My internal /sdcard seems to always accumulate a large chunk of files. Just went in there and one file in particular was 2GB in size. I went ahead and wiped them all like I have in the past but I'm wondering if I'm creating the problem with frequent ROM changes, etc.
I've read that this directory can potentially indicate issues with the sd card itself and was just looking to get some clarification. Or is it just the frequent wipes/installs/reinstalls, etc. that I do a fair bit of?
I always delete my lost.dir when flashing. As well as any files that accumulate that are unnecessary. Every rom (well nearly every rom) comes with everything needed to make it work built into the rom. Deleting unnecessary files and folders is fine as long as they weren't put there by the rom you're currently flashing.
Phalanx7621 said:
I always delete my lost.dir when flashing. As well as any files that accumulate that are unnecessary. Every rom (well nearly every rom) comes with everything needed to make it work built into the rom. Deleting unnecessary files and folders is fine as long as they weren't put there by the rom you're currently flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I've never gone as far as to clean my sdcard in any fashion between rom changes. I like to keep as much on there that I can from previous roms like photos, ringtones, etc. and with my luck I'd delete something that was necessary that I'm not aware of. This kind of brings up another question, is there a guide out there for a general 'how to' on cleaning up old files and what's safe to delete, etc.? I have to believe I've got a lot of wasted space on stuff that's completely useless now that I'm to another rom (which rocks btw).
[EDIT] I of course always do a full wipe and wipe cache/dalvik but I imagine there's still stuff left over... right? Never really looked into it to be quite honest.
Related
There is this habit that I picked up from having used Windows computers ever since, and that is reinstalling the OS regularly to clean up the cruft. I've been doing it less often since I've stopped experimenting with different apps (it's the installation and uninstallation of apps that seem to weigh the system down.)
That said, is there any benefit to doing this for Android phones? I mean, reflashing the ROM on a regular basis and not just clearing user data. Thanks!
No need to do that in android and generally in linux based enviroments for that matter. The way which apps are installed and used do not bloat your system like windows do (temp files, registry entries, billions of dll, fragmentation etc etc).
Since you remove the app that's it. No left overs to occupy valuable resources and hog you down.
The only way for your android to get messed up in any way is only if you flash something like kernel, or conf files and settings that have bad effects on your system. That's why you must always keep a nand back up before you do anything like that cause this is the only way for your os to get corrupted in any way
mprou said:
No need to do that in android and generally in linux based enviroments for that matter. The way which apps are installed and used do not bloat your system like windows do (temp files, registry entries, billions of dll, fragmentation etc etc).
Since you remove the app that's it. No left overs to occupy valuable resources and hog you down.
The only way for your android to get messed up in any way is only if you flash something like kernel, or conf files and settings that have bad effects on your system. That's why you must always keep a nand back up before you do anything like that cause this is the only way for you os to get corrupted in any way
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Click to collapse
Thank you. I asked because I remember someone suggesting that I reinstall my ROM when I said I've been having choppy audio and video and I wondered to myself how that would work when the exact same ROM will just be copied again to the exact same partition. In terms of system files, I only flash kernels and only when Franco updates his. Do you think that warrants a reinstall to make sure that things are 'in order'?
Sometimes that happens and by reflashing issues are fixed. But most of the times this happens cause someone missed a step in the precedure. either forgot to wipe something or flashed more than one zips without reboot. Technically it's not just copying. Recovery executes scripts so there is a chance of something going slightly wrong
mprou said:
Sometimes that happens and by reflashing issues are fixed. But most of the times this happens cause someone missed a step in the precedure. either forgot to wipe something or flashed more than one zips without reboot. Technically it's not just copying. Recovery executes scripts so there is a chance of something going slightly wrong
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Click to collapse
Makes sense. Thanks!
