FAQ: Apps2sd Information

I see these apps2sd questions come up a LOT so I’m writing up this quick FAQ.

How do I enable apps2sd?

All you need to do is boot in to recovery and go to partition sdcard. Set it up with a 32mb swap (not required for apps2sd but it’s used for other things), 512m-1gb ext2 (larger than 1gb may have issues), and the rest as fat32. Then make sure you convert ext2 to ext3. After that just reboot and Fresh Rom will take care of the rest. Partitioning will delete everything off of your sdcard, so back it up first and then copy it back when you’re done.

How do I know if apps2sd is working?

Open a terminal and issue the following commands:
- adb shell
- a2sd check
It will let you know if everything is running, and what to do if it isn’t.

Why is my internal phone storage still going down if I’m using apps2sd?

Dalvik-cache and other settings are still stored on the data partition. Free space will go down slightly with each application install, but it will only be a small percentage of the actual apk.

Are there any requirements for apps2sd?

It is recommended that you have class 6 sdcard if you are using this. The sdcard that comes with the phone is not a class 6 and may actually cause the phone to slow down.

Warnings:

I have been using apps2sd for days and now I rebooted and my phone won’t boot anymore. What happened?

Chances are extremely high that you were using an ext2 partition and not ext3. Ext2 does not have any type of journaling which means if it gets shut down without warning it will become corrupted, causing your phone to no longer boot up properly. You can resolve this issue by booting in to recovery and wiping your sd:ext and then going under partition and converting ext2 to ext3. You can prevent it from happening to you by going right now and converting ext2 to ext3. Note that you may need to flash your rom after doing this. Also just know that apps2sd has the potential to cause this issue even if you do have ext3, so use it at your own risk.

Will this hurt my phone?

The extra reads and writes to your sdcard could cause it to prematurely fail. However that can be looked at two ways. If you have a cheap sdcard then it will likely fail sooner than it should, but it was cheap so it’s easy to replace. If you have a higher end sdcard then it shouldn’t be a problem.

This isn’t very in depth for an FAQ but right now I see these 2 questions / issues all over the forums and so I figured I’d answer them here!

This entry was posted by flipz on April 6, 2010 at 9:41 am, and is filed under FAQ. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0.Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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#1 written by greatcasa 2 years ago

I have partition my drive with swap=0, then ext2=512, and let it run. I then did the ext2->ext3 upgrade. My SD card show’s there being about 512 MB not visible which means the partition should be there. However after running the cmd’s above, it is not working. I booted into RA, wiped sd:ext, and then went and then ran the ext2->ext3 upgrade, rebooted, and it still is not working. In fact I am now getting an error for process com.htc.launcher, saying it has stopped and now needs to force close. I hit force close and it pops up again, and therefore I can’t get the phone to load properly. Just keeps going in circles. Any ideas?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #2 written by Dan 2 years ago
  
  I got the same HTC launcher error after performing the ext3 upgrade. I just went ahead and flashed 2.0d again.
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
  - #3 written by flipz 2 years ago
    
    That’s exactly what I was going to say. This should technically be done before you have flashed. If you have already flashed and are getting FC’s then it’s looking for data it can’t find anymore. So just flash again.
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
#4 written by greatcasa 2 years ago

I’ve found the problem I think. When creating the partitions it’s not taking. I’m launching RA, partitioning to linux-swap=32, ext2=512, fat32=remainder. When that says completed I hit the back button and click on ext2->ext3. When it’s completed I hit back, and then click on reboot. When the phone turns back on, and I go to SD card size, it is the full 6.9 GB’s that it originally showed. Also isn’t that strange that I have an 8GB card and it’s only showing 6.9? Any ideas?

Like or Dislike: 0 1
#5 written by Bo 2 years ago

So partition before flashing the ROM, otherwise when installed it won’t see the SD card as partitioned? Had this problem, down to 16mb internal memory, and your check showed me that i wasn’t using a2sd. So now just flash the rom again? Also, will i have to reinstall all the apps?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #6 written by flipz 2 years ago
  
  Fresh rom has auto apps2sd. Meaning if you partition it at all, it will (should! lol) start working and move everything over for you. You shouldn’t have to reflash or reinstall anything. Make sure to backup your sdcard first as partitioning it also formats it.
  
