Develop Bugs

"Installation unsuccessful" Market error messages

Hi there,
For the past couple of days, I've been getting "installation unsuccessful" error messages whenever I download anything from the Market. The apps are downloaded, and Android tries to install them but fails every time. I've gotten successful installations on one or two occasions, though, seemingly at random.
I have 22MB of internal storage left, and I used to be able to install apps with only 10MB, so that's not the cause. And I have around 2GB on my SD card. Funny thing is, I can't even install some .APKs of beta apps that I know should work, because I've installed them before. I thought the issue was solely related to the Market, but the Market isn't involved when installing apps from "unknown sources", or is it?
Does anyone have any suggestions besides doing a hardreset? Anyone experiencing similar issues?
Cheers

I had the same issue with my Desire. After i searched on the internet, i found a lot irellevant sollutions to this issue.
What i did? I did a backup of my SD card, format SD, restore settings to default and that it.
It was a hard decision but i couldn't find any other solution. After that, everything goes normaly, even today!

Thanks for the reply! I still hope I don't have to do a hardreset, but if nothing else works, I guess I have to go ahead and wipe that thing.

Have you tried the fix_permissions script? You can run this from the Amon Ra recovery or go to the Market and download ROM Manager. It's under the Utilities section of ROM Manager

I guess that's only for rooted devices?

OK, I give up. If no one has a solution to this, I'll just hardreset the darn thing

OK, I give up. If no one has a solution to this, I'll just hardreset the darn thing.
Is there a backup tool that can restore all your apps in a way that the Market will recognize them under "Downloads"? I restored apps from a backup once, but that was pretty pointless since I no longer could enjoy updates through the Market without having to re-download every single app.

Titanium Backup has a "Market Doctor" to fix your Market links, but you need to be rooted.
If you aren't, I'd suggest syncing with AppBrain, which at least means you won't need to search for all your apps on the Market again.
Regards,
Dave

MapleDouglas said:
OK, I give up. If no one has a solution to this, I'll just hardreset the darn thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried connecting your phone to pc in disk drive mode and doing a scandisk of SD card.
I had the same problem (card was mounted as read-only)
After I done scandisk it found and fixed the problem.

Cooperman_UK said:
Have you tried connecting your phone to pc in disk drive mode and doing a scandisk of SD card.
I had the same problem (card was mounted as read-only)
After I done scandisk it found and fixed the problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I had not tried that since the SD card appeared to be working. I used to get quite a few "SD card damaged" messages until I let Android format the card. I tried Scandisk now but it didn't take care of the Market issue unfortunately. Thanks anyway

But it does indeed seem like the SD card somehow is to blame. Those few apps that I actually have been able to install have been installed to the internal storage.
I think this problem started when I for some reason decided to clear the Market's cache and data. Thing is, I have set Android to install apps to the SD card by default (adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2) and that might have something to do with it as well, although it worked fine for three weeks.

I got this when I installed the unofficial OTA update for 2.2. Only fix was to try another custom rom.

Have you tried to go into manage applications and then clear all data for the market app ? This has solved some similar problems for me in the past.

Yes, I cleared the Market's cache and data, and I actually did that before the issue started as well. I just hope a hardreset will fix it all, going to erase everything later today

For the record, I had to not only perform a hardreset, but delete the .android_secure folder on my memory card where apps are stored to get the Market working again. I could probably just have deleted the .androd_secure folder, but then I would have lost all apps installed to the SD anyway
Works like a charm now.

hey did you find a solution to your problem???
if you did please tell me

tinman4124 said:
hey did you find a solution to your problem???
if you did please tell me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but not the one I wanted Look at my post about yours.

i was having the same installation unsuccessful problem. i deleted the .android_secure folder and i can now install all the apps that werent working. i did not have to do a full flash of the ROM.

genghiskav said:
i was having the same installation unsuccessful problem. i deleted the .android_secure folder and i can now install all the apps that werent working. i did not have to do a full flash of the ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But erasing that folder removed all the apps you had installed on your memory card, right?

