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Internal Storage 2GB? Why Is that?

So I managed to get a ROM going on my tab that came today, and all is pretty good so far. One question tho; I went to my settings --> SD card usage or whatever its called and my internal memory is showing 1.79GB total space.
My SD card is 16GB and that's showing up fine as 14 or whatever FREE, since I partitioned at 2048/0.
I don't get why the internal storage is 1.79. Shoudn't it be 16GB or whatever since that's how much this tablet has? I'm confused.
Thanks!

I may be wrong on this (Developers, please correct me if I am wrong) but I think the 2GB is reserved for the Android system and the remaining space is what you can use for apps, etc.

stuaross said:
I may be wrong on this (Developers, please correct me if I am wrong) but I think the 2GB is reserved for the Android system and the remaining space is what you can use for apps, etc.
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if thats the case, why won't it show the remaining 14G or whatever hmmm

The 16gig is divided as 2gig for apps and 14gig for storage (/sdcard). After format and overhead you get what you see.
Sent from my Viewsonic 10" GTab...CM7 style...

So how do i mount my internal? Im only able to mount my microsd card..

Actually I take that back. I can only mount my internal storage to my computer but not my microsd card. I have no idea how to do that...

That's normal behavior for the gtablet. There is no built in method for mounting the external SD to your computer.

Internal SD card format causes premature filling

Just a note, my daughter's blaze kept running out of space on the internal SD card. I found 2 issues:
1) The DCIM directory contained a Huge thumbnails file. (200mb) This was always the first thing I deleted.
2) Samsung formatted it as FAT16 and not FAT32. Since apps were storing lots of small files on the SD card, a ton of space was being wasted.
I used a windows host to reformat the internal SD card to FAT32 and things are running much better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

tronmech said:
Just a note, my daughter's blaze kept running out of space on the internal SD card. I found 2 issues:
1) The DCIM directory contained a Huge thumbnails file. (200mb) This was always the first thing I deleted.
2) Samsung formatted it as FAT16 and not FAT32. Since apps were storing lots of small files on the SD card, a ton of space was being wasted.
I used a windows host to reformat the internal SD card to FAT32 and things are running much better.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had somewhat of the same problem, thumbnails taking ridiculous amount of space, as well as other cache files. After i did a format of both my internal and external, the phone has been a lot quicker, especially for anything that has to access the sd's and boot scanning of the sd's. Never knew they formatted the internal to fat16? Good info for the beginners though.

I don't understand why it was formatted that way either. But the fix was simple enough. Since its not something a beginner would even look at (I mean how many people remember FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, and vFAT?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Possible fix for random reboots! (Poll: What's your Micro SD file system?)

Resume: Use FAT32 when formatting External Micro SD Card and, preferentially, format using the device storage options.
==========
Hi there, guys! After trying hard to discover why and solve some random reboots I found out, after reading about SD Cards causing issues on other devices, something that may help anyone facing this.
When I bought for my Note 3 I also bought a Kingston 32 GB Micro SD Card and formatted it using Windows 7 to exFAT System File, since it was the default option. After facing some hangs, force closes and random reboots for some days, yesterday I decided to make a complete backup and format it using Note 3 itself.
After this what I noticed, when restoring files on Windows, is that the device formatted it to FAT32 System File. And, since then, everything is working nice, without force closes, random reboots or hangs. I know maybe it's early to confirm anything, but I'm confident that running my SD Card on exFAT was giving me trouble!
By the way, I decided to create a poll asking which System File we, Galaxy Note 3 owners, use. We may create a balance and find out if any format is creating any trouble in general.
Cheers!

When you're recording 4K video, maybe you will need NTFS format for files over 4gb..
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

MILJANN said:
When you're recording 4K video, maybe you will need NTFS format for files over 4gb..
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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But there is a limit of 5 minutes, if I'm not wrong. Maybe it is because of the file size limitation, for people using FAT32, since it's the default File System the device chooses when formatting Micro SD.
By the way, I didn't record anything in 4K yet, so I don't know which is the maximum file size we can get. Will test here...

MILJANN said:
When you're recording 4K video, maybe you will need NTFS format for files over 4gb..
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
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exFAT supports up to 16EB files in size. That's Exabyte.
You could record a whole month non-stop in 4K and not exceed the filesize limit.
Not all android devices support NTFS by default.
I use Fat32 on my MicroSD, which is rather annoying as I want to have blurays on it, but I can't bebothered to reformat all 64GB and copy it all back. So I just keep all 4GB+ files internally, seems to work fine. (Everything possible is on my MicroSD so I have 22GB free internally.)

