Sprint Galaxy S3

[Skunkape60]

FAT32 format sucks for me because I can't put 4gb files or higher on it. Only good if you're rooting.

That's correct. But a majority of the folks coming to these forums do root. I agree. For you it makes sense not to have to format to fat32. I suggest it because it works in almost everything and very few people will need to deal with file sizes over 4gb. And for times we do, we have the internal sdcard.

 

[Skunkape60]

Good info and thanks! So when I'm ready to root my phone, ext4 will be my best option!

If you can find an app that will format your card to ext4 and never plan on using it in your computer's sdcard reader yes it makes perfect sense.

I looked around a little but it's late. Tomorrow I will try and find a way to format the external sdcard to ext4.

 

[EndlessDissent]

I can't find an Android app that will do it, unfortunately. I found an app called SDParter that does exactly what we need, but it seems to be specifically for the Galaxy Prevail. I installed it, but it won't open. It gets root permission and force closes. I'm not sure if that's because of device incompatibility or just a buggy app.

The best way, if you have an SD Card reader, is to download a live Linux distribution, like GParted, and use that to partition your SD card. I would recommend the USB option if you have a spare stick, because it is much faster, but either is fine. It should recognize the card fine when you put it in the reader. Just be careful that when you format the disk, you double check that it's the right disk, otherwise you could format your hard drive and lose everything.

 

[Skunkape60]

I can't find an Android app that will do it, unfortunately. I found an app called SDParter that does exactly what we need, but it seems to be specifically for the Galaxy Prevail. I installed it, but it won't open. It gets root permission and force closes. I'm not sure if that's because of device incompatibility or just a buggy app.

The best way, if you have an SD Card reader, is to download a live Linux distribution, like GParted, and use that to partition your SD card. I would recommend the USB option if you have a spare stick, because it is much faster, but either is fine. It should recognize the card fine when you put it in the reader. Just be careful that when you format the disk, you double check that it's the right disk, otherwise you could format your hard drive and lose everything.

That's a real PITA for most of the users here. GParted is a bit much just to format an sdcard. IMO... Loading using a live Linux distribution is probably over 60% of these guys heads and less you are going to run a support thread for it and be there to answer everyone's questions please don't suggest it.

I found a simple app and solution that I think will work fine for most users. After work I will test it and provide a download link and guide for those wanting to go the ext4 route. Which is a good option for many.

I do appreciate the heads up on the ext4. I didn't realize that it was an option on the external sdcard.

 

[GrooveRite]

If you can find an app that will format your card to ext4 and never plan on using it in your computer's sdcard reader yes it makes perfect sense.

I looked around a little but it's late. Tomorrow I will try and find a way to format the external sdcard to ext4.

I never take my micro sd card out of my phone so this is def my go to option. I have to look into this ext4 format myself and see if its doable for my uses, which I think will be once I root. For now, exfat is more than adequate for me.

 

[EndlessDissent]

That's a real PITA for most of the users here. GParted is a bit much just to format an sdcard. IMO... Loading using a live Linux distribution is probably over 60% of these guys heads and less you are going to run a support thread for it and be there to answer everyone's questions please don't suggest it.

IDK. All you do is burn it to a CD or write it to a USB stick, turn the computer off, put the USB stick in or leave the CD in the drive, turn the computer back on, let it boot from the stick or CD, open the GParted program when the computer is done booting (IIRC, it's an icon on the desktop, so you won't be hunting for it), and partition/format the drive. And all the instructions are on the website to which I linked. Really, depending on your download speed, downloading GParted will probably be the most time-consuming part.

I mean, it's not like I'm telling people to install anything, and it's not like I'm telling anyone to use Slackware or Gentoo. GParted is made for exactly our purposes -- and it's designed to make what we're trying to do as quick and painless as possible. Why would you not want to use a tool made specifically for the job you're trying to do? If there were any way to make Windows recognize and/or format an ext4 drive, I would suggest that, but there isn't, so GParted is the best bet here. I suppose you could use SystemRescueCD, but then I'd have to explain the difference between 10 different boot options. You could actually use any distribution with a live version, but GParted is probably the easiest solution, barring the discovery of an Android app.

 

[Skunkape60]

And after lots of testing by both EndlessDissent and myself, AT THIS POINT IN TIME. Ext4 is NOT a good choice for use on the GS3. While you would think it would work, the phone doesn't like it at all. SdCards formatted with ext4 will not properly mount and are useless as storage media.

It looks like the next best option for those needing large file size support, is going to come from TWRP. The TWRP recovery for the note 2 is supposed to handle exfat. There is also a not yet released version of twrp for the gs3, that is supposed to handle exfat. Now that is being worked on, it's only a matter of time.

 

[EndlessDissent]

And after lots of testing by both EndlessDissent and myself, AT THIS POINT IN TIME. Ext4 is NOT a good choice for use on the GS3. While you would think it would work, the phone doesn't like it at all. SdCards formatted with ext4 will not properly mount and are useless as storage media.

Well, there is a way to make ext4-formatted cards mount and work perfectly. It just requires running a command at the terminal or making an init script to run at boot. Neither method is particularly efficient for most people, and therefore not recommended. I will personally use the init script method because I would prefer to have my card formatted with ext4 since I'm a Microsoft hater and Linux lover.

Why ext4 cards don't mount properly is beyond me. I'm guessing it's a problem with Android's HAL implementation. Google wasn't expecting anyone to use anything besides FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT in their SD cards and programmed the HAL specifically for those filesystems. That's just a guess, of course. It could be a bug somewhere else.

 

[Skunkape60]

Well, there is a way to make ext4-formatted cards mount and work perfectly. It just requires running a command at the terminal or making an init script to run at boot. Neither method is particularly efficient for most people, and therefore not recommended. I will personally use the init script method because I would prefer to have my card formatted with ext4 since I'm a Microsoft hater and Linux lover.

Why ext4 cards don't mount properly is beyond me. I'm guessing it's a problem with Android's HAL implementation. Google wasn't expecting anyone to use anything besides FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT in their SD cards and programmed the HAL specifically for those filesystems. That's just a guess, of course. It could be a bug somewhere else.

Tried to get it to run with the script... still had issues... but I may be found something wrong as I admit, that not my strength.

 

[Skunkape60]

I have posted a new thread in the rooting section. TWRP 2.3.2.3 with exfat support. It is currently the only recovery that will read a sdcard formatted with the exfat file system.