[How To] Move Apps to your SDcard in Ermine

[Leesterz]

So I'm stuck on step 4. I pasted all of the files that Kennyminot attached into my /system/etc directory (all 3) and formatted my SD card, but when I run Link2SD and select "ext3" it says:

Mount script error
Mount script cannot be created.

do_mount: do_mount: dev/dev/block/vold/179:2
dir/data/sdext2 type ext3 flags 0x8000 loop 0
do_mount: calling mount: dev/dev/block/
vold/179:2 dir/data/sdext2 s ext3 rwflag 0x8000
mount: Invalid argument

So yeah that is what it says. I see some stuff about ext3,vold, and sdext2. Not sure what all that means. Any suggestions?

Also, can someone post the original vold.fstab.internal and external files? I simply replaced mine and if I don't get any answers to my questions I'd like to undo my changes.

Thanks!

[kennyminot]

Leesterz -

You'll need someone else to post the original fstab files, although you can easily fix them just by switching around the extsdcard and sdcard references. Here's a question: did you make sure to restart your device after copying over the fstab files? You need to actually reboot before it will recognize the devices. Otherwise, the experience of other people with this approach is that it is somewhat temperamental, so you might have to fiddle with it for awhile to get it to work.

roxcoel -

Not a simple question. Depends on how you are storing your media on the device. Some programs automatically dump data on the /sdcard partition, which is basically the default storage place. So you might have difficulty keeping the two entirely divided.

[ghentj]

I applied this mod to another PE and wanted to just list what did it for me (after following kennyminot's instructions.

Hopefully if anyone is still messing with this and they haven't tried this, they can.

I partitioned my card as fat32 first and primary/active, and second as ext3 using minitool v7 (new version).

check if you have a directory name /data/sdext2 off of the root. If not, try creating it

It still did not work though until I changed the permissions (used ES file manager - the new version says it's not compatible but, the older one allows you turn on Root Access. The new one complains about not having some kind of custom roms). I guess you can use any file tool as long as it lets you modify file permissions.

I changed the install-recovery.sh file and the 2 vold files permissions to
RWXR-X---

After reboot it worked. before this, I would get the SD card error message.

[Tarzo]

Thanks for the great walk-through but I think I went wrong somewhere on my PE. I created a partition on my 16 g card using minitool partition wizard so that the main part is 12.5 g FAT32 and the remaining smaller partition is ext3. Both are primary. I replaced the void.fstab.internal and .external files with the modified ones and installed link2sd and fought with it for a while until I read further to the part about installing the install-recovery.sh file and then re-modifying it after link2sd got setup. When I open link2sd and look at storage info it lists the internal storage, SD card, and SD Card 2nd Part. I made sure all my permissions for the 3 files matched those in post 42 of this thread. I have a /data/sdext2 folder that I did not have to set up manually that only contains an empty lost+found folder. I have rebooted/powered off countless times since I did all this. The card was brand new and I did not format it at any point
Now here is where I am confused. When I try to use link2sd to move an app to the sd card "failure"occurs every time. Am I supposed to be moving the apps using root explorer and just using link2sd to create a link? I primarily use amazon market to install apps. If I set up all of the above correctly should the apps still get put in /data/app when I install them? Or did I mess up somewhere in my setup?
The main thing that prompted me to go through this is trying to get one of my Amazon apps (I have an android phone too) to work on my PE. From other thread posts I have read I am suspicious that lack of storage is not the issue but I figured I'd give this a try anyway as it will be handy for the future. I am trying to install Moo, Baa, La La La which is an interactive ebook (to be read on the lcd side) of one of my toddler's faves. The app fails to install without giving a reason. If I try physically removing the sd card as suggested in another thread I get the error message that an sd card is required to download the app. I tried using the terminal emulator to unmount the card but I get "unmount: not found" which I was thinking was because of altering how the PE sees the sdcard with the link2sd setup but again I am not sure.
Would there maybe be file(s) for the Moo, Baa app on the microsd card from my phone that I could copy to the microsd card for my PE to get it to work? My phone (MT4G) is not rooted (my PE is)- I was waiting to do it since the official gingerbread update is supposedly rolling out any day now and I wanted to check it out first- so I can't see all the files. I couldn't find any files obviously associated with this app using my PC to explore the sd card but I may not know where to look.
Thanks for any advice and sorry for so many questions. I have successfully rooted and flashed a new rom on my old android phone (G1) but not by completely understanding all of this but by following the instructions of others.

[ghentj]

It sounds like you're saying that everything seems to work fine until you actually try to link an app through link2sd.

I link using the link2sd app. In fact, it's set to automatically link anything installed, so it just does it and puts a notification up that it did so, and nothing outside (except for the initial setup) is needed to do the linking.

Do you get any sdcard errors when you boot up?

All I can think of is if you have another (even if smaller) microsd card to try out from a phone, mp3 player or other device, it might be worth seeing if you can at least make that work. On the PEs I'm using 8gb cards, but on my phone, I'm using a 16GB card without any problems. I had to use an ext2 partition on my phone, but don't know if that was just a limitation of my phone.

I'm not sure about the storage issue with the app you're trying to install, but it might be related somehow. Can you store other files manually on the sdcard (like downloaded files or transferred files) without issues, and are able to open them up to make sure they work okay?

[Tarzo]

Thanks for your help. I just needed to hit the create link button and not the move to sd card button in link2sd.

Taryn

[ghentj]

Glad you hear you got it working. Seems like you had it right and it was just figuring out what to do (or not to do).