MapleDouglas said:
But it does indeed seem like the SD card somehow is to blame. Those few apps that I actually have been able to install have been installed to the internal storage.
I think this problem started when I for some reason decided to clear the Market's cache and data. Thing is, I have set Android to install apps to the SD card by default (adb shell pm setInstallLocation 2) and that might have something to do with it as well, although it worked fine for three weeks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey man good to know im not the only one i have exactly the same issue,did u found the solution for it? i still want to use the trick setinstalllocation 2 .

App installer not working after root PLEASE HELP!!!

Hello Everyone!
I just rooted using UnRevoked 3.0. I was installing apps on to sd card and suddenly (while installing free spades from Market) the phone just sat there at "Installing spades" and never completed. Even worse now NOTHING installs. Not even the OTA Sprint voice mail upgrade app. What I did notice is that I can't format the SD card, the option button is grayed out. When I try to unmount the card I get this error:
"Sorry! Activity SD & phone storage (in Application Settings) is not responding."
I have the option to FC or wait and if I try and wait, the message just loops. Is there ANYTHING ANYONE can tell me about this. Please, please help!!!!

Try restarting the phone and see if that helps.

restarting doesn't work, re-running Unrevoked doesn't work. I don't know what else to do. Am I just app-less now?

It happens. Sometimes it takes a few hours to go back to normal, at least in my experience. Is it working for you yet?

Amy7 said:
Hello Everyone!
I just rooted using UnRevoked 3.0. I was installing apps on to sd card and suddenly (while installing free spades from Market) the phone just sat there at "Installing spades" and never completed. Even worse now NOTHING installs. Not even the OTA Sprint voice mail upgrade app. What I did notice is that I can't format the SD card, the option button is grayed out. When I try to unmount the card I get this error:
"Sorry! Activity SD & phone storage (in Application Settings) is not responding."
I have the option to FC or wait and if I try and wait, the message just loops. Is there ANYTHING ANYONE can tell me about this. Please, please help!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I encountered a problem similar to this with my Evo. Basically the card stopped working and said I need to format it, but then it wouldn't let me actually format it. I contacted HTC and apparently they had a "bad batch" of the cards and they'll replace it for free, when they have some in stock. My advice would be to contact HTC or Sprint.

Not working yet. But one thing I forgot about is that after I rooted it I also installed "Choose install" from the Market and set the default to the storage card. I wonder if I should try and unroot my phone. I'm stuck there to because if I understand things right I would have to access my sd card to load a new zip file on it in order to unroot. My pc will no longer let me browse my device.

donnie_darko said:
I encountered a problem similar to this with my Evo. Basically the card stopped working and said I need to format it, but then it wouldn't let me actually format it. I contacted HTC and apparently they had a "bad batch" of the cards and they'll replace it for free, when they have some in stock. My advice would be to contact HTC or Sprint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tip. That could be why I can no longer browse the device from my pc. I will give that a shot. Thanks!

Amy7 said:
Not working yet. But one thing I forgot about is that after I rooted it I also installed "Choose install" from the Market and set the default to the storage card. I wonder if I should try and unroot my phone. I'm stuck there to because if I understand things right I would have to access my sd card to load a new zip file on it in order to unroot. My pc will no longer let me browse my device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need access to an SD card to unroot. My advice would be to either buy another one or just borrow a friend's or something. Why do you want to unroot anyways?

Aerodynamix said:
You will need access to an SD card to unroot. My advice would be to either buy another one or just borrow a friend's or something. Why do you want to unroot anyways?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really want to, I just thought I would have to do that to try and go back to "stock" or if I'm using the word right, back to the way it was when I got it. I thought it might be my last resort to fixing it. I would still re-root again so I can try and figure out how to get rid of all of sprints bloatware.

