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Hi,
does any of you know if the device can work in USB Mass Storage mode, i.e. can it be seen as an external drive from Windows/OSX/Linux without additional software? I own a MacBook Pro and HTC support told me that they are going to release soon a piece of software that works under OSX, but it would be wonderful to have access to the device storage without additional software..
Question already asked and answered here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1543735
They dont use USB Mass Storage they use Media Transfer Protocol to deal with USB connection. This change was introduced in Honeycomb and has continued into Ice Cream Sandwich.
You can still transfer files to and from the devices its just a diffrent way of doing it.
Forum user Gogol posed these questions:
- Why Google is using MTP instead of USB file transfer on Honeycomb?”
He received the following response from a Google developer:
“MTP is a big improvement over USB mass storage — for devices with lots of internal memory, a manufacturer no longer needs to come up with some hard partition between the USB mass storage and internal storage. Instead, they are all in one partition, with MTP providing access to the directory of media files that would normally be available through USB mass storage. This means there is no longer a need for apps on SD card for such devices, because what used to be the ‘internal SD card’ is in the same partition as where applications are stored. The storage on your device can be used for either applications or media, depending on what you want to put on it. You aren’t stuck with how much space the manufacturer decided to leave for the two areas.
Oh also this means that the media storage doesn’t need to be unmounted from Android when it is being access through the PC.“
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Source: http://glasskeys.com/2011/02/28/why-google-uses-mtp-instead-of-usb-file-transfer-on-android-3/
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.
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Transfer_Protocol
No idea how this works with OSX though I'm a Windows guy
HTC-Gunge said:
No idea how this works with OSX though I'm a Windows guy
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Very nice reply, thank you very much!
I've found Android File Transfer Google utility for OSX: http://www.android.com/filetransfer/
Actually, the One X still uses mass storage mode. Plug it in and you get the same old prompt for charge only, disk drive etc. and it still shows up as a removable disk.
Yes, vanilla android handsets like the GN use MTP mode, but HTCs don't. They have a separate partition still.
Hmm that's interesting if its true, it means HTC have implemented it independently of the OS. Could even be a selling point as I know quite a few people didn't really like the change from USB Mass Storage to MTP.
Thanks for the info!
I'm one of those who hates MTP because it is not as reliable as USB Mass Storage. MTP just doesn't want to play nice with my Win7 machine on my Nexus so I'm really looking forward to the One X and getting proper USB Mass Storage on it.
As much as i prefer MSC over MTP (mainly because you can open music and video files directly from your mass storage device, but if you use MTP, they will have to copy the entire file over to your computer before it will play), my office blocks MSC devices, but strange enough, MTP devices are not blocked.
Therefore i am actually trying to find out of i can use MTP mode in my One X, since MTP is embedded into ICS, there might be a chance. This will enable me to access my One X in office..
anyone has any idea?
I have a slightly similar problem here:
How do i tell the HTC ONE phone, that i want use the mass-storage-mode in USB, and not the f******g HTC/Nero bloatware crap?
Before the update to Android 4.1.1 it was working fine as mass-storage.
CBrown0815 said:
I have a slightly similar problem here:
How do i tell the HTC ONE phone, that i want use the mass-storage-mode in USB, and not the f******g HTC/Nero bloatware crap?
Before the update to Android 4.1.1 it was working fine as mass-storage.
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HTC has changed mass-storage-mode to MTP in their latest update. I didn't find any way to use as mass storage so I installed CM10.1 (A8 supports mass storage mode).
parkentosh said:
HTC has changed mass-storage-mode to MTP in their latest update. I didn't find any way to use as mass storage so I installed CM10.1 (A8 supports mass storage mode).
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Thanks for this info. Unfortunally is this no option for me. I dont want to hack my phone, i want to use it.
CBrown0815 said:
Thanks for this info. Unfortunally is this no option for me. I dont want to hack my phone, i want to use it.
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Agreed - I have the same problem with my OneX on 4.1.1. 4.0.4 was great, 4.1.1 is a backward step in several ways. My Galaxy Nexus (bought to play with Ubuntu Touch!) did the same [email protected] until it updated itself to 4.2.2, and now works correctly - to my mind - as a mass storage device. I think Google realised the error and quietly fixed it. I can't find a document that details all the changes in 4.2.2 so not sure.
