb usb 3.0 usb drive.
Then I noticed kodi's performance was absolutely ****ty. The reason for this is because it tries to read data from the usb drive, and somehow kodi doesn't handle that well. My solution was to let the app be installed to adoptive storage but let the .kodi data be read from the actual internal storage.
This eliminated all performance issues!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I decided to revert back to using internal storage only. I was getting intermittent pausing of videos that I was watching off my NAS with SPMC installed on both a Class 10 Samsung SD card and a USB 3.0 thumb drive.

the.teejster said:
I decided to revert back to using internal storage only. I was getting intermittent pausing of videos that I was watching off my NAS with SPMC installed on both a Class 10 Samsung SD card and a USB 3.0 thumb drive.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using adoptive storage but moved kodi data around for better performance.
I followed this official guide on how to move Kodi data folder somewhere else:
HOW-TO:Change_data_location_for_Android (wiki)
I used ES file Explorer for this.
Here are the steps:
turn on the option to show hidden files (it is the first option). On the root of your SD Card (path is /sdcard) create a file called: xbmc_env.properties.
Open the created file and add only this line:
xbmc.data=/storage/emulated/0/InternalStorage/
You can point to another folder inside InternalStorage folder but you need to create it first. It will not be created automatically by Kodi.
Start Kodi to verify that it works. Kodi will start with the clean profile. Quit Kodi.
Using ES file explorer to erase the new contents of the /sdcard/InternalStorage folder. This is where you want your kodi data.
Using ES file Explorer and go to /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files
Move everything to a /sdcard/InternalStorage. Or you can just copy it and keep the old files until you verify that everything works.
Now start Kodi. You should see your old stuff loading but now everything is fast again.

Thanks for the info.. I actually used this as the basis for what I was trying to accomplish except I wanted to have Kodi DATA on the external storage to prevent unforeseen growth end up chewing up all the valuable internal storage.
The problem is that you cannot write to external storage from the shield UNLESS it's setup as adoptable storage, hence the approach I tried which worked, but resulted in unacceptable performance in the form of periodic video freezing.
shaggydiamond said:
I am using adoptive storage but moved kodi data around for better performance.
I followed this official guide on how to move Kodi data folder somewhere else:
HOW-TO:Change_data_location_for_Android (wiki)
I used ES file Explorer for this.
Here are the steps:
turn on the option to show hidden files (it is the first option). On the root of your SD Card (path is /sdcard) create a file called: xbmc_env.properties.
Open the created file and add only this line:
xbmc.data=/storage/emulated/0/InternalStorage/
You can point to another folder inside InternalStorage folder but you need to create it first. It will not be created automatically by Kodi.
Start Kodi to verify that it works. Kodi will start with the clean profile. Quit Kodi.
Using ES file explorer to erase the new contents of the /sdcard/InternalStorage folder. This is where you want your kodi data.
Using ES file Explorer and go to /sdcard/Android/data/org.xbmc.kodi/files
Move everything to a /sdcard/InternalStorage. Or you can just copy it and keep the old files until you verify that everything works.
Now start Kodi. You should see your old stuff loading but now everything is fast again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Related

How do I navigate to the USB drive?

I had it at one time but because I'm an Android newbie, I have no idea where to look.
Using Astro or ES.
rorytmeadows said:
I had it at one time but because I'm an Android newbie, I have no idea where to look.
Using Astro or ES.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's ok, we all start somewhere right?
Load up astro hit home then up and your usb storage device is whatever is in usb_storage. Remember to give it a few secs to detect it and prepare the drive.
Your SD card (internal) is sdcard and your microsd is external_sd.
GL.
Hope this helps.
Neoprimal said:
It's ok, we all start somewhere right?
Load up astro hit home then up and your usb storage device is whatever is in usb_storage. Remember to give it a few secs to detect it and prepare the drive.
Your SD card (internal) is sdcard and your microsd is external_sd.
GL.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent! Thanks.
