Develop Bugs

GN Mass Stroage / MTP

I have been very excited about the GN since it was announced. I love the big screen and the fact that it is a pure Android phone.
There has been a lot of talk about the lack of Mass Storage on the GN, but I am not sure I care. I don't really understand what happens with MTP. So I have some questions that perhaps those familiar can fill me in on.
When you plug the phone into a Windows PC, what happens?
-Can I still drag music over to the phone or do I have to use some kind of a wizard?
-I will ONLY be able to copy over music, videos and pictures correct? I can't copy other data over, for example a ROM via USB right?
- I can still copy things like ROMs over using a file manager and WiFi correct?
Thanks!

TheTinRam said:
I have been very excited about the GN since it was announced. I love the big screen and the fact that it is a pure Android phone.
There has been a lot of talk about the lack of Mass Storage on the GN, but I am not sure I care. I don't really understand what happens with MTP. So I have some questions that perhaps those familiar can fill me in on.
When you plug the phone into a Windows PC, what happens?
-Can I still drag music over to the phone or do I have to use some kind of a wizard?
-I will ONLY be able to copy over music, videos and pictures correct? I can't copy other data over, for example a ROM via USB right?
- I can still copy things like ROMs over using a file manager and WiFi correct?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Provided that the Windows PC is Windows XP + WMP10 or above, it'll function very similarily to a normal drive, except you will just see it as "Galaxy Nexus" instead of being represented with a drive letter.
You can copy anything you desire, only PTP has a restriction of accessing the camera/picture folders.
It is said that transferring larger files or a bigger queue of files may lead to freezing or cancelled transfers, but i've personally not experienced that yet(On my Eee Pad Transformer)

FISKER_Q said:
Provided that the Windows PC is Windows XP + WMP10 or above, it'll function very similarily to a normal drive, except you will just see it as "Galaxy Nexus" instead of being represented with a drive letter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! So if that is the case, why all the talk that people are disappointed that Mass Storage support is not there? If it still appears and you can still copy files over, what is the problem? Do people really want a drive letter that badly? For what? Scripting of some soft?

How does this affect mounting the phone under Linux?
With my current phone, I plug it in and since it is a mass storage device Fedora simply assigns it as a hard drive /dev/sdb for example. I can then just mount the SD card inside the phone.
Is this going to cause a major headache for me? I'm switching to a Linux phone to get away from all this Windows crap!

HooloovooUK said:
I'm switching to a Linux phone to get away from all this Windows crap!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are going to have to deal with all the Linux crap, including the additional software you will need to make MTP work for you.

TheTinRam said:
Thanks! So if that is the case, why all the talk that people are disappointed that Mass Storage support is not there? If it still appears and you can still copy files over, what is the problem? Do people really want a drive letter that badly? For what? Scripting of some soft?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually MTP is not without it's drawbacks, due to the "lack of a drive letter", or rather it being considered a physical drive, it also means that interoperability will be harder to achieve.
This would especially be true for devices like car radios with USB support, traditionally you would be able to simply connect your phone and let it serve as a USB thumb drive, the car radio could then play music from the phone, but that won't be possible due to MTP, further more since the phone is not a drive, a program that for example does not use the windows explorer as a way to copy those files would have no concept of the drive, for example, a command prompt wouldn't be able to access the drive as it has no drive mapping.
There are other pros and cons, but i think this is the one people are the most concerned about.
HooloovooUK said:
How does this affect mounting the phone under Linux?
With my current phone, I plug it in and since it is a mass storage device Fedora simply assigns it as a hard drive /dev/sdb for example. I can then just mount the SD card inside the phone.
Is this going to cause a major headache for me? I'm switching to a Linux phone to get away from all this Windows crap!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google has official support for MTP on Mac, as for Linux the community already has support for it as well, i don't use either system so i can't go into more detail, i just know that the support is there

TheTinRam said:
You are going to have to deal with all the Linux crap, including the additional software you will need to make MTP work for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great. Well I'm sure there will be a mod somewhere that enables mass storage.