Hi got my S3 today but some reason when i connect the phone to usb and do in to my sd card i can moves any files over to it? like folders pictures...
is this a problem with the s3 or am i doing something wrong?
thanks
Not a problem with your S3. It does not support Mass Storage access over the USB (like the Evo 4G, for example). It supports MTP but I think you need to have the Samsung drivers installed to even use that.
There are supposed to be some apps that enable USB Mass Storage but I have not tried them. I just use Dropbox to get files to/from the phone.
m20120 said:
Not a problem with your S3. It does not support Mass Storage access over the USB (like the Evo 4G, for example). It supports MTP but I think you need to have the Samsung drivers installed to even use that.
There are supposed to be some apps that enable USB Mass Storage but I have not tried them. I just use Dropbox to get files to/from the phone.
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ok thanks
BTW: The Samsung USB Drivers can be found here.
I cant seem to find an option to use the Galaxy S4 as USB mass storage, only media device (MTP) or Camera (PTP) is available. Cannot find any USB options in the settings either.
How am I able to copy files from and to my SD card and/or phone HD?
I appreciate any helpful posts. Thank you!
crco said:
I cant seem to find an option to use the Galaxy S4 as USB mass storage, only media device (MTP) or Camera (PTP) is available. Cannot find any USB options in the settings either.
How am I able to copy files from and to my SD card and/or phone HD?
I appreciate any helpful posts. Thank you!
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You us MTP fyi usb mass storage has been gone for a while i know for a fact the gs3 & note2 used MTP
deeznutz1977 said:
You us MTP fyi usb mass storage has been gone for a while i know for a fact the gs3 & note2 used MTP
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with MTP my device doesnt show up in Mac, as well as my Sony TV or LG receiver. what to do?
Is there anyway to disable MTP and go back to mass storage? Also, is the SDCARD MTP as well?
Mass Storage is gone for good... and while it sounds bad, there's a good reason..
Using Mass Storage forces the storage partition (or external sdcard) to be unmounted by Android, so any data/apps/widgets on there are no longer available until you disconnect your device from your PC. Using MTP allows the data partition to remain mounted and available concurrently on both your device, and on your PC via USB.
1) No, you cannot get UMS back.
2) This belongs in Q&A.
3) For Macs, you will need this.
Questions go in Q&A
Thread moved
FNM
The auto-unmount is ok...
pakraider said:
Mass Storage is gone for good... and while it sounds bad, there's a good reason..
Using Mass Storage forces the storage partition (or external sdcard) to be unmounted by Android, so any data/apps/widgets on there are no longer available until you disconnect your device from your PC. Using MTP allows the data partition to remain mounted and available concurrently on both your device, and on your PC via USB.
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"there's a good reason" is somewhat subjective. To me the great benefit to the more general usb mass storage option is so you can connect the phone to any device as if it were a usb flash drive. No driver issues, no worries about camera or MTP mode, no Mac issues, no linux issues, no Windows issues ... it's just a usd flash drive and can be treated as such. I am ok with the side affect of auto-unmounting the sdcard from Android when I connect the phone to another device to use as noted USB drive.
Is there in fact any way this will ever come back?
I can't get my phone to show up on my computer for nothing.have the correct drivers installed and everything.running Windows
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
umlguy said:
"there's a good reason" is somewhat subjective. To me the great benefit to the more general usb mass storage option is so you can connect the phone to any device as if it were a usb flash drive. No driver issues, no worries about camera or MTP mode, no Mac issues, no linux issues, no Windows issues ... it's just a usd flash drive and can be treated as such. I am ok with the side affect of auto-unmounting the sdcard from Android when I connect the phone to another device to use as noted USB drive.
Is there in fact any way this will ever come back?
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There was an app someone made for the GS3 that did some filesystem trickery to expose the storage as UMS (needed root). I'm sure something like that will come around that works on the GS4 too.
