Develop Bugs

How to create ext3 partition on SD-Card under Windows

This post is for people scared of Linux (like me)
I finally found a way to partition a SD-Card under Windows. I tried more tools, but only one was able to work with SD-Cards. Here's what you need to do:
1. Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard (google it, i cant post links)
2. Resize original FAT32 partition to make room for the ext3 one. If you have enough space, the data on the card shouldn't be affected, but make a back-up just in case.
3. Create the ext3 partition on the space made available and apply changes
The first partition should be FAT32, and the second ext3, make sure you have them in this order.

Kneros said:
This post is for people scared of Linux (like me)
I finally found a way to partition a SD-Card under Windows. I tried more tools, but only one was able to work with SD-Cards. Here's what you need to do:
1. Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard (google it, i cant post links)
2. Resize original FAT32 partition to make room for the ext3 one. If you have enough space, the data on the card shouldn't be affected, but make a back-up just in case.
3. Create the ext3 partition on the space made available and apply changes
The first partition should be FAT32, and the second ext3, make sure you have them in this order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Almost all custom partition managers can do this in Windows-Partition Magic, Paragon, Or Gparted with VMWare

They can, but not on SD Card. Windows doesn't support partitions on memory cards. I tried Partition Magic, Paragon, Easeus, none of them work.
I didn't try Gparted with VMWare tho, you might be right about that.

Kneros said:
They can, but not on SD Card. Windows doesn't support partitions on memory cards. I tried Partition Magic, Paragon, Easeus, none of them work.
I didn't try Gparted with VMWare tho, you might be right about that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Paragon works for me on Windows..And Gparted is what I use

Strange, it didn't work for me (see attached pics).

Just install the latest ClockworkMod, or Amon-RA and do it through recovery.

Is it useful to have an ext3 partition on SD card with stock 2.2 rom ?

fblasot said:
Is it useful to have an ext3 partition on SD card with stock 2.2 rom ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's useless, you need a ROM that supports it.

quick question - if I create an ext3 partition using this method or any other way, and then move the apps I had on SD (the old way) back to internal, will it then move them to the ext3 partition automatically? I just want to make sure I have this right myself before I attempt it.
I'm using Oxygen 2.3 ROM RC-6 which supports apps2sd etc.
thanks in advance for any replies.

Kneros said:
Strange, it didn't work for me (see attached pics).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See mine..
I'm using 9.0 Pro, you're using 10.0 server, if that helps..
I still prefer Gparted though..On Vmware.

Choronzonix said:
quick question - if I create an ext3 partition using this method or any other way, and then move the apps I had on SD (the old way) back to internal, will it then move them to the ext3 partition automatically? I just want to make sure I have this right myself before I attempt it.
I'm using Oxygen 2.3 ROM RC-6 which supports apps2sd etc.
thanks in advance for any replies.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The a2sd+ script is built in, it executes at installation. Best way would be to use Titanium to backup ur froyo a2sd apps, wipe+install a2sd+ custom rom, use the option of Titanium, to move to sd.

and how do you want to put data on the ext3 partition ? ... you will need linux, its the best way...

Kneros said:
This post is for people scared of Linux (like me)
I finally found a way to partition a SD-Card under Windows. I tried more tools, but only one was able to work with SD-Cards. Here's what you need to do:
1. Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard (google it, i cant post links)
2. Resize original FAT32 partition to make room for the ext3 one. If you have enough space, the data on the card shouldn't be affected, but make a back-up just in case.
3. Create the ext3 partition on the space made available and apply changes
The first partition should be FAT32, and the second ext3, make sure you have them in this order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
EDIT:
Didn't work, SD could not be mounted under Android or Clockworkmod
Did the partitioning under Clockworkmod

partition works, but..
i tried minitool and easueus, both partiotion my 16 gb sd card, but...
I use miui rom, xpart(data2ext). the script works, but the phone is slow as ........
someone any idea?
i also have a 8 gb card, same partitions, but no problem..
any idea how i can tets my 16 gb card?

Minitool is crap. Haven't used easeus but its still under Windows, which is a no no
Gparted is the only decent tool that will nicely partition an ext partition on your sd whilst aligning it properly. This is both my personal and professional opinion.
Now because it doesn't run in windows, its a bit more long winded but so much more worth while.
Virtual machine (vmware player) is the best method. There is a link to a guide to set this up in my signature
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Kneros said:
This post is for people scared of Linux (like me)
I finally found a way to partition a SD-Card under Windows. I tried more tools, but only one was able to work with SD-Cards. Here's what you need to do:
1. Download and install MiniTool Partition Wizard (google it, i cant post links)
2. Resize original FAT32 partition to make room for the ext3 one. If you have enough space, the data on the card shouldn't be affected, but make a back-up just in case.
3. Create the ext3 partition on the space made available and apply changes
The first partition should be FAT32, and the second ext3, make sure you have them in this order.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Minitool partition wizard is a wonderful and practical software. Thanks!!