HooloovooUK said:
Great. Well I'm sure there will be a mod somewhere that enables mass storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're referring to a mod that enables USB Mass Storage mode on the Galaxy Nexus, there likely won't be since the storage on the Galaxy Nexus is partitioned in a completely different manner to how has been done previously on Android phones.

oscillik said:
If you're referring to a mod that enables USB Mass Storage mode on the Galaxy Nexus, there likely won't be since the storage on the Galaxy Nexus is partitioned in a completely different manner to how has been done previously on Android phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I guess I'll just plug it in and see what it makes of the device.

oscillik said:
If you're referring to a mod that enables USB Mass Storage mode on the Galaxy Nexus, there likely won't be since the storage on the Galaxy Nexus is partitioned in a completely different manner to how has been done previously on Android phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm wondering what would happen if one put an extra partition on the phone...
not going to be the first (or even 10th) to try it though!

Clancy_s said:
I'm wondering what would happen if one put an extra partition on the phone...
not going to be the first (or even 10th) to try it though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Considering how Dan Morrill explains why the Galaxy Nexus has no USB Mass Storage support I certainly wouldn't want to try it
edit: to clarify, it probably is possible to do it on a modded ROM, I'm just saying that I wouldn't want to monkey around with that personally.

Clancy_s said:
I'm wondering what would happen if one put an extra partition on the phone...
not going to be the first (or even 10th) to try it though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using your own bootloader/recovery there's nothing preventing you from repartitioning the Galaxy Nexus the same way how Android systems used to be partitioned before Honeycomb, i.e. with a separate FAT32 internal partition for media storage. You just have to be aware of the tradeoffs: with a separate media partition, you have USB mass storage but you'll have to manage two separate partitions for apps and media with two separate space constraints. With a unified partition you just have one constraint, but you lose the USB mass storage capability.

oscillik said:
Considering how Dan Morrill explains why the Galaxy Nexus has no USB Mass Storage support I certainly wouldn't want to try it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that link.
On Mac or Linux, MTP devices appear just as any another UMS device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds ok then.

seems time waits for no man..... done here :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1359579

birdster said:
seems time waits for no man..... done here :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1359579
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed..
*this* is why I got a Nexus Something not right.. wait a couple of hours and there'll be a fix on XDA..

Sorry, but the Nexus is a pile if I can't use it as a DAP source for my car audio. Is there any possible way to enable USB mass storage? This device will have far too many compromises to be even usable if mass storage isn't present.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Which built-in or OEM car infotainment systems support MTP?
Supposedly Ford cars with SYNC 1.0/2.0 support MTP. Windows Embedded Automotive 7 supports MTP, which is used in the MY2012+ MyFord/MyLincoln Touch systems, Nissan Leaf, Fiat 500, and some Kia models (may go under the "Uvo" system name). Alpine may use WEA7 at some point, maybe in a built-in or OEM nav system that might have a USB port that would work with the Galaxy Nexus, but I haven't found any model numbers yet. There have also been rumors that some upcoming cars (Tesla Model S, maybe?) will use Android for their infotainment systems, but nothing specific, and that doesn't guarantee MTP support.
One article mentioned using Bluetooth instead, but I'm not sure how that would work with the car's built-in Bluetooth. Possibly means pairing with a portable Garmin/TomTom nav device that supports Bluetooth A2DP, though higher end portable nav devices have flash storage for music files and can play music directly.

There are also several aftermarket head units that support MTP. Alpine, Sony, and Kenwood have some, I believe, and there may be others.
EDIT: As far as built-in goes, I think BMW has supported MTP devices on their stock audio systems for at least 3-4 years. I haven't looked at Audi or some of the better Japanese/Korean makes/models, but wouldn't surprise me if some of them did as well.

This is not the same.
This is USB host functionality, where GN can access external usb disk attached to it.
What we are talking here is GN attached to something an recognized as usb disk.
birdster said:
seems time waits for no man..... done here :
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1359579
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Well, doesn't clockworkmod recovery already allow you to repartition your storage the way you want?
And since the OS does actually support usb mass storage, it should be fairly easy to create a FAT32 partition for sd card usage. (Similar to Nexus S, which has no sd card slot but comes with 2 partitions: 1 GB internal storage apps, 15 GB for usb storage)

USB Mass Storage Mode

Anyone able to get this working yet on our US variants?
Link Here for Details
User justed updated that post with this:
d4fseeker said:
@jiggytom:
Thank you! I've updated the shell-scripts to include the US-variant,
and also added a description to use it with 2 easy buttons in GScript Lite
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I guess i'm failing to see what the problem is with not being able to mount the sdcard as mass storage. From the very first time I plugged in my phone to my desktop, I have been able to drag and drop files to either the internal or external sdcard just fine.

