Problems
"The contents of the /sdcard partition is not properly displayed by Windows Explorer. I'm missing files/folders and/or I'm seeing files/folders that shouldn't be on my /sdcard. When I browse my /sdcard with a file manager app the contents are displayed OK."
"Whey copying files, the process hangs during transfer. Happens mostly when copying a large number of files."
"The /sdcard contents are listed, but it's not possible to copy anything from or to the /sdcard."
Cause
The Galaxy Nexus does not support the USB mass storage protocol, but relies on MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) when connected to a computer using a USB cable. The implementation of MTP is buggy at best. Transferring files is slower and less reliable when compared to USB mass storage. Windows Explorer is often unresponsive for shorter or longer periods when browsing the /sdcard with it and may not list the contents of the /sdcard properly. These problems are Windows version independent, despite the fact MTP is natively supported since Windows Vista. Problems are reported with XP, Vista and 7 on x86 and x64 architectures. Using alternative file managers instead of Windows Explorer also doesn't resolve the issue.
Solution
I've find it best to work around this issue by avoiding to use MTP by using the following methods:
Direct methods
1) Using ADB
Prerequisites
- ADB binaries
- USB debugging option enabled in developer options
- Galaxy Nexus connected to the computer with USB cable (rooted phones can also use ADB via a Wifi connection)
Steps
The Android Debug Bridge allows to copy files/folders from and to the /sdcard by using the adb pull and adb push commands on a Windows command line interface (DOS prompt). You'll need the ADB binaries on your computer to use this method. You can get them by either installing the Android SDK or by downloading this small package with all the binaries you need (recommended): http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=1031911&d=1335747189
Extract the files to a folder of your liking. To use adb commands, you must open a command line and either navigate to the folder that contains the adb files (cd D:\MyAdbFilesAreHere) OR you can add the absolute folder location of that folder to the Windows PATH system variable so you can use adb commands regardless of the current directory you're in.
Syntax
adb push <local> <remote> - copy file/dir to device
adb pull <remote> [<local>] - copy file/dir from device
Examples
If you want to copy your entire /sdcard to D:\MyGalaxyNexus: adb pull /sdcard D:\MyGalaxyNexus
If you want to copy just the DCIM folder (camera images): adb pull /sdcard/DCIM D:\MyGalaxyNexus\CameraImages
If you want to copy a file from your computer to the /sdcard: adb push D:\MyGalaxyNexus\musictrack.mp3 /sdcard/music
Advantages of this method
- Good transfer speeds.
- Possible to automate backups by creating simple Windows batch files.
Disadvantages of this method
- Using a CLI is less intuitive than a GUI.
- File attributes are not preserved (created, modified, accessed attributes).
2) Accessing a shared folder on your computer with a file manager app on your device via Wifi
Prerequisites
- Wifi connection
- Computer and Galaxy Nexus connected to the same LAN
- A shared folder on your computer
- A file manager app that supports accessing LAN shares (for instance: ES File Explorer)
Steps
Create a folder anywhere on your computer and share it by giving the user "Everyone" read/write permissions on it (note: if you are on a network, this means every user on that network can access your folder AND write/delete files in it. For most home situations that's not an issue though): right click on the folder > Share With > Specific People > use the combox to select "Everyone" > click Add. Now change the permission level to Read/Write. You also need to turn off 'password protected sharing' for this to work via Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Advanced Sharing Settings > expand Home or Work > section Password protected sharing > turn off password protected sharing.
Finally, install ES File Explorer via the Play Store and launch it. Change the view to LAN. Tap New > tap Scan. Your computer's IP should be listed. Tap it. It will show an overview of shared folders. Ignore the admin shares Windows creates by default (all shares with a dollar sign suffix) and tap the folder you created earlier. Now you can copy any file from/to this folder using ES File Explorer.
Advantages of this method
- Decent transfer speeds.
- Copying files/folders with a GUI.
Disadvantages of this method
- All copy operations must be done on the phone.
- File attributes are not preserved (created, modified, accessed attributes).