[Q] Problems with A2SD (non Froyo Version)

Hi there,
I have a little problem with a2sd.
I partitioned my 16 GB sd-card to 15GB Fat32 and 1 GB ext3.
My actual rom is AuraxTSense-8.1.1. Everything is fine ... the Desire says
640 MB ram left for applications ... that's ok.
Same when I flash MIUI. All is ok ... ok MIUI is not my favorite rom, so I want to flash the new AuraxTSense_8.4_Official_OTA_2.2_FRF91_A2SD+.zip, but there is
the problem. This rom did not notice my ext3 partition for apps, although it is an A2SD+. Same with LeeDrOiD_V2.4_A2SD.zip. On all flashing session I did a full wipe.
Now I'm back to the AuraxTSense-8.1.1 with working A2SD.
I searched the inet and forum, but I didn't find any good clue. Only hints how
to partition the sd-card. And my partition seems to be ok.
Hmm ... anyone any hint for me? AuraxTSense-8.1.1 is a bit unstable, it reboot without any reason once a day, MIUI is not mine ... I love sense ...
Thanks for your help ....
TechZombie ...

Possibly wrongly partitioned?
Try to re-partition it.
Download Gnome Partition Editor (GParted Live) here on CD or USB.
Read the documentation at on GParted website ~ how to partition your drive? (Most answers of your questions are there).
Backup your SD card data to PC before start partitioning.
Boot into GParted Live on CD or USB (Make sure that your motherboard first boot is either CD or USB).
Follow onscreen instructions to get GParted Live loaded.
Note – select your SD card as the drive. DON’T select your hard drive.
Delete every partition on SD card.
First create a primary FAT32 partition.
Then create another primary ext(2,3 or 4) partition ~ 1GB or more.
Exit GParted Live and back to Windows.
Copy back your data to SD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

davebugyi said:
Possibly wrongly partitioned?
Try to re-partition it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
please try this:
Take a Usb-stick.
! YOUR DATA FROM YOUR STICK WILL BE LOST, BACKUP BEFOR GPARTED INSTALL!
! BACKUP YOUR DATA FROM YOUR DESIRE SD-CARD, ALL DATA WIL BE LOST USING THIS METHOD!
Download gparted, install it using unetbootin.
start gparted form your usb-stick.
Mount your sd-card in clockwork-recovery.
Remove all partitions in GParted from your desire sd-card.
create a new partition form about 1Gb ext-4.
then create a new partition (fat-32) that fils the rest of your sd-card.
Note: the ext-4 partition needs to be in front of the fat-32 partition.
restore your desire sd-card data.
I hope this helps

@davebugyi: This was the exact way I partitioned my sd-card ... strange ...
@Keon91: The ext4 partition before the fat32? I thought ext after fat ... ok let's give a try ... must it be ext4 or is ext3 ok? I heard ext4 reduces sd-card life?
Thanks ....
TechZombie ...

as I can remember I had my ext4 partition in front of my fat32 partition.
when I view my partions in gparted ext4 is in front of fat32.
fat32 has label : sba1.
ext4 has label : sba2.
I never heard ext4 would reduce sd-card life. In the insertcoin thread they recommend a ext4 partition.

Finnaly I solved it ...
First I tried ext4 in from of fat32. Problem: Windows didn't notice the fat32 partition.
@Keon91: The lables of your partitions show that in your configuration the fat32 is also in front of the ext partition.
After this, I partitioned again with gparted to 15gb fat32 and 1gb ext3 ... both primary ... and now ... i don't know why ... the ext3 is found by a2sd ...
Thanks to all ...
TechZombie ...

How to create usable ext partition for A2SD ?