Gadgetz said:
I guess i'm failing to see what the problem is with not being able to mount the sdcard as mass storage. From the very first time I plugged in my phone to my desktop, I have been able to drag and drop files to either the internal or external sdcard just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Certain devices like TV and Car Radio which are supposed to be able to read songs and other media off your device are not compatible with MTP/PTP mode like the one used stock on our devices. Not only that but overall transfer reliability with MTP/PTP mode is greatly reduced. I can think of quite a number of times when I was in the middle of transferring a bunch of files and all of the sudden the transfer would time out and I have to do it all over again. UMS mode never had any of these issues.

The app hasn't worked for me.
I need USB Storage mode for my car, as well as syncing my iTunes library through iTunes Agent. Also its annoying that I can't use my phone when MTP is syncing.

Gadgetz said:
I guess i'm failing to see what the problem is with not being able to mount the sdcard as mass storage. From the very first time I plugged in my phone to my desktop, I have been able to drag and drop files to either the internal or external sdcard just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try that with Linux
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium

epicnoob66 said:
Try that with Linux
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to mention I think Mac OS needs a separate application/plugin just to be able to read MTP devices.

Also it seems not all type of files can be transferred to the phone..

Bump, is there anything new in the works for US versions to rectify this? Hate not having this functionality. Actually, if I was still in my trial I would probably be returning my phone largely because of this issue. Sadly, it took me awhile to get around to looking into it though.
In further response to Gadgetz. My personal (most pressing at least) reasoning for needing this functionality has to do with syncing of ratings and playcounts for music. There is, as far as i know, no program that easily provides two way sync between an android phone and pc for these fields without overwriting entire files (not Ideal, not really even practical in my case as I transcode flac to mp3 for mobile use). The only workaround I could ever find was a script add-on in media monkey in conjunction with using the playerpro app. This process can only be completed in mass storage mode. Now I am stuck with no way to rate songs "globally." And that is a huge issue for me...
The fact that the international version has a fix gives me hope...crossing my fingers.

formulaci said:
Bump, is there anything new in the works for US versions to rectify this? Hate not having this functionality. Actually, if I was still in my trial I would probably be returning my phone largely because of this issue. Sadly, it took me awhile to get around to looking into it though.
In further response to Gadgetz. My personal (most pressing at least) reasoning for needing this functionality has to do with syncing of ratings and playcounts for music. There is, as far as i know, no program that easily provides two way sync between an android phone and pc for these fields without overwriting entire files (not Ideal, not really even practical in my case as I transcode flac to mp3 for mobile use). The only workaround I could ever find was a script add-on in media monkey in conjunction with using the playerpro app. This process can only be completed in mass storage mode. Now I am stuck with no way to rate songs "globally." And that is a huge issue for me...
The fact that the international version has a fix gives me hope...crossing my fingers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Answer Here

open1your1eyes0 said:
Answer Here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome. Seeing it was a script made me nervous, but not too bad if you follow the instructions. GScript force closing every time is an annoyance, but nothing I cant live with. (and I have to assume now that the functionality is there eventually someone will stick it in a standalone app or widget)
Anywho, thanks for the link! I can stop panicking now.

[Q] HELP: any way to enable the mass storage mode on the galaxy note 2 ?

can any one help me and suggest a method to enable the mass storage mode in my note 2 , when connected to my laptop ?

Firstly why? MTP is better when you get it working as you don' t need to unmount anything from the phone first!
Secondly, it is likely to be possible yes probably very similar to how it was hacked to work on the s3, however it only worked for external sd and caused lots of corruptions to sd cards... so it is far from perfect.
My advice would be to get used to MTP.

i was need it to let my stereo car read mp3 files i solved by installing an s3 hack that can make the extsd a mass storage unit take a look here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1711009 it worked for me i'm with omega v4 rom

