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MicroSD or Internal Memory?

Hello everyone I'm just wondering what is "better?" To install applications to the MicroSD or to the internal memory? I mean, for example, if it's an application that I rarely use, I'm sure everyone will say "MicroSD" but if it's an application that's constantly in use? What is better? Or does it not make a difference? Does it eat up a lot of memory constantly writing to the micro SD? or does it not make a difference in that sense either?
Do most people install to Micro or Internal Memory?

zkyevolved said:
Does it eat up a lot of memory constantly writing to the micro SD?
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Nope. However, older firmwares may consume a lot (about 5-6M, as opposed to better-optimzied ones with only 500k-1M) of additional RAM memory with the card in. I recommend my previous storage- and firmware updaterelated articles; I've answered all your questions in them.

Add the poll question "Equally Both" as I split mine between them. There are Apps I have found the run better on main and the ones that don't matter, I put on Memory card.

mchapman007 said:
Add the poll question "Equally Both" as I split mine between them. There are Apps I have found the run better on main and the ones that don't matter, I put on Memory card.
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Likewise. In fact, there are some applications that tell you during installation that it would be better to install them on the device's main memory.

Sure! How do I change the poll ?

I have read that HTC Diamond isn't having Memory Card Slot...It's really very disappointing.

12ka4 said:
I have read that HTC Diamond isn't having Memory Card Slot...It's really very disappointing.
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... and this is relevant to the thread how?
i like storing most of my apps on memory card as i don't like using system memory not unless a app doesn't work right from sd card.

Like most, I put everything on the memory card unless the developer specifically states that it should be installed in main memory.

If it's a program that runs all the time, such as a today plugin, then it would be prudent to install it on internal memory to avoid problems. Everything else can go on the storage card.

I'm going to disagree with the majority here (as usual...)
I think you should you use as much of the internal memory that is available as possible. Why? First, it is faster to read/write to flash ROM than to MicroSD (flash also). Second, I believe it uses less power. Third, IS THERE AND CAN"T BE USED FOR ANYTHING ELSE! (just like my 401K). I know in ancient times, when I loved my iPaq 2210, you only had RAM memory for both programs to run and storage of files. Then you could adjust a slider to assign or reserve more space either way. But, AFAIK, in my Hermes, they are two physically different memory locations, so why don't use the storage memory? Of course, there should be some free storage memory always available for temp files and other stuff that changes over time.
Anyway, just my opinion.

dgaud007 said:
Second, I believe it uses less power.
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That's exactly what I'd like to know. Is the power usage to R/W onto the SD disk that much higher? Or is it insignificantly low? Also, I agree, a program that CONSTATLY uses the memory card to read / write would MOST LIKELY use more power than installed on the main memory.

Internal SD Card

With Froyo, will I be able to save and copy apps to the 13GB internal sd card in the phone, or will it only be to an external sd card.
Thanks in advance

logicrulez said:
With Froyo, will I be able to save and copy apps to the 13GB internal sd card in the phone, or will it only be to an external sd card.
Thanks in advance
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You should be able to, but why would you want to? I've got like 160 apps installed most of them high end games (asphalt, assassins creed, home run battle ect.) And I'm only using like 25% of the 2 gigs.

I'm thinking with all my apps, music and video on the internal sd card and off of my phone, my phone should run a little faster.

Ah I see, it might make it slower actually because if you move your apps to the mass media side of the internal memory that side runs at a slower speed so you may have more lag when you load apps. That's why all the lag fixes now don't run off the external SD cards, they are all working inside the super fast 2 gigs where the system resides. Also SSD memory isn't effected by having a near full drive like a normal spindle drive is , it will run just as fast at 90% as it does at 5% where a normal spindle drive would be hurting some at 90%. Hopes that helps clear it up a little

Clienterror said:
Ah I see, it might make it slower actually because if you move your apps to the mass media side of the internal memory that side runs at a slower speed so you may have more lag when you load apps. That's why all the lag fixes now don't run off the external SD cards, they are all working inside the super fast 2 gigs where the system resides. Also SSD memory isn't effected by having a near full drive like a normal spindle drive is , it will run just as fast at 90% as it does at 5% where a normal spindle drive would be hurting some at 90%. Hopes that helps clear it up a little
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Thanks, so it seems that At&t really did us Captivate owners right in a sense.

logicrulez said:
Thanks, so it seems that At&t really did us Captivate owners right in a sense.
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Yea, they had the right idea. The reason the lag fixes work so good is because when they make the captivate they use a really slow file system for the 2 gigs the file system sits on (Still faster than the mass storage part but no where near where it should be). What the lag fix does it it greats a brand new really fast file system format on that 2 gigs (It's called ext2 or ext4) and moves all the system data there which speeds it up by a ton.

FYI: How I fixed my market install, uninstall, and microSD card problem.