Is it possible to access the micro SD card through a computer? When exploring the acer drive after plugging it in you can see all the stuff on the internal memory but can't get to the external_sdcard folder.
at the moment i dont think this is possible but give it a few days and it might be a possibility.
tuffghost said:
Is it possible to access the micro SD card through a computer? When exploring the acer drive after plugging it in you can see all the stuff on the internal memory but can't get to the external_sdcard folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can purchase (I think it was a whole $1.50) an app called WiFi File Explorer. It sets your tablet with its own IP address from whatever source you are using for WiFi. Then you access your SD Card by entering in the IP address line in your browser. The app will give you the exact address line to enter into your browser.
Its like a virtual FTS server actually. Works like a charm. If you are worried about security, you can require a password.
Accessing external sd and usb drives
It is possible to access the SD and USB drives using a file manager such as Astro or Estrongs. The drives can be found in the main directory under subdirectory /mnt.
Hope this helps. I had the same problem at first.
Tam the Bam
tuffghost said:
Is it possible to access the micro SD card through a computer? When exploring the acer drive after plugging it in you can see all the stuff on the internal memory but can't get to the external_sdcard folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to Acer, that isn't possible right now. Not that I'm inclined to believe them, but the manual is pretty thorough and I decided to go through every page and it clearly states "Transferring files from a microSD card to your PC.
Remove the card from the tablet and use a card reader or USB adapter to access the card as an external storage device."
I'm REALLY hoping they address this in an update. I thought it was a Honeycomb limitation due to the Xoom but Asus has addressed it by looping it as a folder in the internal storage so I mean, Acer and Xoom should be able to do that as well. Unless there are unforeseen problems with doing that? /shrug.
USB and a camera
Thanks for starting this thread! I'm also a newb and I have Astro and ES installed (now).
I am trying to read images from my camera (Nikon D3). When I attach the USB and turn on the camera the A500 says scanning for media. But none shows up in the photo browser (I'm sure I need a better viewer and suggestions are welcome!). When using ES or Astro and navigating to the usb_storage directory it shows as empty.
For background, the D3 holds 2 CF cards with the 2nd typically used as overflow and both are 8GB. Each card normally just has a DCIM directory with photos in one or more directories below that.
Once I connected up the A500, on one of the cards 2 additional directories were created (the one without any images currently) called .android_secure and LOST.DIR. I can't see any of these directories on the A500 or any of the images (all .jpg). I plugged into my laptop for this info.
I am trying not to have to carry my laptop anymore so any suggestions, ideas or research resources would be appreciated.
I've run into a HUGE issue. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this.
The files on my USB flash drives begins to get erased/deleted if it is still connected to the tablet when the device is activated from hibernation mode. I don't know if the file explorer apps are causing this bug. I've used Linda File Manager and Astro and 3 different USB drives to test this. I've even restored my tablet to factory settings.
Hello,
I have also problems navigating the usb drive.As mentioned above I found the dir but it shows (Directory empty).Im using a 8gb transcend flash drive.On 128mb flash drive there is no problem viewing and accesing the files.Any other have the same problem or solution?
I change the file system from NTFS to FAT32 and it works now(such a stupid user Ive become)

[Q] In simple terms, how to access/use storage on CM7 SD

I have spent the last week reading and searching the forums in an attempt to find out how to be able to access and use the empty space left on a CM7 boot sd. Some of the posts were confusing and others seemed to be targeted to those who are already very familiar with the file structures of these systems. The only paritioning experience I have is dividing a boot drive before putting on XP. I am using a Sandisk 8gb and it looks like there is about 5 gig free. Win XP is the os I am running.
So the questions I have are:
1) In simple terms, exactly what has to be done to a boot CM7 SD card to be able to use the empty space for books, mp3, etc? On the recommendations I read in different threads, I downloaded easus partition master, gnome partition editor, and minitool partition wizard. They all pretty much do the same of being able to display the 4 partitions, but what do with the programs then?
In the near future I would like to get a 16g or 32g and wouldn't want all of that space going to waste.
2) Is it possible to have it so that the NC stock boot can read the books downloaded in CM7? I have not been able to find where CM7 stores books.
Thanks to all whose work helped me get to this point. The NC is a fascinating piece of hardware.
