USB "On The Go" - faulty connect

ycc

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Hi

I use Galaxy Note 3 since about 2 years. Now with latest Android upgrade 5.0.

I have used USB flash sticks almost daily for more than a year. Has worked perfectly.

But since one week flash sticks connect crazily. First it asks if it should open ES File Explorer when I plug in flash stick. The phone never asked that before.

I can't read the data on the sticks any more.

One file manager can see the flash stick. But just as a number, no data available. Stick also shows up under notifications.

A repair guy connected it to his computer. It showed up but he didn't test any further. I think he would never have reached the data in the phone.

Most file managers just don't show the USB stick at all. So I can't reach data. Phone works well otherwise.

I can charge the phone but not reach USB data.

I have tried 3 different flash sticks. So I don't believe it is the flash stick that is faulty.

A guy in a repair shop used a toothbrush on the USB port. No avail.

I guess I have to update software. Can I do that without losing/backing up all data?

Any suggestion appreciated.

The only thing I can think of is a factory reset but that will cost me a lot of work, restoring all data.

Thanks.
 
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nahoku

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With everything you wrote, you never mentioned if you tried another OTG cable. Also, just because the phone charges doesn't mean the data lines in the phone connector are ok. However, you said a repair guy connected the phone to a computer and it showed up... giving the impression that the phone's data lines might be ok. Try another OTG cable.

First it asks if it should open ES File Explorer when I plug in flash stick. The phone never asked that before.
The phone will ask this if you have more than one file explorer installed on the phone and you haven't yet designated which one is the default app to use.
 

ycc

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Re: USB "On The Go" - faulty connect

Those are good points, thanks.

One of my USB sticks connects directly into micro-USB of the phone (no cable) and it shows the same problem. Another repair guy tried with his cable. Same problem. I forgot to write that. But it's probably not the cable.

I guess the phone is "slave" when it connects to computer and "master" when it connects USB stick.

I was surprised that it asked to make ES File Explorer the default app. I have not changed anything. Suddenly the question appeared . Usually stock file manager opens.

ES File Explorer (free) now opens on insertion and through clicking "home" I can see and even reach files. But not in ordinary panel.

No other file explorer shows anything.

The pay version of ES file explorer shows nothing.

Thanks for any ideas. I must log off a short while. I appreciate any comments and will come back.
 

nahoku

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Re: USB "On The Go" - faulty connect

ES File Explorer (free) now opens on insertion and through clicking "home" I can see and even reach files.
Can you see files on all the flash drives if you use ES file explorer, or only on the drive that connects directly to the phone without using an OTG cable?

But not in ordinary panel.
What does this mean? What ordinary panel? Are you talking about the stock file explorer?

I was surprised that it asked to make ES File Explorer the default app. I have not changed anything. Suddenly the question appeared . Usually stock file manager opens.
As I stated before, if there is more than one file explorer on the phone, you will be prompted to choose a default. The stock explorer counts as "one" file explorer, and ES file explorer counts as the "second" file explorer.

What you might try is starting your phone in Safe Mode and connecting your flash drives. See if the files will show up. Safe mode will start the phone with only system apps and no user apps will run. This means that ES file explorer will not launch in safe mode when you plug in the flash drives. Since you didn't specify what carrier you're on, the Safe mode link is a Google results page... search for you carrier to learn how to get into safe mode.
 

ycc

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Re: USB "On The Go" - faulty connect

Can you see files on all the flash drives if you use ES file explorer, or only on the drive that connects directly to the phone without using an OTG cable?

What does this mean? What ordinary panel? Are you talking about the stock file explorer?

As I stated before, if there is more than one file explorer on the phone, you will be prompted to choose a default. The stock explorer counts as "one" file explorer, and ES file explorer counts as the "second" file explorer.

What you might try is starting your phone in Safe Mode and connecting your flash drives. See if the files will show up. Safe mode will start the phone with only system apps and no user apps will run. This means that ES file explorer will not launch in safe mode when you plug in the flash drives. Since you didn't specify what carrier you're on, the Safe mode link is a Google results page... search for you carrier to learn how to get into safe mode.

Thanks for good points. It's 4 am in my timezone and I can only reply shortly. But I will sure come back to all your suggestions later.

Same behavior with cable and another flashdrive as with the flashdrive that connects without cable. I can reach files on both, but only from one panel in one file manager.

Even after "reset app preferences" ES File Explorer opens automatically. No question at all this time! (But the phone even asks which home screen app launcher to use, of course.)

Flashdrive only shows up in home panel of free ES File Explorer!
http://i.imgur.com/0sbKeUp.png
From there it can be opened:
http://i.imgur.com/mmGYbYL.png

The panel I usually use to open flashdrive does not show it. The Flashdrive just shows up as history since I opened earlier via home panel. Flashdrive should be in the grey panels with sd0 and external.
http://i.imgur.com/RgREhOI.jpg

Pay version of ES File Explorer and 5 more file explorers show no flash drive at all.
http://i.imgur.com/Ku3g3QK.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/doga6Qt.png

Stock file manager always used to open automatically before. I have never asked for that. But does not open automatically any more.
http://i.imgur.com/nVA0LYd.png

If I close and reopen file explorers it is still only the free ES File Explorer that shows the flashdrive (in the home panel!).

Thanks for ideas. I come back with your other suggestions asap.

Edit
I am not sure how skilled the repair guys were. But three different ones said "That is software problem. Go to Samsung"
They were strictly hardware guys :)
 
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nahoku

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Ok, things are getting confusing. You say you have 5 file explorers on your phone right now. This is what I recommend you to do... uninstall all file explorers and restart your phone. What this will do is reset your phone to use the stock file explorer. Basically what we want to do is start from scratch.

Connect the USB flash drive that doesn't use an OTG cable and see if your stock file explorer can see it. Also connect the flash drives that do use the OTG cable and see if your stock file explorer can see it.

If your stock file explorer cannot see the flash drive, then you may have to factory reset your phone. There should be no reason that the stock file explorer cannot see the drives if ES file explorer can see the drives. It almost sounds like the stock file explorer software is corrupted.
 

ycc

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Re: USB "On The Go" - faulty connect

It looks like there is a way around it. I wouldn't yet say it is 100% solved, but a big step forward.

Using OTG disk manager programs it was first possible to see and copy to/from the device. After using these programs a while, the flash drive started appearing in the ordinary file managers and also in the Android system so I could also format the one flash drive that seems to have got corrupted when all started go wrong.

http://i.imgur.com/5oc8FSK.png
 
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ycc

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Re: USB "On The Go" - faulty connect

Thanks for your support.

After running several of those OTG disk manager programs, the USB was seen by Android system, could be safely removed etc. Worked perfectly.

But all broke when I restarted the phone. And after running those programs randomly again, for a couple of hours I still can't get back into the situation where the USB is visible by Android.

Several of these OTG disk managers seem to be made for the Nexus. I guess it had OTG capacity but lacked stock software for the USB. Anyway these programs also work for my Samsung.

So now I can copy to USB, but slowly, via these OTG disk manager programs. I can not remove safely and I can not format USB stick.

Otherwise phone works perfectly.

I don't have time to experiment more. I guess I will wait for the next Android update and hope it might fix the problem.

Too bad there is no way to "update" or repair within the same version of Android.

I can thus use the USB with reduced speed from several 3:rd party software programs but not from Android.

The test programs have not been helpful. They say the USB is working
http://i.imgur.com/uWIJ5VR.png
 
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