Apps2SD Miniguide

[Guest Luqq]

I got apps2sd working here with 2 SD cards, the standard of 4GB, and a 2GB Goldcard.

-put in the goldcard with the signed apps2sd zip (this is important, cant install if the apps2sd zip isnt on the goldcard)

-Go into recovery via linux (./recovery-linux.sh)

-install the apps2sd from zip

-power off

-put in the sdcard you want to use for apps2sd

-go into recovery via linux (./recovery-linux.sh)

-click partition sd card

-enter the sizes you want to use

-boot

Tada! I instantly noticed this. Where my desire would clog up entirely when i installed a app, i could install 6 at the same time now with lightning speed.

Not sure if its working? Go insto 'adb shell' and:

ls -l /data

this should list the top 2 items as:

lrwxrwxrwx root root 2010-04-28 22:54 app-private -> /system/sd/app-private

lrwxrwxrwx root root 2010-04-28 22:54 app -> /system/sd/app

You could also install some apps, like i did, and then:

ls -l /system/sd/app

-rw-r--r-- system system 1846131 2010-04-28 22:58 com.handcent.nextsms.apk

-rw-r--r-- system system 3661236 2010-04-28 22:59 com.google.android.apps.maps.apk

-rw-r--r-- system system 1483847 2010-04-28 22:59 com.facebook.katana.apk

-rw-r--r-- system system 3348752 2010-04-28 23:00 com.bfs.papertoss.apk

This is correct, these are the apps i installed. :huh:

Now, the final proof:

busybox df -h

Filesystem Size Used Available Use% Mounted on

[bIG CUT]

/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 457.0M 9.9M 422.7M 2% /system/sd

Good luck! :P

[Guest wesbar]

thanks very much for this guide. Mine is exactly like you described but my phone memory still decreases? How would I regain this memory. Thanks.

[Guest afiorillo]

***SOLVED***

Thank you Luqq for your guide.

Unfortunately I'm getting the following error while installind a2sd from zip file:

E:Can't symlink /system/xbin/[

E:Failure at line 5:

symlink busybox SYSTEM:xbin/[


Installation aborted.

I tried with two different SDs made as Goldcards (each one with its unique CID process). Retrying now to flash rootedupdate.zip again.

Any ideas about that?

Thanks.

Edited April 29, 2010 by afiorillo

[Guest Luqq]

thanks very much for this guide. Mine is exactly like you described but my phone memory still decreases? How would I regain this memory. Thanks.

I think it still saves some kind of cache in the phone memory, not too sure about this. Maybe paul knows more :huh:

Thank you Luqq for your guide.

Unfortunately I'm getting the following error while installind a2sd from zip file:

E:Can't symlink /system/xbin/[

E:Failure at line 5:

symlink busybox SYSTEM:xbin/[


Installation aborted.

I tried with two different SDs made as Goldcards (each one with its unique CID process). Retrying now to flash rootedupdate.zip again.

Any ideas about that?

Thanks.

Are you sure you're rooted?

[Guest wesbar]

So what will happen when the sytem memory runs out then? Will apps still continue to go to the SD card or will it stop working? Pretty pointless if thats the case :huh:

[Guest Luqq]

So what will happen when the sytem memory runs out then? Will apps still continue to go to the SD card or will it stop working? Pretty pointless if thats the case :P

The same as on internal memory i guess, you wont be able to install new programs, and you get a notification on top that you need to clear up some space :huh:

[Guest waterc00l]

Thank you Luqq for your guide.

Unfortunately I'm getting the following error while installind a2sd from zip file:

E:Can't symlink /system/xbin/[

E:Failure at line 5:

symlink busybox SYSTEM:xbin/[


Installation aborted.

I tried with two different SDs made as Goldcards (each one with its unique CID process). Retrying now to flash rootedupdate.zip again.

Any ideas about that?

Thanks.

i installed apps2sd but then my phone wont restart so i thought i try installing it again and then i had exactly the same error. anyway the installation worked in the first run.

[Guest dreamdealer]

i do this as instructed but end up in a HTC quietly brilliant loop.. must be doing something wrong.

[Guest mtbmtb]

How do I go into adb shell?

[Guest twistywizard]

How do I go into adb shell?

You need to download the Android SDK and also Java.

Then open a command prompt in Windows, plug in your Desire. Get to the tools directory which adb resides in and then just type adb shell and press enter

http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/widget/jdk6.jsp

http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

Hope this helps. This worked for me. Not sure if there is another way?

[Guest Luqq]

i do this as instructed but end up in a HTC quietly brilliant loop.. must be doing something wrong.

Did you wipe/factory reset? :huh:

[Guest dreamdealer]

Did you wipe/factory reset? :huh:

good point no i never did, i try tomorrow getting late now work tomorrow lol.. thanks for the reply btw.

[Guest waterc00l]

good point no i never did, i try tomorrow getting late now work tomorrow lol.. thanks for the reply btw.

works for sure, had the same issue :huh:

[Guest mtbmtb]

Does phone need to be in hboot/fastboot for adb shell?

[Guest Luqq]

Does phone need to be in hboot/fastboot for adb shell?

Nope :huh: Only if you want RW to /system.

[Guest jekin]

Luqq, thanks for the guide.

Works as described.

But, after installing some apps the mobile phone storage is decreased from 136MB to 129MB.

Does that mean AP2SD is not working?

[Guest afiorillo]

Thank you Luqq for your guide.

Unfortunately I'm getting the following error while installind a2sd from zip file:

E:Can't symlink /system/xbin/[

E:Failure at line 5:

symlink busybox SYSTEM:xbin/[


Installation aborted.