Lennyuk said:
Firstly why? MTP is better when you get it working as you don' t need to unmount anything from the phone first!
Secondly, it is likely to be possible yes probably very similar to how it was hacked to work on the s3, however it only worked for external sd and caused lots of corruptions to sd cards... so it is far from perfect.
My advice would be to get used to MTP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand what you mean but. ..it becomes virtually impossible and frustrating to transfer stuff to internal memory or even external memory because it is slow. ..Very slow
External memory I can manage by taking out my card and using an adapter to plug it into my laptop card slot..
Is there a way to mount internal memory as usb mass storage? I don't mind if I have to turn my phone off or something
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Did you try Airdroid?
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

try Kies over wifi...
it transfer data using local connection and transfers GBs of files in some minutes definitely MUCH faster than MTP and prefer it to AirDroid, but it hasnt been working lately (last time i checked was a week or two back)

This is a problem for those like me using Ubuntu. I never managed to make MTP work on it.
Wi-Fi transfer of files can be done with X-Link, but the lack of mass storage is a nuisance.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

Yes, MTP is a big problem on Ubuntu. I have tried 3 implementations of MTP protocol on 12.04 and 12.10, no dice.

i'm searching for an answer. worst thing with mtp is the fact that it hides directories from you! so you can't backup everything properly. annoying

bump! MTP is too/painfully slow. Reminds me of 1995. We need an alternative. Whoever put up this technology without due consideration and testing, before deploying it on these popular devices needs to be consider a different job.

looks like I wont be getting this phone until mass storage mode is added

harishdhandev said:
can any one help me and suggest a method to enable the mass storage mode in my note 2 , when connected to my laptop ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, there is no way to enable UMS mode without rooting the phone.
I had to find a solution for my car stereo be able to read mp3 files.
I just rooted the phone and install SGS3 easy UMS ( PlayStore ). Yes its working just perfect on NoteII.
I'm using Ubuntu at work and it works like a charm as well.
Don't forget to unmount the drive in Ubuntu before unplug, and stop the service on Windows.
Also, on the UMS app, switch back to MTP before unplug, to avoid files errors ( no problem if u are just reading, ie: car stereo)

fmpmuld said:
Unfortunately, there is no way to enable UMS mode without rooting the phone.
I had to find a solution for my car stereo be able to read mp3 files.
I just rooted the phone and install SGS3 easy UMS ( PlayStore ). Yes its working just perfect on NoteII.
I'm using Ubuntu at work and it works like a charm as well.
Don't forget to unmount the drive in Ubuntu before unplug, and stop the service on Windows.
Also, on the UMS app, switch back to MTP before unplug, to avoid files errors ( no problem if u are just reading, ie: car stereo)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
one question - how to make two-way sync folders between my laptop and SGN2?
I always did it with GoodSync, but now it is impossible...
thx

Haha isn't this a cool icon? ---->
Gah.... I was hoping there was a way to USB mass storage on this phone. I guess I should have done more research on the phone before I bought it. I'm still in my 2 week return it period, but that's not THAT much of a deal breaker. Just really stupid... Why can't I have it all?? I mean we finally got USB host (OTG or whatever; same same) from a stock phone, only to lose USB Mass Storage! Oh the frustrations!
Dramatics aside, will a custom ROM allow something different? I'm not clear on what layer this MTP mode is operating at. I did think it was funny that it popped up as a camera type device in Windows. Right now I'm only using internal flash. Usually I want to browse pics on the phone from the PC, and in this case, if I use IrfanView to open one on the device, it copies it local and then opens it, so I can't scroll through them. Silly, and mildly frustrating. :-/
I'm going to look into some networking options to see if those work (Kies, AirDroid, maybe FTP). Actually, Dropbox might solve this particular problem for me now that I think of it.
I saw the thread for mounting external SD as USB mass storage. I take it there's no way to co-mount the internal storage as a USB mass storage device?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1711009