Hey! Using the remaining storage on your SD card is quite easy. Just download and install this program on your NC. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=952456 open the program and select the 4th partition to be mounted. Now when you plug your nook into the PC, the partition which holds media etc. Will be mounted you can now transfer mp3's, roms for Emulators etc.
As for #2, Your cm7 books should be on the previously mentioned partition, which is the 4th.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA Premium App
Imbroglio said:
I have spent the last week reading and searching the forums in an attempt to find out how to be able to access and use the empty space left on a CM7 boot sd. Some of the posts were confusing and others seemed to be targeted to those who are already very familiar with the file structures of these systems. The only paritioning experience I have is dividing a boot drive before putting on XP. I am using a Sandisk 8gb and it looks like there is about 5 gig free. Win XP is the os I am running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5G sounds about right for the /sdcard partition. The rest of the partitions on an 8G card are /boot, /system, and /data. Use Root Explorer to poke around; you can tell when you jump partitions because the used/free numbers at the top will change.
/boot is not normally mounted.
The root filesystem is in-memory and is initialized from /boot/uRamdisk by default.
So the questions I have are:
1) In simple terms, exactly what has to be done to a boot CM7 SD card to be able to use the empty space for books, mp3, etc? On the recommendations I read in different threads, I downloaded easus partition master, gnome partition editor, and minitool partition wizard. They all pretty much do the same of being able to display the 4 partitions, but what do with the programs then?
In the near future I would like to get a 16g or 32g and wouldn't want all of that space going to waste.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original instructions in the size-agnostic install thread detail what happens to various sizes of card; for anything above 2G /sdcard gets all the extra.
Any apps that use /sdcard for storage will use this space. App-specific config data and small databases are generally in /data unless instructed otherwise (I'm using less than 300M of my /data partition as yet). The app info or permissions will often give clues; if the permission for "read and write SD card" is requested or required, the app can or must use this space. Some apps (like BeyondPod) will always use /sdcard.
So, your space isn't wasted, it's just unused until you fill it.
2) Is it possible to have it so that the NC stock boot can read the books downloaded in CM7? I have not been able to find where CM7 stores books.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The CM7 SD boot cleverly uses the built-in memory for both /cache and (at least some) media storage; the "media" stock partition pre-1.2 is mounted as /emmc; I don't know how the SD boot uses the newer partitions. The NC app stores books in "/emmc/B&N Downloads/Books" and magazines in ".../Magazines". You can move your music files to "/emmc/My Files/Music" and the stock music player will automagically find them there, freeing up even more space in your SD. This partition is mounted the same for emmc-booted NCs, making an easier transition if you get to that point (it took me months to decide to go ahead and do it, and I'm happy with the choice). Other apps may look there, or can be told to look there, but since it's a new-ish Android "feature" (convention, really), it's not universal.
When you use USB mounting by plugging your charger cable into your PC's USB socket, by default the two "drives" mounted are /sdcard (named "CM7 SDCARD") and /emmc ("MyNookColor"), so you can use your PC to explore, backup, and move files back & forth to experiment. Both partitions are FAT32, so all PCs should be able to handle them. Remember to tell the PC to unmount them in software before unplugging the cable, like any thumb drive.
Thanks to all whose work helped me get to this point. The NC is a fascinating piece of hardware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is, isn't it? I haven't regretted buying one for a minute.
Thank you for posting the reply on the APP nook/cm7 file system.
Unfortunately, it still doesn't address HOW to sideload (DRAG AND DROP) books on the utilizing the empty portion of a CM7 SD card.
1. I put the SD card into an reader.
2. Windows xp detects the card.
3. I pull up windows explorer.
4. It only displays the "root" directory. Yes, I can drag and drop into the "my documents" folder but this partition only contains about 300 meg total storage.
5. It does not display the other partitions, thus I cannot drag and drop anything into the 5g partition.
Yes, I can drag and drop on the NC onboard storage, but not the CM7 SD card. Is the remaining 5 gigs only allocated for APP storage?
Now after 2 weeks searching this site and seeing numerous recommendations for software but not what to do with it or cryptic posts assuming that one already is very familiar with the android os, I am pulling my hair out over this. The only post I found that directly and simply addressed the issue requires that I reformat the SD with SDformatter to allow for full storage access but then I have install CM7 all over again.