I tried with two different SDs made as Goldcards (each one with its unique CID process). Retrying now to flash rootedupdate.zip again.

Any ideas about that?

Thanks.

I'm quoting myself, and never mind about that: fixed. Just reflashed rootedupdate.zip and, without rebooting nor nothing else, flashed a2sd; rebooted, it worked like a charm.

I followed the steps to make sure A2SD was working, and YES: it works. :huh:

So, thank you!

[Guest warrie]

Did you guys notice that the internal memory is still getting down? The linking and other stuff is fine, but there must be some kind of bug that the phone still thinks you install on internal memory

# cd /data/app

cd /data/app

# pwd

pwd

/system/sd/app

#

/dev/block/mtdblock5 147.6M 34.0M 113.6M 23% /data

/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 915.1M 46.3M 820.0M 5% /system/sd

ls -l /data/app

lrwxrwxrwx root root 2010-04-29 00:06 app -> /system/sd/app

As You see, APP2SD is working really fine. Just confusing the memory usage of /data

I tried install CoPilot whats about 10mb. And i lost 10mb of free space in /data/ AND /system/sd

Edited April 29, 2010 by warrie

[Guest maati]

Same here. Internal free space still goes down, despite A2SD working.

[Guest PaulW21781]

I've done some looking...

Inside of /data, there is another folder...

/data/data

Inside /data/data is all the application datafiles for running... Hence the phone space still going down??

Is it possible to move and symlink /data/data to /system/sd/data ???

This is the only possible solution I can see to the reduction of phone space still...

http://code.google.com/p/android-roms/wiki/A2SD

It mentions moving /data/data in there as an optional... but then inside 40a2sd, it says

# don't allow /data/data on sd because of upgrade issues - move it if possible

???

**EDIT**

I've since created a modified update zip for a2sd, and moved over the dalvik-cache folders... Free'd up 14MB of space so not too bad (went from 111MB free to 125MB free) :huh: Just unsure now if I want to move over /data/data...

If you want the DALVIK-cache enabled ones, there are 2 files:

If you have NOT already installed the A2SD release which Paul posted, use this one

http://paulw.hardmilk.com/downloads/r1-a2s...resh-signed.zip

If you HAVE already installed the A2SD release which Paul posted, and wish to add the DALVIK-CACHE feature, use this one

http://paulw.hardmilk.com/downloads/r1-a2s...rade-signed.zip

Just flash this using the Recovery Console as you did for the main Rooting mod.

Also, if you flash the wrong one, or since flashing A2SD you are getting a bootlooping on the Quietly Brilliant screen, installing the UPGRADE Package may resolve this, as I found that if the file within /system/etc/init.d are not copied and set correctly, they *WILL* cause this bootloop. UPGRADE package fixes this if you encounter the

E:Can't symlink /system/xbin/[

E:Failure at line 5:

symlink busybox SYSTEM:xbin/[


Installation aborted.

Problem from previous installs :P

Edited April 29, 2010 by PaulW21781

[Guest maati]

Thanks, that is nice.

Now, if I install the Dalvik cache update, will the files get moved to the SD automatically?

Can someone find out about the data/data folder?

[Guest PaulW21781]

Thanks, that is nice.

Now, if I install the Dalvik cache update, will the files get moved to the SD automatically?

Can someone find out about the data/data folder?

Yes, the way the A2SD works is every time the phone boots, it checks for the ext partition on the SD card, if its there it will then move and symlink any folders which are needed. This is done via the 40a2sd script in /system/etc/init.d

The reason the phone is looping for some people I reckon (after encountering the error on my last post) is because the 40a2sd script fails to get its permissions set as this is done *after* the symlinking... So the upgrade script simply skips all that and goes straight to copying/permission setting, so fixing it (hopefully)

Install the update, reboot, and done! Check it yourself then within an adb shell

ls -l /data

# ls -l /data

lrwxrwxrwx root	 root			  2010-04-29 10:46 dalvik-cache -> /system/sd/dalvik-cache

lrwxrwxrwx root	 root			  2010-04-28 22:26 app-private -> /system/sd/app-private

lrwxrwxrwx root	 root			  2010-04-28 22:26 app -> /system/sd/app

busybox df -h

#busybox df -h

Device				  Size	 Used   Free		Mount Point

/dev/block/mtdblock5	147.6M	 23.8M	123.8M  16% /data

/dev/block/mmcblk0p2	915.1M	 45.6M	820.7M   5% /system/sd

:huh:

Edited April 29, 2010 by PaulW21781

[Guest squrl]

PaulW21781, what will your modified A2SD give me over the original one?

Will I need to set up something or will be the Dalvik cache moved automatically?

[Guest PaulW21781]

PaulW21781, what will your modified A2SD give me over the original one?

Will I need to set up something or will be the Dalvik cache moved automatically?

It just adds the dalvik-cache to the list of things managed by A2SD. It is all handled automatically, so its just a case of Flashing and thats it! No need to do any resets or wiping of data. It *will* move anything which is already there to the SD card automatically.

As long as you have partitioned the SD Card from within the Recovery console, so you have EXT and FAT partitions, you are good to go! But... If you have NOT already partitioned your SD Card, MAKE A FULL BACKUP FIRST as Partitioning it will delete everything on it...

As long as its backed up, the second you have rebooted after partitioning, you can just plug the desire into your computer under Disk mode, and copy everything back again!

Edited April 29, 2010 by PaulW21781

[Guest vasillvrus]

What did I miss??? Where's the updated file?