AllanonMage said:
Gah.... I was hoping there was a way to USB mass storage on this phone. I guess I should have done more research on the phone before I bought it. I'm still in my 2 week return it period, but that's not THAT much of a deal breaker. Just really stupid... Why can't I have it all?? I mean we finally got USB host (OTG or whatever; same same) from a stock phone, only to lose USB Mass Storage! Oh the frustrations!
Dramatics aside, will a custom ROM allow something different? I'm not clear on what layer this MTP mode is operating at. I did think it was funny that it popped up as a camera type device in Windows. Right now I'm only using internal flash. Usually I want to browse pics on the phone from the PC, and in this case, if I use IrfanView to open one on the device, it copies it local and then opens it, so I can't scroll through them. Silly, and mildly frustrating. :-/
I'm going to look into some networking options to see if those work (Kies, AirDroid, maybe FTP). Actually, Dropbox might solve this particular problem for me now that I think of it.
I saw the thread for mounting external SD as USB mass storage. I take it there's no way to co-mount the internal storage as a USB mass storage device?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1711009
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, Samsung turned off the USB Mass Storage for obvious reasons. But anyway, I can access both memories from my computers, using MS Windows.
On windows, there's no problem at all as you can manage all the files directly from explorer.
On Other systems, the problem is different. For some reasons, like with all other systems (ie car stereo or media player...), the galaxy will not be recognized because MTP needs drivers. Then, you have to use UMS and the only way to install and use it is to root the phone. But keep in mind UMS will only permit access to external memory card.
Well, if I have to transfer files from internal memory through UMS, I copy the files I need to external memory before using it..... That's not a big problem , is it ? And because your phone is rooted, you can even find a script to copy some folders automatically.
Hope I'm clear enough and it helps.

[Q] USB Mass Storage

Has anybody been able to get USB Mass Storage working ?

There are no devices that use mass storage anymore since like 4.1.2. Everything has switched to MTP. This is everywhere on the internet and id bet on XDA.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium HD app

trialsrider1 said:
There are no devices that use mass storage anymore since like 4.1.2. Everything has switched to MTP. This is everywhere on the internet and id bet on XDA.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, my Galaxy S2 has Android 4.1.2 and both USB mass storage and MTP
Sent from Galaxy Note 8.0 GT–N5100

I use one of these http://www.2leef.com/store/product/bridge/
Works fine on The Galaxy note 8 and Galaxy note 3 with Astro File Manager.

stevejau said:
I use one of these http://www.2leef.com/store/product/bridge/
Works fine on The Galaxy note 8 and Galaxy note 3 with Astro File Manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to be just an usb pen with 2 connectors
Sent from Galaxy Note 8.0 GT–N5100

I've found the USB Mass Storage handy for specific items and recently I was trying to recover some files (Via Android Restore program) that only worked if there was a USB Storage option, MTP wouldn't work. I have tried some apps on the app store, but none of them work to activate USB Storage. Was hoping their was a work around

gabripranzo said:
It seems to be just an usb pen with 2 connectors
Sent from Galaxy Note 8.0 GT–N5100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that is all it is..and as i said it works fine with Astro File manager..I have not tried it with Root Explorer or any other file manager as yet, but Astro does the job well.
Their website does say it is compatible with Galaxy note 2 amongst others and I can vouch that it works great with Galaxy Note 8 and Note 3.
Cheers
Steve

USB
Maybe I'm missing something here.
My USB 128GB stick works fine with my OTG cable.
I've just ordered a micro USB reader for micro SD cards from meenova.
Will let you know how it works when it arrives.

Shofar1 said:
Maybe I'm missing something here.
My USB 128GB stick works fine with my OTG cable.
I've just ordered a micro USB reader for micro SD cards from meenova.
Will let you know how it works when it arrives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're talking about connecting an android device using mass storage and not MTP protocol. USB otg has nothing to do with this.
Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 utilizzando Tapatalk