Ok, I've gotten the pure stock ICS and installed it. Now, something I have noticed is that no matter what I do, I can never get all of the files in my phones directory be completely stock. There are some that files left over from applications and such. I would just go "willy nilly" deleting everything i thought didn't belong in there except that the last time I did that I hard bricked my Captivate. I love my Note and don't want to hurt it!!! Any advice or screen shots of a truly stock file setup would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :cyclops:
condork464 said:
Ok, I've gotten the pure stock ICS and installed it. Now, something I have noticed is that no matter what I do, I can never get all of the files in my phones directory be completely stock. There are some that files left over from applications and such. I would just go "willy nilly" deleting everything i thought didn't belong in there except that the last time I did that I hard bricked my Captivate. I love my Note and don't want to hurt it!!! Any advice or screen shots of a truly stock file setup would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :cyclops:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont understand your question or post. You want to keep your ICS completely Stock? Wouldn't be completely Stock if dont install any apps?
Or you referring to removing all the bloatware? Then you need to be Rooted, and then use a non stock app>Tibu to remove your bloatware?
But to be rooted there are measures to take to get Rooted.
clarification
what i am asking is when you go to applications then my files what does stock setup look like. i install and uninstall so much crap all the time and everything seems to leave folders and files behind. From time to time i'd like to just clear everything thing out that i don't need. In order to do that safely, however, i have to know what i DO need so i don't brick another phone. thanks.
the best way to remove the unwanted items on the internal SD, is to format the emmc in recovery (CWM)
this will "wipe" the internal space of the device, and repopulate only the specific device information pertaining to the rom on reboot.
but i caution you.......(please read this) !!
Although the risk is low, you can possibly delete items that you should not have. I.E.
data that you should back up prior to removal. photo's, documents, data from specific system apps etc.
But i've done this at least a dozen times since owning my note, as it strips all garbage left over from previous roms etc.
Again, you do this at your own risk, and i assume no liability from "your" choice to wipe the emmc partition, or any other partition on your device.
long story short, format emmc from recovery, and your internal storage will be "empty" as in nothing left. then on reboot, the device rom will re-populate the bare minimum file structure to run. So back up anything/everything you want to keep, and place it on PC...then it can be moved back if needed.
Now i dont know your skill level, or your root status etc. so if you are not rooted yet...see the "note everything" thread at the top of the general section. It is the best guide i've ever seen. and it will guide you through any process you want to use. with the exception of the one i just gave you...LOL
this method is no joke...and you "must" be sure that you understand what you are doing, and how to recover the device if something goes wrong.
good luck, and be careful !!!....g
Outstanding Sir! Thank you very much. Worked wonderfully. It's amazing how the little things can really brighten your day.
condork464 said:
Outstanding Sir! Thank you very much. Worked wonderfully. It's amazing how the little things can really brighten your day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
done already ?
Nice !...........:highfive:
Glad to have helped you......g
P.S.
If you dont mind, could you edit your thread title to include the word "SOLVED" ??
It helps users find answers faster, and keeps the sections clean..
Thanks !!....g
gregsarg said:
done already ?
Nice !...........:highfive:
Glad to have helped you......g
P.S.
If you dont mind, could you edit your thread title to include the word "SOLVED" ??
It helps users find answers faster, and keeps the sections clean..
Thanks !!....g
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:good::good::good::good:
I was thinking about this earlier. I have three ROMs I shuffle via nandroid backup/restore (why? Because I'm a little crazy and kinda drift between them, and because I can), and I was reading a beginner's primer on Linux, where they said everything is a file. Your system partition is just a file (folder), data is just a file (folder) and so on. Meanwhile, I spent 3-7 minutes backing up or restoring GB or JB ROMs. Back one up, restore another, then delete the one I restored... Why not have a bootloader that lets you choose which ROM, and then rename the directories accordingly? That is, I'd have a System.motoblur folder, a System.CM7 folder, and a System.AOKP folder, and upon boot, it would drop the period and everything after, and then reboot (and ditto for data and cache).