I downloaded NookColorUMS-0.3b.apk using Opera, but that is all it did. I had to search again and it mentioned something about ADB (no idea what that is) which had to be installed. Aparently that doesn't work alone and it lead to another link to more required software - the Android SDK and then came a long list of more steps just to install that.
Hopefully, if I ever figure this out, I will write a simple to understand post that new NC CM7 people like me can understand.
Try this: unplug the charger cable from the "n"-shaped brick. Plug the cable into a USB port on your computer. Plug the other end into the NC as usual.
Tap the button(s) that pop up on the NC to allow USB mounting.
Two new drives show up on the PC. These are /emmc and /sdcard, but they'll have different names on the PC. Use Windoze Explorer to drag and drop. I might suggest /sdcard/download as a first try, but feel free to drop copies in multiple directories in order to experiment. Adobe Reader looks all over for its docs.
When you're done, click on the PC tray thing to release BOTH drives from the PC.
Poke around with your reader to find these files. Some readers might be better at looking around than others.
Let us know how you get along!
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
So once you download the NookColorUMS.apk, use the file explorer on your nook, go to the 'download' folder and click on this file. It will open up and ask you if you can install the program. Click yes and let it install.
When you are done with that, open the program and mount the partition of interest(i think its 4 as a previous poster stated). Now when you plug your nook into your computer that partition will mount. There should be 4 partitions if you are using the CM7 on SD card.
You should be able to now drag and drop files on that partition. Just make sure you unmount properly as I have run into problems if you just unplug it.
extremepizza
Imbroglio said:
Thank you for posting the reply on the APP nook/cm7 file system.
Unfortunately, it still doesn't address HOW to sideload (DRAG AND DROP) books on the utilizing the empty portion of a CM7 SD card.
1. I put the SD card into an reader.
2. Windows xp detects the card.
3. I pull up windows explorer.
4. It only displays the "root" directory. Yes, I can drag and drop into the "my documents" folder but this partition only contains about 300 meg total storage.
5. It does not display the other partitions, thus I cannot drag and drop anything into the 5g partition.
Yes, I can drag and drop on the NC onboard storage, but not the CM7 SD card. Is the remaining 5 gigs only allocated for APP storage?
Now after 2 weeks searching this site and seeing numerous recommendations for software but not what to do with it or cryptic posts assuming that one already is very familiar with the android os, I am pulling my hair out over this. The only post I found that directly and simply addressed the issue requires that I reformat the SD with SDformatter to allow for full storage access but then I have install CM7 all over again.
I downloaded NookColorUMS-0.3b.apk using Opera, but that is all it did. I had to search again and it mentioned something about ADB (no idea what that is) which had to be installed. Aparently that doesn't work alone and it lead to another link to more required software - the Android SDK and then came a long list of more steps just to install that.
Hopefully, if I ever figure this out, I will write a simple to understand post that new NC CM7 people like me can understand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am using Racks Phiremod/Honeycomb dual boot image but I don't see why this method would not work for your install. Rather than messing with mounting partitions and all that whenever I want to put something on the SD Card partition I will just plug my nook into the computer, copy and paste whatever file I need onto the nook's internal memory, and then use root explorer to cut and paste the file from the internal memory to the SD Card partition.
my emmc and sd card both show up and writable drives. I use stuff that I need faster access to in there, since the mount time is faster than the SD card.

[Q] Question re: USB Disk drive

OK, I just downloaded and installed the 3.1 update, running stock OS.
CONFIG
I have a 32GB A500 which I assume is main memory / SSD. I also added a 32GB micro SDHC chip in it, and for testing, an 8GB thumb drive in the large USB port. They all show up in system Settings,
When I have had the A500 connected via the mini-USB port, the memory / SSD shows up, but not the sdhc card, and not a thumb drive if i plug that in (when I look at it as an extended drive)
Some applications can see memory / SSD, and the micro SDHC chip. For example, ES File Explorer has a tab which cycles between the memory / SSD file system, and that on the SHDC chip. It doesn't include USB storage.
