Database Info

I-Mate SP5 Low Memory

Does anyone know any way to store all contacts,emails and text messages to the mini-sd card on the SP5.
I don't seem to be able to find an option to do so.
Thanks

You can't. All those databases are stored in internal memory, and cannot be moved to the miniSD card.

Found this on another forum and it works perfectly have sync'd all my mail and attachments to the SD Card :
Email & Attachments on Storage Card
Forgive me if this has been posted before. Or if you all know this. I used to do this on my PPC before I got my smartphone (sp5). I just tried it to see if it would work and it does
Create the folders on your Storage Card '\Storage Card\Inbox' and the subfolder '\Attachments'
Import the registry keys as below. (try Registry Workshop and you can connect to Mobile device registries from your PC and import reg files. This saves having a Registry editor installed on the phone and typing on the device). If you are entering these keys manually rather than importing a *.reg file only use single slashes for the paths. Restart your device after doing this.
CODE
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MAPI]
"AttachPath"="\\Storage Card\\Inbox\\Attachments"
"PropertyPath"="\\Storage Card\\Inbox"
This not only puts email attachments onto your storage card but puts all the *.mpb files which make up items in your Inbox onto the storage card too. This means I now sync the last month of complete emails (1362 of them!) from all folders on my Exchange server and it doesn't make a dent in the phone memory.

For anyone that needs it here is the reg key attached just import it into the registry of the SP5
tis a text file here, just open it and re-save it as map1.reg and you got the reg key you need.

Very informative!!

mitchello said:
You can't. All those databases are stored in internal memory, and cannot be moved to the miniSD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything can be moved to external storage with a few registry tweaks. What you have to consider is decreased performance on those moved items vs. having additional memory resources available internally. :wink:

can we have more details how to save e mails on card?
guys, I am a little slow on this. can someone pls write down a step-by-step how to do implenment? or at least specify to what directory map1.reg should be saved for this to work?

SP5 wont put e mails or attachment on storgage card
I followed the instructions as given (created the folders on the card and imported the reg file to the registry using Registry Workshop). My SP5 does not put e mails & attachment on the storage card. (I rebooted the device, deleted the e mails on the device and resyched, but no go.
I recently upgraded ROM to 2.5.331.2 could this be the issue?
anh help or hint will be much appreciated.

anyone know how to put Contacts on the storage card in SP5?
anyone know how to put Contacts on the storage card in SP5? any help appreciated.

HelP!
I downloaded Woody's text file, saved it as map1.reg, and using Registry Workshop tried to import it into the SP5 Registry (connected to mobile).
I got an error message saying, "Cannot Modify Value...Access is Denied" the the contents of the key were displayed (\...\Attachments)
Any ideas what I did wrong?
Yale

I get the same result. I guess Woody's file and instructions are incorrect or incompele. Either way, it does not work. We need to wait until someone figures this out correctlyand puts it on the web. (It would be good if people refrained or at least disclosed when their solutions are untested.)

Well, I don't know Ramy...it appears that there have been 56 downloads of Woody's txt file and it seems that only you and I couldn't get it to work. That leaves 54 people who, presumably, did get it to work
COULD ONE OF YOU who did get it to work, please help us woefully ignorant types? :lol: pRETTY pLEASE?
Yale
(MDR)

There is one problem on pointing to Storage Card regarding PIM, because the system tries to open the database BEFORE mounting the Storage Card...
In the Tornado, if you change the registry settings for the PIM database, it will block during startup .If you wait about 10minutes, it will start but no PIM info is displayed in your Home screen, among other strange behaviors--- :x

So does anyone know what controls the startup process?
If so we could potentially get this workinh after all.

RamyG said:
I get the same result. I guess Woody's file and instructions are incorrect or incompele. Either way, it does not work. We need to wait until someone figures this out correctlyand puts it on the web. (It would be good if people refrained or at least disclosed when their solutions are untested.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're on a developer forum, this is a "lab" environment.
Be thankfull that someone is going out of their way to try and assist.

"...There is one problem on pointing to Storage Card regarding PIM, because the system tries to open the database BEFORE mounting the Storage Card..."
The answer posted elsewhere is to disable Messaging on Today screen
"...Due to the fact that Today plug-ins are initialized earlier than the storage cards become available, to avoid the Storage Card2 problem you must disable the Messaging Today plug-in. To do this, go to Start/ Settings/ Today/ Items and uncheck Messaging..."
http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&title=this_is_how_you_can_store_your_activesyn
I haven't tried this yet but intend to when I upgrade my T-Mobile MDA Vario to AKU2 ROM.
Shemesh

OS RegTweaker is suppose to do so. Only I can't change those options ? But this is still in beta stage.
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MyDogReese said:
HelP!
I downloaded Woody's text file, saved it as map1.reg, and using Registry Workshop tried to import it into the SP5 Registry (connected to mobile).
I got an error message saying, "Cannot Modify Value...Access is Denied" the the contents of the key were displayed (\...\Attachments)
Any ideas what I did wrong?
Yale
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
U should unlock u smart registry...
follow instructions..
HKLM->Security->Policies->Policies
here u should change some values:
00001001 DWORD=2 change this to 1
00001005 DWORD=16 change this to 40
00001017 DWORD=128 change this to 144
and finaly add new DWORD
0000101b with DWORD=1
Somehow i cant attach rar file with the proper registry editor, that should not give u "Access Denied" error while adding new record to registry. So if u'll need it pm me ur email.

Problem with programs installed on memory card

Hi guys, I have a question about installing apps on the phone. Btw i'm using HTC Touch Pro and non-modified firmware or custom ROM or anything, i only just got it a few days ago and haven't done anything to it.
And i'm still new to using Windows Mobile so please bare with my noob questions.
Ok so I noticed that when I install apps on the phone's internal memory, it shows up under the Programs list. But if i install apps on the memory card, it shows up under the Program list as well but it doesn't work. I.e, when i try to launch the app that is installed on the memory card, it doesn't work, it just shows an error saying something about missing files or invalid certificate.
Correct me if i'm wrong but all the apps/games shown in the Programs list folder are just shortcuts right? Well i'm guessing that the apps installed on the memory card created shortcuts that didn't give the correct folder path. And also, apps that don't work show the same icon, like a dead shortcut icon on your PC.
Ok so my problem is, my internal memory is almost full and I have a 8GB memory card, is there a way i can make programs installed on the memory card show up properly under the Programs list or make them work properly??
PS: Just a side question, it seems that if your phone doesn't have a sim card slot then it's CDMA, but some other guy told me that his phone is CDMA but has a sim card slot, so how can I really tell if my phone is GSM or CDMA?