gabripranzo said:
We're talking about connecting an android device using mass storage and not MTP protocol. USB otg has nothing to do with this.
Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure how connecting a pendrive (otg or not, and btw it is very likely that the the microusb port on the pen-drive is also otg ) does not violate the above the same. When the note 8 acting as a Usb mass Storage Media is the main concern.
now back to topic,
Like it or not of companies have decided to do away with UMS. It basically boils down to architecture issues with their future plans.
UMS Gives exclusive access to the HOST (your computer or what ever you connect your device as Media to) and thus android/phone has to unmount the volume to prevent any locks or other potential issues (which are many including security).
Also the Host (your computer) has to be able to read/write the Files System format that you phone/ sd card is formatted to. (it's a dependency, because if the tablet where to use/ invent some new native file system, a lot of existing hosts might not be able to read them at all.
There are other reasons too like singular large ultra fast storage blocks to act as file systems as well RAM which can break if requiring unmounting,
Now MTP is not god send either and has it's own set of issues (read below)
however it's evolving.
with MTP most of the control is with your tablet or phone. and data is not written to the media directly by the host in for form for Blocks, but rather as files etc and thus the slowness as speed also depends a lot on your device not to mention it's biggest drawback that it's sequential/synchronous.
Personally, If i need to do large transfers etc, I just remove my microsd card in put that it into a tiny card reader, not ideal but works.
It is very unlikely that we are going to be getting UMS officially from those who are done with the standard on similar devices, . Maybe some better alternative in future than MTP, but who knows.
Here is little extract from the wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Transfer_Protocol
for who care about the how's and the why's
History
The main purpose of this protocol is to allow only the transfer of media files and associated metadata to and from portable devices, one transfer function, in or out, at a time. Productivity functions such as open, edit and modify require copying to the hosting system for these functions then copied back in their entirety to change the data.
The protocol was originally implemented for use across USB but extended for use across TCP/IP and Bluetooth. Windows Vista supports MTP over TCP/IP. Windows 7 and Windows Vista with the Platform Update for Windows Vista also support MTP over Bluetooth.[7] The host connecting to an MTP device is called an MTP Initiator whereas the device itself is an MTP Responder.[8]
A main reason for using MTP rather than, for example, the USB mass-storage device class (MSC) is that the latter operates at the granularity of a mass storage device block (usually in practice, a FAT block), rather than at the logical file level. In other words, the USB mass storage class is designed to give a host computer undifferentiated access to bulk mass storage, such as compact flash, rather than to a file system, which might be safely shared with the target device (except for specific files which the host might be modifying/accessing). In practice, therefore, when a USB host computer has mounted an MSC partition, it assumes absolute control of the storage, which then may not be safely modified by the device without risk of data corruption until the host computer has severed the connection. Furthermore, because the host computer has full control over the connected storage device, there is a risk that the host computer may corrupt the file system, reformat it to a file system not supported by the USB device, or otherwise modify it in such a way that the USB device cannot completely understand it.
MTP and PTP specifically overcome this issue by making the unit of managed storage a local file rather than an entire (possibly very large) unit of mass storage at the block level. In this way, MTP works like a transactional file system - either the entire file is written/read or nothing. The storage media is not affected by failed transfers.
In case the device maintains a database/index of the content of the disk, MTP saves the cost of re-scanning the entire disk every time the content is modified.
Additionally, the MTP allows MTP Initiators to identify the specific capabilities of device(s) with respect to file formats and functionality. In particular, MTP Initiators may have to provide passwords and other information to unlock files, or otherwise enable digital rights management. Nothing specific of this nature is in the core standard but the features are available via vendor extensions. MTPZ, the Zune Extension to MTP specifically denies access to files until authentication has been processed, which is only possible using Windows Media Player 10 or higher.
Drawbacks
No multitasking - Unlike USB mass storage, MTP has been built to only allow a single function at a time, e.g. read, write, delete, with no other function available until the first function is complete.
By design, MTP devices (like PTP devices) are not treated as a traditional removable drive. The actual file system is implemented by the device, not by the computer's operating system. In theory the operating system may hide this difference, but this is not the case on Windows or Mac OS.[clarification needed] This also means that file system recovery tools on the computer will be of no use if the drive is corrupted, or crashes.
As of 2013, MTP is much less widely-supported than USB Mass Storage (see support section).
The MTP and PTP standards do not support direct modification of objects. Modified objects must be copied out of the device and reuploaded in their entirety, which can take a long time for large objects.
Google's MTP implementation in Android includes extensions to deal with this limitation.[9][10]
Windows/PC MTP implementation:
When opening a file, the user must wait till the file has copied to the PC before it can be viewed. (Note: The file remains on the PC hard drive after viewing and the device is removed)
No creation of files on the device from the PC, files must be created on the PC and copied over.
No editing of files on the device, files must be copied off the device before edits can be saved and file copied back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