  Like or Dislike: 1 0
  - #7 written by Bo 2 years ago
    
    yeah, 100% sure I partitioned my card before flashing Fresh. but like you said “(should!)” I know it’s fishy sometimes with the ROM stuff so I’ll just redo it all as I’m off tomorrow. Thanks again.
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
  - #8 written by Bo 2 years ago
    
    yeah, just partitioned my card, again. used Recovery to do the partition, no luck. maybe its something to do with trying to change from ext 2 to ext 3 to ext 4. trying again with just leaving it at ext 2…
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #9 written by Bo 2 years ago
  
  Ok figured out the problem. Went and did some research on the RA Heroc 1.6.2 and right there at the top it says…
  
  “Ext4 is NOT supported because we don’t have the kernel Source of the HTC Sprint Hero yet… Sorry”
  
  So there you have it. Partitioned to ext3 and worked like a charm.
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
#10 written by Ian 2 years ago

Ok I’m trying to prevent this from happening as I just flashed to your new rom. In the reboot recovery screen, I ran the option to convert ext2 to ext3. It failed and said it must be run from console. Same when I try to wipe sd:ext.

I know you just posted this up quickly, but will you be revisiting this a little more in depth? Maybe just how to partition w/ the new rom which sounds like it will automatically switch to ext3?

Thanks for the hard work and any help here.

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#11 written by dman977 2 years ago

Okay, I am not getting either of those responses to the “pwd” command. I am getting:

# cd /data/app
cd /data/app
# pwd
pwd
/system/sd/app

If my memory serves me correctly, my swap partition is already ext3. I copied the data from my swap partition via Ubuntu before flashing Fresh 2.0d (from Gumbo 1.5c). Everything is running fine, without any FC so far. The only issue I have is now Ubuntu will not recognize the swap partition. Any suggestions?

Or maybe a few pointers on the fastest way to push 30+ apps to */sd/app and */sd/app-private?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#12 written by Jennifer 2 years ago

Hi, I got they same as above dman977,
/system/sd/app so is that a yes or a no, running Fresh 2.0d.
also, on one rom, I used Recovery to “move apps to sd”, is that something that should be done for this or not and does it also move the system apps to sd, (which I fear is not a good thing)
And – if I wipe, wipe ext, wipe cache, do the partion (8GB) flash rom before or after, and will Titanium Backup put my apps on sd automatically when restoring? Thanks, Jen

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#13 written by flipz 2 years ago

Sorry guys, that was a typo. In 2.1 it does show up as /system/sd/app, in 1.5 it was different. I fixed it.

So to clarify if it shows /system/sd/app then it’s working.

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#14 written by Chris 2 years ago

Flipz,
When I use the cmd to check for a2sd this is what I get

#cd /data/app
/sbin/sh: cd: cant cd to /data/app

any ideas? kinda missing a2sd, memory is getting low…..

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #15 written by flipz 2 years ago
  
  Try doing cd /system/sd/app and see if your apps are in there.
  
  If they are then reboot in to RA and do
  
  adb shell mount /data adb shell rm /data/app adb shell mkdir /data/app
  
  And then reboot.
  
  Like or Dislike: 1 0
  - #16 written by Chris 2 years ago
    
    Doesn’t show anything when cd to /system/sd/app just relists that dir and gives # next line
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
#17 written by Chris 2 years ago

Sorry running fresh 2.0d

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#18 written by Chris 2 years ago

Got it to work. Did a wipe, then repartitioned, then reflashed

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #19 written by flipz 2 years ago
  
  Great.
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
#20 written by bbv203 2 years ago

I have never partitioned my sd card, was thinking about doing it for app2sd. When I run the above test I get:
C:\android-sdk-windows\tools>adb shell
# cd/data/app
cd/data/app
cd/data/app: not found
# cd /data/app
cd /data/app
# pwd
pwd
/system/sd/app
#

Is this meaning my card is somehow partitioned or just that app2sd is ready to be used?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #21 written by flipz 2 years ago
  
  Your card is definitely partitioned.
  