QUESTION
First, I'd like to confirm that something (anything) can read the USB file system.
Next, I am looking for a utility that would allow me to see all three file systems: main/SSD, SDHC, and USB, and move things back and forth between them, and to/from my PC as well. Recommendations?
As far as I know there is nothing that will allow you to read the 'external' drives from PC. This was supposed to be fixed in 3.1 (just another thing borked..), so go figure when or IF it'll ever be available.
Incidentally, my 2.2 Archos 101 did all that perfectly, but the new android versions won't, funny eh?
Assuming he has the proper drivers installed, what if he went micro usb connected to pc and thumb drive in tablet. He could read/transfer files from thumb to tablet and have the pc read/transfer to/from the tablet. If that makes sense or helps.
Get a file explorer and go to the mnt directory. the internal, external and usb storage are all there.
I guess I'd be happy with an answer to the first question below, happier with an answer to the second:
1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.
GCurry said:
I guess I'd be happy with an answer to the first question below, happier with an answer to the second:
1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) I use Root Explorer and I can see the USB Storage in the MNT directory in the root of the device.
2) from the PC, adb i assume, but i've never done this. For network, try Samba server - https://market.android.com/details?id=com.funkyfresh.samba&feature=search_result.
GCurry said:
I guess I'd be happy with an answer to the first question below, happier with an answer to the second:
1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer the first one, no, there is no application to read the external data drives.
As for the second, to transfer files between these, you need to get a file explorer like Root Explorer. The multimedia apps have the ability to access the external data drives so if you want to store music and/or movies on them, you do not have to use up your internal memory.
Hope that answered your question.
Does 3.1 add ntfs support??....if not can I make it support without rooting my tab??
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App
Root explorer works great, so does File Manager HD
GCurry said:
OK, I just downloaded and installed the 3.1 update, running stock OS.
QUESTION
First, I'd like to confirm that something (anything) can read the USB file system.
Next, I am looking for a utility that would allow me to see all three file systems: main/SSD, SDHC, and USB, and move things back and forth between them, and to/from my PC as well. Recommendations?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Astro, in Astro I see them all. Home, Up and you'll see all the storage areas.
Astro will allow you to move things back and forth between SD, USB and Internal storage.
Nothing that I know of, will allow you to directly view your USB or MicroSD using your PC, by directly I mean through the microusb connection.
There's an app called Wifi File Explorer Pro which may allow you to see them on the PC however I'm not certain as I never used it extensively and may be more trouble than it's worth as you'll have to open a port in your router for it to work properly.
Hope this helps.
Any file manager can access /mnt/external_sd and /mnt/usb_storage.
Drive mount or USB mount all can mount ntfs drives. Must be rooted.
Can only access internal memory front PC. End of story until google/Acer fixes it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Euclid's Brother said:
Any file manager can access /mnt/external_sd and /mnt/usb_storage.
Drive mount or USB mount all can mount ntfs drives. Must be rooted.
Can only access internal memory front PC. End of story until google/Acer fixes it.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on 3.1 ota and I wanted to root it for ntfs support.....but don't want to void my warranty.....(weather here is too humid so generally all electronic devices don't work or something or the other happens to them)...so I will unroot later to claim my warranty.....what else can I do with root.....(no custom roms..).......
Sent from my XT720 using XDA App
1. Is there any app, running on the tablet, which will allow me to see the file system on a USB thumbdrive? Which one. It's odd to me that I can see the drive, apparently properly formed, in the tablet "system settings" app, but (so far) haven't seen how to get at it myself, and haven't found an app which access it either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any file system application (ASTRO, Root Explorer) can access all storage devices in your system. The location for the storage devices is /mnt.
Note that the /mnt/sdcard directory is actually a FUSE mount of /data/local
The directories related to storage are:
/mnt/sdcard - a FUSE image of /data/local. This is internal storage.
/mnt/external_sd - The microSD card. Must be FAT32.
/mnt/usb_drive - A USB drive of some sorts...can be a thumb drive or a hard drive. Not sure about 3.1, but 3.0.1 needed this drive to be FAT32.