it depends on the app. some apps have to be installed on the internal memory. filling up your internal memory is quite impressive though.. or i just don't install that many apps. i think most games and such should be able to be installed on external though. what types of apps aren't working? or are none of them working?
and if it has a sim slot, it's GSM.

fatpandas said:
it depends on the app. some apps have to be installed on the internal memory. filling up your internal memory is quite impressive though.. or i just don't install that many apps. i think most games and such should be able to be installed on external though. what types of apps aren't working? or are none of them working?
and if it has a sim slot, it's GSM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the reply. None of the apps i've installed on external memory work when i try to launch them from the Programs folder. I have to manually go to my memory card ---> Program Files and then go into the folders to launch the app itself, then it works. But the shortcuts created under the Program list don't work.
I even tried to manually make a shortcut from the original.exe file on my memory card and then paste it in the Programs list which is found in the internal memory ---> Windows ---> Start Menu ---> Programs.
But that doesn't work either......
for example, i installed Google Maps on my memory card and i can only make it work but going to the folder and launch it manually. But if i installed it on my internal memory, then i can simply find the shortcut under Programs list and launch it.
I hope i didn't make it sound confusing.

I don't know what you're doing wrong, but you're clearly screwing something up, lol. Are you installing to main memory and then cutting and pasting the program folder to your sd card? That's a guaranteed way to kill a link. You could get total commander (google) and use it to edit the links manually. Or, use sk tools to either install your cabs or to relocate the files to the sd card. You can also use TC to make shorcuts and send them to the start menu.

:
Farmer Ted said:
I don't know what you're doing wrong, but you're clearly screwing something up, lol. Are you installing to main memory and then cutting and pasting the program folder to your sd card? That's a guaranteed way to kill a link. You could get total commander (google) and use it to edit the links manually. Or, use sk tools to either install your cabs or to relocate the files to the sd card. You can also use TC to make shorcuts and send them to the start menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no no........ok i'll start over.
First off, no matter if you install apps on your Main Memory (internal memory), OR if you install on the Memory Card, the shortcuts to the program will always be created in the "Programs" folder, which is located at the following path, "C:/Windows/Start Menu/Programs". Where C: is your Main Memory (internal memory of the phone).
If that was confusing then think of it as if you're using a proper PC. If you have 2 hardrives, C: and D: drive, then no matter if you install games or programs on either of them, the shortcuts will always be created on your Desktop.
So my problem is, my C:/ drive or Internal memory of the phone only has 300MB and it's running out. I have a 8GB memory card so I obviously want to install apps/games on it. The thing is, whenever I try to launch an app that is installed on the memory card, it doesn't work. What i mean by that is, after installing an app, I go to Start Menu --> Programs and then launch the shortcut, and it won't work. That only happens if the app is installed on the memory card.
HOWEVER, if i go to the Memory Card ---> Program Files and then launch the app, it works.
Now think of this again as a real PC. When you install something on your D:/ drive, it creates the shortcut on the desktop. You then launch the shortcut on the desktop but it doesn't start. BUT, if you go to My Computer ---> D:/ ---> Program Files and then launch the app from there, it works fine.
So does that make sense?? I'm thinking that the shortcuts created by the apps installed on the memory card don't give the correct path, that's why it doesn't launch.
I've also tried to copy the original.exe file from the memory card to the Programs folder but it doesn't work. *NOTE* this is the part you got wrong, i'm not trying to install on the main memory and cutting and pasting the folder to memory card, i'm trying to do it the other way round but only making a shortcut in the Programs folder, not cutting and pasting.
So again, back to the real example, it's like i'm going to My Computer, then D:/Program Files/Example folder and copying "Example.exe" and pasting it on desktop. I'm simply making a shortcut from the original file to the desktop, just like i'm making a shortcut to the Programs folder on the phone.
My Start Menu is full and i've already assigned all my most-used apps to the list so i can't replace any of them. By the way, is there a way to add more than 8 apps to the start menu?? Is there a registry tweak for this because i want to add more than just 8. I already have Total Commander but don't know how to use it to edit the links manually. Please help me on this.
BTW, how do people normally install apps on the memory card and then launch the apps? This is pretty stupid since i have to fix the invalid shortcuts created.

I just counted, and I have 33 different programs on my card, all with shortcuts in the start menu. 1. You can create sub-folders in the start menu. That's where you organize the ones not in your top 7. 2. Check the path of your bad shortcuts w/ TC. Highlight the .lnk file, then push the pen icon. The path should look like this:
53#"\Storage Card\Program Files\Opera Mobile\OperaL.exe"
If the path is ok, then I don't know why your shortcuts aren't working. Keep in mind, the shorcut location is irrelevant. You can move a shortcut anywhere you want, and it will work fine. Change the location of the .exe, and you're in a pickle. You've got the programs in a properly named location (no typos), I hope.

Farmer Ted said:
I just counted, and I have 33 different programs on my card, all with shortcuts in the start menu. 1. You can create sub-folders in the start menu. That's where you organize the ones not in your top 7. 2. Check the path of your bad shortcuts w/ TC. Highlight the .lnk file, then push the pen icon. The path should look like this:
53#"\Storage Card\Program Files\Opera Mobile\OperaL.exe"
If the path is ok, then I don't know why your shortcuts aren't working. Keep in mind, the shorcut location is irrelevant. You can move a shortcut anywhere you want, and it will work fine. Change the location of the .exe, and you're in a pickle. You've got the programs in a properly named location (no typos), I hope.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't change the folder name or folder location or anything, when i install the app, everything just installs to the default directory. When I install to main memory, the apps are installed in Program Files (logically), and same with when i install to the memory card. I didn't alter the paths or anything.......so i don't know wot's going on either
Anyway regarding SK Tools, if i install cab files with it, will it create the shortcuts properly? Is this how you install your cab files normally?
And is there a way like a registry tweak to change the default installation path from main memory to the memory card?
EDIT:
Ok i've just tried using SK Tools v4.1.25, i went to the setting and ticked "associate SKTools with .cab files" or something like that. I then chose Cab Manager, one of the options in SKTools and tried installing a cab file and everything installed fine except the same problem still occurs, i try to launch the shortcut in the "Programs" folder and still couldn't launch.
And also, some .cab files can't be installed with SKTools, as it shows the error message saying: "This file is not Windows CE CAB package", even though i can install it normally with the default installer.