  Like or Dislike: 1 0
#22 written by bbv203 2 years ago

yeah, I ran a few other tests and got similar results, Quick system info confirmed it aswell. I guess thats why i always had to wipe ext3 when flashing roms. I still don’t know how it got partitioned!

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#23 written by sbuxhtchero 2 years ago

I just partitioned my SD Card and Apps2sd is working BUT it SLOWED down my phone. LWP and transitions are chopppy. I have my SD card backed up already. I want to undo what I did.

What steps do I take to undo the SD card partitioning and go back to just having the Fresh 2.0d rom?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #24 written by flipz 2 years ago
  
  Are you using the apps2sd version built in to fresh rom, or did you use another one? The reason I ask is the steps are different.
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
  - #25 written by sbuxhtchero 2 years ago
    
    I used the apps2sd built into the Fresh 2.0d ROM. Thanks for your help! Also – separate topic but I just tried Navigation for the first time and the map doesn’t display during navigation…have you heard of that?
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
  - #26 written by sbuxhtchero 2 years ago
    
    Hey there – I still need help! I used the apps2sd built into the Fresh 2.0d ROM. I would like to go back and have a normal SD card using Fresh 2.0d. I am learning so will need step by step directions. I appreciate your help!!!
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
#27 written by sbuxhtchero 2 years ago

I used the apps2sd built into the Fresh 2.0d ROM. Thanks for your help! Also – separate topic but I just tried Navigation for the first time and the map doesn’t display during navigation…have you heard of that?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#28 written by kayos 2 years ago

I just started using this a2sd built into Fresh 2.0d over the weekend due to low memory warnings from my phone. It works nicely, thanks Flipz! I do have one n00b question though. I noticed that the internal phone memory still goes down when I install apps. I did your little trick to be sure it’s working and I know it is working successfully. I was wondering why the internal phone memory still gets used?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#29 written by jtology 2 years ago

Same thing happening to me as to Kayos (post#27). I have a 16gb sd, did wipe of everything, partitioned, created ext 2 and converted to ext 3. Installed Fresh 2.0d and installed apps. I used root explorer and can see both the app and app private folders on the internal memory and in the sd card. When I check the memory, I see both internal and sd card memory gets reduced as I install apps. I’m now getting warning from system that I’m low on memory. It seems apps are auto copied from internal mem instead of being auto moved from internal mem. Any help would be appreciated.

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#30 written by jtology 2 years ago

Here is screenshot of my command prompt when I check to see if a2sd is setup right:

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.0.6002]
Copyright (c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\VP>cd\

C:\>cd tools

C:\tools>adb remount
* daemon not running. starting it now *
* daemon started successfully *
remount succeeded

C:\tools>adb shell
#ls -l /data

ls -l /data
drwxr-xr-x system system 2010-04-26 10:55 tombstones
drwx—— system system 2010-04-26 10:08 backup
prw-r–r– system system 2010-04-23 16:32 gps_nmea_fifo
-rw-rw-rw- media system 12 2010-04-26 00:04 StreamingPacketLost.txt
-rw-rw-rw- media system 2 2010-04-26 12:11 pvcodec.txt
drwxrwxr-x system system 2010-04-26 11:54 system
drwxrwx–x system system 2010-04-23 16:28 anr
drwx—— root root 2010-04-26 10:09 agent
drwx—— root root 2010-04-23 16:27 agent_htc
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2010-04-23 16:27 app-private -> /system/sd
/app-private
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2010-04-23 16:27 app -> /system/sd/app
drwxrwxrwx bluetooth bluetooth 2010-04-26 10:09 btips
drwxrwxrwx root root 2010-04-23 16:27 DxDrm
drwxrwx–x system system 2010-04-26 10:54 dalvik-cache
lrwxrwxrwx root root 2010-04-23 16:27 drm -> /data/local
drwx—— root root 2010-04-26 10:07 property
drwxrwx–x system system 2010-04-26 10:54 data
drwxr-xr-x shell shell 2010-04-23 16:27 local
drwxrwxrwx wimax wimax 2010-04-23 16:27 wimax
drwxrwx–t system misc 2010-04-26 12:10 misc
drwxr-x— root log 2010-04-23 16:27 dontpanic
drwxrwx— root root 2010-04-23 16:27 lost+found
#

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#31 written by Warren 2 years ago

I know this must be a dumb question, but how do I open a terminal window? I want to see if I have Apps2SD working.

