[How To] Swapping the internal and external SD cards

[Guest targetbsp]

The phone only has 1.5GB of internal SD card and expects you to add your own external SD card.  Which is fine except just about everything favours using the small internal card instead of the large external one.  The android folder where the obb files go, .android_secure where apps moved to sd go, external data downloads for apps.  So 1.5GB won't last you long!

You can however swap which card Android thinks is the internal and external.  So mine now thinks it has 32GB of internal SD space and 1.5GB external and uses the 32GB for everything.

 

To do this, first of all you need root.

Then download this file: http://blade.windows98.co.uk/downloads/vold.emmc.fstab (right click the link and use 'save as')

Copy it to your phones SD card

Now using a root file explorer go to /system/etc and rename the file vold.emmc.fstab as a backup in case you ever want to revert this swap

Using your file explorer, copy or move the file from your sd card into /system/etc

Reboot

 

 

A CWM installer to do this for you:

http://blade.windows98.co.uk/downloads/bladev-swap-sd.zip

 

 

WARNING:  This is best done on a clean phone.  Or at least make sure no apps have been moved to the sd card.

Edited October 31, 2013 by targetbsp

[Guest targetbsp]

Here's the manual instructions:

 

First you need root

Then you need to edit the file called vold.emmc.fstab in the \system\etc folder

The 2 lines beginning # are commented out and are how these lines appear in the stock rom.  The 2 lines following them are modified to swap the SD cards.

 

So, using a root file explorer, copy the vold.emmc.fstab file to your sd card, connect the phone to your computer via usb, edit the file in a text editor and copy the edited file back to system/etc

#dev_mount emmc    /storage/sdcard0 20 /devices/platform/msm_sdcc.3/mmc_host/mmc0
#dev_mount sdcard /storage/sdcard1 auto /devices/platform/msm_sdcc.1/mmc_host
dev_mount sdcard /storage/sdcard1 20 /devices/platform/msm_sdcc.3/mmc_host/mmc0
dev_mount emmc    /storage/sdcard0 auto /devices/platform/msm_sdcc.1/mmc_host

 

 

 

Swapping these cards has another advantage too.  I believe the CWM we have atm is looking for .android_secure* on the external card?  Which is where it will be if the cards are swapped but not if they are stock.

 

 

 

*where apps moved to sd card live.

Edited September 26, 2013 by targetbsp

[Guest KonstaT]

Swapping these cards has another advantage too.  I believe the CWM we have atm is looking for .android_secure* on the external card?  Which is where it will be if the cards are swapped but not if they are stock.

 

*where apps moved to sd card live.

Oh yeah, didn't even think of that. Maybe I need to add a mount point for internal storage in CWM after all. But what would be the point of moving apps within the internal storage anyway? :P

[Guest targetbsp]

On my SGS it has an internal SD card of about 6GB which is a decent chunk for most people for obb files and .android_secure etc.  But not for me so I had them swapped.  I could backup or restore to either SD card in CWM but it would only look for .android_secure on the internal so it would never backup the apps moved to SD for me.  So I guess given multiple SD cards, CWM favours a specified one only for .android_secure rather than checking both cards?  Not a major issue for me on the SGS because titanium had it covered but I sure like CWM the way it currently is!

 

But anyone not swapping their SD cards is going to be in the same boat I was with our current CWM.  Whether they're intending to move apps2sd or not, as far as I can tell Android is pretty darn random about where it installs apps!  But if we do include internal then it would cause the above issue for anyone who has swapped (if anyone other than me does :D ) so we probably need a CWM setup both ways?  Certainly I'm keeping the current one!

 

I'm not too sure why ZTE even bothered with such a pathetically small internal sd card.  In an ideal world they'd have merged all that space with data and insisted we use an external sd card again.

[Guest KonstaT]

Trust me, the way ZTE handled it here is a lot better than on Blade III. We only have a "large" (2.5gb) /data partition and internal sdcard is emulated using fuse tool (/data/media). There is no way you can have emulated storage as a secondary storage in jelly bean. All app/game/etc data would be downloaded to internal sdcard, /data running out of space rather quickly. That's why there's no support for internal sdcard in CyanogenMod/CWM for Blade III.

 

Adding a mount point for internal storage removes the ability to mount USB mass storage in CWM (at least it does on /data/media devices). It's quite an useful feature to have in case of soft bricks etc, so you don't have to play around with sdcard readers.

[Guest bladebuddy]

Could one of you wise dens make the above into a cwm flash able zip as its a little over my head following the instructions. Hope its possible as it would be great to have 16gb in my case for internal storage. Thanks for you're effort and work J.:D

[Guest targetbsp]

I've updated the first post with a ready edited file you can just download and copy into place which should be easier (if you've used an android root file explorer before).  I will get a CWM installer made for it over the next few days.

[Guest mike-kt]

Its possible to merge internal storage and internal SD?  Internal memory for apps is to low. I need one internal sotrage of 1,5GB. Thanks

[Guest targetbsp]

SInce Android 2.2 you can move apps to your SD card via the phones settings, so as long as your SD card is big enough (which this swap ensures) you shouldn't have an issue.

 

 

 

 

Having said that, I would also like my internal sd card merged into the data partition. Just because really. But I dunno if it's possible and if it is it will need someone cleverer with Linux than I to do it.

Edited September 29, 2013 by targetbsp

[Guest mike-kt]

Yes i now that i move app data to external sd card but I need merge two internal storage to one big. Sory for my English. I need connect internal sd to internal memory that will be one internal memory about 1.5gb for apps and data. It's is possible? Thanks

[Guest targetbsp]

In short, no.

Edited September 29, 2013 by targetbsp

[Guest targetbsp]

After swapping the sd cards so I can fit more apps on sd, I have 184 user apps installed and still 364MB free on the data partition.