ShadowLea said:
exFAT supports up to 16EB files in size. That's Exabyte.
You could record a whole month non-stop in 4K and not exceed the filesize limit.
Not all android devices support NTFS by default.
I use Fat32 on my MicroSD, which is rather annoying as I want to have blurays on it, but I can't bebothered to reformat all 64GB and copy it all back. So I just keep all 4GB+ files internally, seems to work fine. (Everything possible is on my MicroSD so I have 22GB free internally.)
Click to expand...
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By the way, I almost forgot the huge internal space and I previously formatted Micro SD using exFAT imagining the day I would put a bigger than 4 GB video file, like once I needed in the past.
Great tip you gave!
Edit: Further, we need to remember that with Note 3, different from Note II, we can again put apps on external storage!

Tried it in the pool. My sd card and my phone are now broken

nakedtime said:
Tried it in the pool. My sd card and my phone are now broken
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:laugh:
Send From My Samsung Galaxy Note 3 N9005 Using Tapatalk

When you record 4k its sent to the internal memory which is ext4.
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

zanzee said:
When you record 4k its sent to the internal memory which is ext4.
Sent from my SM-N900W8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are there problems by formatting the external card to ext4 too? Don't. Have. A. microSD. Card. Yet. To. Try. It. NOW! arghhhhhh!
EDIT: no need to try, it doesn't work on stock roms.. Nice Google! Really nice!

I used the following command to convert a fat32 external drive to ntfs without losing data: Convert H: /FS:NTFS in command prompt, where H: would be your microsd card's drive letter when used in a Vista+ windows environment and a card reader. Can't guarantee data loss ofcourse so a backup would be wise.
Sent from my SM-N9005

I have a Samsung 64 GB micro SD. It came already formatted with ExFat and fortunately so far so good.
A few years ago I had a faulty card reader for pc. My camera could not recognise the SD card and my phone had random reboots with a micro SD after formatting. It is a possibility.
I don't understand much about this topic and I have not formatted with windows in a while, but I remember I could choose among several parameters (something like block size?). My point is that maybe the note 3 requires a different set of Exfat parameters than windows default ones to work well
It is just an idea.
iiSo say we all!! From my Note 3 (N9005)

nakedtime said:
Tried it in the pool. My sd card and my phone are now broken
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't blame me about this. Blame SwiftKey keyboard auto correction! hahahahaha
cyriacus said:
I used the following command to convert a fat32 external drive to ntfs without losing data: Convert H: /FS:NTFS in command prompt, where H: would be your microsd card's drive letter when used in a Vista+ windows environment and a card reader. Can't guarantee data loss ofcourse so a backup would be wise.
Sent from my SM-N9005
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Click to collapse
That's great! Didn't know that this was possible without needing to format the whole card.
inolvidable said:
I have a Samsung 64 GB micro SD. It came already formatted with ExFat and fortunately so far so good.
A few years ago I had a faulty card reader for pc. My camera could not recognise the SD card and my phone had random reboots with a micro SD after formatting. It is a possibility.
I don't understand much about this topic and I have not formatted with windows in a while, but I remember I could choose among several parameters (something like block size?). My point is that maybe the note 3 requires a different set of Exfat parameters than windows default ones to work well
It is just an idea.
iiSo say we all!! From my Note 3 (N9005)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, the point is that I was experiencing a lot of random reboots here and didn't get no one since I used the device itself to format micro SD again.
I don't remember in which file system my Kingston 32 GB Micro SD came by default, but I used Windows 7 to format it on exFAT.
Probably the device itself formats the card the way more compatible possible, bringing stability.
By the way, since a lot of people already voted for exFAT and didn't tell anything about random reboots or issues, maybe this is not a real issue related to all exFAT, but maybe it is for people who used Windows (like myself) to format micro SD.