2. Is there an application, running on the PC, or an app running on the tablet, which let's me see the file systems on tablet, tablet's sdhc chip, thumb drive and PC storage in a unified way, so I can move things around without unplugging stuff? That is harder, but one of those networked file access utilities might do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer...other than ADB, no (until Acer fixes that). When you mount your tablet to your PC, you are connecting to a FUSE partition, which is an image of /data/local. You can transfer files between /data/local (via FUSE partition) and your PC. Unfortunately, because you are accessing a FUSE partition, you are restricted to only /data/local (so you can't get to /mnt). ADB is a known exception (as it uses USB Debugging to access the tablet), but that isn't graphical at all (all command line, which means it is a lot of typing).
op mentioned ES file explorer
Use it myself - as I really like the interface and the LAN access works great for me.
You can see all your storage devices from es explorer
/mnt/sdcard = internal memory
/mnt/external_sd = microsd card
/mnt/USB_drive = USB based storage device
If you want to mount ntfs you need to root.

increase 16gb harddrive space for roms/emu/android games? whats the best way? (use sd

and is there a guide to do this, is it using the sd?
what software apk files do i need?
thanks
I'm using default option to transfert apps on SdCard (after installing), on menu setting/applications.
does that transfer the big obb/data files?
kyrusdemnati said:
does that transfer the big obb/data files?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It did with Doom 3. All 4GB transferred to my SD card.
But YMMV depending on the app of course
I have bought Tales From the Borderlands, which BTW plays really nice with the Nvidia-controller. Whereas the app itself is installed on the microSD-card, the game data it self (e.g. the different seasons - and those are several megabytes) will load internally. That's sad.
Apps to externals HDD
ive been trying to figure out how to move apps from the internal memory to an external HDD i alread used the drive to create a TWRP backup, i can also see the drive in ES file explorer but i cant find any apps or method to move app OBB/DATA to an external HDD there are plenty for apps to SD but i need APP to HDD. can anyone shed some light on this? do you have this kind of thing working?
beefy143 said:
ive been trying to figure out how to move apps from the internal memory to an external HDD i alread used the drive to create a TWRP backup, i can also see the drive in ES file explorer but i cant find any apps or method to move app OBB/DATA to an external HDD there are plenty for apps to SD but i need APP to HDD. can anyone shed some light on this? do you have this kind of thing working?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe Apps to USB storage will be available when we get an Android M update for the Shield TV.
any news on android m ?
If you happen to have xposed
Theres a module thats purpose is to "reroute" those internal folder contents to its counterpart on external sd card
Theres no mention of usb harddrive, but those in this situation thats willing to test and find out......
"Change path to internal SD card on OS level! Android Storage API tweaks.
This module changes path to internal SD card.
You can: change path to internal SD which is returned by System API, change path to obb dirs, app files, download dir (you can have everything on SD card!)
Control it in app settings."
[Xposed][MODULE][4.0+] XInternalSD
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/xposed-disablesignaturecheck-t2789267
Github
https://github.com/pylerSM/XInternalSD
If there are and it works, im sure future readers in this situation would appreciate the confirmation assuming theres no other way
Xposed
I'll try that out don't have xposed installed yet but I guess that will have to be the next thing on my list.
on full android i use link2sd.
@tailslol
Thanks for the tip with the app:good:
Apps to externals HDD
For apps to HDD you need folder mount tested and working
beefy143 said:
For apps to HDD you need folder mount tested and working
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a post about it here on xda in shield android tv general.
Why does Nvidia even keep putting 16GB options in these tablets and STB? I swear 32GB should be the absolute minimum.
Sub-Negro said:
Why does Nvidia even keep putting 16GB options in these tablets and STB? I swear 32GB should be the absolute minimum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway the beta 6.0 is comming with native app to SD support.
tailslol said:
Anyway the beta 6.0 is comming with native app to SD support.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does the apps to SD support in 6.0 move everything? Obb and Data.
Also will it support moving to USB or external HDD?
If not I would say it's still pretty useless to me.
beefy143 said:
Does the apps to SD support in 6.0 move everything? Obb and Data.
