[Q] sd card ext. partitioning questions - Android Software/Hacking General [Developers Only]

I rooted my dInc with UnRevoked & 4ever and am now running SkyRaider 3.0 Sense (seems stable & fast) and I see that there's an update available to SR Sense 3.1 RC3 - so I figure now is a good time to use ROM Manager to create an Ext partition for Apps on my 16G Kingston Class 10 SD card - although I've been using App2SD successfully w/o partitioning the card.
So, I did nandroid & Titanium backups and copied my entire card to a folder on my PC.
My first question is what size ext partition should I choose? (I do currently have a ton of apps - but will be paring down to a leaner machine with fewer redundant apps). Also, what swap size do you suggest?
2nd, Which folders and files do I want to copy from the PC's SD Card folder to the ext partition on my card. Then, all the rest to the main partition?
Then, do I just mount the card in the phone and run the update with a full wipe?
I already have the Goodies installed but, will I want to d/l the newest kernel?
Lastly, which of Titaniums' batch restore scenarios is best to finish with? Missing Apps w/ data? All apps & system data?
I realize there are numerous ways to go on this but I'm hoping you folks have some experience you can share before I make any major changes to a phone that's really running pretty well.
Please keep in mind I'm working with ROM Manager and I haven't gotten into , sdk, adb, emulation or overclocking - yet

Related

Formatting SD Card...

When I format my card by putting it in the slot my laptop has it doesn't wipe the ext partition... I say this because it's showing that the 2gig card is only a 1.27gig card. This can't be right?
Any help is appreciated.
What OS are you running?
Windows 7 (64 bit)
I don't have a card reader so I can't test it but try to right click on My Computer and select manage. Then go into Disk Management.
The problem is windows can't recognize ext partitions so it won't mount them
Otherwise look up a partition manager to run under windows. I always partition under linux or with dedicated tool you boot to off a CD. I am not sure a good one to recommend to run under windows. Maybe someone else can recommend one.
If you made a 4gb ext partition on an 8gb card, windows will now only see this as a 4gb card until you reallocate the ext partition.
I'm running Windows 7 64-bit and I use Paragon Manager to modify the ext partitions. I am not sure if there is a legitimately free version of this program.
Thanks everyone. I'm downloading Paragon Manager now. I made my ext partition too big and want to put more music on there. I also feel like partitioned the card twice... I think I have an ext 2 & an ext 3 partition.
Again, thanks!
Sd Formatter
mrcharlesiv said:
When I format my card by putting it in the slot my laptop has it doesn't wipe the ext partition... I say this because it's showing that the 2gig card is only a 1.27gig card. This can't be right?
Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use SdFormatter from this link: http://www.sdcard.org/consumers/formatter_3/
Question:
Over the last few months I (like most people here) have tried several roms. I moved from the sdcard that came with the phone to an 8gb, no problems there.
The way I backup my sdcard is I make a folder on my desktop and literally just drag and drop the whole card over, hasn't let me down yet. When I switched I formatted the 8gb card and just copied my latest sdcard backup to the 8gb and everything works great. I am at the point where I have a lot of stuff on there from from things like apps I've uninstalled, etc. and I'd like to clean it up. I have everything I would want to keep backed up on my desktop.
So here is my question:
If I reformat my sdcard will the phone copy/install anything on the clean sdcard it needs to run?
If so then I'm thinking I could just copy what I want (nand backups, pictures, music, etc.)
Thanks
nebenezer said:
Question:
Over the last few months I (like most people here) have tried several roms. I moved from the sdcard that came with the phone to an 8gb, no problems there.
The way I backup my sdcard is I make a folder on my desktop and literally just drag and drop the whole card over, hasn't let me down yet. When I switched I formatted the 8gb card and just copied my latest sdcard backup to the 8gb and everything works great. I am at the point where I have a lot of stuff on there from from things like apps I've uninstalled, etc. and I'd like to clean it up. I have everything I would want to keep backed up on my desktop.
So here is my question:
If I reformat my sdcard will the phone copy/install anything on the clean sdcard it needs to run?
If so then I'm thinking I could just copy what I want (nand backups, pictures, music, etc.)
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and yes. I have cleaned house a few times by deleting everything off my 8gb card and bringing back just my pictures, music and backups.
If you are using an ext partition to store apps and want to delete this data, you will need to format this with a program that can handle this ext partition or the easiest way is through recovery (wipe ext partition). Otherwise, if you want to keep your apps on the partition you can just delete everything off the card through windows or even format it there.
Thanks Danknee!!
I thought that was the case but wanted to make sure.
I haven't had the need to use a2sd yet so that's not a problem.
One more question:
I've formatted and put everything I want to keep back. Should I just reboot or do I need to reflash DC!.0, the reason I ask is because there was literally nothing on the card after formatting (not surprising). So I put HTC Sync back in case I need it, will the phone build the file structure it needs as it needs it or should I do anything else at this point?
Thanks
You can just reboot. The SD card doesn't have anything on it that would be replaced by flashing anyway. Since you aren't using apps2sd, you could technically have two different SD cards that you swapped in and out. You would just need to unmount and remount them to prevent corruption during the swaps.
Apps save settings on the card, but these will be resaved when you use these apps again. Conversely, the apps you never use again won't be taking up any space now.
danknee said:
You can just reboot. The SD card doesn't have anything on it that would be replaced by flashing anyway. Since you aren't using apps2sd, you could technically have two different SD cards that you swapped in and out. You would just need to unmount and remount them to prevent corruption during the swaps.
Apps save settings on the card, but these will be resaved when you use these apps again. Conversely, the apps you never use again won't be taking up any space now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks.
I totally understand what you just posted... So HTC ships these phones with SOME files that you can't get back by reflashing? (ie. HTC Sync) just curious
nebenezer said:
Awesome, thanks.
I totally understand what you just posted... So HTC ships these phones with SOME files that you can't get back by reflashing? (ie. HTC Sync) just curious
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can flash back to a stock sense ROM with no problems. What I meant was that you could actually use your phone with no memory card and it would be fully functional except that some apps couldn't save settings and data.
The SD card is completely optional and all the system files and system apk files are stored in your phone's internal memory.
danknee said:
No, you can flash back to a stock sense ROM with no problems. What I meant was that you could actually use your phone with no memory card and it would be fully functional except that some apps couldn't save settings and data.
The SD card is completely optional and all the system files and system apk files are stored in your phone's internal memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the confusion... I understand the phone can operate sans sdcard. if I'm not mistaken I believe I installed HTC Sync on my pc from my sdcard meanin that if I deleted it without backing it up I would have to (Jeez, I just realized what a waste of time this is, but I'm in too deep to stop) get HTC Sync from another source, ie HTC's website?
LOL yeah, you are probably right about HTC sync. I downloaded sync from the HTC website anyway (to make sure I had the lastest version). Besides that, I can't think of anything else on the stock 2gb card that is irreplaceable..