3) Using an FTP server on your device
Prerequisites
- Wifi connection
- App that allows FTP access to your device (for instance: ES File Explorer)
- FTP client (for example: FileZilla)
Steps
This is pretty straightforward: open ES File Explorer, go to 'settings' > 'remote settings' and enable 'remote manage'. The app will provide you with an IP address & port which you have to enter in your FTP client. After you have connected, you can transfer files from/to the device.
Advantages of this method
- Decent transfer speeds.
- Copying files/folders using a Windows program.
Disadvantages of this method
- File attributes are not preserved (created, modified, accessed attributes).
Indirect methods
1) Using the cloud
Prerequisites
- An account with a cloud storage service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Box.com, etc.
- A Wifi connection (not an actual prerequisite, but using mobile data is a lot slower and will have a large impact on your data plan)
Steps
This is pretty straightforward to explain: upload the files you wish to backup to the cloud service of choice, and in turn download them to your computer.
Advantages of this method
- Decent transfer speeds.
- Copying files/folders with a GUI.
- Preserves file attributes.
Disadvantages of this method
- Not a direct method.
- Dependent of third-party services (service or internet connection might be down).
2) USB on the go
Prerequisites
- USB on the go cable
- USB thumb drive
- Root access
- App "Stick Mount" by ChainFire
Steps
With stick mount, a USB OTG cable and a USB thumb drive you can mount a USB thumb drive on your phone. This allows you to copy files and folders from the /sdcard to the mounted USB thumb drive using a file manager app. In turn, the files on the USB thumb drive can be copied to your computer.
Advantages of this method
- Good transfer speeds.
- Copying files/folders with a GUI.
- Preserves file attributes.
Disadvantages of this method
- Not a direct method.
- Needs a rooted device.
- Dependent of a third-party app (might be pulled from the play store or will not be updated).
GPsoft Directory Opus
Directory Opus is a file manager for windows, offering complete system integration thus a full replacement for Windows Explorer. Since version 10.5, Directory Opus has full MTP support built-in. Although certain operations cause long delays (copy-paste for example), the MTP support is robust enough for me to abandon ADB for file transfers.
This is great. Well done. I will certainly link to it in the 101 thread. If you want, I can also add the text to the actual thread (with credit of course) - your call.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Thanks efrant. I hope it proves helpful. Imho, it's probably best to copy the text to your 101 & FAQ post, so people can access all useful info in one place. But if you think the 101 & FAQ post will become too large, linking is also fine.
thanks for putting this together man.
Sent from my i9250
C:\Windows\System32>C:\Users\Angelo\Desktop\platform-tools-v19\adb.exe pull /sdcard D:\MyGalaxyNexus
remote object '/sdcard' not a file or directory
What's wrong?
DDeleted said:
C:\Windows\System32>C:\Users\Angelo\Desktop\platform-tools-v19\adb.exe pull /sdcard D:\MyGalaxyNexus
remote object '/sdcard' not a file or directory
What's wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use /sdcard/
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Petrovski80 said:
Solution
I've find it best to work around this issue by avoiding to use MTP by using the following methods:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AirDroid
For people who really want to use Windows Explorer effectively, there is a very good app called Samba Filesharing. It runs a samba server on your Android device, which you can then set up as a network drive in Windows. Unlike MTP, all Windows Explorer functions work, eg right-click context menu and filetype associations. It works via WiFi hotspot or normal WiFi connection.
The disadvantage is that transfer rate is limited to about 1.8 MB/s. But for simply browsing files, doing housecleaning, and less-than-huge file transfers, it provides all the familiarity of Explorer. I don't know if it works with wired USB tethering, but if it does, that would also give much faster transfer rate.
thanks for the comparisons in a simple list :good:
FYI, for linux users:
When using adb, no need to download any drivers, just use adb [to get adb, just download platform-tools-v19.zip or if there's a newer one when you read this...].
If you're using adb and try to move files remember to also put the / at the end of the filepath for your android device.
i.e.
