• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Root Link2SD and you (a tutorial)

Ok, I had this posted in another thread, but someone pointed out I would be better off posted here:

OK, I'm getting ready to do this with minitool as suggested, but I need a little more information. I also planned on creating a second partition as well. If I use minitool to copy the files over, will it automatically format everything correctly? I'm guessing that I would not make the partion fill the card as stated, since I want a second partition, correct? Also, the whole 'if you have hidden files shown this will work, if not, it won't' thing....can u explain what you meant by that? Hidden files need to be shown on the pc? How? I'm using my mom's laptop for the switchover, no Internet so downloading drivers and whatnot would be problematic.

Edit: Also, it is recommened to make a Fat 32 partition, but ive read multiple places that some ROMS dont support it, and I should make it an ext 2 instead. Can I do that with Minitool? I just installed it and honestly, I dont even have a clue how to make a partition with it, let alone anything else mentioned. Im thinking I should move the apps and create a partition in 2 separate steps instead of trying to do both things at once, but, would I make the partition first, or move my info onto the new card first? do i need to put the new,blank SD card into the phone and click Format to have the phone format the card? if yes, before or after I make the partition?

I think I maybe making this more difficult than it need be, but eveytime I have it in my head that OK I can do this, lets go...I think of some other wrinkle and get confused all over again. :(

EDIT: Ok, i moved all my stuff from my 2gb card onto the computer. good
Attempted to use minitool to make a 4.9gb partition, leaving 10 free (dont know why my card is 14.9gb instead of the advertized 16 *shrug) Decided to go with ext2 partition instead of FAT32, since it seems custom roms like ext2 better, and thats a big reason i wanted a bigger card, was to try out new roms. Evertime I click the big checkmark to finish the process, I get "error 16 Disk I/O error". I have absolutly no idea what that means.
SO, I think im just going to make make my partition thru recovery, then put it in the computer and paste over all my data into the bigger section. pros? cons?
Click to expand...
 
sadielynn said:
If I use minitool to copy the files over, will it automatically format everything correctly?
Click to expand...
Format the card first, it should duplicate the format of the partition you're copying.

sadielynn said:
I'm guessing that I would not make the partion fill the card as stated, since I want a second partition, correct?
Click to expand...
When you copy the partition it will make it the same size of the one you're copying.

sadielynn said:
Also, the whole 'if you have hidden files shown this will work, if not, it won't' thing....can u explain what you meant by that? Hidden files need to be shown on the pc? How?
Click to expand...
What OS?

sadielynn said:
Edit: Also, it is recommened to make a Fat 32 partition, but ive read multiple places that some ROMS dont support it, and I should make it an ext 2 instead.
Click to expand...
The stock ROM reads FAT32 just fine and you can change the 2nd partition's format if you change ROMs.

sadielynn said:
Can I do that with Minitool?
Click to expand...
Yes, Minitool will format Ext2 just fine.

sadielynn said:
I just installed it and honestly, I dont even have a clue how to make a partition with it, let alone anything else mentioned. Im thinking I should move the apps and create a partition in 2 separate steps instead of trying to do both things at once, but, would I make the partition first, or move my info onto the new card first?
Click to expand...
You have to have the partition to move the apps.

sadielynn said:
do i need to put the new,blank SD card into the phone and click Format to have the phone format the card? if yes, before or after I make the partition?
Click to expand...
Making a partition will format the card. You don't need to do it in the phone and I suggest doing it via minitool if at all possible.


sadielynn said:
EDIT: Ok, i moved all my stuff from my 2gb card onto the computer. good
Attempted to use minitool to make a 4.9gb partition, leaving 10 free (dont know why my card is 14.9gb instead of the advertized 16 *shrug)
Click to expand...
That is an age old problem, it is because two different standards are used.

sadielynn said:
Decided to go with ext2 partition instead of FAT32, since it seems custom roms like ext2 better, and thats a big reason i wanted a bigger card, was to try out new roms.
Click to expand...
Unless your phone is already running a nonstock kernel it will not read the Ext2 partition.

sadielynn said:
Evertime I click the big checkmark to finish the process, I get "error 16 Disk I/O error". I have absolutly no idea what that means.
Click to expand...
Not sure either.

sadielynn said:
SO, I think im just going to make make my partition thru recovery, then put it in the computer and paste over all my data into the bigger section. *crosses fingers*
Click to expand...
This again won't work with the stock kernel. It can not read Ext2.

First things first. Take the new card and format it:
Select the card from the UI, click format and then change the file system to FAT32, then OK. Then click apply.

Once it is formatted select resize. Lower the Partition size until Unallocated Space After is around 2gigs or 2000megs. Click OK.

Select the new unallocated space and click create. You should get a notice that says, "The new created partition cannot be used in Windows. Because Windows could only recognize the first partition on a removable disk." Select yes you want to continue.

On the window that pops up it needs to read as follows:
minitool.jpg


Then click apply.

Once this is done you can drag all of the files from the first card to the new card's larger partition.
 
As for the error did you order the card from eBay? If so was it from outside the us? Many of those are only 4gb but have been hacked to show 16gb then once you go beyond it you will get memory errors and data loss. I have personally had this happen before. There are tests to test the card and how large it truly is.
 
benslgdroid said:
As for the error did you order the card from eBay? If so was it from outside the us? Many of those are only 4gb but have been hacked to show 16gb then once you go beyond it you will get memory errors and data loss. I have personally had this happen before. There are tests to test the card and how large it truly is.
Click to expand...