[Q] Difference between Root App2SD and stock Froyo App2SD

Hi all,
I've been searching through the forums and didn't quite find an answer, so sorry if this has been explained before.
I'm currently running an HTC Desire with stock Froyo (i.e. not rooted). Also, my knowledge of rooting and all its benefits is rather slim, so please bare with me. As some of you might know, the internal space on the Desire is rather on the low side, so I used adb to enable all (well, most) apps to be installable on the SD card (adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2). Now, with this, the apps themselves are moved onto the SD card, but their data and/or cache is still being stored internally. Effectively this means in the long run I still run into the ol' storage space problem.
Now, I read how when rooting a phone you create a partition on the SD card to be handled as if being internal space. Does this mean the above mentioned data/cache/all that jazz that would originally stay in the internal storage when using App2SD with a stock Froyo rom would also go onto the SD card, effectively not using the 'real' internal space at all for apps?
I might have to add, the possibility of a 'real' App2SD might be my highest, if not only motivation to root my phone. So if those two methods (rooted vs. non-rooted App2SD) are basically the same (space saving wise), I might as well disregard that notion.
Thank you in advance.
--Jakob
no they don't work the same
if u root your phone and install Darktremor app2sd it will move to ext partition on sd app+data+cache+dalvik cache
so u will end up with a lot of internal free space
and also from then on all your apps will be instaled to the ext partition

