[Q] How do I mount my sdcard as a drive via USB? - Eee Pad Transformer Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have a TF101 running Prime 1.1, and a sdcard inserted in it.
I wanted to mount it as a drive via USB to my laptop through a usb cable (like I do on my phone), but I can't find an option for it on Honeycomb to do so. Anyone know how to do this?

Having the same issue. Running Ubuntu 10.04. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

...anyone?

poorace said:
I have a TF101 running Prime 1.1, and a sdcard inserted in it.
I wanted to mount it as a drive via USB to my laptop through a usb cable (like I do on my phone), but I can't find an option for it on Honeycomb to do so. Anyone know how to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's already mounted, on device storage there's a folder called microSD, if that doesn't work just pop the microSD card out and pop it back in while plugged in.

poorace said:
I have a TF101 running Prime 1.1, and a sdcard inserted in it.
I wanted to mount it as a drive via USB to my laptop through a usb cable (like I do on my phone), but I can't find an option for it on Honeycomb to do so. Anyone know how to do this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest i do not think there is any way to do that yet
Honeycomb does not offer an easy way to include removable storage (which is why the xoom doesnt support sd cards yet officially)
Asus bypassed the Honeycomb issue and mounted the SD card to a directory (Removable Storage)
Since the built in storage is seen as the sdcard by honeycomb that is what is seen by computers
When the next version of honeycomb comes out, they should address this issue
...hopefully
For now i carry one of these bad boys on me while i'm at school (along with my gazillion flash drives )
http://www.amazon.com/elago-Mobile-...FKR8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1304203233&sr=8-3

SlimDan22 said:
To be honest i do not think there is any way to do that yet
Honeycomb does not offer an easy way to include removable storage (which is why the xoom doesnt support sd cards yet officially)
Asus bypassed the Honeycomb issue and mounted the SD card to a directory (Removable Storage)
Since the built in storage is seen as the sdcard by honeycomb that is what is seen by computers
When the next version of honeycomb comes out, they should address this issue
...hopefully
For now i carry one of these bad boys on me while i'm at school (along with my gazillion flash drives )
http://www.amazon.com/elago-Mobile-...FKR8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1304203233&sr=8-3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That explains it!

SlimDan22 said:
To be honest i do not think there is any way to do that yet
Honeycomb does not offer an easy way to include removable storage (which is why the xoom doesnt support sd cards yet officially)
Asus bypassed the Honeycomb issue and mounted the SD card to a directory (Removable Storage)
Since the built in storage is seen as the sdcard by honeycomb that is what is seen by computers
When the next version of honeycomb comes out, they should address this issue
...hopefully
For now i carry one of these bad boys on me while i'm at school (along with my gazillion flash drives )
http://www.amazon.com/elago-Mobile-...FKR8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1304203233&sr=8-3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very cool item there. might pick one up myself.

Wait so are you telling me that presently there is no way to access your microSD card from your computer? (without using any extra accessories)

Oops just realized it was mounted in the storage folder**
Had to replug in my Sd card

Deusdies said:
Wait so are you telling me that presently there is no way to access your microSD card from your computer? (without using any extra accessories)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seshmaru already posted the solution to this earlier in the thread.
When your Transformer is attached to a Windows PC, the SD card is mounted as a subdirectory under device storage.
Regards,
Dave

Android switched from the USB storage class to MTP from Honeycomb. In order to access MTP storage from non-Windows machines you'll need an MTP driver.
For Mac use Android Filetransfer. For Linux use MTPFS.
Details for both can be found here:
http://droidweb.com/2011/05/moving-files-onto-android-3-0-devices/

MTP sucks, you have to use Windows' default copy and paste and it doesn't give you full acess to all the files (only ones Honeycomb wants you to see), horrible system.

frosty5689 said:
...it doesn't give you full acess to all the files ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I also dislike the inconsistency between actual files and those displayed via MTP. Fortunately most readers of this forum know how to use ADB push/pull or the file explorer to move internal files to a removable USB storage device.