Okay this is really driving me crazy. I have a bunch of custom ROMs on my system and none of them recognize the ext3 (or ext4) partitions on my SD card. I know for a fact that all of them support the sd-ext partitions. (Obviously, I am doing this for A2SD usability)
I have MIUI 1.7.1, CM 7.0.3 and HiApk (with sensefun) v1.1.
I tried creating an ext3 partition in the beginning of the SD card like this,
400MB ext3 (primary) | 1.6GB fat32 (primary)
I tried doing it the other way round too, like this ->
1.6GB fat32 (primary) | 400MB ext3 (primary)
Neither works. I am using GParted on my Linuxbox to do this. What is the problem ? and how do I solve it ?
I have read quite a bit on all this and none of it is straightforward. Can someone explain it to me, like a 10year old ?

Go to into recovery and partition your sd card there.
Swyped from Oxygen with Transparent XDA App

discoguru said:
Can someone explain it to me, like a 10year old ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can show you how... check my signature... there`s two youtube guides.
One with Gparted, and one with Minitools.
Enjoy.

how do you know it is not working?
the EXT doesnt add up storage space in 'internal storage' in android settings
you have to use Quick System Info from android market to check if a2sd+ is working
and also
the correct partition layout is FAT32 and then (after fat) EXT partition not the other way.
also try with 512mb ext partition.

To see the ext partition, you can either connect your phone to linux or use an explorer which has root access.
Swyped from Oxygen with Transparent XDA App

Thank you people ! Yup, got the partition working. Also, thanks to dzumagos for the tip on how to see the ext partition space.

Link2SD & Partitioning Help

Hey everyone. I'm going nuts trying to figure out how to use Link2SD. I partitioned my 32G SD card using Mini Partition Tool. I made a 1 gig partition. I've tried FAT32 and EXT2. After partitioning, i rebooted and tried Link2SD. I keep getting the error "Mount script cannot be created. [1] Segmentation fault mount ..."
Is there any solution for the xperia play? I manually moved my apps but still ran out of space keeping system tools like Titanium Backup on the internal. Maybe I should make them System Apps?

I use the following on mine setup:
64gb Card (Fat32 - Primary)
5GB for EXT4 partition (Make sure when you partition it to set it as primary.)
300mb Swap Partition
I had an issue with Link2SD too ad it was because I was not setting the EXT partition as primary, oncei formatted it again as primary Link2SD had not issue with it. Try that.

ozzmanj1 said:
I use the following on mine setup:
64gb Card (Fat32 - Primary)
5GB for EXT4 partition (Make sure when you partition it to set it as primary.)
300mb Swap Partition
I had an issue with Link2SD too ad it was because I was not setting the EXT partition as primary, oncei formatted it again as primary Link2SD had not issue with it. Try that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks for the reply. Just tried what you said. My FAT32, ext4, and Swap are all Primary and sill no go. I get the same error (segmentation fault mount -t ext4...). When Link2SD opens I've tried selecting all the options for the parition type too and none of them work.
Anything else I can try? Does the order of the partitions make any difference? Right now I am Primary, ext4, Swap.

echardcore said:
Hey thanks for the reply. Just tried what you said. My FAT32, ext4, and Swap are all Primary and sill no go. I get the same error. When Link2SD opens I've tried selecting all the options for the parition type too and none of them work.
Anything else I can try? Does the order of the partitions make any difference? Right now I am Primary, ext4, Swap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah.... okay, I should have clarified this, only the fat32 and EXT partition are set to Primary. Swap Partition is set to logical, setting all three to primary causes issues.
Reformat only the swap and format to logical. Then in Link2SD force it to reinstall the scripting and see if that fixes it.

ozzmanj1 said:
Ah.... okay, I should have clarified this, only the fat32 and EXT partition are set to Primary. Swap Partition is set to logical, setting all three to primary causes issues.
Reformat only the swap and format to logical. Then in Link2SD force it to reinstall the scripting and see if that fixes it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay then. New problem. Now Link2SD says "No SD card present" and android doesn't mount it either.
This is killing me slowly.
I'll try to reformat the whole card via a reader...
Didnt work. SD card still not recognized.

echardcore said:
Okay then. New problem. Now Link2SD says "No SD card present" and android doesn't mount it either.
This is killing me slowly.
I'll try to reformat the whole card via a reader...
Didnt work. SD card still not recognized.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. If your willing, lets start fresh. I am guessing you have your SDcard files backed up. Using Minitool partition delete all partitions and format as FAT32. Then create another partition of your size and format it as EXT (I prefer 4, EXT4) and set it to EXT(2,3,4,etc) and Primary. Then just for kicks, do not make a swap partition. I read that its not necessary, however I always do it..... well necessary only if you use a swap manager. So after the fat32 and ext partitions are made and minitool has created them. Take out the card, put it back into your pc and see if windows sees the fat32 partition. If good place it back into your phone and see if it upon bootup sees your sdcard.
Just in case as a reference here is the tutorial from the developer of Link2SD on how to set it up.
http://www.link2sd.info/description