Moving apps to ext. SD card

Hello all
this is my first android phone.
i managed to move some apps to sd card, but only to the internal.
How can i get them to the external sd card ? the ext. card is a mount point inside the internal one, thats what i found out.
Cheers
Lorien
At this stage it cant be done.
Oh, so is it a specific problem with the LG FW or is it the current Android OS ?
Lorien
Lorien25 said:
Oh, so is it a specific problem with the LG FW or is it the current Android OS ?
Lorien
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a limitation of the Android File System in general, not of froyo, gingerbread or ice cream sandwich. This is how the OS works.
What you can do is to go the the phone settings then programs then app manager and there click one by one the apps and choose to move to the SD card. You will notice that you will still have a portion of the app running from the phone memory. This is something that you have to live with for the time being but at least the half of the app should have been moved to the SD so at the end of the day you will gain some space.
Yes thats what i already did, worked great, but i do still have a almost empty ext. sd card. All the apps i moved are still on the internal sd card.
How about using apps2ext ? This is a modified version of the original (pre froyo) apps2sd that uses a "hidden" ext2, 3 or 4 partition on the SD card. I can only find it as part of custom roms. I'm sure it needs root to work too?
Anyone know if that would work?
Pete
mad_sunday said:
How about using apps2ext ? This is a modified version of the original (pre froyo) apps2sd that uses a "hidden" ext2, 3 or 4 partition on the SD card. I can only find it as part of custom roms. I'm sure it needs root to work too?
Anyone know if that would work?
Pete
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we might have success with that actually. I will give it a try and I will let you know.
Any progress in this matter ? My internal SD Card is already full ! Have to start removing apps to install others.
I think those Android OS limitations are pretty wierd, so the ext. card slot is just for photos,videos on an android phone then ?
I did try to use darktremor on this phone but it won't work on stock firmware. I think that we need to wait for CM7 before we are able to install the whole app on the external SD.
m33ts4k0z said:
I did try to use darktremor on this phone but it won't work on stock firmware. I think that we need to wait for CM7 before we are able to install the whole app on the external SD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main problem is not the apps themselves. So Darktremor's A2SD would not help. The problem is, the extra files for large games are automatically downloaded to internal sd memory. Which is limited to 7GB. New games require more than 500 MB's each, so 7 Megs would be enough for many of us, but not enough for some of us.
It is certainly enough for me right now, but you cant see what future brings.
Hi guys,
I'm having this problem now.
Basically, my internal memory is being used by don't know what and I have left around 400mb.
The problem is that I cannot download more 3D games, they require around 500mb each!
I have tried to delete photos, videos and apps that I don't use but even like that it's not enough.
So now, I have a empty SD Card of 16GB and a phone/system that doesn't let me use that free space for "nothing".
BTW I did transfer the internal apps to the SD card, but very little changed.
Does anyone managed to find a solution for it? how can they sell android phones claiming that you can expand the memory of it if you are not able to use that memory for apps?
I already feel sorry for those that have the Evo 3D which apparently comes with 1GB internal memory.
And how can I move the 3D games to the SD card?
i think we have to wait until firmware update .. right now still behide 2.2.2 not even on 2.3 yet .. so i think we could move all app to ext card until 2.3 or higher.. i have try all the app out there .. not even one of them working .. you can move to internal memory but not ext sd card ..
you can also resolve this problem by switching internal and external memory. this works fine for the phone but messes up mass storage mode in windows! so you will find problems mounting your sd-card in windows - so you have to use alternatives for file transfer (ssh, ftp, adb) - means this is pretty much for advanced users only

[Q] sd-ext portion not working on some ROMS

i partitioned my sd card to get more memory for internal storage, but it doesnt show more memory at all, there was only one custom ROM that it actually works on but the ROM crashes alot, i wanna know how to make it work on any ROM because i barely have any internal memory on my Nexus One. can anyone help? i know it probably sounds dumb, but i really need more internal memory, i tried partitioning my sd card times already, it still doesnt work.
I'm not familiar with how it works on your phone, but usually if the rom doesn't have it built-in, you have to flash something to allow moving apps to your ext partition.
You may want to check your device's forum, I'm sure the answer is there somewhere.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
To make sure you partitioned your SD Card correctly go HERE at STEP FIVE - Partitioning Your Sd Card With Gparted (it's a htc desire tutorial, but it doesn't matter). Create the fat32 partition and after that create a 1 GB ext4 partition (it should be enough).
Than go HERE where you have a MIUI ROM, it's fast and looks good and it has data 2 ext and it updates regularly, and i suggest installing the MIUI-NX | 1.8.26 | D2EXT | STABLE. Just flash the ROM and that's it.
After this, read everything from the Nexus One Android Development, i noticed that OxygeN ROM also has data2sd, only with it i think you have to flash a script after flashing the OxygeN ROM.
Also before you start don't forget to do a nandroid backup (i would suggest even using ROM Manager to do the backup as it is very simple to copy the backup on your PC)

LinktoSD + Beans10 = ?