I just updated my link2sd and now I'm seeing what you were talking about - a new option to "Move to SD Card" that wasn't there before. In fact there are other changes to the UI that I don't remember either (the filtering used to have an 'unlinked' choice that I no longer see.

[tekknogenius]

I finally got it to work. At first I had the partitions in the wrong order. Then for some reason I couldn't get it to work at all. Then I read the post by attlemptress which helped me get it going. My error seemed to be that the sdcard was not being recognized by the PE so I had to insert it after I turned the PE on then followed the instructions from kennyminot. I manually mounted the sdcard using the following:

mount -t vfat -o rw /dev/block/vold/179:1 /sdcard
mount -t vfat -o rw /dev/block/mmcblk0p1 /sdcard

commands which were step three of attempress's instructions.

Thank you both, now I have some room!

[jamina1]

Here's a question - why do you even need link2sd. Say, theoretically you performed steps 1-3 (up to changing the mount points) on a fresh install. Wouldn't the PE start installing any subsequently installed apps on your sdcard instead of the internal storage since its mapped to /sdcard?

[tekknogenius]

Originally Posted by jamina1

Here's a question - why do you even need link2sd. Say, theoretically you performed steps 1-3 (up to changing the mount points) on a fresh install. Wouldn't the PE start installing any subsequently installed apps on your sdcard instead of the internal storage since its mapped to /sdcard?

No. link2sd uses the 2nd partition of the formatted sdcard to store applications which gets mapped to /data/sdext2 directory. The 1st partition is mapped to the /sdcard directory. Normally the PE will install applications to the internal memory which has been allocated only 350mb or something ridiculously small like that.

All system files will still be installed to internal (tried to move gmail using link2sd, but no dice)

[Z36u86]

I have attempted to do use the sdcard with Link2SD program as described in this thread.
However, I seem to have done something wrong, which I can't figure out what. Now my device after restarting, doesn't boot completely. It keeps showing the start-up (booting) dots again and again, but never shows the desktop.

I did all the instructions that are told in the thread "[How To] Move Apps to your SDcard in Ermine".
I could get Link2SD link my apps to the SD card also. I used a 8GB sdcard and partitioned it into 4.5 GB FAT and 3.5GB ext3. and made the changes to vold.fstab.internal and vold.fstab.external. I actually copied these files from the thread, including the install install-recovery.sh file. Everything seem to went fine, as I the sd card was correctly detected and showed the correct disk space. I could even link apps with Link2SD. I linked the google-market and google-services app to the sdcard. Then while I tried to use the market, the device got hung. I waited for about an hour for it but it did not come out. Then I tried to power off the device, but it would not power off too. Then I used the reset switch on the side of the device. The device powered off, but upon restarting it is now not booting. Just showing the booting progress dots continuously.

I have no way of even changing it to its original configuration. After severl poweroffs and restarts, it shows the same behaviour. Then I tried the update process with first the ermine update and the golden update, both of which didnot work. The device stays in the same state.

Kindly suggest anything to rescue my pocket edge.

[ivanjt]

Originally Posted by Z36u86

I have attempted to do use the sdcard with Link2SD program as described in this thread.
However, I seem to have done something wrong, which I can't figure out what. Now my device after restarting, doesn't boot completely. It keeps showing the start-up (booting) dots again and again, but never shows the desktop.

I did all the instructions that are told in the thread "[How To] Move Apps to your SDcard in Ermine".
I could get Link2SD link my apps to the SD card also. I used a 8GB sdcard and partitioned it into 4.5 GB FAT and 3.5GB ext3. and made the changes to vold.fstab.internal and vold.fstab.external. I actually copied these files from the thread, including the install install-recovery.sh file. Everything seem to went fine, as I the sd card was correctly detected and showed the correct disk space. I could even link apps with Link2SD. I linked the google-market and google-services app to the sdcard. Then while I tried to use the market, the device got hung. I waited for about an hour for it but it did not come out. Then I tried to power off the device, but it would not power off too. Then I used the reset switch on the side of the device. The device powered off, but upon restarting it is now not booting. Just showing the booting progress dots continuously.

I have no way of even changing it to its original configuration. After severl poweroffs and restarts, it shows the same behaviour. Then I tried the update process with first the ermine update and the golden update, both of which didnot work. The device stays in the same state.

Kindly suggest anything to rescue my pocket edge.

Simple answer - revert to dingo (1.6) using the PE golden update - look up how to do - then upgrade back to ermine.

BE CERTAIN TO USE THE FILES FOR THE PE!!!

[Z36u86]

Originally Posted by ivanjt

Simple answer - revert to dingo (1.6) using the PE golden update - look up how to do - then upgrade back to ermine.

BE CERTAIN TO USE THE FILES FOR THE PE!!!

I tried reverting to dingo 1.6.
I followed the usual update method. Holding the menu and rotate buttons before turning on the PE. The "Updating Software" message came after a while but soon disappeared in about 1 or 2 seconds. Then PE keeps behaving as usual. Continuously displaying the booting process. I thought I might use a different update.zip file and wanted to copy it to the SD card. To my astonishment, the previous update.zip file is not present on the sd card.
I copied again update.zip and retried the update process. The same thing is repeated. Again when I checked the SD card, the update.zip file is gone. I think PE is deleting or moving the update.zip file to somewhere and then update is not happening. I wanted to use the USB stick for update, but I never got the update via USB stick. As discussed in the forum, it is known issue that PE sometimes doesn't update from USBs.
Any suggestions.

[Z36u86]

Could you point me to the correct PE Golden update files?

[forko23]

Try this link -

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=131491