SD Card Discussion/How To

[kobequintana]

In this thread we will discuss the how to steps of an sd card and have a conversation about them
How To's:
How To #1:
Making an sdext:
1. Make a Sd Card back up on a computer
2. Make sure your sd card is in your phone and mounted then reboot in to recovery
3. Go to the advanced section then look for the "partition sd card"
Note: This Will Delete ALL Sd Card Content
4. Choose the space and swap size you want
5. Wipe Delvik
6. Reboot
7. Put your sd card in your computer and copy the sd back up to your sd card

How to #2
Putting ROMS on your sd card
A. Through your phone:
1. Make sure sd card is in your phone and mounted
2. Download the ROM and wait for it to finish
3. Reboot in to recovery choose the "choose zip from sd card" section
4.Then scroll down to the "download" section and look for the ROM you downloaded and install

B. Through your computer:
1. Download the ROM and wait
2. Look in your download folder on your computer for the ROM you downloaded
3. Put your sd card in your computer and copy or move the ROM you downloaded to your sd card (I prefer copy just in case your sd card got deleted and your phone got briked you dont have to wait for it to download again)
4. Put your sd card in your phone mount it then reboot in to recovery and install

How to #3
Transferring all you data from your old sd card to your new sd card:
1. Put your old sd card in your computer
2. Make a folder on your desktop named sd transfer or a name you want
3. Open the sd card file
4. Copy or move all files to the folder you made in step 2
5. Take out the sd card from your computer and insert your new sd card
6. Open the folder you made in step to and copy or move it to your new sd card
7. Take out the sd card from your computer and inset it in to your phone and enjoy

How to #4
How to format (erase) ypur sd card
A. Through your phone
A1. From the settings:
1. Make sure your phone is on, sd card is in, and your sd card is mounted
2. Go to the settings and look for the "Storage" section ... tap it
3. Click the "Erase SD card"
Note some rom like the stock rom you have to unmount your sd card first
4. You are now done formatting your sd card

A2. Through Recovery:
1. Make sure your sd card is in your phone and mounted
2. Reboot in to recovery
3. Open the "Mounts and Storage" section
4. Go to the "Format sd card" then go down to yes
5. You have now formated your sd card

B. Through your computer:
1. Put your sd card in your computer
2. Go to "My Computer"
3. Look for the "Removable Disk" ( Not intarly sure what it's called but it has removable in the name)
4. Right click on it and choose "Format"
5. You are done erasing your sd card

This Song Rocks:
Forever Given Forever You
By: Evanescence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naI5swhuoeI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[andrewnelson23]

I have a computer with no sdcard port.

After making my ext, I could not boot.
I also could not mount my sdcard to my pc by the phone.
So, I had to use adb to push a rom onto the phone and then flashed that. Then I booted into the rom and copied my sdcard contents from my computer back onto my card.

 

[jedidadx2]

Is there a swap size that works better or worse than another?
And once I make the ext does the phone see it as storage automatically?

 

[kobequintana]

Is there a swap size that works better or worse than another?
And once I make the ext does the phone see it as storage automatically?

Idk about the swap size but once u partition the sd card wipe the delvik and reboot the phone should read that the exit was made and it moves the files to it

This Song Rocks:
Forever Given Forever You
By: Evanescence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naI5swhuoeI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[strabo231]

Is there a swap size that works better or worse than another?
And once I make the ext does the phone see it as storage automatically?

Everything Ive seen says 128mb. You probably won't ever come close to that, but you definitely won't touch 256. Better to go ahead and make it a little bigger now though because if you end up needing more later, you have to redo everything to change the size.

 

[RavinX]

Thanks for the simple instructions. Very helpful to us people that don't know much about these kinds of things.

Since this thread is also a discussion about SD cards, I have a question about SD card "classes".
I understand that the higher the class, the faster the file transfer, but if I'm thinking about upgrading SD cards (I'm currently using the 2GB one that came with my Optimus V), is it really worth getting a Class 10 over a Class 4? Will it make my phone feel any snappier loading apps off the SD card?

 

[strabo231]

Thanks for the simple instructions. Very helpful to us people that don't know much about these kinds of things.