I had the same issue until I installed Kies, no issues after that
TheAtheistOtaku said:
I can't get my phone to show up on my computer for nothing.have the correct drivers installed and everything.running Windows
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
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Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
umlguy said:
"there's a good reason" is somewhat subjective. To me the great benefit to the more general usb mass storage option is so you can connect the phone to any device as if it were a usb flash drive. No driver issues, no worries about camera or MTP mode, no Mac issues, no linux issues, no Windows issues ... it's just a usd flash drive and can be treated as such. I am ok with the side affect of auto-unmounting the sdcard from Android when I connect the phone to another device to use as noted USB drive.
Is there in fact any way this will ever come back?
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How could anyone possibly know if it will come back, especially "in fact?" My guess is you would have to ask Samsung that question to get anything other than a guess or an opinion (which would be NO) but it's not "in fact" just "in an opinion."
I jumped from an S2 to the S4 and was also annoyed that USB mass storage wouldn't work either. Since I use Linux as my desktop, MTP is not an option "out-of-the-box". I therefor turned to an awesome app (that I heard about on this site!), Airdroid. Now I was able to quickly get an album/picture/book datastore onto a shiny new 32GB microSD! And yes, I know I could have put the microSD into a slot on my laptop, etc., but I shouldn't have to, just because I choose to use Linux!
I mean, its rather ironic not to be able to use Linux to connect to Linux (android), don't you think? If I'm completely wrong about this, please someone point me to the right path.
Thanks
There is a "hack" to allow the external to be read as UMS. Also, the internal sdcard is no longer yaffs2 its ext4 and only linux knows ext4. So if you were to use UMS, only a linux computer would "see" the sd card and nothing else.
elesbb said:
There is a "hack" to allow the external to be read as UMS. Also, the internal sdcard is no longer yaffs2 its ext4 and only linux knows ext4. So if you were to use UMS, only a linux computer would "see" the sd card and nothing else.
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elesbb,
That's awesome news! Thanks for the tip. I use opensuse (currently 12.3) with kde, will definitely make the necessary tweaks to get this going in dolphin.
Thanks again!
Ignore. Posted in wrong thread.
If you are rooted and busybox installed yes there are lot of apps on play store that can convert your externel SD Card to Mass storage.
I didn't like kies and want to operate my phone internal memory as mass storage mode on any computer.
How do I connect to maps storage instead of mtp.
I have both win xp and windows 7.
kapil_dheer said:
I didn't like kies and want to operate my phone internal memory as mass storage mode on any computer.
How do I connect to maps storage instead of mtp.
I have both win xp and windows 7.
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it's not possible.
it's on the same partition as all apps you've installed, and all data/settings.
you pretty much have only 3 options:
use a custom recovery to access internal storage.
learn to live with mtp(it doesn't require kies, windows vista, 7, and 8 can access mtp devices directly without additional software)
or use ftp to make your internal storage available, this works almost the same as mass storage mode, but over wifi.
It is posssible with sdcard but not with internal storage.
sent from my GT-N7100. Press thanks if I helped you...
I've tried every single method over the internet and here in XDA forum...
Nothing worked..
How I can connect my tablet as a mass storage device please??
AhmadLight said:
I've tried every single method over the internet and here in XDA forum...
Nothing worked..
How I can connect my tablet as a mass storage device please??
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As of Android 4.0 I believe they removed mass storage from all subsequent builds of android. They had a reason for it which I do not recall but it is not possible on any 4.0+ device no matter the hack.
nrage23 said:
As of Android 4.0 I believe they removed mass storage from all subsequent builds of android. They had a reason for it which I do not recall but it is not possible on any 4.0+ device no matter the hack.
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MTP has several advantages over mass storage mode, some of which include:
1) storage can be accessed simultaneously by both the Android tablet/phone as well as the computer it is connected to by USB
2) does not need to be selected on the device after connecting USB (likely related to Item 1 above, as the storage no longer has to be "unmounted" from the device
3) app storage and user storage are now unified
Item 3 above is probably the primary reason for the move to MTP. And of course MTP has its drawbacks.
I've seen mass storage enabled on custom ROMs on other devices (HTC One X in particular). So it is possible. But whether we will ever see this on the Note 8 is another story.
I've tried these two:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2175747
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mohammadag.samsungusbmassstorageenabler
But both didn't work...
Many people on 4.0 and higher got to enable Mass Storage Device mode..
So I was thinking about how to do that..
I'll wait till someone successfully make it able on NOTE 8.0
Thanks