Watch out
I've got 3 USB 2.5" HDs. All are NTFS formatted and SATA internally with external eSATA connectors so to me similar cases. All work fine on my PCs. On the TF 2 work and these 2 have a similar case but the 3rd is not picked.
Just something to be aware of that your case can be an issue

Related

[Q] Trouble Mounting 1TB Hard Drive

I purchased the G-Tablet because I wanted a way to download photos from my camera's memory, view them, and write them to an external hard drive. The problem I've run into is that I can't get my tablet (running TnT-Lite) to recognize my 1TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex drive to mount. I've done a lot of searching for answers, and my first thought was that the drive wasn't receiving enough power, but I've tried it through the docking station and a powered USB hub without any luck. I also reformatted it to Fat32 just to be sure it wasn't the drive format. Sniffer never even notices it's connected.
I'm using TnT-Lite, but am perfectly willing to try other ROMs if they have better external drive support. I'm not super familiar with linux so I haven't tried seeing if I could manually mount the drive, but if someone would be interested in telling me how to see if it's recognized and manually mount it I'm all ears.
Cheers!
Gaines Kergosien
(615) 412-9739
Kind of a repost...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=912212
Two things:
Make sure your harddrive format is supported by your kernel. Some kernels like clemsin support ntfs and other formats. I am not really sure what formats does the kernel that comes with tnt lite supports, but i recomend to check or install another kernel.
Second; make sure you connects your HDD to a power source before using it. I have not tried it myself, but i heard that the low power source of the usb port of the g tablet is not enough to supply power to the HDD.
Good luck with that, hope you find a solution to the problem.
Another thought, have you tried rebooting the tab after you've plugged the HDD in. I have a 500 gb WD elements, and if I'm having issues, usually rebooting with the drive plugged up takes care of it.
Pazzu510 said:
Kind of a repost...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=912212
Two things:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, others have posted similar issues, albeit with different drives/ROMs and little or no followup to troubleshoot the problem and no real solution.
I believe I was very specific in mentioning during the opening post that I tried using external power (via the dock and powered USB hub) and different drive formats.
lordgodgeneral said:
Another thought, have you tried rebooting the tab after you've plugged the HDD in. I have a 500 gb WD elements, and if I'm having issues, usually rebooting with the drive plugged up takes care of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion. I've tried having it plugged in via the dock and powered hub before boot, but still no dice.
The best case scenario for me is that someone here has the same drive, overcame this issue and is willing to share their solution. I'm hoping that I can at least find someone who knows enough about linux/ROMs to help me troubleshoot and figure out if this is a hardware, driver or software issue. Maybe the drive is being recognized but the partition isn't getting mounted for some reason? *shrug*
Try partitioning your drive to 2 500gb sections. I don't think android os recognizes 1tb drive sizes. Just a thought.
Mantara said:
Try partitioning your drive to 2 500gb sections. I don't think android os recognizes 1tb drive sizes. Just a thought.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent suggestion. Just repartitioned it as (2) 465GB fat32 drives and copied over some test files, plugged the drive into the powered USB hub, plugged that into the G-tablet, booted...and at first I thought it didn't work. Then an hour later I look at my tablet and realize it's mounted! I can see the image file I was using to test it...except the image (png) doesn't open. I try moving it to the SDCard using iFileManager and it errors.