This is not the same as a command window?

I am new at this please don’t laugh.

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#32 written by jtology 2 years ago

Ok.. got a2sd to work on the Fresh 2.0d rom by wiping out device, wiped out ext3 partition and cache, then reinstall rom, reboot and flashed a2sd zip thru recovery (RA 1.6.2). You can find the a2sd at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=670087

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#33 written by sbuxhtchero 2 years ago

I partitioned my SD Card to use the Apps2sd built in the Fresh 2.0d ROM. It is working BUT it SLOWED down my phone. LWP and transitions are chopppy. I have my SD card backed up already. I want to undo what I did.
What steps do I take to undo the SD card partitioning using Apps2sd built in the Fresh 2.0d ROM and go back to just having the Fresh 2.0d rom with a standard SD card?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#34 written by FS 2 years ago

I’m really new at this partitioning business can you recommend a guide to have a proper set up. I actually did a partion and set swap 32 and ext 512 then upgraded ext 2 to ext 3. After I flash fresh rom 2.0d and reboot. After that I test to see if a2sd is working by installing apps and it seems to still be using internal phone memory. Tried following other steps in XDA forums but I just get the same problem. Sorry for the newb question.

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#35 written by FS 2 years ago

Ok actually I found out how to partition it correctly. Only thing I need to know now is how come when I dl apps from market it still says that internal memory is being used?

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#36 written by jay 1 year ago

running 2.3.3 and did the check above and all seems ok but zipalign is not loaded and it does not tell me what to do to fix it. help is appreciated. thank you for this great rom.

a2sd check
[ ] Launching Darktremor A2SD
[*] Starting Darktremor Apps2SD version 2.7.5 preview fix 1
[ ] Mounting /system as read-write
[ ] Starting Apps2SD in check mode
[ ] Running A2SD Check Program.
Darktremor Apps2SD Status Report
===============================================================
[ ] Searching for Mount Point…
[*] Mount point /system/sd located.
[ ] Checking for ext partition
/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 /system/sd ext3 rw,noatime,nodiratime,errors=continue,data=
ordered 0 0
[*] Ext partition is mounted.
SD Mount – [*] SD Card mounted.

Apps – [-] Linked to SD Card.
[-] Apps2SD no start not found.
[*] Programs run from SD card
To run from internal storage, type a2sd remove

Private Apps – [-] Linked to SD Card.
[-] Apps2SD no start not found.
[*] Private Programs run from SD card
To run from internal storage, type a2sd remove

Dalvik Cache – [-] Regular directory.
[-] Dalvik on cache not found.
[-] Dalvik on SD not found.
[!] Dalvik runs from Int. Storage.
To run from SD card, type a2sd cachesd.
To run from /cache partition, type a2sd cachepart.

Swap – [-] Partition present.
[-] No Swap not found.
[*] Swap starts.
To deactivate swap, type a2sd noswap

ZipAlign – [!] Not running at boot.

Dalvik Heap – [*] 16m

Property Patch – [-] File System Ready property
found.
[*] Boot image init.rc patched.

[ ] Setting File System Ready property to 1.
[ ] Remounting /system to read-only.
#

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #37 written by Rico 1 year ago
  
  Same problem here…
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
  - #38 written by vicko5000 1 year ago
    
    me too
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
    - #39 written by jrx859 1 year ago
      
      that is what i am getting as well.
      
      Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #40 written by David 1 year ago
  
  soo… do the dashes in each box mean that a2sd is working?
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
#41 written by FdxRider 1 year ago

same here tried to do it several times

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#42 written by Sodikop 1 year ago

Zipalign Fix:

This is the manual way I found to enable (re-enable) zipalign at boot. You need some familiarity with ADB and commandline work.