./adb push nameofile.zip /sdcard/
Also, before attempting to manually mount your gnex, it already may be automatically connected.
After connecting the usb cable - verify by ./adb devices
Awesoomee guide! Should be stickied!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Hi.
Thank you for this guide.
I'm getting crazy for a problem: I would like to restore the photos without change the creation date.
I tried everything to copy file, ftp server, shared folder, ADB but the date changes: I have to give up or is there a method to preserve it?
Thank you again.
Bye!
! !
lupoalberto12 said:
Hi.
Thank you for this guide.
I'm getting crazy for a problem: I would like to restore the photos without change the creation date.
I tried everything to copy file, ftp server, shared folder, ADB but the date changes: I have to give up or is there a method to preserve it?
Thank you again.
Bye!
! !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use quickpic gallery to restore date/time file attributes. Quickpic reads exif metadata and updates the file date accordingly.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
I know but I would like to use the default gallery .
Thank you.
Bye!
! !
lupoalberto12 said:
I know but I would like to use the default gallery .
Thank you.
Bye!
! !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can. Fixing the date attributes is a one time action, afterwards you can remove quickpic if you like.
Note that I'm not talking albout sort views.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Petrovski80 said:
Note that I'm not talking albout sort views.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the problem .
Better than nothing .
Thank you.
Bye!
! !
WinSCP
Petrovski80 said:
3) Using an FTP server on your device
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, some extra things to note. The ES Explorer FTP server (or perhaps any FTP server) on the Galaxy Nexus is prone to disconnection and may hang if you try to copy the whole folder with a client app like WinSCP.
For WinSCP I found that when doing transfers to enable "Transfer files individually" helps with the reliability.
title says it all, you see metro apps from the window store are huge, some games even reach 200 Megabytes. I'm thinking of upgrading my computer by using an SSD instead of an HDD, however unlike my HDD, the SSD is only 120GB while my HDD is 750 GB. I could easily fill 120GB with Steam Apps, Metro Apps, Desktop Apps in less than a month.
It's possible, but it does require some work. Microsoft doesn't make this easy. You can use directory symbolic links (symlinks) to put the files on one drive (say, D: ) but have them accessible via another (say, C: ). This avoids breaking all the install paths, etc. and ensures new installations will go to the correct disk. Please note that even the biggest Metro apps are pretty small compared to the typical Steam game. You'll save a lot more space moving your Steam library over to the other drive. It's also a lot easier; you can either use the built-in Steam feature to put games in different library locations, or you can use symlinks (similar to as below, but with a whole lot less "Takeown" and similar). However, if you really want to move the WindowsApps folder, try the following steps. Be aware that in cases of mistyped commands, failure to follow instructions correctly, gremlins, or plain bad luck, it's entirely possible that this will mess something up.
You'll need an Administrator command prompt (meaning you need Admin access) to do this.
These steps assume that your C:\ drive is your SSD, and that Windows is currently installed there, and D:\ is your large data drive, where you want to move the app folder.
You may adjust the paths, especially the destination, if you want; these instructions put the "WindowsApps folder on the root of the D: drive.
First, make sure you aren't running any "Metro" apps. It may help to do these steps immediately after rebooting.
Open a Command Prompt as Administrator (you can do this by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Command Prompt (Admin)" from the menu).
Take ownership of the WindowsApps directory:
Code:
takeown /F "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" /A /R
Make a copy of the "C:\Program FilesWindowsApps" folder onto the new drive:
Code:
robocopy "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" "D:\WindowsApps" /E /COPYALL /DCOPY:DAT
Make sure that the copy succeeded (no Skipped or FAILED, etc. in the summary).
Delete the original WindowsApps folder:
Code:
rmdir /S "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps"
Create the symlink:
Code:
mklink /D "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" "D:\WindowsApps"
At this point, you should be done. Try running a Metro app to verify that it worked.