Yes, I am a noob. New to Android but not PCs. I have searched all morning for an answer to this question and I am not eligible to post in "developers" yet so I am at your mercy.
Phone in question is box stock SCH-i535 @ 32gb. Will be using 64gb SD card class 6. I want to run BEANS ver 10 TW rom.
Here is the question: Is 'LinktoSD' compatible with or even needed in BEANS 10? If it would be useful in this ROM (to move as many applications as possible to External SD) should the required 2nd partition on the SD card for 'LinktoSD' be formatted as ext2 / ext4 or FAT32? I will probably size it at 2gb.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm just not sure about the best approach with BEANS 10, or if 'LinktoSD' functions are replicated in that ROM. (?) Or if BEANS 10 would have problems with the ext4 partition?
Thanks to this site and all the developers & contributers for making all this great information available to a noob like me! :good:
[email protected] said:
Yes, I am a noob. New to Android but not PCs. I have searched all morning for an answer to this question and I am not eligible to post in "developers" yet so I am at your mercy.
Phone in question is box stock SCH-i535 @ 32gb. Will be using 64gb SD card class 6. I want to run BEANS ver 10 TW rom.
Here is the question: Is 'LinktoSD' compatible with or even needed in BEANS 10? If it would be useful in this ROM (to move as many applications as possible to External SD) should the required 2nd partition on the SD card for 'LinktoSD' be formatted as ext2 / ext4 or FAT32? I will probably size it at 2gb.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm just not sure about the best approach with BEANS 10, or if 'LinktoSD' functions are replicated in that ROM. (?) Or if BEANS 10 would have problems with the ext4 partition?
Thanks to this site and all the developers & contributers for making all this great information available to a noob like me! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
** To avoid confusion, I understand that a box stock phone can't run BEANS 10. It WILL be rooted and un-locked.
[email protected] said:
Yes, I am a noob. New to Android but not PCs. I have searched all morning for an answer to this question and I am not eligible to post in "developers" yet so I am at your mercy.
Phone in question is box stock SCH-i535 @ 32gb. Will be using 64gb SD card class 6. I want to run BEANS ver 10 TW rom.
Here is the question: Is 'LinktoSD' compatible with or even needed in BEANS 10? If it would be useful in this ROM (to move as many applications as possible to External SD) should the required 2nd partition on the SD card for 'LinktoSD' be formatted as ext2 / ext4 or FAT32? I will probably size it at 2gb.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm just not sure about the best approach with BEANS 10, or if 'LinktoSD' functions are replicated in that ROM. (?) Or if BEANS 10 would have problems with the ext4 partition?
Thanks to this site and all the developers & contributers for making all this great information available to a noob like me! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1849860
It doesn't seem to work on Beans 10, nor did it work on CleanRom 2.0. In fact, I'm not sure what ROM's it works on.
snippits of info..
android94301 said:
See this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1849860
It doesn't seem to work on Beans 10, nor did it work on CleanRom 2.0. In fact, I'm not sure what ROM's it works on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks android 94301, according to the OP he thinks it should work on any custom TW ROM. In theory, that would include Beans.
I hope someone who has tried 'LinktoSD' on a Beans ROM will chime in. I'm still waiting on my SD card to arrive in the mail so I haven't started yet.
I suppose I could play it safe and install both SD partitions as FAT32 for 'LinktoSD', load Beans10 to see what provisions it contains for moving apps to SD, and if I feel I still need 'LinktoSD' the SD card will be ready. Then I could try installing 'LinktoSD' over Beans10 to see if they play well together. If I understand it correctly, 'LinktoSD' redirects to the SD partition on boot. Beans10 will have to allow it. (?)
Someone with more experience than I have may be able to comment on the compatibility of the two. I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking about this. The feature set on 'LinktoSD' looks good to me.
[email protected] said:
Thanks android 94301, according to the OP he thinks it should work on any custom TW ROM. In theory, that would include Beans.
I hope someone who has tried 'LinktoSD' on a Beans ROM will chime in. I'm still waiting on my SD card to arrive in the mail so I haven't started yet.
I suppose I could play it safe and install both SD partitions as FAT32 for 'LinktoSD', load Beans10 to see what provisions it contains for moving apps to SD, and if I feel I still need 'LinktoSD' the SD card will be ready. Then I could try installing 'LinktoSD' over Beans10 to see if they play well together. If I understand it correctly, 'LinktoSD' redirects to the SD partition on boot. Beans10 will have to allow it. (?)