 

Remember that you can allow yourself to move any app to SD by opening up terminal emulator (grab it from the market) and typing:

su

pm set-install-location 2

 

Do not move your default launcher, keyboard or any apps whose widgets you use though!

[Guest bladebuddy]

What target and konstat have done is enable all apps to go to the sd card by default and when you mount your phone via cable to the pc all music / media is sent to the unused 2gb sd pure genius. Then using power amp have only the sd card 1 scanned for music and it works a treat. All music in one easy to find place then manual move downloads there with root explorer / browser.Couldn't be happier. Thanks to both of you.

[Guest Sappermajor]

A bit new to this, had a Sony Ericsson Live With Walkman Gingerbread and Link2SD was a lifesaver but the phone was v slow. Blade V much faster, Build quality not as good but thinner and much bigger screen. Loudspeaker not that loud compared to SE 

 

Does anyone know if I can use Link2SD after swapping as above?

 

Is it worth buying a Class 10 card in place of a Class 4?

 

Thanks

[Guest targetbsp]

I don't see why you couldn't use Link2SD.  Though I'm not sure why you'd need to considering Androids built in support for that and the data partition is a decent size.  You'd need a lot of apps before you'd need to resort to third party moving tricks.  Like I say, I have over 180 (mostly games) on there and still have some room to spare.

 

I find the make of card matters more than the class.  I tried three different makes in my Blade 1 and the Sandisk kept disconnecting and the Lexar was laggy.  Samsung all the way for me now.

Edited October 3, 2013 by targetbsp

[Guest scottlogan]

Hi guys

 

hoping that you are able to help me

 

i've followed the instructions so that i can use my sd card for the main storage, but i seem to be going wrong somewhere

 

as soon as i paste the new file into the system/etc folder

 

i get a message about media not responding and that it has to close, i also get the same message about gaaps too

 

the messages appear about every 3 seconds ( and do my head in) 

 

thankfully i renamed the original file and i have gone back to that for the time being

 

can anybody tell me where i am going wrong?

 

cheers Scott

[Guest targetbsp]

It shouldn't even have any effect until a reboot.  What root file manager are you using?  I've tried this using both the paid Root Explorer and the free Root Browser

 

I've only done this on clean phones so I guess it would be a good idea to make sure all your apps are installed on the phone rather than sd card before the swap.  Do this from settings -> manage apps.  Scroll along to the sd card heading and any apps with a tick in them, click them and move them to phone.

[Guest targetbsp]

Added a CWM installer for swapping the SD cards

[Guest mrwhitelabel]

Hi guys

 

hoping that you are able to help me

 

i've followed the instructions so that i can use my sd card for the main storage, but i seem to be going wrong somewhere

 

as soon as i paste the new file into the system/etc folder

 

i get a message about media not responding and that it has to close, i also get the same message about gaaps too

 

the messages appear about every 3 seconds ( and do my head in) 

 

thankfully i renamed the original file and i have gone back to that for the time being

 

can anybody tell me where i am going wrong?

 

cheers Scott

 

Hi

 

Ive also got this issue, BUT despite renaming the original, im unable to access nearly any app before the media error kicks in and shuts it, so I cant access root browser to get at it and its not even showing the sd card from what i can tell before settings get shut too.

Ive done a full system restore and its not helped, admittedly it wasnt done on a fresh phone first, as I the above post hadn't been added at that time....

 

any other suggestions as how I can get around this kind of bricked phone ?!

[Guest targetbsp]

I suspect it needs done on a fresh phone.  I got the same media error after updating the firmware which would have reverted the sd card swap.  This was why I created the CWM version so you can immediately swap it again after the update and before it boots and errors.

 

So unless you're careful to make sure no apps are moved to sd before doing this, you would probably need to wipe data.

[Guest targetbsp]

 

any other suggestions as how I can get around this kind of bricked phone ?!

 

This should undo the swap from CWM: http://blade.windows98.co.uk/downloads/bladev-undo-swap-sd.zip

 

Then if you move all your apps internal and repeat the swap it should be OK.

Edited October 31, 2013 by targetbsp

[Guest mrwhitelabel]

This should undo the swap from CWM: http://blade.windows98.co.uk/downloads/bladev-undo-swap-sd.zip

 

Then if you move all your apps internal and repeat the swap it should be OK.

Ok I'm kind of stucki don't have cwm installed.

 

ive got usb drivers and sdk tools, When I connect with it and turn on windows recognises

 

if I try adb reboot bootloader , phone rebooots correctly, windows then asks for drivers again and doesnt recognise the ones that I have and wont let me install them....

Ive tried a stock recovery but can't get anywhere.

I can make / receive calls but no ring tone, everything else shuts down as soon as I open it.

If I roll back to v 2 stock then back to 2.1 ?

All help appreciated

Edited October 31, 2013 by mrwhitelabel

[Guest targetbsp]

ZTE's drivers don't work in fastboot.  There's a more detailed guide to installing CWM here: http://forums.thedigitalfix.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9908955&postcount=91

 

If you're willing to reinstall the rom then it should be sufficient to just reinstall 2.1

 

I would imagine you could also adb push the stock file to the phone (after extracting it from my zip or a stock rom image) but I've never actually done that and I'm too drunk to work it out right now!

[Guest mrwhitelabel]

WOOP success

 

Thanks to those drivers Ive managed to install cwm and reverse that error 

so now the card is back to normal.... for the moment

 

 

dare i try again....

[Guest targetbsp]

if you go to settings -> apps -> manage apps.  scroll to the right and make sure every app is unticked (so none are on sd card) then I can;t see why it wouldn't work.  And you can quickly reverse it again anyway now you have CWM. :)