As a workaround, for PC users at least, there is a Total Commander plugin which displays the MTP folders in normal file panel. It does not provide all the UMS features, like say binary directory sync (lack of which is one of my biggest griefs with MTP), but it's useful for simple file operations (browsing, copying etc.)
If anyone's interested I'll try to find the link/instructions.
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Sorry.. Wrong thread

trialsrider1 said:
There are no devices that use mass storage anymore since like 4.1.2. Everything has switched to MTP. This is everywhere on the internet and id bet on XDA.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using XDA Premium HD app
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And I can tell you, my brother is SERIOUSLY pissed. He's all ready to go smack around a few people at Google for this (once he's done smacking a LOT of people at Microsoft, now that his new machine is saddled with MSWin8).
In truth, it seems very arrogant on Google's part to presume that no one would want/need to use USB storage mode. My brother would like to edit files on the Note8 while it's attached to teh computer (using LibreOffice on the computer to edit it), and he feels it's absolutely preposterous that he has to copy the file down, edit it, then copy it back up. Google, 1985 wants it's broken methodology back.

Drive Droid
Pda23 said:
Has anybody been able to get USB Mass Storage working ?
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DriveDroid on the play store at least.
I haven't yet had a reason to check if the Note will work, but does work on a Galaxy3 with Cyanogenmod. It goes and mangles the drivers to support the depreciated mass-storage proto. Expect it to be hit-and-miss when changing roms, requires root, requires kernel to no have completely disabled the old drivers. I now carry a recovery cdrom on my phone, it's worked most of the time.

File transfer mode NOT media device mode?

Sorry for a kinda double post, as ive posted this in the noob thread, but I think its being overlooked.
When connecting to a PC, how can I get a normal file transfer mode?? the media mode is just too limiting, one file at a time, transfer with no ETA, cannot browse picture folders with image viewers.. "this file cannot be played are you sure you want to copy it" blah blah blah...
I'm sure on my old HTC sensation as well as media mode you had file mode.. but I cannot find it and I don't have usb 3.1 on my laptop only 3.0 so hopefully that's not the answer..
please help.. mostly after getting at my SD card without removing it from the phone as I can never find the "proddy thing".. not fussed if I need to install a third party app or other... but currently on stock EU rom non-rooted.

stupink said:
Sorry for a kinda double post, as ive posted this in the noob thread, but I think its being overlooked.
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... im not sure if i can help you really. What is the operating system you are using there? MTP works for me in Linux aswell as with Win 10.
stupink said:
When connecting to a PC, how can I get a normal file transfer mode??
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When connecting to a PC it should pop up a question about how you want to use the connection. So select Filetransfer and trust it with "Yes". And that s it basically. You can also find this in the notification bar... eh about what to use USB for.
Also be sure to have suiting drivers. IIRC they should be installed with HTC Sync Manager. Maybe installing HTC Sync Manager would fix your issues already?
stupink said:
I'm sure on my old HTC sensation as well as media mode you had file mode.. but I cannot find it
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How old? I think this special mode you refer to was removed some Android releases ago already. Nowadays theres MTP. By all this speed of that USB ports nowadays intention seems to be initially that you do not have to unmount it in order to get all that stuffs you knew from past. I remember when my ONE-S got a update suddenly in past where exactly this step to MTP happened. Since the USB2 hardware in this old phone was a bit older and worse it became slower than before. Many ppl had been looking for a fix for this, since you could not enable it like it was before. IIRC one solution was to use a custom ROM. I can not recommend using a custom ROM personally.
stupink said:
and I don't have usb 3.1 on my laptop only 3.0 so hopefully that's not the answer..
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No it is not. I m also having a 3.0. Still at least with marshmellow you would have to enable the fast file transfer with 3.1 explicitly in the case you really have such port on your Computer. And still theres some influences and things to consider to get optimum bandwidth.
But a 3.0 connection is usually not as crappy as you describe it now. So i would sugguest you:
- I assume a driver bad.
- Or Faulty cable.
- Maybe some setting in your file browser on the computer?
- Is the preview disabled maybe?
- Latest drivers for the phone? (HTC Sync Manager)
At very first i would try to get latest HTC Sync Manager for HTC10 from HTC website. Or if you are in linux, check your packages, udev rules and that MTP gets rolling.
Hope this helps a bit.
PS.: Try connect your Phone to another computer with maybe Windows 10 and latest HTC Sync Manager. Just to exclude that your computer or its software might cause this issue.