Is there a good reason why something like this wouldn't work? You might say lack of demand, and I would be inclined to agree, but if you limited the idea to just "data", then you'd have a user switcher, and it would work with Gingerbread and prior (well, any device with an unlocked bootloader and internal memory to spare). Right? Or... no?
Dark Reality said:
I was thinking about this earlier. I have three ROMs I shuffle via nandroid backup/restore (why? Because I'm a little crazy and kinda drift between them, and because I can), and I was reading a beginner's primer on Linux, where they said everything is a file. Your system partition is just a file (folder), data is just a file (folder) and so on. Meanwhile, I spent 3-7 minutes backing up or restoring GB or JB ROMs. Back one up, restore another, then delete the one I restored... Why not have a bootloader that lets you choose which ROM, and then rename the directories accordingly? That is, I'd have a System.motoblur folder, a System.CM7 folder, and a System.AOKP folder, and upon boot, it would drop the period and everything after, and then reboot (and ditto for data and cache).
Is there a good reason why something like this wouldn't work? You might say lack of demand, and I would be inclined to agree, but if you limited the idea to just "data", then you'd have a user switcher, and it would work with Gingerbread and prior (well, any device with an unlocked bootloader and internal memory to spare). Right? Or... no?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there is Boot Manager/Boot Manager Pro on Play store. Not sure if your device is supported but I used to use it when I had the Desire HD and I was quad booting. however I do think that dual-booting is way overlooked.
I am a noob and I am not a developer or even really great at programming or PC's in general.
I've managed to mess up my phone and have been looking all over the web for how to fix it and I am at a loss.
I decided to register and ask for help. Please be patient and understanding if I ask a lot of questions or don't understand things you accept as basic, understood or common. I looked through existing threads for help and couldn't find the answer I needed. Many thanks in advance for the help. Readers digest of the issue below.
Samsung Galaxy S 4G. T-Mobile. T959V5B5-Custom.
I tried the non-mandatory firmware update from T-mobile and it wrecked the functionality of my phone. I tried to go back with a couple new Rom versions and think I more or less ended up with three roms installed on my internal storage which has given me basically no space which was never an issue for me before. I have used a disk viewer to verify there is unmounted data that is taking up space but I can't figure out how to get to it through the phone or my pc to delete it. I assume if I do this that the empty space will be absorbed and fix the internal storage issue.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read and respond. I love my phone and just want it working right again.
JBMFT said:
I am a noob and I am not a developer or even really great at programming or PC's in general.
I've managed to mess up my phone and have been looking all over the web for how to fix it and I am at a loss.
I decided to register and ask for help. Please be patient and understanding if I ask a lot of questions or don't understand things you accept as basic, understood or common. I looked through existing threads for help and couldn't find the answer I needed. Many thanks in advance for the help. Readers digest of the issue below.
Samsung Galaxy S 4G. T-Mobile. T959V5B5-Custom.
I tried the non-mandatory firmware update from T-mobile and it wrecked the functionality of my phone. I tried to go back with a couple new Rom versions and think I more or less ended up with three roms installed on my internal storage which has given me basically no space which was never an issue for me before. I have used a disk viewer to verify there is unmounted data that is taking up space but I can't figure out how to get to it through the phone or my pc to delete it. I assume if I do this that the empty space will be absorbed and fix the internal storage issue.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read and respond. I love my phone and just want it working right again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The course of action I would recommend at this point is using a tool called Odin to re-flash the stock ROM to your phone. I would recommend taking a look at this guide for the step-by-step procedure on how to do this. Let me know if you still have questions .
shimp208 said:
The course of action I would recommend at this point is using a tool called Odin to re-flash the stock ROM to your phone. I would recommend taking a look at this guide for the step-by-step procedure on how to do this. Let me know if you still have questions .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! Big thanks for the reply. Here come the questions...