My apps won't work because of the last step. It say's
Cannot create a file when that file already exists.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That just means that the WindowsApps dir wasn't fully deleted. I actually recommend doing this step from the local Administrator account (disabled by default; use Computer Management -> Local Users and Groups to enable it, then log off (tap your name on the Start screen to get the log off option) and log in as Admin. That should ensure that anything using the WindowsApps dir stops, since local Admin can't run AppContainer apps.
It wont let me delete these files, im in admin mode
C:\Users\Administrator>rmdir /S "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps"
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps, Are you sure (Y/N)? y
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MICROS~2.135\images - Access is denied.
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MICROS~2.135 - Access is denied.
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MICROS~3.26_\LOCALC~1\CACHED~1 - Access is denied.
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MICROS~3.26_\LOCALC~1 - Access is denied.
C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\MICROS~3.26_ - Access is denied.
Access is denied.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lowridincrew said:
It wont let me delete these files, im in admin mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it sounds like you nor elivated the CMD promt,you need to run the cmd prompt in elevated rights, not just logged in as administrator
click start
type cmd
right click
select run as administrator
or
Windows Key + X and select cmd prompt (administrator)
Uninstall all Apps currently installed (The registry tweak will cause errors when Apps get updated)
Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx\PackageRoot
Change location from "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" to where you want them ie( "e:\WinApps")
RoyalWitCheese said:
Uninstall all Apps currently installed (The registry tweak will cause errors when Apps get updated)
Regedit
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Appx\PackageRoot
Change location from "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" to where you want them ie( "e:\WinApps")
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would have thought you don't need to do this if you are using a symlink/junction
If you just manually moved the files and didn't create a link afterwards then YES you need to make this registry change
Everything seemed like it went smoothly but once I updated the main apps (mail, calendar, people, messaging) They will not open. All of the apps I installed after doing this procedure work fine, as well as Store and Bing. I tried uninstalling these apps and reinstalling to no avail. They just start to open and then close. All of the new apps are being installed in the correct "WindowsApps" folder on my D: drive so it seems to have worked. Any Ideas?
Tried to make the change in the registry but when I save it I get an error message:
"Cannot edit PackageRoot: Error writing the value's new contents."
This change seems like a logical solution but I'm not sure why I can't save the change.
I'm having trouble simply copying over the data >< I initially tried to write to a sub-folder, not the root of another drive. Both attempts to run robocopy on root and sub-folder failed giving the message:
Copying File C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\18476MPBrun.ShareMyFiles_1.4.0.0_neutral__5j38zygvezh8g\App.xaml
Access is denied.
Waiting 30 seconds...
I thought maybe I had something open so I booted up in Safe Mode with cmd prompt and still, I got the same error. Any ideas?
GoodDayToDie said:
It's possible, but it does require some work. Microsoft doesn't make this easy. You can use directory symbolic links (symlinks) to put the files on one drive (say, D: ) but have them accessible via another (say, C: ). This avoids breaking all the install paths, etc. and ensures new installations will go to the correct disk. Please note that even the biggest Metro apps are pretty small compared to the typical Steam game. You'll save a lot more space moving your Steam library over to the other drive. It's also a lot easier; you can either use the built-in Steam feature to put games in different library locations, or you can use symlinks (similar to as below, but with a whole lot less "Takeown" and similar). However, if you really want to move the WindowsApps folder, try the following steps. Be aware that in cases of mistyped commands, failure to follow instructions correctly, gremlins, or plain bad luck, it's entirely possible that this will mess something up.
You'll need an Administrator command prompt (meaning you need Admin access) to do this.
These steps assume that your C:\ drive is your SSD, and that Windows is currently installed there, and D:\ is your large data drive, where you want to move the app folder.
You may adjust the paths, especially the destination, if you want; these instructions put the "WindowsApps folder on the root of the D: drive.
First, make sure you aren't running any "Metro" apps. It may help to do these steps immediately after rebooting.
Open a Command Prompt as Administrator (you can do this by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Command Prompt (Admin)" from the menu).