[Q] playing movies from 64gb sd card

I have a Note 10.1 with a 32gb sd card. I put a bunch of mp4 movies on the card and can play them without any problems on my note 10.1. I started running low on space so I got a 64gb sd card. I copied some movies to the card and figured everything would play just like with the 32gb card. However, the movies won't play. They are on the card, the titles show up on my list, but the length of the movie shows as 00:00:00. I know the data is on the card Beca use when I look at what is taking up space on the memory card, the movies are a big chunk of it. Can anyone tell me how I can get them to play? I don't get what the difference is between playing from the 32gb card and the 64gb card.
Thanks, GL

Might just be a copy error, can you use a card reader and play the movies off your PC
Sent from my SM-T700 using XDA Free mobile app

It looks like your microSD is corrupted:
Unplug your microSD from your SGN 10.1
Insert it into a MS Windows PC
Press Win+R then type: chkdsk [your_card_drive_letter]: /x /f /r
Wait until it is finish checking
After finish & if it found some errors open Windows Explorer & in the Address Bar type: [your_card_drive_letter]:\FOUND.[3_digit_number]
Replace [3_digit_number] with (usually) 000 or increment it by 1 if there is no folder by that name.
Inspect the file(s) if there's an important file (look at the content, not the filename)
After everything is done you can try to repeat step 1 again to make sure.
Re-copy the movie you want to watch
Replace [your_card_drive_letter] with the appropriate letter of your microSD card.

Thanks, but I have a mac. I tried formatting the card to FAT32 with disc utility. That may have been what messed the card up. It's strange, because my tablet recognizes the card and shows that it's a 64gb card, other functions work normally as far as saving data to it, but it won't play the movies. I've also tried formatting the card with sdFormatter for mac. It goes through the whole process and says the card has been formatted, yet it ends up the same as before I started. There are still folders on it that should have been erased during the process, and when I load a movie on it and try playing it on the tablet still nothing. I have tried formatting the card in the tablet, but the same thing happens. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, GL
d4rkkn16ht said:
It looks like your microSD is corrupted:
Unplug your microSD from your SGN 10.1
Insert it into a MS Windows PC
Press Win+R then type: chkdsk [your_card_drive_letter]: /x /f /r
Wait until it is finish checking
After finish & if it found some errors open Windows Explorer & in the Address Bar type: [your_card_drive_letter]:\FOUND.[3_digit_number]
Replace [3_digit_number] with (usually) 000 or increment it by 1 if there is no folder by that name.
Inspect the file(s) if there's an important file (look at the content, not the filename)
After everything is done you can try to repeat step 1 again to make sure.
Re-copy the movie you want to watch
Replace [your_card_drive_letter] with the appropriate letter of your microSD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

gl.08chc said:
Thanks, but I have a mac. I tried formatting the card to FAT32 with disc utility. That may have been what messed the card up. It's strange, because my tablet recognizes the card and shows that it's a 64gb card, other functions work normally as far as saving data to it, but it won't play the movies. I've also tried formatting the card with sdFormatter for mac. It goes through the whole process and says the card has been formatted, yet it ends up the same as before I started. There are still folders on it that should have been erased during the process, and when I load a movie on it and try playing it on the tablet still nothing. I have tried formatting the card in the tablet, but the same thing happens. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, GL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never ever use FAT32 on 64GB & above storage (any storage)
Filesystem standard for storage nowadays is dominated by Microsoft, so you need Ms Windows to repair any errors without compromising any other data by formatting it (I hate this, but what can I say....).
Luckily, in Linux (Mac long lost sibling ) there's a tool called fsck & it can check & repair any MS filesystem (not recommended but handy if needed)
And also LUCKILY......Android=Linux.....
Back to point 1,AGAIN.....never EVER use FAT32 on 64GB & above storage.
The following limitations exist using the FAT32 file system with Windows operating systems:
Clusters cannot be 64 kilobytes (KB) or larger. If clusters were 64 KB or larger, some programs (such as Setup programs) might calculate disk space incorrectly.
A volume must contain at least 65,527 clusters to use the FAT32 file system. You cannot increase the cluster size on a volume using the FAT32 file system so that it ends up with less than 65,527 clusters.
The maximum possible number of clusters on a volume using the FAT32 file system is 268,435,445. With a maximum of 32 KB per cluster with space for the file allocation table (FAT), this equates to a maximum disk size of approximately 8 terabytes (TB).
The ScanDisk tool included with Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98 is a 16-bit program. Such programs have a single memory block maximum allocation size of 16 MB less 64 KB. Therefore, The Windows 95 or Windows 98 ScanDisk tool cannot process volumes using the FAT32 file system that have a FAT larger than 16 MB less 64 KB in size. A FAT entry on a volume using the FAT32 file system uses 4 bytes, so ScanDisk cannot process the FAT on a volume using the FAT32 file system that defines more than 4,177,920 clusters (including the two reserved clusters). Including the FATs themselves, this works out, at the maximum of 32 KB per cluster, to a volume size of 127.53 gigabytes (GB).
You cannot decrease the cluster size on a volume using the FAT32 file system so that the FAT ends up larger than 16 MB less 64 KB in size.
You cannot format a volume larger than 32 GB in size using the FAT32 file system in Windows 2000. The Windows 2000 FastFAT driver can mount and support volumes larger than 32 GB that use the FAT32 file system (subject to the other limits), but you cannot create one using the Format tool. This behavior is by design. If you need to create a volume larger than 32 GB, use the NTFS file system instead.
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Click to collapse
Source: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/184006
It means that the maximum capacity that FAT32 supports is 32GB.
Normally, 64GB & above storage come with exFAT from the factory....until....you format it to FAT32.
In MS Windows, you can't format 64GB & above storage with FAT32 (even if you want to).
Unfortunately, Mac & Linux users can accidentally format it to FAT32.
How to covert it to exFAT without losing data?
In MS Windows: convert /FS:EXFAT
In Linux: gparted
As you use Mac, I don't know how to do that....BUT, I can recommend you to use any Linux LIVECD/DVD.
I'm using Linux Mint & in the LiveCD Gparted is included.
it's a partitioning application with GUI (of the command line tool called parted)
Try it & ask me if you have any question.