Just an update - I bought me a new sd card from buy.com, a 16 gb for about $30. It fixed the problem for a little bit. I started installing my apps, got a good amount of them on there and it happened again! I'm starting to wonder if you just can't install very many apps for this phone or by some odd coincidence I got a 2nd bad storage card????. Weird. I might start a new thread for this but thanks for all you who participated. You rock!

when it's stuck on install can you go to your manage applications option in settings and see if they're all stuck on 'computing' too?
Because this sounds all too familiar.

mmmtacos said:
when it's stuck on install can you go to your manage applications option in settings and see if they're all stuck on 'computing' too?
Because this sounds all too familiar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same issue (seems to have started after I started using modinstallocation). About one in ten times I'm able to get my sd card apps back after battery pulls and multiple reboots, but not this time. When I go to manage apps, all the SD card apps are 'computing'.

greyopaque said:
I have the same issue (seems to have started after I started using modinstallocation). About one in ten times I'm able to get my sd card apps back after battery pulls and multiple reboots, but not this time. When I go to manage apps, all the SD card apps are 'computing'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got mine all back today. I wiped the Dalvic cache from clockwork mod, and everything came back after a reboot about 5 minutes later.

[Q] "UIDs are inconsistent", most apps are FC'ing -> Can't Download from Market

[Q] "UIDs are inconsistent", most apps are FC'ing -> Can't Download from Market
So yesterday I ran your run-of-the-mill market search for updates, "update all", phone back in pocket while downloading.. when I pull it out, it's frozen up completely. I leave it for half an hour before pulling the battery, but on booting, the updates start again, and sure enough before long the damn thing freezes up. I try this again a couple of times before clearing all data of the Market and Download Manager apps. Woohoo, seems to prevent the downloads automatically starting, and thus in the short term my phone works. I'll sort out the problem app in the morning (ROM Manager seems to want to go to 4.x from 3.0.2.4, and it's by far the most system-nosy app on the update list, so I'm eyeing it with suspicion).
Morning comes, quick check on facebook and xda in the morning, seems fine. Phone in pocket. Next time I take it out, the bastard's frozen and needs a battery pull again. Swearing a bit by now, I see with some anxiety that when it finally boots, it's throwing something about "UIDs are inconsistent. You should wipe /data." Ohhh dear. Interestingly (and adding to my stress levels), it seems to have started the Sense launcher instead of Launcher Pro, and I'm getting "Swype has FC'd" errors every half a minute or so, on top of the fifteen or so FC messages for various apps after dismissing the UID error. Thank god for the hardware keyboard.
Having a look around on the net, there's a few references to a file called 'uiderrors.txt'. I've taken a look in this, and it seems to have every single app (i.e. everything listed in the All tab in Manage Applications) listed with a mismatched UID.
Any ideas? I suppose the next step is formatting the SD card, but I was wondering if anyone knows what's actually gone wrong here before I start down the path of blindly resetting things in the hope that something will work.
Virtuous 1.02 with the Standard (not Stock) kernel, on an Indian model Desire Z.

Hello... Okay first thing is wipe everything. Then reflash the Rom. If that doesn't work download a different Rom and redownload the Rom you were using. After you flash back try to fix permission. Don't format your SD card yet, let's do that if the wiping and reflashing doesn't work.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 Using XDA Premium App

Sorry double post.

Thanks for the reply. I first formatted /data with CWM; on rebooting everything was nice and factory-like, but for the fact that nothing could install from market. After trying various fiddling around to make it work, I gave up and re-flashed Virtuous 1.02 (clearing cache and /data) - but still I can't get market installations to work. It eveidently worked for a while, because this time it managed to automatically re-install most apps from my Google account, but now I get "download was unsuccesful" for everything; paid and free. I've tried downloading on both wifi and 3G, uninstalling market upgrades, clearing cache and data for Market, Market Updater, and Download Manager, using ROM Manager to fix permissions, renaming /sdcard/.android_secure, unmouting SD card completely, and rebooting after each of these steps (except the SD card unmount obviously). I only have my primary Google account set up at the moment to try and eliminate any issues with my secondary account (which is a Google Apps email address). Now I'm at a bit of a loss. Does the download manager keep a log of the actual errors encountered?