ozzmanj1 said:
OK. If your willing, lets start fresh. I am guessing you have your SDcard files backed up. Using Minitool partition delete all partitions and format as FAT32. Then create another partition of your size and format it as EXT (I prefer 4, EXT4) and set it to EXT(2,3,4,etc) and Primary. Then just for kicks, do not make a swap partition. I read that its not necessary, however I always do it..... well necessary only if you use a swap manager. So after the fat32 and ext partitions are made and minitool has created them. Take out the card, put it back into your pc and see if windows sees the fat32 partition. If good place it back into your phone and see if it upon bootup sees your sdcard.
Just in case as a reference here is the tutorial from the developer of Link2SD on how to set it up.
http://www.link2sd.info/description
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PC sees the FAT32. Phone sees the card now. Link2SD shows the partition but cant mount it and create the script for it. Also tried as ext2. Thanks for your help. I am going to try to update the ROM.
After updating the ROM to 2.4.0 and waiting 10 mins and rebooting as usual. was able to successfully link the partition! Thanks for your help!

No problem. Glad you got it working.
Sent from my R800at using xda premium

Got all my apps installed! Woot! Also, something must have been messed up with my previous flash.. I wasn't able to restore apps the newer way from titanium backup. I had to do it the old way one by one.
phone is going to make a great gaming alternative to my SGSII.

[Q] pb99diag missing after partiton resize

Seems I've made a bit of a booboo somewhere. I was recreating the ext3 partition on my sd card. I deleted the existing ext4 partition and resized the fat32 partition to take up the slack left behind. When I checked the partitions afterwards, everything was fine and all my files were present and correct in my fat32 partition. I booted into recovery, formatted all partitions except my fat32 and went to install my rom again. Except I forgot to put it on the sd card. So I copied it back on to my sd card, stuck the card back in the phone, booted into recovery and promptly got a message that pb99diag.zip is missing. I've checked the entire fat32 partition and there's no sign of it. I tried renaming "OTA_Bravo_Froyo_HTC_WWE_2.29.405.5-2.29.405.2_releasedauhl6jhok5cmdm6.zip" to "pb99diag.zip" but it doesn't seem to like it.
How can I get back into recovery without the pb99diag.zip?

found a similar thread: http://www.modaco.com/topic/348778-hboot-looking-for-pb99diagzip-why/
It's because you resized it, I believe it might eventually stop searching for the file and go into recovery, but it's not ideal.
I'd try backing up sd again, and completely reformatting and partitioning again, but using up to date gparted instead.
- Also, why did you need to change from ext4 to ext3? ext4 is marginally faster, most ROMs support ext4.
- And are you trying to install an RUU? In which case you don't need an ext partition at all?
Sorry just trying to understand your overall aim...

- Also, why did you need to change from ext4 to ext3? ext4 is marginally faster, most ROMs support ext4.
- And are you trying to install an RUU? In which case you don't need an ext partition at all?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had 2 2gb ext partitions, ext3, ext4. I didn't need 2 so deleted 1 and just created a single ext3 partition. I wanted to go back to my PA jb 4.2.2 which was working fine until I used link2sd to free up some more system space but because its sh1t it just completely ballsed up my entire install. I installed an RU and this left me rooted with s-off and it was plain sailing from there to reinstall recovery and flash my custom rom again. I'm using a different sd card now (for testing purposes) but I'm still getting the pb99 errors. As you say, it will eventually allow me into recovery and I can continue what I'm doing but it takes ages and I've never had this issue before.
I'm using MiniTool Partition Wizard Professional to create my partitions.

mickrick said:
I'm using MiniTool Partition Wizard Professional to create my partitions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's your main problem, do not use MiniTool Partition Wizard. More often than not it creates improperly aligned partitions. Link2SD won't have helped either, it's a messy method and you don't need it with 4.2.2 ROMs, follow the instructions to activate A2SD via terminal commands.
I would backup the FAT32 partition of your sd card, and reformat and repartition the whole thing using gparted. Use this video guide to help
Basically you want to remove all partitions and create one FAT32 partition, and max 2GB ext4 partition. You might as well keep it ext4 over ext3, it should be marginally faster.
Then full wipe and reflash ROM, don't use link2SD.
You should also look to s-off, search for guides, much more powerful, and useful if things go wrong.