...so on the up side, the drive mounted. On the down side, there may still be some issues.
You didn't say what model drive. I got a 1TB drive to use on my Tonido plug server and server would not recognize it. apparently some of the new drives need non standard drivers. For bulk storage, the tonido works great and accessible from the web.
Rumbleweed said:
You didn't say what model drive. I got a 1TB drive to use on my Tonido plug server and server would not recognize it. apparently some of the new drives need non standard drivers. For bulk storage, the tonido works great and accessible from the web.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is my opening post that difficult to read? Pretty sure I said it's a 1TB Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex.
not only is this not developement but snapping at the people trying to help you is just gonna not get you any help
Moved to general.
I have the exact same hard drive and the exact same problem as well. Running Cal's 1.1 with Clem's latest kernal ver. 6. No luck in seeing it.
Also, even with a thumb drive it cannot recognize it if it's formatted as NTFS. I know it's supposed to work but there must be something I'm doing wrong. Any ideas?
Thanks
thebadfrog said:
not only is this not developement but snapping at the people trying to help you is just gonna not get you any help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seemed to me that troubleshooting problems with ROMs not correctly mounting drives fell under development along with the ROM being used.
As for snapping at people, maybe I wasn't as appreciative of their effort as I should have been, but I felt like people were replying without even reading the opening post where I had tried hard to explain the situation in detail. It's like taking your car to a mechanic and telling him it's making a clunking sound, then receiving a call from them later saying, "Yeah, we took a look and there seems to be a clunking sound."
you try using a file explorer like root explorer?? or only sniffer?
rover442 said:
I have the exact same hard drive and the exact same problem as well. Running Cal's 1.1 with Clem's latest kernal ver. 6. No luck in seeing it.
Also, even with a thumb drive it cannot recognize it if it's formatted as NTFS. I know it's supposed to work but there must be something I'm doing wrong. Any ideas?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey rover442. I'm thrilled to have gotten it to mount and, hopefully if we work together, we can figure out how to get everything working properly. To recap, here's what I did to get it to mount:
Delete the existing partition using Windows Disk Management
Create two new partitions (under 500GB)
Format those partitions using fat32format
Plug the drive into the tablet via a powered usb hub
Reboot
Wait an undefined amount of time for it to magically mount
10roller said:
you try using a file explorer like root explorer?? or only sniffer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried all of them, but when it finally mounted I noticed it in Sniffer then was able to access it using iFileManager.
Ok gaines. I'll reformat the drive and partition it and see what happens. Thanks!
Gaines, I made two partitions. I put an mp3 in each partition. Loaded it into G Tab and it sees one of the partitions and the mp3. It does not see the other partition. FTR, I am not using a powered USB, just plugging straight into the G. (formatted fat 32 on the external hard drive).
Success
Ok here's what I did to make things work in FAT 32
I downloaded a partition software called EASEUS Partition master Home. It was free. I fromatted again the whole 1TB hard drive (931GB available). here are the following tests I did:
Partition 431GB successfully seen in G Tab
Partition 531GB successfully seen in G Tab
So since I broke the 500GB threshold I tried to partition 631GB and it was good. So then I just repartitioned for the whole 931GB available and it is now being seen in Sniffer and Root Explorer. So it's fine.
However, the G Tab still cannot recognize NTFS.
You need a kernel that supports ntfs. Android does not recognise ntfs natively

