Jellybean won't me access most folders via USB (and gallery)

gregs1213

Well-known member
Dec 19, 2011
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So, I flashed the jellybean Rom when it came out, and have been having this problem. When I connect my phone via USB, I can only see about 5 folders, most are missing. Also, when I go to my gallery through my phone, my photos do not show up, but when I use root explorer or ES File Explorer, I can find them that way.

They are all still on my phone.. It shows my phone has 3.5 gigs of free space (so obviously, it's mostly used up)....
 
Turn off USB Debugging. That can sometimes cause weird...display issues.
 
Turn off USB Debugging. That can sometimes cause weird...display issues.

Hmm.. Not working on or off

I can only see 6 folders:

Pictures
Notifications
MNT
Download
DCIM
After Focus


I noticed AfterFocus wasn't on there before, but since I've used the app to edit a photo, it showed up.. The DCIM folder does not have my old photos, only new photos that I have taken.
 
Hmmm. That's really old. What type of computer? Can you access the stuff via Root Explorer? Not just see it, but access it?
 
Nope. I'm on the stock kernal. Flashed the Vicious (team liquid) rom about 5 minutes after it was released.. Looking back, I probably should have waited until more bugs got kinked out, but I wanted it immediately... plus bragging rights.

Haha, I had two friends posting on Facebook that they got the SIII and I make a smart ass comment like "Man, you guys are so old school still using Ice Cream Sandwich".
 
Nope. I'm on the stock kernal. Flashed the Vicious (team liquid) rom about 5 minutes after it was released.. Looking back, I probably should have waited until more bugs got kinked out, but I wanted it immediately... plus bragging rights.

Haha, I had two friends posting on Facebook that they got the SIII and I make a smart ass comment like "Man, you guys are so old school still using Ice Cream Sandwich".

This happens occasionally, and not only on 4.1. I've spent a reasonable amount of time trying to figure it out, and it seems that MTP sometimes just doesn't show folders and files that Android 'natively expect' to be there, if that makes sense. So folders you create, files you manage manually, and certain system-oriented folders sometimes just don't show.

Forcing the media scanner service to re-scan the 'SD card' can help. Use an application such as "SD Rescan" and it may make your files and folders show. Do this when not connected to a computer (though it won't let you when connected anyway).
 
Hmmm. That's really old. What type of computer? Can you access the stuff via Root Explorer? Not just see it, but access it?

Yes, I can access it and view the photos and everything.. I'm using a Dell Laptop on Windows 7..
 
This happens occasionally, and not only on 4.1. I've spent a reasonable amount of time trying to figure it out, and it seems that MTP sometimes just doesn't show folders and files that Android 'natively expect' to be there, if that makes sense. So folders you create, files you manage manually, and certain system-oriented folders sometimes just don't show.

Forcing the media scanner service to re-scan the 'SD card' can help. Use an application such as "SD Rescan" and it may make your files and folders show. Do this when not connected to a computer (though it won't let you when connected anyway).

Thanks, I will try this.
 
Haha, I had two friends posting on Facebook that they got the SIII and I make a smart ass comment like "Man, you guys are so old school still using Ice Cream Sandwich".

Seriously. Owning a Nexus has totally spoiled us. By now, Ice Cream Sandwich is such old news for us. Meanwhile, there are still people buying phones with Gingerbread.
 
Thanks, I will try this.

Definitely let us know if it works. The media scanning/indexing service is the culprit in most cases of the gallery not showing any albums or pictures, and hopefully this is a similar situation.

Seriously. Owning a Nexus has totally spoiled us. By now, Ice Cream Sandwich is such old news for us. Meanwhile, there are still people buying phones with Gingerbread.

Buying "current" phones with Gingerbread. :'(
 
Seriously. Owning a Nexus has totally spoiled us. By now, Ice Cream Sandwich is such old news for us. Meanwhile, there are still people buying phones with Gingerbread.

I looked at my Incredible yesterday and, with great sadness, realized that it was in fact ancient.

Also, lol @ buying a "new" phone with Gingerbread.
 