Shout out to Joey at the South Parkersburg Radio Shack- ya he fixed it.
My problem- wouldn't download and install apps from Market, wouldn't uninstall apps, couldn't unmount SD & long boot time. And it work better without the microSD card in. Everything was stock, factor reset, formatted & vigin-ish.
Short of it: quick format microSD card- FAT32 with 4096(?) allocation. Used Win7. The allocation size is key.
It worked perfect as stock after and still.
anoncan
PS First Post!
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

anoncan said:
Shout out to Joey at the South Parkersburg Radio Shack- ya he fixed it.
My problem- wouldn't download and install apps from Market, wouldn't uninstall apps, couldn't unmount SD & long boot time. And it work better without the microSD card in. Everything was stock, factor reset, formatted & vigin-ish.
Short of it: quick format microSD card- FAT32 with 4096(?) allocation. Used Win7. The allocation size is key.
It worked perfect as stock after and still.
anoncan
PS First Post!
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
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Welcome to XDA.
Definitely a reasonable solution to fixing SD card problems, but I'm not quite sure how this would affect market download issues, as I've had them occassionally, regardless of SD card condition, they always managed to resolve themselves on their own.
Not saying it couldn't, I just have a natural tendency to introduce a little healthy skepticism, for the sake of discussion.

anoncan said:
Short of it: quick format microSD card- FAT32 with 4096(?) allocation. Used Win7. The allocation size is key.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
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I quick formatted mine as FAT32 with 2048, and its been working pretty good.

diablo009 said:
I quick formatted mine as FAT32 with 2048, and its been working pretty good.
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In other words, the op formatted his SD card and it fixed his SD card problems.
The thing is, if you're going to format it in an attempt to fix problems, might as well be extra sure and do a full format.
It doesn't take that long.
(not necessarily directed at you diablo, just in general).

Linux/Android OS newbie question

I'd like to search this forum for help, but am uneducated enough on the internals of the android OS that I'm not sure what to search for.
i'll ask my question expecting an answer on either (1) how to search for such information in the future, or (2) how to solve the issue.
I installed a 16GB class 10 SD card in my transformer keyboard and would like to edit the appropriate config files so that all future software installs and downloads are on that storage card rather than the internal 16GB memory. So my question is what files do i edit to accomplish this?
thanks...
marvin

You want Apps2SD. Unfortunately, unless something has changed recently, you can't use it on your TF.
www.transformerforums.com/forum/asus-transformer-help/3514-tf-not-letting-me-move-apps-sd-save-things-sd.html#post27629

mncessna said:
I'd like to search this forum for help, but am uneducated enough on the internals of the android OS that I'm not sure what to search for.
i'll ask my question expecting an answer on either (1) how to search for such information in the future, or (2) how to solve the issue.
I installed a 16GB class 10 SD card in my transformer keyboard and would like to edit the appropriate config files so that all future software installs and downloads are on that storage card rather than the internal 16GB memory. So my question is what files do i edit to accomplish this?
thanks...
marvin
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I'd probably try searching for "Move apps to SD" if I was searching for that topic(I know it's hard to figure out the right search terms sometimes, but by posting in Q&A, you've at least posted a fair question in the right place), here's my answer in two parts:
1. I don't think Apps2SD would work with the Dock SD slot.
2. You have the entire 16/32GB internal storage shared between apps and the /sdcard mount. Is that really not enough space?
Also, the internal storage is faster than a Class 10 card, so there will be a performance hit running from SD.

thanks...you've given me food for thought
2. You have the entire 16/32GB internal storage shared between apps and the /sdcard mount. Is that really not enough space?
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there's never enough space!! I've always attempted to offload temp files, downloads, and various other files from the same partition as the OS. prevents excessive fragmentation etc. i'm assuming this would still be an issue even with non-spinning storage, maybe it isn't?
Also, the internal storage is faster than a Class 10 card, so there will be a performance hit running from SD.
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now that's an interesting comment. i thought Class 10 was the fastest AND that internal storage on the transformer was the same technology. Hmmm.....more research for me.[/QUOTE]
thanks for the information and advice.
marvin

mncessna said:
there's never enough space!! I've always attempted to offload temp files, downloads, and various other files from the same partition as the OS. prevents excessive fragmentation etc. i'm assuming this would still be an issue even with non-spinning storage, maybe it isn't?
now that's an interesting comment. i thought Class 10 was the fastest AND that internal storage on the transformer was the same technology. Hmmm.....more research for me.
thanks for the information and advice.
marvin
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Theoretically, fragmentation can slow a flash drive down, but I've never known anybody to notice the difference or to bother with defragmenting regularly on a flash device. Maybe somebody here is into that, but it's just not practical IMHO. Apps2SD is for people who run out of internal space and need MORE room for apps. If you are pushing 12gb (the ballpark usable space on the internal memory of the TF) of apps, you need to get back into the work force. You're better off trying to keep large data files on the removable drive first, even if it means just relocating them every once in a while.
The bottom line is, the way the Transformer treats the built-in memory as an SD card is going to be an issue when trying to use an external card for Apps2SD (which I still haven't heard of anybody succeeding at), but you may be able to set your default download folder to the removable card. If you're dealing with a browser, it would depend on which one. If you're doing your own file transfers, just get a file manager that allows you to set your "home" directory and point it to the /Removable/MicroSD directory.