Akdor 1154 said:
Thanks for the reply. I first formatted /data with CWM; on rebooting everything was nice and factory-like, but for the fact that nothing could install from market. After trying various fiddling around to make it work, I gave up and re-flashed Virtuous 1.02 (clearing cache and /data) - but still I can't get market installations to work. It eveidently worked for a while, because this time it managed to automatically re-install most apps from my Google account, but now I get "download was unsuccesful" for everything; paid and free. I've tried downloading on both wifi and 3G, uninstalling market upgrades, clearing cache and data for Market, Market Updater, and Download Manager, using ROM Manager to fix permissions, renaming /sdcard/.android_secure, unmouting SD card completely, and rebooting after each of these steps (except the SD card unmount obviously). I only have my primary Google account set up at the moment to try and eliminate any issues with my secondary account (which is a Google Apps email address). Now I'm at a bit of a loss. Does the download manager keep a log of the actual errors encountered?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well try to download a different rom and flash it, try to download something not sense. I had that annoying issue before... Backup everything on your sd card and format it using clock work or go on the setting and format the sdcard there.
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 Using XDA Premium App

Why would formatting the SD card work if downloading fails even if the card is unmounted? Thanks for the reply though
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App

Akdor 1154 said:
Why would formatting the SD card work if downloading fails even if the card is unmounted? Thanks for the reply though
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because sometimes the sd card can be corrupted and when you download stuff from the android market you will get an unsuccessful or your app says its downloading but never installs. When you restore the sdcard to its original factory it should work again. Well thats just me i guess. but i hope everything goes well my friend
Sent from my HTC Desire Z/G2 Using XDA Premium App

i am having the same problem, i am about to lose my mind.

same issue here cant install anything on any rom

I just ran into this issue today. Anyone know if formatting the sd card actually worked? Backing up 7 gigs of whatever is on my phone is just gonna take too long. I don't wanna do it unless I really have to.
I've wiped multiple times and tried several roms, and I've even checked the rils on my radio and fixed permissions. The whole 9 yards.
Edit:i give up ._. im gonna try formatting it. are any folders on the sd card necessary to keep in order for the phone to function or keep it's root? if not, im only going to keep my music and clockworkmod folders.

had same problem, but a full wipe and clean install helped.

[Q] Downloading from android market UK.

Has any one got a solution to why the android market will let you download some apps but not others. This problem only happens with certain apps.
Contacted one of the app developers, and he thinks there may be a problem with my data partition.
I'm on stock rom, latest froyo update, and have not rooted. thanks, in advance, for your help.

Do you get an error message?

I just get the message installation unsuccessful

Try resetting ur phone and clear cach or make a different Google account
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

region and ROM version also apply

Go to menu/settings/applications/manage applications click the all tab and scroll down to market. Clear data and cache. That should fix it.
Sent from my Motorola Startac running Atari 2600 software!

pwraggcan said:
Go to menu/settings/applications/manage applications click the all tab and scroll down to market. Clear data and cache. That should fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 for this but if not can you list some example apps so we can see if it's just you (B. East) or not?