sorry for double post but it's gonna look really long if i edit my previous post so i think it'll look better and easier, i've added some screenshots to show what my problem is, i think it's less confusing this way. Sorry that my phone is in chinese, but i haven't hacked the ROM etc to change it to english yet so please bare with me.
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This shows the Start Menu, and where the green highlighted icon is the "Programs Files" list.
This obviously shows the list of programs in the "Program Files" folder. As you can see, there's an icon called Fennec that seems dead or invalid. And it is. Fennec is a browser made by Mozilla btw. I have installed Fennec in my memory card and that's the shortcut created during the installation, I haven't done any copy or pasting yet.
As you can see when i try to launch the Fennec shortcut, it popped up this error saying something about invalid certificate or missing files. Therefore i can't launch the app.
Now, this shows the default File Manager used by Windows Mobile. As you can see on the top left icon, i am in the root directory of the memory card. As you can see, the Program Files folder is highlighted.
This shows the Program Files folder, every program or .cab files I install on the memory card go straight to this folder, I didn't create it or anything. As you can see, the folder Fennec is created here as i've said earlier that i've installed Fennec on the memory card.
Inside the Fennec folder, the fennec.exe file is highlighted. That's the original.exe file i've been talking about the whole time in my previous posts. If I launch this file, it works. I didn't take a screenshot coz it takes too long to launch but the point is, it works fine when i launch the original file from the memory card ---> Program Files. But as you can see in my 3rd screenshot, the shortcut created during the installation doesn't work. Again I must stress at this point, I did not create the shortcut, it was created during installation, just like a program or game creates a shortcut on your Desktop on a computer.
NOW AT THIS POINT, I am showing you that i'm making a copy of the original file. We're still inside the same folder as the above screenshot. I am not cutting and pasting, but just making a copy.
Now this shows me going back to the Main Memory --> Windows --> Start Menu --> Programs List. As you can see the top left icon is different.
Now, i'm simply pasting the Fennec.exe file I copied earlier in the Programs List folder, which is located in Main Memory --> Windows --> Start Menu --> Programs List, same as the screenshot above.
Now FINALLY, going back to Start Menu --> Programs List, I am now in the folder again like we began in the first 2 screenshots. As you can see, there're 2 Fennec files in the folder now, the one in the middle with the proper fox icon is the file i obviously just pasted. The one on the right is the one created during the installation.
NOW, if i launch the file i just pasted, i.e the one with the fox icon, it shows the same error again as shown in the screenshot.
SO WTF IS GOING ON?? I can only launch apps installed on memory card by going to its folder, but if i make a shortcut in the Programs List folder, it still doesn't work!
I hope that's less confusing now, i've tried my best.....

Ok, that's a lot, lol.
First, with sk tools you can use the cab manager to install programs with sk tools. This is useful because some cabs are not uninstallable (wish there were a better way of saying that). These cabs don't appear in the installed programs list and they normally go to main memory. If you use sk tools to install them, then sk will keep installation records, and if you go to the installed programs section of sk tools, the program will appear. Then, in the program manager of sk, you can select to move the application. When you do this, SK will update the registry and all link paths, so you won't have any weird issues. You can relocate the program anywhere you want. This is one of the many great features of sk tools, but you may need the paid for version (don't know which one you have).
Second, just take a look at the link path like I mentioned above. I have a feeling you'll see the problem. It's easy to fix, but it's even easier to just create a link with total commander. Check this post for a quick tutorial on using TC to do this.
Finally, maybe since your phone is in the Chinese language, there's something weird going on with the naming of 'Storage Card.' Looking at your caps, the storage card name in file explorer is in Chinese. Perhaps this is where the paths are being screwed up. Again, look at the link path with TC, but also take a look at HKLM\System\Storage Manager\Profiles\SDMMC and check the value of 'folder.' I'm pretty sure it needs to exactly match the name in you shortcut paths. For WWE touch pros, it is 'Storage Card.'
Hope that helps.

I use Total Commander and double click the cab to install it and have had no uninstall issues, but SK Tools tracking of all the install tweaks is great to have if issues do arise. Farmer Ted's advice about the name of the storage card has been an issue with languages other than WWE. Another thing you might check is the time delay windows uses to find the storage card. That value can be set with a RegEditer or done with Advanced Configuration under: Performances - PPN unload delay and PPN wait I/O delay. Those values sometimes can influence the devices ability to read the SD card. Short delay doesn't seem to effect reading the card with a file manager, but can time out too soon for a program file read request.
Give it a try.

Thanks for the advice guys, I will give your suggestions a try.
@Farmer Ted, I am using SKTools v.4.1.25, I think i remembered the version correctly.......anyway i'm using a full version of it and yup i've already tried using Cab Manager to install the files but as i've posted in my previous post, it doesn't work for some .cab files i try to install.
Ok i've just tried using SK Tools v4.1.25, i went to the setting and ticked "associate SKTools with .cab files" or something like that. I then chose Cab Manager, one of the options in SKTools and tried installing a cab file and everything installed fine except the same problem still occurs, i try to launch the shortcut in the "Programs" folder and still couldn't launch.
And also, some .cab files can't be installed with SKTools, as it shows the error message saying: "This file is not Windows CE CAB package", even though i can install it normally with the default installer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway i already have Total Commander installed so i'll give that a try. Oh and I don't think there's anything wrong with the naming of the 'Storage Card', I know it's in chinese but it just means storage card in english, it's the same. But i'll try out ur advice and post back, thanks for the replies.