Nope,got it from Amazon....remember, you read my "ad" about the great deal I got :D
 
sadielynn said:
Nope,got it from Amazon....remember, you read my "ad" about the great deal I got :D
Click to expand...

It doesn't say anything about that but it can happen with Amazon too I would read the users reviews see if there's anything to hint to it then get one of the tester programs just Google fake SD card tester.
 
MacFett, and everybody
Thanks for the explanations and help in this topic.
I am new to Android, but thanks to your help I have Link2SD now working :-D
The trick was to reboot the phone after creating a second partition, then Link2SD-> Storage Info, which let me format the #2 partition.
 
Thanks for the excellent tutorial and thread, I'm really learning a lot. My question is this:

What would I do with apps that I previously moved using app2sd and titanium backup? Is there a way I can get them back and then moved to the uSD card using link2sd?

My concern is that I successfully installed app2sd this weekend but the apps that were moved by the other two programs were nowhere to be found. Thanks!
 
I think what happened is your apps ended up on the partition for link2sd.

If you follow my tut on partitioning with minitool you shouldn't have any problems with apps vanishing.

The apps you moved with apps2sd titanium can be moved back with those apps or even link2sd. Then have a link created.
 
I created the new partition, the one for Link2SD. I now have two partitions.
My old apps that were moved by App2sd and Titanium BU are on partition "A" let's call it, and the new partition, the one the apps are seeing is partition "B".

This is what it looks like:


Partition A (primary): Apps moved onto card with App2sd and Titanium BU
Partition B (primary): New partition.

When I reboot my phone, it only sees Partition B, thus App2SD and Titanium BU don't show the apps they moved nor can I use them (of course).

I made the new partition fat32 and made it primary, as per the instructions.

So where do I go from here? Of course I need access to the old apps on Partition A.

Thanks.
 
How did you create partition b? Minitool? Basically you need to remove partition b. I would then resize partition A. Then follow my tutorial using minitool or if you have a ROM and Kernel that can read Ext3 use Clockwork recovery to create your partition.

Basically you need the partitions to be the opposite of what they are right now.
 
Yeah, looks like I need to reverse the partitions. So if all my data on the original partition is unusable (as I now see it) what good is a 2nd partition? It seems to me that one partition is not being used at all. Shouldn't I make the one not being used as small as possible?

Oh, I'm using a program called EaseUS to do the partitioning.
 
"SD card should have two partitions, first FAT32 (or FAT16) and second ext2. Order is important.
Alse both partititon should be "primary"."

That's from the developer's website. I haven't read anywhere on here to make the 2nd partition ext2. Simply wondering if this is a significant factor as to why I am having trouble. Thanks.
 
The ext for the second partition is based on what the rom is compatible with. Stock and stock roms are fat32 gb roms are usually ext3 or 4.
 
All roms should be able to read FAT32. I suggest following my tutorial. I have the steps to set this up no problem. I have followed them as has my 11 year old daughter.
 
I just flashed the CM 7 Backside IHO rom to my phone. However, Link2sd will not recognize the second partition. When this first occurred I reformatted the partition (in FAT32 format). Link2sd recognized the partition but then said my phone had to reboot. When my phone reboots a box pops up asking me for the file type I hit FAT32. However, it then says it doesn't recognize the second partition. Any help would be appreciated.
 
oneworld25 said:
I just flashed the CM 7 Backside IHO rom to my phone. However, Link2sd will not recognize the second partition. When this first occurred I reformatted the partition (in FAT32 format). Link2sd recognized the partition but then said my phone had to reboot. When my phone reboots a box pops up asking me for the file type I hit FAT32. However, it then says it doesn't recognize the second partition. Any help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

That rom only recognizes ext4 partitions.

That being said, everytime i reboot my phone, i get the "mount error" thing from link2sd and have to quick reboot. I dont think it happened right away when i started using it, but it happens every single time now.
 
I screwed up. I had used link2sd to link Gmail and Market - seemed to work fine. In partitioning my uSD card, I screwed it up and long story short had to format that card. Now that I'm back up and running, I no longer have Gmail and Market on my phone, and probably other apps I haven't noticed yet. So without Market I can't get any apps to my phone and I've tried finding apps in the store and sending them to the phone but that doesn't work now either. Is there any way I could find the needed files and manually put them in my phone or on the card?? Thanks!!
 
Restore your nandroid backup or from titanium backup. I can post the apks in a bit if you don't have backups like you should.
 
I don't know what nandroid is! All I know is that the partition that link2sd was using had to be formatted and I lost those apps. I lost market, gmail, navigation and I guess that's it. They aren't on the phone and they aren't on the card. So I'm thinking I need to reinstall these onto the internal phone's memory somehow right? I simply don't know what to do. I don't want to come off as being totally stupid and lazy. I simply don't know how to proceed.

I had ONLY gotten link2sd up and working last night and those were the apps I linked. I backed up the one partition before the problems but not the other partition where the linked app data was (I think that's a good description of it).
 
A nandroid backup is the back up you make of your ROM right after you root your phone in case you break something... like this.
 
Okay wait, I used VMfastbootroot to root. Perhaps I can find a backup there in its directory or something. Thanks, that's a good clue to a solution, give me a few and I'll get back as to whether or not that works.
 
Wow thanks! I tried installing using Android Injector and got this:

pkg: /data/local/tmp/COMAND~1.APK

Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_OLDER_SDK]

1038 KB/s (1954867 bytes in 1.838s)

I'm thinking that Market is still in the phone but unusable since it's been linked to the sd card. So I suppose I need to delete some old Market files on the phone. Does that sound right?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom