[Q] SD migration help

[PeTiT]

before installing MIUI, my SD had only one partition used to store personal data: no app2sd (or similar) before and no possibility to transfer the app on the SD.

Now I realized that I can safely move the app from the internal memory and put them in SD. Note that I didn't create any new partition ...
Could it be that MIUI created a new partition to be used as app2sd without asking me ?

This is not a bad event: what I need to understand is how to change sd card.
In the past, before installing MIUI, I had only data on SD, so a simple copy & paste from an SD to another was a good solution...
But now I know that some apps are installed on the SD... so I suspect that the simple copy-paste will not be enough to migrate successfully from the old SD to the new one.

Any ideas how-to migrate SD in this situation?

 

[Rcocchiararo]

if you moved apps (one by one) to the SD, they are in the .adroid_secure folder in the SD card, still in the FAT32 partition, and you have only one partition there (the rom can't create EXT partitions for you).

you must be using froyo apps2sd method.

 

[PeTiT]

if you moved apps (one by one) to the SD, they are in the .adroid_secure folder in the SD card, still in the FAT32 partition, and you have only one partition there (the rom can't create EXT partitions for you).

Thanks for the reply.
I saw that some apps were moved by MIUI in automatic to SD (but I dont know in wich partition, I didnt create any additional partition for apps.)
After this, I moved apps one_by_one as you told (but as before, I dont know in wich partition they are stored...)

I checked right now .adroid_secure folder: it's empty... Any reason for this?

you must be using froyo apps2sd method.

In wich sense?



A possible solution could be using MIUI Backup to save all my apps?
My action plan is :
- backup all apps using MIUI Backup
- copy all SD files to my computer
- change SD
- copy all files from computer to the new SD
- restore apps using MIUI Backup
Will this work?

 

[Rcocchiararo]

android 2.2 (and 2.2.1), also known as FROYO, introduced a method for moving PART of an app to the SD card, in the same FAT32 partition where you have your "stuff"

the part that you manually move (or gets installed there automatically, some apps do that, like angry birds), goes to the .android_secure folder.

That folder SEEMS empty, but if you hook your phone to a PC, you'll actually see the contents.

Unless you manually (and extarnally, either in linux or using clockworkmod recovery, amon ra recovery, or some other custom one i don't know) create an ext3 partition (this requires FORMATING the SD card, make a backup frist), the only method for apps on the sd card you can use, is the stock froyo one, called apps2sd.

The a2sd method, that used the ext3 patition, comes preinstaleld in miui, but you are not using it.

I haven't used miui backup (i bought titanium backup pro a long time ago, and never looked back), but, if you want to use a new sdcard, i would:

1) turn off phone
2) remove sdcard and hook it to your pc/mac/whatever using a card reader.
3) copy all of its contents to a temporary/backyp/whatever folder
4) remove old card and insert the new one
5) copy all the contents to the new card
6) put the new card in your phone
7) done

IF you where changing cards, and you had an ext3 partition, it would be another case, for example:

1) make a nandroid backup
2) put the new card on the phone and make an ext3 partition (As big or bigger than the old one)
3) copy the stuff from the old card (fat32 partition only) to your pc
4) copy that stuff to the new card
5) nandroid restore (depending on your recovery, you might have the option to just restore the ext partition).

If you have a linux machine, you might be able to just manually copy the ext partition stuff from one card to the other.

 

[PeTiT]

thanks for the perfect explanation mate!

I will use the first method you said : it seems the easyest way...

1) turn off phone
2) remove sdcard and hook it to your pc/mac/whatever using a card reader.
3) copy all of its contents to a temporary/backyp/whatever folder
4) remove old card and insert the new one
5) copy all the contents to the new card
6) put the new card in your phone
7) done

then I will let you know !

thanks again

 

[PeTiT]

I did the migration yesterday using the procedure you said me: ZERO problems all worked well.


thanks mate!