Ok guys, just to update on my problem, I've tried EVERYTHING and now I fully give up, it's too much work for a stupid small and simple problem like this, I really think that it's really due to the fact or problem that my phone is in chinese........as a lot of people have reported, this problem seems to happen only on phones in mostly chinese or non-english.
Anyway here's what I did........BTW I have updated my SKTools from 4.1.25 to 4.4.7.9 which is the newest version I believe......and it's full version btw, not trial.
So ya I pretty much did everything suggested by you guys and i mean EVERYTHING but i'll just list what I did so it's easier to track:
1. Used SKTool's Cab Manager to install the .cab files, but didn't solve the problem. Also, some cab files can't be installed with SKTool as it shows an error saying something like "this is not a valid Windows CE package".
2. Used Total Commander to install the .cab files but still didn't solve the problem. I DID HOWEVER find why it's not working, as suggested by Farmer Ted, i checked the link path of the shortcut and there is indeed a problem that is very easily noticeable.
First of all, 儲存卡 means storage card in chinese. The link path shows "???" instead of "儲存卡" so that's where it has gone wrong. But the problem is, even though i tried to use the guide posted by Farmer Ted on how to use Total Commander, which i'll post again here:
http://www.mobilitydigest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=10379&postcount=87
I've tried creating a shortcut by going to 儲存卡/Program Files/Example Folder/Example.exe
and putting it in the "Programs List" folder on the internal memory, i.e the folder that shows your shortcuts. But it still doesn't work. I then select the shortcut and choose "Properties", which is one of the option in Total Commander. I then chose the shortcut tab and looked at the link, and it's still showing "???" instead of "儲存卡"......
So then I edited the link and clicked OK, and same thing still happens!!
It seems that the phone can read chinese but can't save the input chinese properly.
It's like the same problem on a PC, if you guys can type chinese or any other non-english language, then try it. Create a notepad or .txt file and input chinese words in it and save it. Then, close it and re-open again and you'll find what you entered are a bunch of question marks, i.e "?????????" something like that. Or a bunch of random symbols. I guess it just can't save the chinese word properly in the link path, same thing goes for Windows Mobile, as per my problem......
3. I have also tried using Advanced Configuration 3.3 and went to Performances - PPN unload delay and PPN wait I/O delay, and tried increasing the value as suggested. But problem is still there.
4. Finally, I have tried using PHM Registry Editor (If i remember the name correctly) and went to the path: "HKLM\System\Storage Manager\Profiles\SDMMC" and checked the value of 'folder' as suggested and oddly enough, it's perfectly fine as it shows 儲存卡.
So then I thought, since the link path is "???" instead of 儲存卡, maybe if i change the value to "???" then it might work, so I did. But, problem still there.....
I think that's it, i've tried basically everything and i know where the problem is but can't fix it. Any ideas guys? I cbf hacking my phone and using HardSPL and custom ROMS etc, i haven't done it be4 as i've only started using windows mobile very recently and i still need chinese on my fone........
I've also tried this program called Start menu manager or something (full version) and it's really useful, it edits and creates links for you straight in the "Programs List" folder but it didn't solve my problem either.....
you can check here for the program i mentioned:
http://www.persian-forums.com/f93/start-menu-programs-manager-1-3-inc-keygen-18457/
anyway i'm out of ideas.

Dunno, man. If I were you, I'd try changing the sd card name to "Storage Card" and manually editting the path of one of your links. Changing it to ??? was worth a shot, though, and pretty funny.

OMFG I FINALLY FIXED IT!!
I simply have to go to the registry and change the card name to english characters, and after installing several apps on the memory card, the shortcuts showed up fine in the "Programs List" and launched fine as well!!
I did it by following the guide here, it's very simple!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=388768
OMFG finally, thanks a lot for all ur help guys!!

Dang, and I just made you a cab to change the card name to "Storage Card." I'll post it anyway, in case someone else needs it.
Good job!

strange files

so I sync yesterday and notice 3 folders with characters not normally allowed. one contains all "?" while another has / and ?. when I try to delete, system can't since they contain these characters. and I can't find them using total command. any help?

You need to provide more infomation so we can help you .
Which version are you using (WM 6, 6.5, 6.5.3 etc.)? Where are the folders located? Do they contain files?

Sorry. Runninng WM6.5 stock verizon ROM with TF3D 2.0 on my Imagio. And they don't contain any files. I can open, but when I go to delete, it says files cannot contain the following symbols blah blah blah. And I can't seem to find them using TC.

anyone got anything?

Hi Jerry,
JerryA said:
anyone got anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are the folders on the SD card ? My suggestions below:
1) If they are, try deleting them from the Windows PC side via an ActiveSync connection or in "Disk drive mode".
2) Try renaming the folders with 'proper characters' and then delete.
3) If in "disk drive mode", try removing them via DOS command. You may want to do a "dir /X" to see the 8.3 short file/folder name and remove them.
Regards.
________________________________
* Today is yesterday's tomorrow. Today is also tomorrow's yesterday.
Then is the present the past's future or the present is the future's past. *

Hi Jerry,
JerryA said:
anyone got anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are the folders on the SD card ? My suggestions below:
1) If they are, try deleting them from the Windows PC side via an ActiveSync connection or in "Disk drive mode".
2) Try renaming the folders with 'proper characters' and then delete.
3) If in "disk drive mode", try removing them via DOS command. You may want to do a "dir /X" to see the 8.3 short file/folder name and remove them.
Regards.
________________________________
* Today is yesterday's tomorrow. Today is also tomorrow's yesterday.
Then is the present the past's future or the present is the future's past. *

No, they aren't on the SD card, they are phone memory. Whenever I try to rename them, I get the same error code, telling me files cannot contain the following..... And as for the last, I don't know anything about DOS, so that would require a level of expertise that I just don't have. I haven't seen any strange behaviour on the phone, and my memory size and usage has not freaked out, nor has my battery life. So what they are or what they are for is beyond me.
The 3 files are names thus:
??????
????Documents
oc????
Very odd.

JerryA said:
No, they aren't on the SD card, they are phone memory. Whenever I try to rename them, I get the same error code, telling me files cannot contain the following..... And as for the last, I don't know anything about DOS, so that would require a level of expertise that I just don't have. I haven't seen any strange behaviour on the phone, and my memory size and usage has not freaked out, nor has my battery life. So what they are or what they are for is beyond me.
The 3 files are names thus:
??????
????Documents
oc????
Very odd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jerry,
My suggestions are only if the files reside on the SD card.
I believe the ? means the available fonts, on your phone, does not have the correct character set to display it properly.
Base on my belief above, try the following:
a) My apology being a new member, I am not allowed to post clickable link. Go to this link : add a http:// in front first
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5869460
b) Download and install the "Droid Sans Font.cab" to your phone in post #9. Alternatively, search for the file, arialuni.ttf, (Arial Unicode MS) first on your Windows PC if not then on the web and copy it to your phone, \Windows\Fonts directly. This is a 22Mb file !
c) Restart your phone and see if those files are showing proper characters.
d) If it does, then go ahead, open it and see what's the content like. Rename the file then delete. Uninstall the "Droid Sans Font.cab" if you wish. Personally, I don't like the font as the characters are rasterised.
Regards.

ugh, too much work. My phone isn't acting up, and even though I don't like uninvited strangers, they aren't eating up resources, and my phone is still functioning properly. I will keep these files you suggested handy in case something does start acting up, and see what happens.
yea, I am lazy when it comes to electronic stuff. Thanks for the info!

If you have SK Tools (or a similar app), try scanning the memory. It sounds like you have corrupted files or a corrupted directory. It may not be causing issues now, but it could cause issues sooner rather than later. You may also think about backing up everything now while you can.

JerryA said:
No, they aren't on the SD card, they are phone memory. Whenever I try to rename them, I get the same error code, telling me files cannot contain the following..... And as for the last, I don't know anything about DOS, so that would require a level of expertise that I just don't have. I haven't seen any strange behaviour on the phone, and my memory size and usage has not freaked out, nor has my battery life. So what they are or what they are for is beyond me.
The 3 files are names thus:
??????
????Documents
oc????
Very odd.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh no i have the same problem. but the strange files are on my storage card. i am backing up my storage card them i am going to format.