Someone with more experience than I have may be able to comment on the compatibility of the two. I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking about this. The feature set on 'LinktoSD' looks good to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah the the OP is wrong. In fact, I'm not sure it works on any ROM, at least haven't seen evidence of that on this forum.
Still looking..
android94301 said:
yeah the the OP is wrong. In fact, I'm not sure it works on any ROM, at least haven't seen evidence of that on this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That could be true on the developer's thread you quoted above. Zedomax describes that process as a 'hack' based off another program. What he's doing sounds similar but I don't believe he is basing his effort off of the 'LinktoSD' program itself. In that effort several people did report problems. 007willieruiz reported that CM10 needed a custom script, droidstyle reported that the kernel would need int.d support to work. Sshams95 actually did run that hack on the Beans ROM and ended up with duplicate file entries. That's all a bit too far out there for me.
What I was asking about was far more basic. Just running the 'LinktoSD' program itself, on the Beans ROM. The goal being to move 'active programs' (where memory speed is not an issue) from internal memory to the SD card, freeing up as much internal memory as possible for other things like (in my case) off road navigation programs and topo maps that will be resident on the device. 'LinktoSD' is showing downloads in the millions so it shouldn't be much of a stretch to think it's been loaded on a custom ROM somewhere. I should probably reserve judgment untilll I have the Beans ROM loaded, as it's memory management capabilities may be enough.
Input from Galaxy S3 / Beans user?
Well, after more web searches it appears LinktoSD has been and is being used on custom ROMS as expected.
(Since I haven't done 10 post I couldn't submit the link.)
The biggest problem for that user group seems to be broken links to the second SD partition after flashing another custom ROM. I still have not been able to find an example of it being used on a Galaxy S3 running Beans ROM. Anyone?
[email protected] said:
Yes, I am a noob. New to Android but not PCs. I have searched all morning for an answer to this question and I am not eligible to post in "developers" yet so I am at your mercy.
Phone in question is box stock SCH-i535 @ 32gb. Will be using 64gb SD card class 6. I want to run BEANS ver 10 TW rom.
Here is the question: Is 'LinktoSD' compatible with or even needed in BEANS 10? If it would be useful in this ROM (to move as many applications as possible to External SD) should the required 2nd partition on the SD card for 'LinktoSD' be formatted as ext2 / ext4 or FAT32? I will probably size it at 2gb.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm just not sure about the best approach with BEANS 10, or if 'LinktoSD' functions are replicated in that ROM. (?) Or if BEANS 10 would have problems with the ext4 partition?
Thanks to this site and all the developers & contributers for making all this great information available to a noob like me! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this problem too:cyclops:
Found the dude himself..
Well, I finally found some answers from the man himself (the developer of the program). See the following thread if your wondering about this program as I was. Curious note, the developer said he didn't think the Galaxy Si9000 needed the program as it has ample memory available. Still, a very impressive program. :good:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=919326
Pull the trigger..
After reviewing approximately 250 pages of threads and post using over a dozen search phrases related to better utilization of the external SD card on the GS3, I found a few bits of information. I'm posting again because I think this will be a relevant issue for most GS3 users sooner or later. While there were several post speculating that the GS3's internal memory is enough, several users reported running low on memory after installing 15 to 20 applications. If you look at the GS3's processing power compared to it's total available memory, it's memory that comes up short. As a disclaimer though, I'm new to Android and to the GS3. Since I had to invest 3 days in the search, I thought a brief summary of the search highlights might be helpful to other noobs like me. I'm also hoping that those in the know will chime in here and share their insights. I've tried to give credit to the original posters in the info bites below.
As someone who is setting up a new SCH-i535 with the intent of running a custom ROM and being able to fully utilize the external SD card, I need the SD card installed and formatted first! The type of SD card / memory management you choose can determine how the SD card should be formatted, so this decision needs to come first.