Do you have adb set up on your computer? If not, set it up (can't help now, just google setting it up on your OS or use the guides stickied) . Once set up use adb to copy/backup everything you want off your phone to your computer because it's possible you'll have to do a full wipe/factory image restore sooner or later..

Over adb its easy to copy stuff over.. Your sd is /data/media, so for example to copy all your photos to your computer will just be:
adb pull /data/media/DCIM
If you have TiBu backups or such it would be similar (explore your sd with root explorer or whatever file explorer you use) such as :
adb pull /data/media/TitaniumBackup

Just examples, obviously. Sorry I can't link you or walk you through an adb setup now, but i could possibly later in the week.

Point is just to get you to be able to back all your stuff up because your sd/system might have gotten corrupted (things happen with risky ROM ports) , and if so it is fixable but I'd like to try and help you back up what you can before having to maybe wipe the whole thing to fix it.. :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
 
Do you have adb set up on your computer? If not, set it up (can't help now, just google setting it up on your OS or use the guides stickied) . Once set up use adb to copy/backup everything you want off your phone to your computer because it's possible you'll have to do a full wipe/factory image restore sooner or later..

Over adb its easy to copy stuff over.. Your sd is /data/media, so for example to copy all your photos to your computer will just be:
adb pull /data/media/DCIM
If you have TiBu backups or such it would be similar (explore your sd with root explorer or whatever file explorer you use) such as :
adb pull /data/media/TitaniumBackup

Just examples, obviously. Sorry I can't link you or walk you through an adb setup now, but i could possibly later in the week.

Point is just to get you to be able to back all your stuff up because your sd/system might have gotten corrupted (things happen with risky ROM ports) , and if so it is fixable but I'd like to try and help you back up what you can before having to maybe wipe the whole thing to fix it.. :)

Following up on what 2defmouze said, if you have trouble with that you can try going into fastboot/recovery and pulling the files that way. The Nexus, unfortunately, uses MTP to make the simulated external storage easily available while Android is running because they're on the same physical partition, as well as to prevent manufacturers from limit the amount application space you have (versus "storage space"). Mounting the SD card and pulling the data while not booted up, if possible for you, can avoid MTP's wonderful 'personality'. It took a bit of work to get them to show up the first time, because if the drivers aren't set up right you won't be able to see the device at all while in fastboot/recovery.

That's the route I had to take a few months back. :-\

Disclaimer: the first bit of explanation behind MTP's presence was from an old bit I read, sometime around when ICS was first released. It may not be completely accurate, but the part about preventing OEMs from expanding storage space and severely shrinking space for apps is factual.
 
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Do you have adb set up on your computer? If not, set it up (can't help now, just google setting it up on your OS or use the guides stickied) . Once set up use adb to copy/backup everything you want off your phone to your computer because it's possible you'll have to do a full wipe/factory image restore sooner or later..

Over adb its easy to copy stuff over.. Your sd is /data/media, so for example to copy all your photos to your computer will just be:
adb pull /data/media/DCIM
If you have TiBu backups or such it would be similar (explore your sd with root explorer or whatever file explorer you use) such as :
adb pull /data/media/TitaniumBackup

Just examples, obviously. Sorry I can't link you or walk you through an adb setup now, but i could possibly later in the week.

Point is just to get you to be able to back all your stuff up because your sd/system might have gotten corrupted (things happen with risky ROM ports) , and if so it is fixable but I'd like to try and help you back up what you can before having to maybe wipe the whole thing to fix it.. :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Doing it right now.. It didn't let me do "adb pull /data/media/DCIM" but I tried "adb pull sdcard/DCIM" and it looks like it is working.
 
I have the same problem as you and I think its because it makes that mirror storage/sdcard0 folder when at the same time I still have the original sdcard folder where all my files and pictures are at. I can view them in astro but the phone, gallery and computer doesn't recognize any of it... its really really frustrating...
 
I think all I'm going to do now is wait until the official source is released and there are some stable roms and then do a wipe and try to rom again.
 

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