Can't Find Media on SD Card? Blame ROM Manager!

For most of yesterday I'd been trying to figure out why my CM7 G2X won't see any sound, video, or image file on my phone's SD Card. Both the stock Gallery app, and MX Player File Browser, just didn't see any of the media in the folders on my SD Card. And the Music player saw absolutely no songs on my SD Card. And my ringtone and IM tones were messed up.
So, while playing with different settings, on MX Player, I unchecked "Respect .nomedia (Exclude a folder if ".nomedia" file exists in that folder or a parent folder". Voila! I can see videos! I can see my images and songs!
Well, I looked in the root of my SD Card and there it was - a file called ".nomedia". Strangely, the icon for that file is the same icon as ROM Manager icon. Odd. because I had just updated ROM Manager. I deleted it and saw my media files again.
Well, today I saw a new update for ROM Manager Premium. The update states "5.0.1.4 Fix bug that places .nomedia file in the wrong directory if directories are missing." Huh. I guess the "wrong directory" is a cagy way of saying it puts it in the root of your SD Card so you can't see any of your media. And I do have the proper directories that ROM Manager needs.
O.K., I updated ROM Manager. Guess what? No media files again! And that damned file ".nomedia" is right back in the root of my SD Card, same as before, with the same ROM Manager icon staring back at me.
Look, it's not enough that people like me wasted money on ROM Manager Premium because the license check always crashes. Now, the app is messing up our phones?
Hope this helps

Stupid RomManager.
Easiest way:
Connect your phone via usb (with usb debugging enabled), open a cmd window and type:
Code:
adb shell
rm /sdcard/.nomedia
adb reboot
You can do this without a PC from Terminal Emulator at Android as well, just open it and type the following.
After a reboot everything is back to normal.
Code:
rm /sdcard/.nomedia
The problem in the FileManager is, that you have to enable "show hidden files" (or sth. like that), a leading dot (".") at a filename indicates a hidden file at Linux.
But of course you can just enable that option and delete the ".nomedia" file manually as well.
-

I use RootExplorer which can show hidden files... removed the .nomedia file and while some stuff showed up (gallery pics) most stuff still doesnt (all my custom notifications/ringtones and my music wont show in Ubermusic, Play Music or Winamp. I downloaded Rescan Media and ran it but still nothing.
Any suggestions?

WoodroweBones said:
I use RootExplorer which can show hidden files... removed the .nomedia file and while some stuff showed up (gallery pics) most stuff still doesnt (all my custom notifications/ringtones and my music wont show in Ubermusic, Play Music or Winamp. I downloaded Rescan Media and ran it but still nothing.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Update your rom manager, then delete the nomedia file, then reboot! You should be alright after that!
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app

BigDig said:
Update your rom manager, then delete the nomedia file, then reboot! You should be alright after that!
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fist thing I tried unfortunately

WoodroweBones said:
I use RootExplorer which can show hidden files... removed the .nomedia file and while some stuff showed up (gallery pics) most stuff still doesnt (all my custom notifications/ringtones and my music wont show in Ubermusic, Play Music or Winamp. I downloaded Rescan Media and ran it but still nothing.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look into your other folders on your card for ".nomedia". ROM Mangler could have placed that file in different places.
You might also want to remove the SD Card and put it in your PC, and search the entire card for ".nomedia". Make sure you only delete ".nomedia" in the folders that you want to show media.

Here is what I did...
I renamed my Music folder to "Music2" then rebooted my phone. Now after that I went into Ubermusic and started an SD Card scan but didnt wait very long (maybe 10 seconds) then went into Winamp and clicked on "Songs" and I could see it was searching. Eventually all my songs showed up so not sure if it was Winamp or Ubermusic
---------- Post added at 10:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:16 PM ----------
EEngineer said:
Look into your other folders on your card for ".nomedia". ROM Mangler could have placed that file in different places.
You might also want to remove the SD Card and put it in your PC, and search the entire card for ".nomedia". Make sure you only delete ".nomedia" in the folders that you want to show media.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy Nexus doesnt have a removeable SD card but the method I used in the post above worked

I'm cross posting here because this seems to be an active thread
In some instances Media Scanner will DELETE ALL THE PICTURES ON THE SD CARD
Here is an example google bug report on the issue http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3692
When a ".nomedia" file is added to a directory that has already been scanned by the media scanner, any jpg and gif files in that directory and all sub directories will be deleted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have lost a year of pictures because of this. Before you assume I am making a mistake realize that the SDcard is now connected directly to my laptop and a search of the entire drive (including subfolders) with the string *.jpg gives no results. I can post a screenshot if you like.
Rom Manager caused my pictures actually be deleted and I am using recovery tools that scan the free space to get them back
If any of you suffered as I did try this OPEN SOURCE recovery tool specifically made for recovering pictures from an SDcard - PhotoRec - CGSecurity
Here is a screenshot of my current progress
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
edit: I just realized it also broke some of my applications that stored images on the sdcard that served as part of their menu system. SCREW YOU ROM MANAGER DEVS. I will never trust anything you publish from this day forward

braschlosan said:
I'm cross posting here because this seems to be an active thread
In some instances Media Scanner will DELETE ALL THE PICTURES ON THE SD CARD
Here is an example google bug report on the issue http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3692
I have lost a year of pictures because of this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that. I'm running CM7 Nightly #225 and it seems CM7 fixed that bug - I tried to recreate that on my phone and it did not delete the files.

Quite strange; I was wondering why lately my phone has been weird and not reading any of my files from the SDcard. i cant find my music nor photos ive taken, but when i use rootexplorer i can find them.
Edit - thanks alot!! by deleting the .nomedia file, its all working!

How i fixed it
i used rom toolbox pro and went into the sd root.
Android > .data > .nomedia
and i deleted .nomedia and poof it worked

Thanks, had to play around with folder names and reboot, but it's working again now. I believe I have to post at least 10 times before I can thank a post though
EDIT
Ah, just had to post once and the thanks button shows up now!