Problem #1: The S3's internal storage is named SDCARD, the actual external SD card = SDEXT. This creates problems for programs wanting to write to the external SD card. This means that currently Link2SD, App2SD, Data2SD, etc. all have problems working on the GS3. On the GS3 the SD card is secondary not a primary external. It is seen as emulated. There appears to be no solution without Rooting.
Zedomax has this self described "hack" that swaps internal storage with your external SD card so you can increase your app data storage. This appears to shift everything to the SD card with no UI or controls. The good news is he developed it specifically for the GS3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1849860
Another approach that seems to be similar "ExternalSD2InternalSD" from Mattiadj.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1772234
Kierrok reports this insight for Data2SD:
20. What are the requirements for using the “Move app data to SD card” (Data2SD) feature?
Our Apps2SD scheme creates symbolic links (one per app) at /data/data/com.x.y that will point to somewhere within an ext2/3/4 partition on the SD card.
The supported mount points for the ext2/3/4 partition are:
/system/sd/ (“classic” sd-ext)
/sd-ext/ (“Cyanogen” sd-ext)
/data/sd/ (“MIUI” sd-ext)
So for Data2SD to work, you’ll need to ensure that your ext2/3/4 partition is mounted at one of these locations. Then create an “app” directory at that location in case it doesn’t exist. Once it’s done, you’ll see a free space gauge for it in the Titanium Backup welcome screen, and you can then long-click on an app in the list and hit the “Move app data to SD” button. Once you do that:
First, Titanium Backup will look for existing symbolic links in /data/data/ and attempt to re-use the same target location, if it lies within the ext2/3/4 partition.
If it finds no existing (or no suitable) destination, it will propose to create a “data2″ folder within the ext2/3/4 partition, and will then move the app’s data inside it.
So by default, you’ll get: /data/data/com.x.y => /system/sd/data2/com.x.y (in the “classic” sd-ext case).
Then there is a complete program that offers the ability to move programs back and forth between device and external SD storage. However, the problems cited above create problems for Link2SD.
The actual Developer's thread for the program:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=919326
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1737213
Dimerk reports that he has Link2SD working on the GS3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1694063&page=3
I am most interested in the Link2SD approach. I have posted or PM'd the users who claim to have this program working on the GS3 but as of this moment, I have not heard back from any of them. So, while still looking foreword to input from more experienced users, I am going to proceed down the path of running this program on a custom ICS - TW based ROM (Beans is looking good). If my device flames out and burns a hole through my desk I'll post a photo so you can all have a good laugh.
[email protected] said:
After reviewing approximately 250 pages of threads and post using over a dozen search phrases related to better utilization of the external SD card on the GS3, I found a few bits of information. I'm posting again because I think this will be a relevant issue for most GS3 users sooner or later. While there were several post speculating that the GS3's internal memory is enough, several users reported running low on memory after installing 15 to 20 applications. If you look at the GS3's processing power compared to it's total available memory, it's memory that comes up short. As a disclaimer though, I'm new to Android and to the GS3. Since I had to invest 3 days in the search, I thought a brief summary of the search highlights might be helpful to other noobs like me. I'm also hoping that those in the know will chime in here and share their insights. I've tried to give credit to the original posters in the info bites below.
As someone who is setting up a new SCH-i535 with the intent of running a custom ROM and being able to fully utilize the external SD card, I need the SD card installed and formatted first! The type of SD card / memory management you choose can determine how the SD card should be formatted, so this decision needs to come first.
Problem #1: The S3's internal storage is named SDCARD, the actual external SD card = SDEXT. This creates problems for programs wanting to write to the external SD card. This means that currently Link2SD, App2SD, Data2SD, etc. all have problems working on the GS3. On the GS3 the SD card is secondary not a primary external. It is seen as emulated. There appears to be no solution without Rooting.
Zedomax has this self described "hack" that swaps internal storage with your external SD card so you can increase your app data storage. This appears to shift everything to the SD card with no UI or controls. The good news is he developed it specifically for the GS3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1849860