Thanks for the reply, my "old" htc was probably 6+years ago.. I think it was my first android phone, Recently I have been using LG G3 running cyanogenmod, so have always had a proper "file mode".. it was just like plugging in an external hard drive. I did not realise this was not a feature anymore in standard android.
The main problem I dislike is not being able to view pictures... If I open one picture from my phone or SDcard, then my picture browswer says viewing picture 1/1 even if the folder has 200 pictures in it, I cannot space/tab through the pictures, I have to close that one, then open the next.... I do find it frustrating only being able to copy one file at a time, and constantly having to tell it that I do want to copy the file despite not being able to play it, but those things I can live with.
I already have tried installing extra software and on windows 7, (I am running W10) but no luck
It just sounds like they want you to remove the SD card.. shame they make it so impossible to do.. I'll continue to hunt for a solution without custom rom.. and post any findings.

stupink said:
cyanogenmod, so have always had a proper "file mode".. it was just like plugging in an external hard drive. I did not realise this was not a feature anymore in standard android.
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Yes! I think this i why they kept (keep) it alive.
stupink said:
The main problem I dislike is not being able to view pictures... If I open one picture from my phone or SDcard, then my picture browswer says viewing picture 1/1 even if the folder has 200 pictures in it, I cannot space/tab through the pictures, I have to close that one, then open the next.... I do find it frustrating only being able to copy one file at a time, and constantly having to tell it that I do want to copy the file despite not being able to play it, but those things I can live with.
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How is it. How do you think about an alternative way to transfer data like e.g. from playstore Air Droid using WLAN.
Did you try another data cable, by all ports and operating systems?
And just in case. Do both of your computers feature the same USB drivers and hub? Maybe a driver issue.
I noticed one thing recently. When i connect with MTP and copy lets say: "400 MB pictures" taken with my old phone, spread on 97 files to the SD card it does not take long. But what takes long like 20 seconds after copying is done is that it shows previews. I have to really wait until it is done transferring.
So could it be maybe the case your phone does not finish somehow?
And yes the Windows Photo thingie does not see it as folder to slide through.
Meaning: i can not deny your issues fully.
Honestly what i totally love is an Plasma Desktop for linux is an software which called KDE Connect. You get WLAN connection to your phone and can even control the mouse. Do simple file transfers. And what i totally love about it is, is that it almost seemingless integrates into the Desktop. On the other End i think WIN10 does not feature such service (stock). Air Droid is one of those tools in this way which you can expand the computer expirience with. The preview and copying over WLAN is blazing fast. Plus you do not have to connect the cable.
But it requires a client/server and permissions on both ends. And thats what i dislike about the Windows side. It is not so seemless. And it is in the way of one of those extra services, running.
Also the speed of the SD card does in fact matter. Is it maybe one of the older generations you inserted?
The new SD's from this year are much faster and bigger.
E.g. read about SD card speed classes SDXC class U1, U2 and U3
Even if you can push 1 GiB /s through a cable.... if the SD only takes 96 mib/s...... lol
Maybe interesting to have a look at what about capacity / price is happening in 6 years.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/10315/market-views-hdd-shipments-down-q1-2016/3
So lets say you was using a 6 years old SD.
Your phone is worth (lets say 600 $) but the SD is not worth any cent. In case the SD was so old.

This is how Android now is.
What you're looking for is USB Mass Storage mode. They removed that because it was a wide security hole where someone could just plug your phone into a computer and copy all your storage and mess things up at will. Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) is all Android has now. Your phone memory doesn't just have your photos and music on it; it also has your apps, logins, systems files, etc.
The "file cannot be played" prompt that bothers you can be disabled in Windows. Just do a Google search on that. As for transfer speed, I'll bet you that it's a bad cable and nothing more. MTP isn't slower than UMS.
Good luck.

Thanks also.
I didn't mean to imply it's slow transfer. By limiting I mean it's holding me back. I like to transferr a 20GB video, and while it's doing it, go to my pics and view+sort them etc. But now I cannot. One at a time. Zzzzz..
It sounds like I will either need to investigate lineage again. (I'm unsure at this stage what I loose if I do, camera apps, mirror cast etc). Or perhaps buy a hand full of "proddy things" so I can more easily remove the SD card. I can never find it when I need it.
Thanks for helping me get my head around this alien tech/systems. I feel I understand now what's happening and why.