Might-E said:
Thanks, had to play around with folder names and reboot, but it's working again now. I believe I have to post at least 10 times before I can thank a post though
EDIT
Ah, just had to post once and the thanks button shows up now!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back at 'cha - I gave you your first Thanks! Nice to know that only two people appreciate the work I did.

damn ROM Manager
well, this teach me to never hit the "update all" button in google play now. ONLY update apps that shows changes you need/want.
anyway, after 2 days of messing deleting .nomedia, only to have it come back at next boot and uninstalling apps that was suspect. i finally saw a thread about this.
The thread recommended: remove update/uninstall rom manager
delete .nomedia
clear data of Media Storage
reboot
this worked out perfectly for me and that damn .nomedia file hasnt come back for the past few reboots

Do not allow any apps to auto-update. And I have background data turned off all the time to save the battery.
The only time I have background data turned on is when I'm in Google Play. I always check permissions, (you MUST click "see all").
Here are the apps I have stopped updating because they suddenly want scary permissions:
Angry Birds - wants access to Google Billing Service (****!)
Camera 360 - wants ability to change WiFi state, modify passwords
Firefox - Modify global system settings, access user accounts, read sync settings
Google Translate - take photos and videos without user intervention, view available networks
YouTube - take photos and videos without user intervention, access user accounts

I'm hoping someone can help, I'm having this problem only with JB ROMs
ROM manager is not even on my phone, here's what I do in recovery
Wipe data/Factory Reset
Wipe cache partition
run dalvik-wiper.zip
reboot recovery
format /system /cache/ /data /boot AND /sdcard
reboot recovery
?? at this point this phone should have nothing on it right?
install ROM. (I have tried 5 or 6 of the JB ROMs in the Nexus S TMO develop section)
Copy over my pics and music. I install no Apps, just run gallery and it's empty, even after 2 hours.
Where does ROM manager do its damage after everything is formatted? Is it CWM that is causing the problem?
I've checked /DCIM and /Music on my sdcard backup and they don't have any .nomedia or hidden files.
where do I go next?
Thanks for the reply.

Same thing here. i have only CWM and root.
tried all kinds of stuff like format sd card new rom search and delete .nomedia
installed new rom manager now...
+quick system info shows cpu 100% and batery dies quickly (25% at night to 0 in the morning)
With sd card removed battery goes back to normal..
Today i used another phone,the old one, because of this..
It really sucks and im close to sell or smash it!
---------- Post added at 11:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 PM ----------
mikrron said:
Same thing here. i have only CWM and root.
tried all kinds of stuff like format sd card new rom search and delete .nomedia
installed new rom manager now...
+quick system info shows cpu 100% and batery dies quickly (25% at night to 0 in the morning)
With sd card removed battery goes back to normal..
Today i used another phone,the old one, because of this..
It really sucks and im close to sell or smash it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don`t know how i did it, noe it`s working , you have to f#@&k it up a little with the sd card, Install/uninstal rom manager and nomedia files (note the nomedia wasnt placed in my gallery or music folders) , hope i don`t meet this in the future..

@mikrron, it's possible you have a bad misbehaving application. You might have a game that scans your sdcard and sends photos and other info to the game's servers. That would account for your bad battery usage.
Install the firewall DroidWall and block internet access to any application that doesn't NEED the internet to run, like cameras, most games, etc. See how much your battery life improves.

Sorry for performing necromancy on this thread but I encountered a problem. It is similar to the one described here (files can be browsed normally but no media-apps can see them. Even the settings>storage menu shows nothing on my sd card but reports that the free space is only 1.5gb out of 8gbs total.
If I fire up a file browser I can access all the files on the sd-card without a problem. I can even view the pictures with the gallery and the music app plays my music files alright, if I select the file from the browser and then use the corresponding program to deal with it.
If I just use the gallery or the music app or songbird or any other media player, they all report an empty media library. Media on the phone's internal memory can be scanned by these apps and included to their library without a problem.
After lots of searching around on the web, I found that most people that had this problem, managed to solve it by deleting some stray .nomedia files that were in their sd-cards (like you guys did in this thread).
So, I searched my sd card for those files (I know they are hidden), both through the phone's file-browser and by connecting it to my computer, and I failed to find anything. For good measure I backed all my data up, formatted the card, restored the data, cleared the media storage data and restarted my phone, all to no avail. I know that the sd-rescan apps are irrelevant here but I tried one of them anyways. It didn't help...
I should note that I have not tampered with the phone in any way (no custom roms, no rom manager, not rooted, no unlocked bootloader or anything else of that kind). Also my phone is a Sony Xperia Tipo, using android 4. Sorry if the post is out of place here... The thread seemed very relevant.
If someone has any idea about what the problem might be, I'd love to hear from them. Thank you in advance.

Is it possible that the nomedia file is in the secured android file that you cant access without su permission
All the way from mars

[GUIDE][HOW-TO]Keep timestamp and attributes correct

1. What is the problem?
The implementation of FUSE by Google runs using the root-account. The disadvantage is that the standard user is not capable of changing any attribute including timestamp. A copy or move file operation usually keeps all attributes including date and time on all known operating system - except Android if FUSE is involved. This can complicate management of backups or syncing - and sorting or filtering by date is not helpful anymore.
2. What is concerned?
The problem exists at least on all file systems which are emulated by Android using FUSE. Android 8 and later uses SDCardFS and therefore is not concerned.
Concerned from Android 4.0: ext4, exFAT
Not Concerned on 4.0: FAT32
It seems FAT32 is done via FUSE in later Android versions also, so it seems every file system is concerned from 4.1 to last Android 7.
Most Android 4.x-devices are using ext4 for the file system of the internal storage and are therefore concerned. The usage of FAT32 which can not manage file greater than 4 GiB seems not appropriate anyway. For memory cards smaller than 64 GiB it is usual to use FAT32, bigger cards use exFAT by default.
It is possible to access external file systems, eg SAMBA or FTP, and then usually the timestamp is set correctly, because this is not part of FUSE and uses other file systems. AFAIK most file manager still try to set the timestamps, although it always fails without root, and ignore the error returned by FUSE, so copying and moving should be fine. At least Total Commander copies the timestamp fine if writing to Samba using the appropriate plug-in on non-rooted devices.
3. How to recognize/test the problem?
If you copy or move a file, the date and time should be kept. But if the destination on Android uses FUSE, instead of the original timestamp the current date/time is being set. Also all other attributes which the file system may manage (rights, owner, groups etc.) usually are concerned. The original values vanish.
If you want to see which file system is being used for internal memory or some external card you may use the app DiskInfo.
If it shows vfat, it means FAT32.
4. Which possibilities exist to correct the behavior?
Google fixed the bug in Android 8 which was known for a long time (start of 2009).
Google issue 34691 with links to related issues
With Android 8 usage of FUSE was removed, the problem was corrected
https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/36930892#comment120
(careful when using command line under Android 8: cp -a seems not always to be working, but touch -r will)
5. Which possibilities exist to circumvent the problem?
5.0. do not use Android for writing to filesystem: If you don't use Android for writing the files, setting the timestamp mostly will be fine. As mentioned in 4. you can use any filesharing server (Samba, ftp etc.). Storing your documents there instead of the local device will relocate the write access to the filesystem of the filesharing server, which usually manages timestamps fine. There also exist possibilities like adopted storage mode, where the SD card gets accessed by Linux and Android only is being used like a card reader.
As the files have the owner root, all possibilities to circumvent using Android need a rooted device. All following solutions shown here won't work for devices which are not rooted.
5.1. Afterwards correcting (not tested): In the app store there exists at least one app File Timestamp which can afterwards set the timestamp.
5.2. Samba Filesharing runs under root account. If some file is accessed via samba server, the time stamp and attributes can be set correctly.
5.3. Make use of a file manager which sets the timestamp using the power of root on a rooted device:
X-Plore sets file time after copying if root mode is enabled.
Ghost Commander is said to work fine (additional requirement: Busybox)
Total Commander 2.04 and newer support changing the time stamp under root account. On Android 5 and newer you need to use link /storage/xxxx-xxxx for external SD, not ///_Name, to make it behave correctly.
SManager by devwom also deals fine with timestamp using root
MiXplorer tries calling touch. The standard touch on some Android versions is faulty implemented, MiXplorer then only succeeds when BusyBox (internal download of MiX) is installed. Try if it works on your device with your current setup, and have a second look if the timezone correctly evaluated.
5.4. Manual call via command line: Who opens a terminal (eg Open Android Terminal) on a rooted device preferrably with BusyBox can execute commands as root.
Example 5.4.
Archive (also possible on Unix/Windows/etc)
cd <Quelle>
tar -cf <Pfad_zu_Archiv>/Archiv.tar *
Extract
cd <Ziel>
su
tar -xf <Pfad_zu_Archiv>/Archiv.tar
Copy
su
cp -a <Quelle> <Ziel>
The command su changes to root user, so that write access to time stamps is possible. It is always possible to read them, so that it is not necessary to su before archive.
Careful when calling touch: The standard implementation (toybox) seems to be faulty, it does not set the given time when called using -d or -t switch.
Careful when using Android 8 (root not required), it seems at least some implementation of cp does not set timestamp on cp -a