[Q] XOOM and portable hard drive

Does the XOOM pair well with a portable hard drive? Im noticing I am traveling more, and need my laptop less and less in the process. The XOOM seems to take care of a majority of my needs, but I was wondering if I am able to plug in an external portable hard drive, and have the XOOM pull data, and add data to the hard drive. I'm sure I would need an app to do this (if possible) as well?
Your help is greatly appreciated
anyone know this?
If you use a USB Drive enable kernel (like Tiamet) and the drive is powered and does not contain a USB hub (like the one I tried), it might work.
I actually tried this yesterday. My XOOM is rooted and configured to use a USB Host adapter to accept USB storage. I've tested with several thumb drives, all seem to work. Yesterday I hooked up a 320GB self powered USB HDD and unfortunately it did not work. It could be just this drive, so only way to find out is test with others =)
StirCwazy said:
I actually tried this yesterday. My XOOM is rooted and configured to use a USB Host adapter to accept USB storage. I've tested with several thumb drives, all seem to work. Yesterday I hooked up a 320GB self powered USB HDD and unfortunately it did not work. It could be just this drive, so only way to find out is test with others =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your problem is most likely that you don't have the drive formatted as FAT32. I tried a 250GB drive and it worked nicely. In this thread I have a link to a site that offers you a free simple solution (Windows itself does not allow formatting of such large drives with FAT32).
funnycreature said:
Your problem is most likely that you don't have the drive formatted as FAT32. I tried a 250GB drive and it worked nicely. In this thread I have a link to a site that offers you a free simple solution (Windows itself does not allow formatting of such large drives with FAT32).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know what, you are 100% correct. I forgot I had this drive formatted at NTFS for something else I was toying with. I just tried a FAT32 self powered USB drive (120GB) and it worked just fine.
StirCwazy said:
You know what, you are 100% correct. I forgot I had this drive formatted at NTFS for something else I was toying with. I just tried a FAT32 self powered USB drive (120GB) and it worked just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I LOVE easy solutions! Enjoy your HDD and don't forget to thank the guys that enabled the USB hosting!!!
so I should pick up a hard drive (portable), and then format it to fat32? Ill use the link from your post and I'm good?
kasrhp said:
so I should pick up a hard drive (portable), and then format it to fat32? Ill use the link from your post and I'm good?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you read the thread carefully people mention issues with certain thumb drives that have indicator lights because they might require too much power. However, when I connect my iPhone all it does is charge So my interpretation is that the HDD needs to have its own power source
Sadly the problem with fat32 and Android in general at the moment is that you can't use files >2 gigs. You could on Androids internal storage which is usually a file system that supports large files(RFS,EXT3/4...) if your device has that much internal storage available.
Does anyone know what our internal file system is? I haven't messed with it enough to know yet - but assuming because the thing mounts in Windows. - its FAT(at least the part we can mount and write to from windows).
And all of this boils down to Windows and their lack of reality in that we don't all run NTFS, and that maybe, possibly, someone MIGHT WANT TO HOOK UP A GOD BLESSED EXT DRIVE!
But i guess I could just format all of my stuff as NTFS, because the open source community is actually smart and Linux can read it. But then again maybe I would need to work on someones stupid ass Mac and need to write a file to said NTFS drive - OH WAIT CAN'T EF'IN DO THAT!
/rant
You could probably use ext2 on the hard drive - it can be configured to be readable and writable in Windows. It's similar to FAT32 but doesn't have the limit on file size.