Take ownership of the WindowsApps directory:
Code:
takeown /F "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" /A /R
Make a copy of the "C:\Program FilesWindowsApps" folder onto the new drive:
Code:
robocopy "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" "D:\WindowsApps" /E /COPYALL /DCOPY:DAT
Make sure that the copy succeeded (no Skipped or FAILED, etc. in the summary).
Delete the original WindowsApps folder:
Code:
rmdir /S "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps"
Create the symlink:
Code:
mklink /D "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" "D:\WindowsApps"
At this point, you should be done. Try running a Metro app to verify that it worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to add a line to change the file access permissions using icacls, otherwise you'll get "access is denied" when you try to copy the files.
Ah, good point. (Sorry, as I mentioned somewhere, I did this rather haphazardly...)
A possibly better way (no changing permissions, including ownership) would be to use a shell under TrustedInstaller. There are, or at least used to be, a few ways to do this... but I can't get them to work now. Anybody know of one that works on Win8 x64?
built in apps(weather, mail, maps, news) not working after update. do you know how to fix other than refresh windows? thanks
Fienamie said:
built in apps(weather, mail, maps, news) not working after update. do you know how to fix other than refresh windows? thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I solved it, at least on my Surface. I ran this from an elevated command prompt after running into Access Denied on all content in the folder:
Code:
C:\windows\system32>icacls "c:\program files\windowsapps" /grant
Administrator:(D,WDAC)
I then re-ran the rmdir command.
---------- Post added at 03:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:38 PM ----------
CRAP - after all this, all of my Metro apps crash and fail to open. dammit.
looks like you have made a mistake, the apps are in windowsapps folder, while the data <say downloads or cache of an online video app> is in C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Packages. this folder will even larger.
I have tried to use junction to move some of the folders to sd card on my rt, the app can read / write, but cannot create a file.
GoodDayToDie said:
It's possible, but it does require some work. Microsoft doesn't make this easy. You can use directory symbolic links (symlinks) to put the files on one drive (say, D: ) but have them accessible via another (say, C: ). This avoids breaking all the install paths, etc. and ensures new installations will go to the correct disk. Please note that even the biggest Metro apps are pretty small compared to the typical Steam game. You'll save a lot more space moving your Steam library over to the other drive. It's also a lot easier; you can either use the built-in Steam feature to put games in different library locations, or you can use symlinks (similar to as below, but with a whole lot less "Takeown" and similar). However, if you really want to move the WindowsApps folder, try the following steps. Be aware that in cases of mistyped commands, failure to follow instructions correctly, gremlins, or plain bad luck, it's entirely possible that this will mess something up.
You'll need an Administrator command prompt (meaning you need Admin access) to do this.
These steps assume that your C:\ drive is your SSD, and that Windows is currently installed there, and D:\ is your large data drive, where you want to move the app folder.
You may adjust the paths, especially the destination, if you want; these instructions put the "WindowsApps folder on the root of the D: drive.
First, make sure you aren't running any "Metro" apps. It may help to do these steps immediately after rebooting.
Open a Command Prompt as Administrator (you can do this by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Command Prompt (Admin)" from the menu).
Take ownership of the WindowsApps directory:
Code:
takeown /F "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" /A /R
Make a copy of the "C:\Program FilesWindowsApps" folder onto the new drive:
Code:
robocopy "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" "D:\WindowsApps" /E /COPYALL /DCOPY:DAT
Make sure that the copy succeeded (no Skipped or FAILED, etc. in the summary).
Delete the original WindowsApps folder:
Code:
rmdir /S "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps"
Create the symlink:
Code:
mklink /D "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps" "D:\WindowsApps"
At this point, you should be done. Try running a Metro app to verify that it worked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I can use the built in steam method to move my current installs on my pro, to my 64gb class 10 microsd card? I think I saw the place you talking about. In steam store, then view, then setting, then download tab. In there I see steam folder locations. When I press on it, it shows my current steam folder location and how much memory its used up. I have 12 installs taking up like 43gb on my Surface Pro 128gb. The only options I see in there is to "Add steam folder location" and "Remove Steam folder location".