Does this affect F2FS as well?

As my current device Moto G uses f2fs for internal storage and I didn't root it by now the test was easy to do
Yes f2fs is also affected. Current time is being used for copy of a file. Thanks for the question, I will add this. Guess it also is implemented using fuse. Until someone tells the opposite I will add it to the fuse-managed fs.
There is another information which I want to add: That the default file manager on most os (Finder on Mac, Windows Explorer on Windows, even cp on Unix and copy on DOS iirc) keep time and attributes for files, but not for folders. Please if you test the behavior, watch files not folders. Although I'd like to keep timestamp there also, you can't rely on these anyway.
Keeping date/time of folders usually can be achieved across platforms when using any archiver. tar, zip, anything. Compress and extract keeps the date of folders. Total commander on Android also.

Issue 34691 is now marked as obsolete. Probably someone at Google has read my FAQ, and the bug won't be fixed. I just can ask the same question like the newest comment in the issue: is the issue obsolete, or is it Android?

tag68 said:
As my current device Moto G uses f2fs for internal storage and I didn't root it by now the test was easy to do
Yes f2fs is also affected. Current time is being used for copy of a file. Thanks for the question, I will add this. Guess it also is implemented using fuse. Until someone tells the opposite I will add it to the fuse-managed fs.
There is another information which I want to add: That the default file manager on most os (Finder on Mac, Windows Explorer on Windows, even cp on Unix and copy on DOS iirc) keep time and attributes for files, but not for folders. Please if you test the behavior, watch files not folders. Although I'd like to keep timestamp there also, you can't rely on these anyway.
Keeping date/time of folders usually can be achieved across platforms when using any archiver. tar, zip, anything. Compress and extract keeps the date of folders. Total commander on Android also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, from my experience:
Windows:
Explorer didn't maintain folder ts, only file. Total Commander has option to do so. Some archivers do maintain while some not, meaning it's possible on Windows.
Linux:
Most Explorer-like eg KDE's Konqueror didn't preserve ts. Midnight Commander can, the option when copying is there. Also cp -a or cp -prv works in Terminal. So its possible on Linux.
OSX:
I'm using MC too solely for this purpose (I'm a timestamp freak) because most file mangers on osx sux just like the os (not the underlying bsd core) Krusader even show wrong ts. Disk Order comes close but can't rival Total Commander on Windows, or Norton Commander, Volkov Commander on DOS or Midnight Commander on Linux/OSX for that matter. So also possible on OSX/HPFS.
Android:
The closest to almost able is Total Commander, and to some extent, later versions of ES File Manager. Most others simply failed even ones with root support. So I have to cp -a in Android if I have to maintain folder ts, so far I'm not able to get even TC to do that (don't know where's the option, is it there? You're implying as if it's there, do tell if so) Used 2.04 and 2.05 beta builds so far.
And also, I never get a single archiver on Android to extract timestampfor folder (files are fine obviously) except 7zip on vfat, but that means no permissions since 7zip is not unix native.
And oh, by that I meant 7za command line, not anything in apps aka shell, not going to use those archiver shells anytime (unless embedded in a file manager)

kotey said:
I'm using MC too solely for this purpose (I'm a timestamp freak) because most file mangers on osx sux just like the os (not the underlying bsd core) Krusader even show wrong ts. Disk Order comes close but can't rival Total Commander on Windows, or Norton Commander, Volkov Commander on DOS or Midnight Commander on Linux/OSX for that matter. So also possible on OSX/HPFS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using muCommander on OSX, it also keeps timestamps of folders.
kotey said:
Android:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, guess I remembered wrong in this point that TC keeps timestamp of folders. I'll ask the author. Like I did for setting timestamp as root, I gave the authors of TC and ES Explorer the hint. While Christian Ghisler (TC) immediately answered and helped a lot, I did not get any reply from the authors of ES Explorer. Does it keep timestamp if you have root in the meantime?

tag68 said:
I'm using muCommander on OSX, it also keeps timestamps of folders.
Oh, guess I remembered wrong in this point that TC keeps timestamp of folders. I'll ask the author. Like I did for setting timestamp as root, I gave the authors of TC and ES Explorer the hint. While Christian Ghisler (TC) immediately answered and helped a lot, I did not get any reply from the authors of ES Explorer. Does it keep timestamp if you have root in the meantime?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Old ES doesn't keep ts of anything.
ES v3 has the same behaviour as TC, it keeps ts of files but not folders.
AFAIK both ES and TC doesn't actually require root in order to keep ts of files, just like cp -a did in a non-root shell (but cp will throw lots of permission copy error, just ignore those obvious warnings, in fact it does the job perfectly)

Just tested ES File Explorer on my unrooted Moto G: Without root it does not keep ts of files. Of course not. It can't. Like cp -a can not do what the OS does not allow.
On which file system did you test when it worked?