[Q] MicroSD doesn't show up when connected to PC?

Thanks guys, I hope someone knows how to fix this.
When I connect my Asus EEE Pad Transformer to my PC(Windows 7) via the USB cable, I can see on the PC a new device named "Computer\Transformer TF101\Device Storage" which is my built-in 16 GB, but there is no device for the Micro SD card - it is actually visible in the EEE Pad (at /Removable/MicroSD) and works pretty normally within the Pad.
How do I transfer my files to the MicroSD from the PC then?
I don't want to take out the card and use a card reader, btw.
smallercat said:
Thanks guys, I hope someone knows how to fix this.
When I connect my Asus EEE Pad Transformer to my PC(Windows 7) via the USB cable, I can see on the PC a new device named "Computer\Transformer TF101\Device Storage" which is my built-in 16 GB, but there is no device for the Micro SD card - it is actually visible in the EEE Pad (at /Removable/MicroSD) and works pretty normally within the Pad.
How do I transfer my files to the MicroSD from the PC then?
I don't want to take out the card and use a card reader, btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like a response to this as well.
Just for curiosity... you don't see any folder named similar to "sdcard" inside the visible 16gb directory?
Go to:
http://www.asus.com/Eee/Eee_Pad/Eee_Pad_Transformer_TF101/
Download tab and then pick your OS and then download PC sync software?
dark_aura said:
I would like a response to this as well.
Just for curiosity... you don't see any folder named similar to "sdcard" inside the visible 16gb directory?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It happened once or twice that I found a folder named 'MicroSD' in the 16gb directory - it is indeed the MicroSD card, but now it is gone and I have no idea why.
smallercat said:
It happened once or twice that I found a folder named 'MicroSD' in the 16gb directory - it is indeed the MicroSD card, but now it is gone and I have no idea why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's weird... I am waiting for my Transformer to arrive, btw.
Did you tried a full restart on the tablet and try again?
dotpro said:
Go to:
****
Download tab and then pick your OS and then download PC sync software?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already tried, no luck.
Thanks anyway.
dark_aura said:
That's weird... I am waiting for my Transformer to arrive, btw.
Did you tried a full restart on the tablet and try again?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I did. but I havn't tried factory reset yet.
More than connecting transformer to PC by the usb cable, I usually use some app like "Websharing" or "WiFi File Explorer PRO". Sadly there's no way to upload data to the microSD card using one of these apps either
Until now, I've been removing microSD card and putting it in my USB all in one media card reader!
well what you can do is simply copy it to internal and then use the HC filemanager to copy it to your microSD, that's what I do.
seshmaru said:
well what you can do is simply copy it to internal and then use the HC filemanager to copy it to your microSD, that's what I do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A good workaround, but quite frankly, these are the sorts of little inexcusable things that companies need to check for before they push out products. Hopefully Asus fixes this very soon in an OTA soon. There's absolutely no reason why the MicroSD shouldn't show up as a separate drive when you connect the device to your computer. (Even my Nook classic does that!)
elmasguapo said:
A good workaround, but quite frankly, these are the sorts of little inexcusable things that companies need to check for before they push out products. Hopefully Asus fixes this very soon in an OTA soon. There's absolutely no reason why the MicroSD shouldn't show up as a separate drive when you connect the device to your computer. (Even my Nook classic does that!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you can always get a Xoom (which doesn't have microSD support at all).
Pretty sure they figured rather a functioning microSD card slot that can't be accessed by USB than no microSD card slot at all.
I'm sure it'll be fixed in an update.
seshmaru said:
Well you can always get a Xoom (which doesn't have microSD support at all).
Pretty sure they figured rather a functioning microSD card slot that can't be accessed by USB than no microSD card slot at all.
I'm sure it'll be fixed in an update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Asus seems to have put together a fantastic device, so I have no desire to choose a Xoom over it. My issue is with the increasingly prevalent over-reliance on OTAs to fix simple things that should have included from the start. (And that comment by no means applies exclusively to Asus.)
True, but when you buy a honeycomb device at this stage you pretty much are always buying on potential, since honeycomb is really new and even google admitted it was rushed to market. With that come the inevitable gripes and snags.
I haven't had any issues accessing the micro sd from my computer. If you have the MTP drivers loaded from asus's website should just show up at the bottom as a "music player" that you click on and shows device.
In the device is all the folders on the internal sd card. One of the folders is MicroSD which is your micro sd card.
I've dumped about 30 gb of stuff on my micro sd without any problems.
lordgodgeneral said:
I haven't had any issues accessing the micro sd from my computer. If you have the MTP drivers loaded from asus's website should just show up at the bottom as a "music player" that you click on and shows device.
In the device is all the folders on the internal sd card. One of the folders is MicroSD which is your micro sd card.
I've dumped about 30 gb of stuff on my micro sd without any problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick question, when the "sdcard" folder is inside the visible built-in storage directory, what is the total capacity that your OS shows? It's the built-in storage + SD Card? like 16gb + 32gb = 48gb? or how?
Sd Card
Mine shows up in file manager no problem -
/removable/microsd/
It shows up on my computer -
/device storage/micro sd
dark_aura said:
Quick question, when the "sdcard" folder is inside the visible built-in storage directory, what is the total capacity that your OS shows? It's the built-in storage + SD Card? like 16gb + 32gb = 48gb? or how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you hover over the device in my computer, it only shows availablity of the internal storage, and right clicking and hitting properties on the microsd folder does show how much space is taken up on the card, but haven't seen a way to show totaly capacity and how much is left in windows.
Easiest way is just check storage under the settings on the tablet.
just so you guys know, I noticed your PC wont see the microSD card folder if you dont pop it in/out after every time you reboot the tablet.
Pretty sure this is a restriction with Honeycomb. The design was intended for internal storage (hence the dynamic internal flash storage). External is just for media.
Seems the fix needs to come from Android devs and applied to the framework. Would not hold my breath for that, since if you keep up with the Android dev forums, they were not fans of adding external storage in the first place. The OEMs (except Motorola) did their own workarounds just to get stuff working as is. Seems a minor miracle that Asus were able to get the keyboard and its storage functions working.
Guys thank you all for the replies and discussions.
I replaced my MicroSD card today and was surprised to see the new card appeared as 'Computer\Transformer TF101\Device Staroage\MicroSD' in my PC!
Now seems it has something to do with the card itself - no idea what it is though. Both cards worked pretty fine within the Pad btw.