The apps i seem to have a problem with are, Cordy the game, storage analyzer, and gun brothers game. I some times have problems with updating from the market. I have to un-install some apps then download them again to update. this happens when the app has been moved to the sd card, but not with all the apps that I have moved to the sd card

B. East said:
The apps i seem to have a problem with are, Cordy the game, storage analyzer, and gun brothers game.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problems here. This is going to be something up with your phone.
B. East said:
I some times have problems with updating from the market. I have to un-install some apps then download them again to update. this happens when the app has been moved to the sd card, but not with all the apps that I have moved to the sd card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not all apps like being on the SD Card. Do all your apps specifically say they have been updated to allow them to be moved to sd card?
You may have to move them to phone if they continue to cause issues (and to be honest, with a 1GB internal memory, putting apps onto a slow sd card really isn't worth doing.
pwraggcan said:
Go to menu/settings/applications/manage applications click the all tab and scroll down to market. Clear data and cache. That should fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try this?
If all of the above fails to work you will probably have to factory reset the phone.

I tend to download using wifi, going to try downloading over 3g and see if that makes any difference, if not, will do a factory reset. thanks for the help though.

Before you do that you still haven't said if you cleared the market cache. Did you?

yes, i done that, tried to download again and got a message, "could not install on USB storage or sd card". First time I have seen that message.

Is this whilst trying to update an app or download a new one?
If to update then move the app to the phone first.

this is trying to download a new app.

Had a quick Google and found something to try.
mount the phone so you can access the sdcard.
Set to show hidden files
Go to folder .android_secure
Delete a file in there smdl2tmp1.asec
Then try again.

thanks, I will give it a go. can I use a file explorer to do this, because am not sure how you mount the phone, I am quite new to android, use to use winmo mobiles

you can yes, my favourites are Astro, Linda and ES.

I had a look in android_secure, made sure all hidden files would be visible, and could not find any files at all. checked to make sure that the hidden file visible setting in the file explorer was switched to the correct setting, and could not see any files at all.
Have I lost some files? if i have i have no idea how. do I need to do a factory reset?

B. East said:
I had a look in android_secure, made sure all hidden files would be visible, and could not find any files at all. checked to make sure that the hidden file visible setting in the file explorer was switched to the correct setting, and could not see any files at all.
Have I lost some files? if i have i have no idea how. do I need to do a factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn. When I found that possible solution I noticed that as many people said they did have it as said they didn't. I was hoping you would be lucky.
In this case the same file (apparently this is a known bug and has been marked for next version fix) is being stored in the system directory of the phone and without root you can't get access to it.
I'm afraid the only way to clear it (without root) is a factory reset, sorry.

thanks for your help, I will factory reset and see what happens.

Really annoyed

Phone has been working flawlessly the past couple days after I got my media messages working
Today I dragged some music onto my phone (not the SD card) and all my downloaded apps dissappeard. what the f??
Where did they go and WHY did they go? Really annoyed right now
Running the kingdom rewind rom btw

1) Try removing the songs you transfered. You might have it in a directory that they're not suppose to be in and it's messing up the apps.
2) Longshot, but maybe you deleted some app data by accident while transferring?
There's probably something else that you don't know about that is causing this, honestly I'm not sure but just suggesting the above.

already deleted the songs. all my apps were gone before i did this.
one thing i thought of just now. I did use the "low storage" app that came with rewind and didnt try any of my apps after that. moved em all to sd card and cleared cache. i think thats what did it

Lilsteve83709 said:
already deleted the songs. all my apps were gone before i did this.
one thing i thought of just now. I did use the "low storage" app that came with rewind and didnt try any of my apps after that. moved em all to sd card and cleared cache. i think thats what did it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a complete reboot and see if they're there. I hit this occasionally when I connect my Incredible to the PC. When I disconnect, suddenly a handful of apps are gone. Fast reboot doesn't restore them, but complete power off and restart, or full reboot does.

hgoldner said:
Try a complete reboot and see if they're there. I hit this occasionally when I connect my Incredible to the PC. When I disconnect, suddenly a handful of apps are gone. Fast reboot doesn't restore them, but complete power off and restart, or full reboot does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ill try that. i did just a restart and nothing happened. whats the difference between all the new reboot options? before the new rom I had i think power off, restart, and something else now i have like 5 options

did that and still nothing. suppppeerrrr pissed