Just did a test on my rooted S3 for a file copy operation:
1. ES Explorer keeps timestamp on external SD card where it can write without root according to FAT32 on Android 4.1.2 where FUSE is not active for FAT32
2. ES does not keep timestamp when writing to internal sdcard where FUSE is active - it does not use the power of the root account to set it.
ES is not capable. For my mail 2013-10-23 to [email protected] there was no reply. Guess it was not read, or just ignored ... and I asked 2014-01-23 if my mail arrived and repeated the question, again without answer ... so I strongly recommend to prefer Total Commander at least for rooted devices.

The author of Total Commander now found out why the timestamp could not be copied under Lollipop. The next version sure will bring a fix.
For interested readers here the link to the German discussion . Cause of the problem was discussed on Stack overflow

tag68 said:
Just did a test on my rooted S3 for a file copy operation:
1. ES Explorer keeps timestamp on external SD card where it can write without root according to FAT32 on Android 4.1.2 where FUSE is not active for FAT32
2. ES does not keep timestamp when writing to internal sdcard where FUSE is active - it does not use the power of the root account to set it.
ES is not capable. For my mail 2013-10-23 to [email protected] there was no reply. Guess it was not read, or just ignored ... and I asked 2014-01-23 if my mail arrived and repeated the question, again without answer ... so I strongly recommend to prefer Total Commander at least for rooted devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm dealing with this issue from sometime but only now I'm finding your fantastic thread (THANKS A LOT!!!!).
I have something slightly different about ES Explorer (v 3.2.5) :
- exactly as you say with JB 3.2 on a Sony M and an Asus tf101
- as it should be (preserving timestamps) on a Sony z1c with kitkat 4.4.4
Of course all the devices are rooted.
It's crucial for me to have timestamps preserved and I cannot afford to have on my devices two different file managers; unfortunately I'm forced to take the decision to leave ES Explorer and join Total Commander.

Since ES seems not to use power of root, my guess is that Sony allows writing of ts. If I am right it would work the same way if you disallow ES to use root.
Btw I could not reply to your email, although the address when replying was the same like you wrote inside the mail.

tag68 said:
Since ES seems not to use power of root, my guess is that Sony allows writing of ts. If I am right it would work the same way if you disallow ES to use root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've run the test and...you've right: with or without usage of root ES behavior remains the same !

Some days ago there were two comments, which I still wanted to reply. Unfortunately I'm not able to find them.
The first was about the issue closed by Google and the reason of closing. If it was duplicate, as there are still open issues dealing with timestamp. When the issue was closed I looked why Google closed issues in that case. The ratio was "the issue is so old now that we treat it as handled. If it still is active, please recreate." I don't believe it will help in any way that issues dealing with the timestamp problem are open but stay unchanged another 6 years. But time will tell, and you always can feel free in bugtracker systems to vote for the issues or watch them.
The second comment was mentioning an interesting script to set timestamp and therefore linked the Android timestamp keeper project. I don't think it would be helpful for an average user, so I wanted to thank for the link, but at least currently I do not want to add it to the Guide.

tag68 said:
Some days ago there were two comments, which I still wanted to reply. Unfortunately I'm not able to find them.
The first was about the issue closed by Google and the reason of closing. If it was duplicate, as there are still open issues dealing with timestamp. When the issue was closed I looked why Google closed issues in that case. The ratio was "the issue is so old now that we treat it as handled. If it still is active, please recreate." I don't believe it will help in any way that issues dealing with the timestamp problem are open but stay unchanged another 6 years. But time will tell, and you always can feel free in bugtracker systems to vote for the issues or watch them.
The second comment was mentioning an interesting script to set timestamp and therefore linked the Android timestamp keeper project. I don't think it would be helpful for an average user, so I wanted to thank for the link, but at least currently I do not want to add it to the Guide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The correct active issue is:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=25460
So far it's the only one, even though the issue is now 6 years old, I think. Once or twice a Google person has post that it'll be fixed, then the next update will come out, and nothing.

matthelm, please have a look at your link. On the left side you can see
Status: Duplicate
Merged: issue 18624
Owner: [email protected]
Closed: Nov 2013
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So the currently active issue is 18624. It is the third in the list of 34691 which I linked because it gives the overview which issues exist. Thank you for adding the link to 25640 there - but it is not active.

For those looking for a file manager that solves this issue - I've tested literally a dozen of file managers out there and the only one that keeps the filestamp intact is Ghost Commander. HIGHLY recommended, powerful, efficient, even has FTP over SSH. I'm thrilled!!!

Old faithful said:
For those looking for a file manager that solves this issue - I've tested literally a dozen of file managers out there and the only one that keeps the filestamp intact is Ghost Commander. HIGHLY recommended, powerful, efficient, even has FTP over SSH. I'm thrilled!!!
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What is wrong with Total Commander? I'm using it since a long time and it does it correctly ...
Edit: In a short test did Ghost Commander not copy the attributes to internal memory of my Moto X Play. It could not because it did not ask for the power of root. So currently Total Commander stays the only comfortable option for me.

tag68 said:
What is wrong with Total Commander? I'm using it since a long time and it does it correctly ...
Edit: In a short test did Ghost Commander not copy the attributes to internal memory of my Moto X Play. It could not because it did not ask for the power of root. So currently Total Commander stays the only comfortable option for me.
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Click to collapse
Total Commander works on the PC, actually use it as my second file manager, but on android it has very few useful features. after a few hours trying to get it to do simple file management stuff such as moving, copying and the like, I got too frustrated and uninstalled it.
Ghost commander on the other hand has all the tools available right on the screen and when rooted, does not change file attributes at all, see for yourself
Test copy of one picture from the external SD Card to a test folder in the root of the device:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Test copy of the previous file into a test subfolder onto the external SD Card
Running KitKat 4.4.4, rooted, Super Su 2.56 beta, with permissions added for writing to the external SD Card.
Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70F using Tapatalk 2
BTW in case you wondered, I'm NOT German speaking but indeed to German descent

Hold on, I can't seem to replicate this. I don't know why, but after reboot the folder in the root directory (device) was gone... In other words, there is something weird going on with root here.
Second thing, the app I'm using seems to be a fork of ghost commander and there are some differences. I'm looking into it...
Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70F using Tapatalk 2
OK, so I uninstalled this app (File Manager by GOODEV) and reinstalled Ghost Commander, then back again, and I am not able to create a permanent folder in the Device Root. I am, however, able to create folders in existing root folders, as well as copying files there.
In any case, both GOODEV File Manager and Ghost Commander will transfer files to and from SDCard, EXT SD Card and Device folders without changing timestamps.
BTW, I noticed that GOODEV File Manager loads ads when you're connected to WiFi so it may well be a spam version of Ghost Commander