[Q] Windows sees MicroSD card, but not the SD card

UPDATE: Android 3.2 has fixed the problem
Title says it all.
Computer-->Transformer 101-->Device Storage
I can see the MicroSD directory, but not the SD directory.
The transformer sees the SD card fine.
Using Prime 1.5
Tried both NTFS and FAT32 format on the SD card
Any suggestions?
Lack of Honeycomb support for more than one external storage device.
I'm usually too lazy to get the usb cable. I use swiftp and upload things to my tablet from ftp. It sees the whole directory including /system/ and so forth.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
So, lack of multiple storage devices? Really? That sucks.
I'll try the swiftp. That looks viable.
Thanks.
If anyone knows a work around get the SD card visible in windows, please let me know.
SwiFTP is a old app and not updated much but it still works. App isn't optimized for HC, but you can do the basic things you need to do. Other than optimization for screen, it works great.
You can see /removable/microsd/ and /sdcard/.
Checked out SwiFTP. It gets the job done, with transfer speeds of around 200-300 Kb/s over wifi. Tomorrow I'll buy an extra ethernet cable and see if I can get this usb-to-lan adapter working with the transformer. That should give me fast enough speeds to keep me happy in the mean time. SwiFTP also allows me to charge the transformer while doing file transfers, which is nice.
I really hope Android 3.2 will fix this so I can see the SD card through windows.
I really really like the transformer, but it's all the little things wrong with it that drive me nuts.
Have you considered transferring files the other way around? E.g. sharing a dir in windows and accessing it via smb from tf over wifi with whatever you want - es file manager, file manager hd, file expert, etc. You can also mount it with cifs manager if you want.
The transfer speeds shouldbe reasonably faster over smbcompared to ftp.
Not quite sure what smb is. I'll have to google it. I'll look into it.
typci said:
Not quite sure what smb is. I'll have to google it. I'll look into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SMB protocol is basically what you usually share your windows files via. Just share a folder in Windows like you usually would (not through home network though), and you'll be able to access it via any file manager on tablet.
I'm getting 2-2.5Mbytes/sec over wifi this way, which probably can be improved since the TF connects to my wifi router at 65Mbps (so, theoretically up to 8 Mbytes/sec which is ideal, but 4-5 should be real) but I don't bother with that since I don't really need faster transfer speeds.
There should be a folder called "MicroSD", maybe two. One of them is your external SD Card. But i found out that i don't see every file with windows...
interesting ... so i haven't even tried SD+MicroSD at the same time I can't tell if TF101 will see both ... should probably try it tonight.
But I know I have plugged 2 differnet USB flash drives into the dock with the microSD and the tablet saw everything.
I think people are missing the OPs question. I read the setup as he/she is windows computer connected to the TF and looking at the Windows Explorer window. In Window Explorer it shows the uSD, but not an SD card plugged into the dock.
jerrykur said:
I think people are missing the OPs question. I read the setup as he/she is windows computer connected to the TF and looking at the Windows Explorer window. In Window Explorer it shows the uSD, but not an SD card plugged into the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We (at least I) understood it correctly. I was just suggesting a workaround based on my own experience to achieve the same goals via different means.
A couple of people missed the point, but the information provided has been very useful. Thanks for the help so far.
I also forgot that not everyone has the dock. If you do not have the dock, then you do not have an SD card slot (the tablet has a MicroSD card slot). The SD card slot on the dock is the card I'm having trouble with.