Commands in order:
adb remount
adb shell
a2sd check
*look at the “ZipAlign” line and if there is a “!” next to “Running at boot” do the following:

a2sd zipalign
a2sd clearcache
This will set zipalign at boot then clear your dalvik-cache. The next boot may take some time.

Next go through and do the “a2sd check” and see if the “!” changed to a “*”. If so your good to go!

Like or Dislike: 1 0
- #43 written by wes 1 year ago
  
  dude you rock, this worked perfectly.
  
  running Fresh 1.0.1 on EVO with apps2sd (data but not dalvik cache) and phone is nice and snappy, no noticeable speed changes.
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
#44 written by Rico 1 year ago

Thank you!!!!!

Like or Dislike: 1 0
#45 written by FdxRider 1 year ago

Thanks from me too!!

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#46 written by FurRelKT 1 year ago

Hi guys/gals…running 1.0.1 and getting this when i do a check…
C:\adb\tools>adb shell
adb server is out of date. killing…
* daemon started successfully *
# a2sd check
a2sd check
[ ] Apps2SD is launching…
[ ] Starting Darktremor Apps2SD
Version 2.7.5 Preview Fix 4a
[ ] Starting Darktremor Apps2SD in check mode
[ ] Running Apps2SD Check Program.
[ ] Searching for Mount Point…[*] Mount point /system/sd located.
[ ] Checking for ext partition
Darktremor Apps2SD Status Report
===============================================================
Partition – [*] Mounted as EXT3
Apps – [ ] Linked to SD Card.
[ ] File .noa2sd not found.
[ ] Programs run from SD card
To run from internal storage, type a2sd remove
Private Apps – [ ] Linked to SD Card.
[ ] File .noa2sd not found.
[ ] Private Programs run from SD card
To run from internal storage, type a2sd remove
Dalvik Cache – [ ] Regular directory.
[ ] File .dalvikcache not found.
[ ] Dalvik runs from Int. Storage.
To run from SD card, type a2sd cachesd.
To run from /cache partition, type a2sd cachepart.
Swap – [ ] Partition present.
[ ] File .noswap not found.
[ ] Swap starts.
To deactivate swap, type a2sd noswap
ZipAlign – [ ] Running at boot.
Dalvik Heap(MB)- 24m
(Blank is default value)
Property Patch – [ ] File System Ready property
found.
[ ] Boot image init.rc patched.
[ ] Setting File System Ready property to 1.
#
I have a system/sd folder but nothing is in it. also, i reflashed 1.0.1 again right now…and still nothing in the folder. i must be doing something wrong… please help. thanks a lot.

Keri

Like or Dislike: 0 0
- #47 written by FurRelKT 1 year ago
  
  forgot…i am using “Darktremor Apps2SD 2.7.5 Preview Fix 4a (07-10-2010)”… maybe i should just redo everything…. ???
  
  Like or Dislike: 0 0
  - #48 written by FurRelKT 1 year ago
    
    think i will just try redoing the whole thing… save everything off my sdcard… reformat it then do the steps…
    “All you need to do is boot in to recovery and go to partition sdcard. Set it up with a 32mb swap (not required for apps2sd but it’s used for other things), 512m-1gb ext2 (larger than 1gb may have issues), and the rest as fat32. Then make sure you convert ext2 to ext3. After that just reboot and Fresh Rom will take care of the rest”…
    hope that works.
    
    Like or Dislike: 0 0
#49 written by FurRelKT 1 year ago

think i will just wait and hear from flipz or one of you to direct me on what to do…please? thanks.. i dont want to mess anything up.

Like or Dislike: 0 0
#50 written by FurRelKT 1 year ago

looks like i do have the system/sd/app and app-private folder… guess its all worked out now. yippie.

Like or Dislike: 0 0
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FAQ: Apps2sd Information

How do I enable apps2sd?

How do I know if apps2sd is working?

Why is my internal phone storage still going down if I’m using apps2sd?

Are there any requirements for apps2sd?

I have been using apps2sd for days and now I rebooted and my phone won’t boot anymore. What happened?

Will this hurt my phone?

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