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Root How do I create/utilize (and why) sd-ext on my card???

GKNByNW

GKNByNW

Well-Known Member
Well, the title says it all LOL I have been rooted & customized since last November but this is the one thing I haven't done. Can anyone tell me how to go about accomplishing this? Also, not just the how but the WHY of it would be appreciated. Here's the basic info on my phone:

VM670 (obviously ;-P )
ZV5 Baseband
BACKside 05022012 (Most days; ICS when I feel the need to have some fun)
Xionia CWMA v1.2518.4

I know that there is the option to partition the SD card in the Advanced menu on Xionia, but I'm wondering is this the preferred method? And what is a good size for the ext partition? Also, do I need to mount the ext partition (Mounts and Storage Menu) or will it automatically show up?

One more issue, and this may or may not be in line with the original topic... When I select Wipe Dalvik Cache it says the following before asking me to confirm the wipe:

"E:Can't mount /dev/block/mmcblk0p2
(File exists)"

But when I confirm, I get the message "Dalvik Cache wiped." as if nothing is wrong. I've never had a problem with backing up/restoring/flashing ROMs/etc., so is this anything to worry about or should I just carry on?

Sorry for what's probably a bunch of n00b questions, but any info or advice you fellas can offer would be appreciated.
 
The reason for partitioning the uSD card is so you can use Link2SD or an app similar to it. The ext.3 that the recovery makes is not readable by all ROM's. It seems to work well with the ICS ROM's though.

You could follow the guide "Link2SD, a tutorial" found in the All Things Root Guide. You should partition the uSD card to a 1-2BG partition (2GB being the best). If you have a 2GB card you would really need to buy a bigger one. A 16GB class 4 Sandisk uSD card has the best read speeds and cost less than $20.00 at WalMart. Use whatever you can afford, just make sure it's at least 4-8GB.

You can use the recovery to make the partition (even though it will make it ext.3), then use Mini Tool Partitioning Wizard to reformat the partition to FAT32, (can be used with all ROM's but the ICS), ext.2, or ext.4.
First timers to partitioning sometimes have problems partitioning the uSD card with Mini Tool Partitioning Wizard. The recovery method is fool proof, just reformat the partition with Mini Tool.
If your not going to use a ICS ROM use FAT32. If later you want to try an ICS ROM you can always reformat the partition to ext.3.

I have 120 downloaded and installed app's and still have 110MB of storage left. Link2SD allows you to put the apps that normally would only be allowed on the system to the uSD card. It links them to the system which allows them to function properly. Widget apps I would still leave on the system.

If you don't need more room on the system storage then you really don't need to do any of ^, if you do then it's is the best way to go.
 
Thanks for the info, Andy
hi.gif
I am currently using a 4GB card. Bear with me here, as I don't know much about SD cards, but it has a number 2 in a circle, so does this mean that the card is a Class 2? It also says "HC" under the MicroSD logo, but if I recall correctly this simply means High Capacity.

I don't have very many downloaded apps - fewer than 15 - but I find that lately I run low on internal memory (I have a bad habit of upping the limits on saved text msgs & then not deleting them LOL). I've got about 1.5GB free on my card and I've been meaning to go through and pare down the number of pics I have as well as the sh*tload of mp3's saved to my card. After I get around to getting this done I will take a closer look at MacFett's tutorial.

One final question and then I'm done, I promise
lol.gif
I read somewhere (probably here) that ICS automatically makes use of the ext partition, if you have one. As I am considering making the jump to ICS full-time, does anyone have more info on this? As always, thanks in advance.
 
That is correct. ICS has a link2SD like ability intergrated into it. The best thing to do is just use a custom recovery to partition the sd card as it will format the partition to ext.3 which ICS requires. Simplest way to partition an sd card if you need to use ext.3.

How often do you clean your browser? It builds up an amazing amount of cache.
I have mine set up to clean everything but cookies on exit. Once a week I'll clean them as well. If you get a good cleaner you should clean everything at least once a week if not more.
I have SD Maid with the unlocker, One click clear, and Root Toolbox free. Between them they clean everything, and I do mean everything. You can have as much as 30-40MB built up just in cache files.
 
+ 1 ^

I clean mine everytime i exit the browser.
I just use the browser to clean everything, while in your browser hit menu ~ left hard button on your phone then tap more >settings, scroll down clear cache, scroll down clear history, scroll down clear cookies, scroll down clear form data, scroll down clear passwords.

I do this everytime I exit my browser.
 
Website settings
Passwords
HTML cache
Cookies
form data
browsing history
cached data, all add up quick.
 
So after skimming through the Link2SD tutorial, here's what I've done so far... I started by backing up all the files from my SD card to a folder on my laptop's desktop. As I am planning on going with ICS, I used my Xionia recovery to partition the card to ext3. The largest card I have right now is 4GB so I went with a 1GB ext3 & a 256K swap. I'm not sure if a swap partition is needed or not, but I figured it couldn't hurt. After a reboot, going to "Settings -> Storage" now shows a 2.50GB card with 2.50 free, so all appears good. The only snag I ran across was copying my files back to the SD card. Plugging the SD directly into my laptop didn't work. My PC didn't recognize the card as being formatted and prompted me to do so. The dialog box to format showed the original size of 3.69GB instead of the new 2.5GB size. I ended up connecting my phone to the computer via USB, and then it did show up on Windows as the "correct" size.

Anyway, I've got all my files copied back to my card. What is my next step(s) before I flash my ICS rom? Do I need to go back to recovery and mount the /sdcard & /sd-ext? They are both currently showing as not mounted, so I've no clue. I don't want to install ICS until I know it's going to both recognize AND utilize the ext partition.
 
No suggestions? :p LOL

EDIT: Sorry, I know the folks who are "in the know" are busy answering the multitude of questions from everybody and their mother. I guess I was just getting a little impatient.
 
Your going to have to mount the uSD card to install the ROM, and use the partition. I'm hoping someone with ICS will chime in.
 
Sorry for my impatience :-\ But thanks for your reply. I will give it a shot, and if I don't do something right I always have my backup ;-)

Does anyone know if I have to mount the partitions every time I reboot, or is once enough to get the job done?
 
AndyOpie150 said:
Your going to have to mount the uSD card to install the ROM, and use the partition. I'm hoping someone with ICS will chime in.
Click to expand...


Ok, I'm finishing my 1st day with Quattrimus rom, and honestly, I have no idea if its using my partition or not :/ it didn't really occur to me that I would need to mount it in recovery. Hm. I do know that when I look at settings->storage, the percentages never materialize, it just says 'calculating' forever. Also, as of a few hours ago, I can't seem to uninstall anything apparently. It just hangs on 'uninstalling'. I wonder if these things are realated?

Oh, also, can someone clarify this for me? By saying quattrimus 'automatically' moves the apk & dalvik to the partition, do they mean automatically when the app is installed, or automatically when you go thru settings and select move to sdcard?

Edit: it appears that I can uninstall apps, it just takes a long time & doesn't show up right away (?)

Edit part 2: duh, it occurred to me to actually search out the sd-ext folder & check it, and yes apps & dalvik are both there. Conclusion- no, you don't have to specifically mount the ext in recovery, and yes the ext is used automatically, no need to use the 'move to ad's option under settings-apps-(whatever).

So, I'll just leave this now moot post here in case anyone needs the info. And someone else should probably verify my conclusion up there, as I'm sleep deprived right now & may not be seeing clearly. Thank u and goodnight.
 
Glad to hear you got things sorted out. All seems great for me with ICS. I'm on mobile now but I will leave a longer reply tonight when I'm on my computer.
 
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