The ultimate goal of the question was to be able to transfer files between the computer and the Transformer, and Transformer's various storage areas: Internal, MicroSD, and SD card. That has been achieved with the various work arounds provided so far (SwiFTP, smb). But I would like to have an option in windows to drag and drop files to the Transformer SD (not MicroSD, or internal memory) card located on the dock, with the Transformer hooked up to the computer via USB.
Just to clarify:
The transformer can store user files in 3 places:
Internal Flash Memory - /SDCard directory from within Android, /transformer 101/Device Storage directory from windows via USB
External MicroSD Card - MicroSD card slot on tablet, /Removable/MicroSD directory from within Android, /transformer 101/Device Storage/MicroSD directory from windows via USB
External SD Card - SD card slot on the Transformer's dock, /Removable/SD directory from within Android --> This is the card that does not show up when the Transformer is connected to the computer via USB.
I use the internal memory for games, apks, and other basic android stuff.
I use a 8GB MicroSD card for extra stuff needed by apks, clockwork mod stuff, and school stuff (I'm a teacher and a student)
I also have a 8GB SD card I want to use for video and audio. I need a very convenient and fast way to switch out these files, since I will be changing them pretty often, and because they are huge files. Once I get this setup, I plan buy a much larger SDHC card to store videos on.
So far, I really like the SwiFTP suggested by zephiK, because everything can be controlled on my windows computer, and with a decent FTP program it should be really easy to use. I don't like dealing with file systems in Android just yet. Astro and root explorer are nice, but no where near as easy to use as windows explorer (multiple open windows and drag and drop).
Also, I just bought a ethernet cable and USB-to-LAN adapter. This will make it so I can plug my charge my transformer via the wall plug while I transfer files over the LAN.
I'm interested in smb, but probably won't use it because you use a file manager on the tablet to control it. But it is always good to have options.
If someone has a working setup where all three Transformer storage locations (Internal, MicroSD, and SD) are accessible through windows via USB, let me know. Or if someone has it natively working, please let me know. I'm trying to figure out whether my problem is with my transformer, or it all transformers have this problem.
i had this same issue, this is how i fixed it!
I went to the asus website and downloaded all the programs for sync and everything,
Then i was able to see the removable folder on the transformer
Hope this helps
number16 said:
interesting ... so i haven't even tried SD+MicroSD at the same time I can't tell if TF101 will see both ... should probably try it tonight.
But I know I have plugged 2 differnet USB flash drives into the dock with the microSD and the tablet saw everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The TF101 will see SD+MicroSD card at the same time, and probably as many USB flash drives as you can plug into it.
The trouble I'm having is with the TF101 connected to my computer via USB, windows explorer sees the TF101 internal memory, the MicroSD card, but not the SD card.
Do you know if windows explorer will see a USB flash drive plugged into the TF101?
Another very viable solution is to install a samba server on your tablet, and share the needed dirs right from it wirelessly. Then you'll be able to normally work with them via windows explorer like you would with any other network share.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=8239139&postcount=128
Needs root though. Havent tried it myself, i will later today or tomorrow.
Needs some setup, but some setup > having to be cable tied in my book, i hate all kinds of cables.
Take the SD/microSD card out, plug it into computer via real reader. You get faster read/writes, takes seconds.
I just realized I missed the pound RE Windows - removed my post entry.
I can't even seem to be able to access my microSD from a windows computer over the sync cable. It only shows me internal storage.
However removing the microSD and directly coping is faster, however if you have stuff open on the card, it is inconvenient. So being able to copy stuff over from the laptop is useful.
My other option is to map the windows drive onto the transformer and copying the files over wifi.