Since this thread is also a discussion about SD cards, I have a question about SD card "classes".
I understand that the higher the class, the faster the file transfer, but if I'm thinking about upgrading SD cards (I'm currently using the 2GB one that came with my Optimus V), is it really worth getting a Class 10 over a Class 4? Will it make my phone feel any snappier loading apps off the SD card?

It depends on apps you use, whether or not you're playing movies and stuff from your sd, etc. Class 4 is good for day to day, Class 6 would be the snappy you were looking for. Class 10 is i believe a 30mb per second card, so anything off your card hd, movies, etc is what you would want that card for. For the price of the class 10 now, if you plan on upgrading your phone within the next year or so, I'd suggest you get atleast a 16gb class 10 as you will really see a difference in performance with a new phone. Besides, at 15 to 20 for the card, who wouldn't want the v8 instead of the 4 banger

 

[kcls]

I have a Class 10 Patriot 8gb and while I didn't do any controlled tests, pictures definitely load in the gallery much faster then the 2gb that came with the phone.

 

[strabo231]

I have a Class 10 Patriot 8gb and while I didn't do any controlled tests, pictures definitely load in the gallery much faster then the 2gb that came with the phone.

Absolutely. No comparison with photos and videos and stuff. It's like night and day

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

 

[Sollsun]

Everything Ive seen says 128mb. You probably won't ever come close to that, but you definitely won't touch 256. Better to go ahead and make it a little bigger now though because if you end up needing more later, you have to redo everything to change the size.

With 128mb I could only get like 15-20 or so apps installed before I got full. Now I have 512mb and have 40+ apps with room for 40 more apps.

Hope this helps.

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

 

[kobequintana]

Absolutely. No comparison with photos and videos and stuff. It's like night and day

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

They come naturally

This Song Rocks:
Forever Given Forever You
By: Evanescence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naI5swhuoeI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[RavinX]

It depends on apps you use, whether or not you're playing movies and stuff from your sd, etc. Class 4 is good for day to day, Class 6 would be the snappy you were looking for. Class 10 is i believe a 30mb per second card, so anything off your card hd, movies, etc is what you would want that card for. For the price of the class 10 now, if you plan on upgrading your phone within the next year or so, I'd suggest you get atleast a 16gb class 10 as you will really see a difference in performance with a new phone. Besides, at 15 to 20 for the card, who wouldn't want the v8 instead of the 4 banger

I have a Class 10 Patriot 8gb and while I didn't do any controlled tests, pictures definitely load in the gallery much faster then the 2gb that came with the phone.

Thanks! I think since the price difference is minimal, I'll go for a Class 10 8 or 16GB soon. I never really run out of room on my 2GB, so I may just go with the 8GB. The reason I am considering upgrading is because tdm is talking about making sd-ext mandatory in the future and I just want to make sure I have enough room to partition my SD card in the future.

 

[strabo231]

With 128mb I could only get like 15-20 or so apps installed before I got full. Now I have 512mb and have 40+ apps with room for 40 more apps.

Hope this helps.

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

That part we were talking about the swap partition...not the sdext

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

 

[flapjack.fiasco]

That part we were talking about the swap partition...not the sdext

Sent from my LG-VM670 using Android Central Forums

The majority of what I've read argues against the use of a swap partition. Granted, I've never seen the results of any real-world tests, but the argument makes sense. From what I read, there's two theories against using a swap partition:

1) Anything that gets stored in swap on your sd-card is going to be accessed at a much slower speed than from RAM. The time it takes to write it to the swap and then read it back into RAM is going to be a bottleneck.

2) Android is not designed to utilize a swap partition, it's capable of it because Linux is capable of it. But Android is designed to run memory management smoothly all by itself, dispensing with apps held in RAM when more space is needed.

Again, I haven't read the results of any real-world tests, but what I've read makes sense. I'd still be very interested to know if anyone running a swap partition has noticed a difference.

 

[kobequintana]

 

[kobequintana]

Srry i was trying to edit but i quoted and screwd up thats y i posted three This Song Rocks:
Forever Given Forever You
By: Evanescence
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naI5swhuoeI&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[andrewnelson23]

Again, I haven't read the results of any real-world tests, but what I've read makes sense. I'd still be very interested to know if anyone running a swap partition has noticed a difference.

I think that's probably accurate. I have a swap size of. ...wait for it...0! Haha works great