Also will it support moving to USB or external HDD?
If not I would say it's still pretty useless to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything,yes but sd only,not USB.
It mount USB as a external device.
There is no "best way" until we can figure out a way to get the Shield TV to support EXT4 file system.
I installed a custom kernel on my Galaxy Note 10.1 v2014 16GB tablet so I can use my 64GB external micro SD as "internal" storage. It works fairly well. It's not perfect, but it works well.
Once I got my tablet to recognize EXT4 file system, I was able to format my micro SD to EXT4 use a Windows app, there are several.
Then, I used Link2SD to mount the card as "internal storage".
My internal storage has only 10gb free when it's stock with no apps installed. I cleaned out the bloat and managed to recover another 0.4gb.
Using Link2SD, I'm able to install another 11gb of apps and games onto my tablet. My real internal storage now is about 8.82gb free. The rest of the data is stored on the micro SD.
For a lot of apps, it's able to store 100% of the app's data onto the micro SD.....I mean 100%!
BUGS:
Because of the way my tablet mounts the micro SD, if I ever have to reboot my tablet, then I have to reboot it twice. First, I do a "hard" reboot". Second, I do a "soft" reboot. The first reboot mounts the micro SD. But, because Links2SD loads before the micro SD mounts, it doesn't see it. So, I do a "soft" reboot, which only reboots the Android UI. Links2SD has a built-in feature to do this. After the soft reboot, Link2SD sees it. You have to buy the paid version to move 100% of the data to the micro SD but it was only $2-3.
Once in a blue moon, my NOVA launcher acts weird. I just do the process above and it resets it.
Without directory linking, which is how Link2SD works, then there is no BEST WAY to do this because there's no way Android will move 100% of the app to the external storage. Link2SD creates symbolic link on the internal storage, so when you look at the App Manager, it still thinks it's internal and even gives you the option to MOVE TO SD but don't do that! It's already on the SD.
So, bottom line, if you want this to work for our Nvidia Shield TV's, then you need to spread awareness to Nvidia and devs here about EXT4 file system support and hope that someone can port it to our machines!
Neo3D said:
There is no "best way" until we can figure out a way to get the Shield TV to support EXT4 file system.
I installed a custom kernel on my Galaxy Note 10.1 v2014 16GB tablet so I can use my 64GB external micro SD as "internal" storage. It works fairly well. It's not perfect, but it works well.
Once I got my tablet to recognize EXT4 file system, I was able to format my micro SD to EXT4 use a Windows app, there are several.
Then, I used Link2SD to mount the card as "internal storage".
My internal storage has only 10gb free when it's stock with no apps installed. I cleaned out the bloat and managed to recover another 0.4gb.
Using Link2SD, I'm able to install another 11gb of apps and games onto my tablet. My real internal storage now is about 8.82gb free. The rest of the data is stored on the micro SD.
For a lot of apps, it's able to store 100% of the app's data onto the micro SD.....I mean 100%!
BUGS:
Because of the way my tablet mounts the micro SD, if I ever have to reboot my tablet, then I have to reboot it twice. First, I do a "hard" reboot". Second, I do a "soft" reboot. The first reboot mounts the micro SD. But, because Links2SD loads before the micro SD mounts, it doesn't see it. So, I do a "soft" reboot, which only reboots the Android UI. Links2SD has a built-in feature to do this. After the soft reboot, Link2SD sees it. You have to buy the paid version to move 100% of the data to the micro SD but it was only $2-3.
Once in a blue moon, my NOVA launcher acts weird. I just do the process above and it resets it.
Without directory linking, which is how Link2SD works, then there is no BEST WAY to do this because there's no way Android will move 100% of the app to the external storage. Link2SD creates symbolic link on the internal storage, so when you look at the App Manager, it still thinks it's internal and even gives you the option to MOVE TO SD but don't do that! It's already on the SD.
So, bottom line, if you want this to work for our Nvidia Shield TV's, then you need to spread awareness to Nvidia and devs here about EXT4 file system support and hope that someone can port it to our machines!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are a bit late but this is ok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtPGPBN5PJQ

Cannot Manually Add files to internal Storage SD Card, but Apps can be transfered

I'm having a rather unique problem with my the Micro SD card I installed.