I used Odin to put the other OS versions on the phone so I am familiar with the software though its been several months. I also still have the ROM that I flashed to phone. I am curious though that if it didn't wipe the previous partitions last time, what would keep it from doing the same thing this time and really messing me up? Or did I click or not click something in Odin or use the wrong option and doing it differently this time would fix the problem?
I located the files on the phone and have verified they are not mounted and looked at their size using DiskInfo. They are located at "/dev/block". Do you know what this is or why they are there? I can delete them using ES File Explorer with SuperUser. Is it ok to delete these and would I get the benefit of increased storage by doing so? I played around with moving them to the SD card and didn't see an increase in my internal storage but was afraid that a reboot after doing to might be bad.
Can you tell I am a little gun shy?
Here are the names of the files, the set starting with t starts at 0 and goes to 12 and the other 1 to 12.
tsfr0-tfsr12
bml1-bml12
Thanks again!
JBMFT said:
Hey! Big thanks for the reply. Here come the questions...
I used Odin to put the other OS versions on the phone so I am familiar with the software though its been several months. I also still have the ROM that I flashed to phone. I am curious though that if it didn't wipe the previous partitions last time, what would keep it from doing the same thing this time and really messing me up? Or did I click or not click something in Odin or use the wrong option and doing it differently this time would fix the problem?
I located the files on the phone and have verified they are not mounted and looked at their size using DiskInfo. They are located at "/dev/block". Do you know what this is or why they are there? I can delete them using ES File Explorer with SuperUser. Is it ok to delete these and would I get the benefit of increased storage by doing so? I played around with moving them to the SD card and didn't see an increase in my internal storage but was afraid that a reboot after doing to might be bad.
Can you tell I am a little gun shy?
Here are the names of the files, the set starting with t starts at 0 and goes to 12 and the other 1 to 12.
tsfr0-tfsr12
bml1-bml12
Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using Odin to re-flash the stock ROM will automatically setup the right configuration for. Do Not delete the files in /dev/block these are critical to the phones operation and part of the phones normal partitioning and operation as previously stated deleting these will cause a lot of problems if you delete them. If you really want to free up some internal storage space I would recommend deleting the carrier pre-installed bloatware, before you delete any bloatware makesure to backup the apps you deleted with Titanium Backup or a similar backup or flash Clockworkmod Recovery or Team Win Recovery Project and make a Nandroid Backup which is a complete backup of your phone. And don't worry about being gun shy we are all beginners at some point the only real way to become an expert if practice, practice, practice .
So I am working on the Heimdall One-Click.
Handshaking with loke, got no response. FML.
Help.
Edited: Apparently a low battery is not your friend...
after a little reading around on the net I tried a different one and BAM.
Back to stock. We'll see how this goes.
Being rooted with superuser had me spoiled...so much bloatware.
To preface: I HAVE been legitimately searching all day long for a solution to this issue. I was on PACROM for a few months. I decided to move to something new. Blissrom. Things were a little buggy so I THOUGHT after backing up my external that I had successfully wiped entire internal. However, upon attempting to install a new ROM...at this point I tried paranoid, I ended up with no radio whatsoever. It was at this moment I decided to just start all over again and so I went through the LGNPST process which I was familiar with. So after rooting and unlocking once again and then reflashing paranoid, I decide to install some apk files from my external and as I'm doing this, I'm noticing files from PACROM on my internal. I don't know why I can't get the thing 100% clean. Also, the last couple of flashes I had noticed picture folders that I thought i had erased on my internal card. I have an eyefi card so I figured it may have been recreating those folders. Is there anyway that I can completely wipe the entire internal card without leaving any traces of previous ROM environments? Again, I am still very new and am obviously no expert. With that said, I have been reading all day trying to figure out what the problem is...but I think half the problem is the only way I can think of finding an answer is by typing the entire experience out since my Google searches are returning wildly different results considering I'm not even sure what exactly to search for. Thanks.