[Q] Mount Xoom as USB Storage

I just swapped my Samsung Galaxy Tab with a Xoom and I'm a bit miffed. I understand that the Xoom has 32GB of internal storage and does not come with an external SD card (or at least the person I bought it from kept the card).
With my SGT, when I plugged it into my Win7 64bit PC, the SD card would come up as a USB mass storage device.
Is there any way to do this with the internal storage of the Xoom? It's aggravatingly SLOW transferring files through the Personal Music Player icon that Win7 tosses in My Computer. I (as well as several other apps I use) would rather have a physical drive letter to copy to and from.
Not afraid to use a custom ROM or a modded apk or other system file. Yes, I did search and I also read the suggested topics that came up on the posting page, nothing was specifically related to the Xoom.
Yes. The Tiamat Rom, as well as the official 3.2 update activated the SD card slot in the xoom. No, the Xoom didnt ever come with a sdcard already in the slot like phones do, so you didnt get ripped off. the xoom file system is a little funny, "SDcard" is a seperate partition in the internal memory. If using Tiamat, and you have a sdcard in the sdcard slot, its labeled "external1" in the /mtn partition. When first placing an sd card in the slot, the system does take f o r e v e r, to recognize it (make sure you are also pushing the "mount sdcard" button in the storage settings menu). I generally just reboot the xoom after mounting a new card, that usually speeds up the process. When its all said and done when you plug the xoom into your pc you will get two hard drives that pop up, internal and sdcard. And heads up, you still cant put apps2sd like phones can, and you have to use root manager to move files from internal sdcard to external.
Yeah, that's the problem. At the moment, I don't have an SD card to put in it, but I was still expecting the internal storage to be mapped to a hard drive. I don't mind the Xoom showing up as a PMP but a lot of the apps I use as a developer (and some I use recreationally) need an actual drive letter I was hoping that even without an SD card mounted, that the internal storage would show up as a local disk. I've got 3.2.2 if that helps any.
Bought several SD cards, seems one of the contacts on the inside is dead, so I'm out as far as SD cards are concerned
LycaonX said:
Bought several SD cards, seems one of the contacts on the inside is dead, so I'm out as far as SD cards are concerned
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If that's the case, you got a bad deal. Generally, the Xoom is excellent and though you can work around it, having the sdcard feels pretty essential to me. Hopefully you can get it fixed or get your other tab back.
The contact wasn't dead, it had a piece of clear plastic tape over it (not intentionally, it was a corner of what looks like shipping or packing tape). Got a whopping 4GB SD card plugged in, shows up fine under /mnt/external1 but neither of them are showing up as drives in Explorer
I've got 3.2.2, 4G build (HLK75D), tried this with and without root, no luck with any config.
Edit: Okay, lots of searching later, and it seems Google thought it was a wonderful idea to not include such functionality with Honeycomb. I am extremely well versed in c++ but I have never written a driver before, but I will be downloading and studying the Windows Driver Development Kit and seeing if I can write a replacement driver specifically for the Xoom to create an MTP to Logical Disk bridge driver.
In effect, you'll replace the standard Windows MTP Driver for the Xoom with this custom driver, which will bridge MTP to a lettered drive in Windows Explorer. Yeah, I know it's a complicated step but I want my damn Xoom to have drive letters in Explorer and as a programmer, I usually end up solving my own problems when the software giants pull retarded stuff like this.
LycaonX said:
The contact wasn't dead, it had a piece of clear plastic tape over it (not intentionally, it was a corner of what looks like shipping or packing tape). Got a whopping 4GB SD card plugged in, shows up fine under /mnt/external1 but neither of them are showing up as drives in Explorer
I've got 3.2.2, 4G build (HLK75D), tried this with and without root, no luck with any config.
Edit: Okay, lots of searching later, and it seems Google thought it was a wonderful idea to not include such functionality with Honeycomb. I am extremely well versed in c++ but I have never written a driver before, but I will be downloading and studying the Windows Driver Development Kit and seeing if I can write a replacement driver specifically for the Xoom to create an MTP to Logical Disk bridge driver.
In effect, you'll replace the standard Windows MTP Driver for the Xoom with this custom driver, which will bridge MTP to a lettered drive in Windows Explorer. Yeah, I know it's a complicated step but I want my damn Xoom to have drive letters in Explorer and as a programmer, I usually end up solving my own problems when the software giants pull retarded stuff like this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. Let us know when you've got it. I'm sure there will be interest for such a driver.
Just an update, the MTP side of the bridge appears rather simple to do. I may see why Google decided on MTP instead of the old unmount/mount dance. MTP allows the device to basically 'share' the storage without isolating it to a single device. Although if a hobbyist programmer like me can feasibly believe that they can program an MTP bridge, I don't see why the college educated, career programmers at Google couldn't do the same.
Basically what I am looking at is a driver that will bridge the MTP side of the Xoom over to a virtual hard disk device in Windows. It looks like I'll need to implement a way to present the virtual drive as a FAT32 (or maybe NTFS) formatted device, since software-wise all a virtual disk handles are pointers to what amounts to the 'raw' areas of a disk. Still working on it, as mentioned before I'm a hobbyist and have never dug into driver development.
LycaonX said:
Just an update, the MTP side of the bridge appears rather simple to do. I may see why Google decided on MTP instead of the old unmount/mount dance. MTP allows the device to basically 'share' the storage without isolating it to a single device. Although if a hobbyist programmer like me can feasibly believe that they can program an MTP bridge, I don't see why the college educated, career programmers at Google couldn't do the same.
Basically what I am looking at is a driver that will bridge the MTP side of the Xoom over to a virtual hard disk device in Windows. It looks like I'll need to implement a way to present the virtual drive as a FAT32 (or maybe NTFS) formatted device, since software-wise all a virtual disk handles are pointers to what amounts to the 'raw' areas of a disk. Still working on it, as mentioned before I'm a hobbyist and have never dug into driver development.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forgot that Team Tiamat had implemented usb mass storage in an earlier verion of their Xoom kernel, but decided to remove it as it caused many complications. Look in the back pages of the Development section, for tiamat kernels and also dinomite's mass storage watcher thread. You may be able to find something you can use.

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