Another approach that seems to be similar "ExternalSD2InternalSD" from Mattiadj.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1772234
Kierrok reports this insight for Data2SD:
20. What are the requirements for using the “Move app data to SD card” (Data2SD) feature?
Our Apps2SD scheme creates symbolic links (one per app) at /data/data/com.x.y that will point to somewhere within an ext2/3/4 partition on the SD card.
The supported mount points for the ext2/3/4 partition are:
/system/sd/ (“classic” sd-ext)
/sd-ext/ (“Cyanogen” sd-ext)
/data/sd/ (“MIUI” sd-ext)
So for Data2SD to work, you’ll need to ensure that your ext2/3/4 partition is mounted at one of these locations. Then create an “app” directory at that location in case it doesn’t exist. Once it’s done, you’ll see a free space gauge for it in the Titanium Backup welcome screen, and you can then long-click on an app in the list and hit the “Move app data to SD” button. Once you do that:
First, Titanium Backup will look for existing symbolic links in /data/data/ and attempt to re-use the same target location, if it lies within the ext2/3/4 partition.
If it finds no existing (or no suitable) destination, it will propose to create a “data2″ folder within the ext2/3/4 partition, and will then move the app’s data inside it.
So by default, you’ll get: /data/data/com.x.y => /system/sd/data2/com.x.y (in the “classic” sd-ext case).
Then there is a complete program that offers the ability to move programs back and forth between device and external SD storage. However, the problems cited above create problems for Link2SD.
The actual Developer's thread for the program:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=919326
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1737213
Dimerk reports that he has Link2SD working on the GS3.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1694063&page=3
I am most interested in the Link2SD approach. I have posted or PM'd the users who claim to have this program working on the GS3 but as of this moment, I have not heard back from any of them. So, while still looking foreword to input from more experienced users, I am going to proceed down the path of running this program on a custom ICS - TW based ROM (Beans is looking good). If my device flames out and burns a hole through my desk I'll post a photo so you can all have a good laugh.
Click to expand...
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Great info. I am still trying to find the magic program that will move apps to the Real SD card. I wonder if making one of the App2sD programs a system application would help things?
Got through the ROM.
As I configure a device I keep running notes. I'll share these as they may help other's who are completly new to Android. They are cryptic but should still be of value.
I'll format the SD card to work with Link2SD > Used Mini Tool Partition Wizard, 2 Primary Partitions.
1st / 57.5gb / FAT32 2nd / 2gb / EXT2
Rooted with: "GS3DebugFSRoot R2" / Unlocked boot loader with EZ-Unlock / Copied internal file structures to External SD Card. / Loaded EZ-Recovery as per guide.
Note: The following caused problems - Must load the apps to be run at the root of internal storage. / Launch Superuser app before running EZ-Unlock, etc. Superuser may not run properly as those apps are launched if you don't run it first. / EZ-Recovery navigates via swipe screen. / Boot into recovery navigates via volume & home buttons. / The stock ROM links in the guide are bad, see P-19. / You only need to load a ROM via desktop ODIN, not a kernel, P-22. / "Wipe Data - Factory Reset" is necessary to prevent bugs & errors on status bar.
Finally got Beans 11 up & running, but I may not keep it. I'll load Link2SD when I've found a ROM I'll stick with. Still deciding that issue.
Changes..
Well fellow noobs, it may be time to close this little thread. As far as I have been able to discern, none of the conventional programs for moving applications to external SD cards mentioned above are compatible with the GS3. (The one script is.) I'm hopeful the developers will eventually port these programs to the GS3. I've contacted one of them. As far as need goes, my device only has 2 market apps loaded and is running with 30% of system RAM used. I know that is a bit deceiving as Android is going to use the RAM if its there. Still, I have about 15 more applications to go and will be paying attention to conventional memory management practices to keep as much RAM available as possible. As to the other half of the thread title, I have switched to a more conservative ROM that I am much happier with. I am learning as I go with the help of this forum and so far, I really like the device and the new to me Android experience. I do find The Play Store's instance on WiFi / Cell downloads directly to the device and strictly from them to be a bit odd for an 'Open Source' community though.

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