Ok, thanks. I was formatting to FAT32 because that's what I read on one of these forums was the way to be able to use a 64gb card with my tablet. I will try your suggestions when I get back into town next week and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help, hope this works

gl.08chc said:
Ok, thanks. I was formatting to FAT32 because that's what I read on one of these forums was the way to be able to use a 64gb card with my tablet. I will try your suggestions when I get back into town next week and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the help, hope this works
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what ROM that you use but remember to UPDATE beforehand.
exFAT filesystem needs a kernel support & older Android kernel version doesn't support it.
Using custom kernel can guarantee kernel support for exFAT.

[Q] Any new developments on the 4gb limit?

Hi, I have been trying to transfer some bluray isos to my tablet and either they wont finish transferring or vlc wont play them when they do. I had success transerring one iso with Wondershare Mobile go but it put the file in a hard to find folder and vlc wouldnt play it. I have an sd card coming tomorrow. I have read some post on here about the issue but the last one was dated March of last year. I know many people disagree with what I'm trying to do but I get bullheaded and dont give up that easy. Would stickmount work? Cyanogenmod or another ROM? I havent rooted yet but would be opposed to it. Ive read some post that say that its not a problem anymore. Any thoughts , ideas or comments would be appreciated.

rufusmcd said:
Hi, I have been trying to transfer some bluray isos to my tablet and either they wont finish transferring or vlc wont play them when they do. I had success transerring one iso with Wondershare Mobile go but it put the file in a hard to find folder and vlc wouldnt play it. I have an sd card coming tomorrow. I have read some post on here about the issue but the last one was dated March of last year. I know many people disagree with what I'm trying to do but I get bullheaded and dont give up that easy. Would stickmount work? Cyanogenmod or another ROM? I havent rooted yet but would be opposed to it. Ive read some post that say that its not a problem anymore. Any thoughts , ideas or comments would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your sdcard is formatted to FAT32 then you can't put files over 4GB on it. Could this be the problem?

kickassdave said:
If your sdcard is formatted to FAT32 then you can't put files over 4GB on it. Could this be the problem?[/QUOT
I'm not sure how its formatted. Its a brand new shield tablet. My external sd card hasnt come yet. I read though that the 4gb limit shouldnt be a problem on android devices.
I did transfer a 4.29gb file that played.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

rufusmcd said:
kickassdave said:
If your sdcard is formatted to FAT32 then you can't put files over 4GB on it. Could this be the problem?[/QUOT
I'm not sure how its formatted. Its a brand new shield tablet. My external sd card hasnt come yet. I read though that the 4gb limit shouldnt be a problem on android devices.
I did transfer a 4.29gb file that played.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your SD card is most likely FAT or FAT32 which has a 4GB limit.
Some but not all android kernels support exFAT which has a much larger file limit, this would be the preferred way I would fix it. I formatted my card in my device to find out .
Some kernels also support NTFS which avoids the FAT32 limit but can lead to unintended behaviour - eg. apps will not be able to work out the correct amount of free space left.
Failing another solution the least desirable way to fix this (other than transcoding) is split the video into 4GB parts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

The shield tablet can read SD cards formatted NTFS. That should at least allow the large file to be transferred. I'm a little surprised the system partition on a linux-based tablet uses case-insensitive FAT formatting.