I can format it as internal storage and it won't pop up for file managers or my computer.
This means I can't manually move files to it all.
Despite that when it's internal storage I can move apps to it and it adds new apps to it by default.
I could go to move all and move everything it can on, but it's a fairly slow SD card so I'm hoping to mainly put music, videos and any pictures on there.
I worry about it moving the apps that I want to keep in internal storage for speed over.
Does anyone know how I could fix this?
EDIT:
I didn't manage to figure out how to add files manually while it was internal storage through either internal file managers or through the computer.
But I did manage to find the SD card while it was portable.
The trick is to use the built in file explorer on the phone and copy a small file onto the SD card.
With there being something other than just Android files on the SD card it can then be discovered by the computer.
This mainly solves my problem as I plan to use it primarily for storage of music and game files, with the emulators being on the phone itself.
I had this issue a few days ago. You have 2 options to format, (1) as a internal storage and only your phone can read this and other option (2)to use on others devices. Using the second option I managed to transfer files to my microSD like it used to be.
While using the first option I was able only to transfer apps to it through the system.
I hope it helps
I'm using one, but I'm not even able to find it with File Manager?
Is that normal for Internal Storage?
I expected there to at least be a folder in the normal phone space called SD card or something?
Is there no way to manually move music there when it's internal storage?
Also I tried changing it to be portable but my computer still couldn't see it.
File manager could actually see it and open it but I couldn't copy paste anything to it.
So I turned it back to internal as I can at least move apps to it successfully at the moment.
Rajvir8 said:
I'm using one, but I'm not even able to find it with File Manager?
Is that normal for Internal Storage?
I expected there to at least be a folder in the normal phone space called SD card or something?
Is there no way to manually move music there when it's internal storage?
Also I tried changing it to be portable but my computer still couldn't see it.
File manager could actually see it and open it but I couldn't copy paste anything to it.
So I turned it back to internal as I can at least move apps to it successfully at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I tried as Internal Storage any File Manager found my SDcard too... Thats why I'm using as portable.
After that, i could see this.
Maybe you're missing something like changing the USB connection from Charging to File transfering.
Did you checked this?
Yes it can see the rest of my phone and move files, so I've made sure to change it to file transferring.
When you used internal storage file managers failed to find your SD card as well?
dennismac said:
When I tried as Internal Storage any File Manager found my SDcard too... Thats why I'm using as portable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here your saying that you could find it and that's why you swapped over?
I assume you forgot to say it failed to show up separately and that's why you changed to portable.
Rajvir8 said:
Yes it can see the rest of my phone and move files, so I've made sure to change it to file transferring.
When you used internal storage file managers failed to find your SD card as well?
Here your saying that you could find it and that's why you swapped over?
I assume you forgot to say it failed to show up separately and that's why you changed to portable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry! Yes, I failed to find my SD card too, thats why i changed to portable.
Im assuming this is a normal behavior, my last Android phone was a Galaxy S2 and I stopped following Android changes for the lasts 4/5 years. But idk why you can't see it even in portable mode... That should work as worked for me.
Hope someone help you more than I did!
dennismac said:
Sorry! Yes, I failed to find my SD card too, thats why i changed to portable.
Im assuming this is a normal behavior, my last Android phone was a Galaxy S2 and I stopped following Android changes for the lasts 4/5 years. But idk why you can't see it even in portable mode... That should work as worked for me.
Hope someone help you more than I did!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for trying to help.
I think I might have figured out part of the problem, the file explorer I normally use doesn't have permission to add anything to the SD card. I'm not sure how I would go about giving it permission though.
But when I use the system built in I was able to copy paste some music onto it.
With a file on the SD Card my computer was able to locate it as well, and I can now copy and paste to the SD card using my computer.
So with your help I was able to figure out how to get portable working.
It is a bit disappointing that there isn't a way to manually add files while it is an internal storage though.
So again while your solution didn't directly work, it made me think and find a solution to my problem even if it's not the one I wanted.

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