SilverZero said:
Theoretically, fragmentation can slow a flash drive down, but I've never known anybody to notice the difference or to bother with defragmenting regularly on a flash device. Maybe somebody here is into that, but it's just not practical IMHO.
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Even on hard drive it's most of the time not worth the effort. On SSD just forget about fragmentation.

i thought the reason fragmentation is a performance hit for HDDs is due to the fact it has to spin to get to the rest of the file.
SSD does not need anything like that.

fragmentation causes delays
finalhit said:
i thought the reason fragmentation is a performance hit for HDDs is due to the fact it has to spin to get to the rest of the file.
SSD does not need anything like that.
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a disk read consists of a seek op to place the read head over the correct cylinder, then rotational delay while the correct sector rotates under the head, then a data read, and then a transfer to core memory. when a file is fragmented, this operation is repeated multiple times in order to read the entire file into memory. disk drives are pretty fast these days, but they are still the slowest part of most modern computers. cpus and memory are very fast, but disk drives slow things up, therefore, adding to io delays with fragmented files is a real performance hit.
however, i have no data on how fragmentation affects flash memory...perhaps not at all?!.
thanks to all for inputs.

Here's one perspective on flash fragmentation:
www.wizcode.com/articles/comments/flash_memory_fragmentation_myths_and_facts/

[q] sd card issue

Hi... not sure if this is the correct area to post this, sorry if it isn't. Looking for some insight on some SD CARD issues.... been on Google all day with no luck. Here's my situation:
Recently bought an Asus HD Pad tablet. I read that the max card it'll hold is 32 GB but also read of people that have used 64 without a problem. Since that was something that I was able to do on my tab 2 I went ahead and bought a Kingston 64 GB SDXC. Before formatting to Fat32 I just placed it in and it was recognized just fine, with the full storage amount available and everything. Yesterday I started putting some movies on it but even though the files transfered fine once I went to the tablet they were there but the movies wouldn't run, like if the files were corrupted. From there I assumed I was not gonna dodge the format to Fat32 so I went ahead and did it...I transfered 3 out of 5 movies fine but when trying to add the other two I would gt the error saying that the properties of the file couldn't be transfered. I read up a bit and learned that FAT32 is a bit more limited as far as transferring certain properties from files than NTFS. So I formatted to NTFS. Put all 5 movies and they worked just fine. After this I decided to transfer about 8 gigs of music and some pictures.... they apparently transfered fine but when I go on the tablet and access the music and pictures folders it says NO FILES Are in them. I go to storage info and it does reflect that the 8+ gigs on music and pics are beige used but the file explorer show the folders empty... the movies are still there. If I try to delete the folders from the tablet I get an error that it can't be deleted or permission denied (depending on which file explorer I use). If I connect back to the PC and click the folders I get an error saying the folder is corrupted and can't delete them either. I'm getting the feeling that the SD card was not working flawlessly from the get go but would sure appreciate any input, suggestions, ideas, etc... also wondering if it might be because the SD card size is too big for the tablet.
Thank you and sorry about the long post!

emv1031 said:
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This issue you're having is definitely because of the size of the SD card. Most devices are not made to accept such a large one, and I bet you anything that if you get a 32g SD card, it'll work perfectly.

thenookieforlife3 said:
This issue you're having is definitely because of the size of the SD card. Most devices are not made to accept such a large one, and I bet you anything that if you get a 32g SD card, it'll work perfectly.
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Yeah that's what I thought so.... question.... you think there might be a way to "shrink" those 64 Gb down to 32, so that the tablet thinks it's a 32?? just to test if that takes care of the problem before buying another SD?
thanks

emv1031 said:
Yeah that's what I thought so.... question.... you think there might be a way to "shrink" those 64 Gb down to 32, so that the tablet thinks it's a 32?? just to test if that takes care of the problem before buying another SD?
thanks
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Actually, if I'm not mistaken, there is!
I don't remember exactly how to do it, but I know this much - first, you need to put the empty SD card into your device. Then, boot into ClockworkMod. Navigate to the Advanced submenu. This is where my memory gets a little fuzzy, but I think there is a "Repartition SD card" option or something like that inside that submenu that, when used properly, can be used to completely resize an SD card.
I did this a good while ago, so that's why I don't remember that well, but hopefully it will work for you.

thenookieforlife3 said:
Actually, if I'm not mistaken, there is!
I don't remember exactly how to do it, but I know this much - first, you need to put the empty SD card into your device. Then, boot into ClockworkMod. Navigate to the Advanced submenu. This is where my memory gets a little fuzzy, but I think there is a "Repartition SD card" option or something like that inside that submenu that, when used properly, can be used to completely resize an SD card.
I did this a good while ago, so that's why I don't remember that well, but hopefully it will work for you.
Post thank? :good:
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ok thank you... will do some research on that!!