Now how would I go about using that to move existing location of installs into my micro sd card? As far as built in steam method goes. Is it like if I make a new location those will automatically be moved there or only new installs from that point on. This mod would really help and free me up space. With steam games and metro apps, im only looking at about 22.8gb free space left. I've seen other methods of moving but afraid to mess my device up. This windows stuff seem to have more dire consequences than me taking risks with my android tablet. Pro is an expensive tablet.
Would performance still be the same once stuff moved to my SanDisk class 10 64gb card? As far as steam games go. I remember reading the class 10 card has similar speeds compared to built in ssd.
Any insight greatly appreciated.
---------- Post added at 10:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 AM ----------
I just came across this in steam help/how to's section. Bit this doesn't really describe built in steam method. More so going into file explorer and copying/pasting.
"Moving Your Steam Installation
Warning:
It is highly recommended that you create a backup of your SteamApps folder before attempting this process. Neglecting to do so may result in a loss of all of your game content should something go wrong.
If you're low on space on the drive you have Steam installed, you can move the Steam folder to a different location. Here's an example of how to move the Steam installation between two hard drives:
1.Log out and exit Steam
2.Navigate to the folder where Steam is installed (by default: C:\Program Files\Steam\)
3.Delete all of the files and folders except the SteamApps folder and Steam.exe
4.Cut and paste your Steam folder to the new location, for example: D:\Games\Steam\
5.Launch Steam
6.Steam will briefly update and then you will be ready to play
7.All future game content will be downloaded to the new folder D:\Games\Steam\Steamapps\
"
Would that be correct?
If you use the existing steam method to install new games on the SD card you can then use the method listed in the second link to move existing installs to the new location.
I took the risk and used second method of moving everything to micro sd card. it took a while but it went through successfully. games are playing fine so far off the microsd card. and now I freed up a ton of internal ssd memory space. only thing I had to do was make a new steam shortcut in desktop. but everything works as it usually does.
im hoping if I need to free up steam space on card, I can use usual method of uninstalling. Or can I have steam reading from both locations. like lets say my memory card fills up...which I only have like 13gb left on it now. can I just add another location and use internal also or does it have to be one or the other?
also by using second method, steam will automatically now install any new games to sd card. I checked in settings and the file path points to my microsd card,
demandarin said:
I took the risk and used second method of moving everything to micro sd card. it took a while but it went through successfully. games are playing fine so far off the microsd card. and now I freed up a ton of internal ssd memory space. only thing I had to do was make a new steam shortcut in desktop. but everything works as it usually does.
im hoping if I need to free up steam space on card, I can use usual method of uninstalling. Or can I have steam reading from both locations. like lets say my memory card fills up...which I only have like 13gb left on it now. can I just add another location and use internal also or does it have to be one or the other?
also by using second method, steam will automatically now install any new games to sd card. I checked in settings and the file path points to my microsd card,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I forget the exact settings but it is possible to specify 2 seperate steam library file paths and then when you install an game it gives the choice which to use
SixSixSevenSeven said:
I forget the exact settings but it is possible to specify 2 seperate steam library file paths and then when you install an game it gives the choice which to use
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's in your settings > Downloads > Steam Library folders
Hey - Sorry if this is the wrong forum, but I'm stuck. I've installed an app via Google Play, and I'd like to move it from /data/app to /system/priv-app (I was instructed to do this to enable extra features on the app). I can browse to /data/app and I see a big list of crazy-character folders, and I locate the one with the folder inside I need. I try and cut/paste that file into system/priv-app using Root Explorer. It prompts me "The current file system is read-only. Do you want to remount as read-write and continue?" I click yes, and then the move fails.
I'm using Magisk and I've granted Root Explorer superuser permissions.
Am I missing something painfully obvious here?
Try it from the console and see what error it gives you. You can also provide output of a couple of commands, "mount" (show the mount parameters for all mounted filesystems) and "df -h" (show free space).
This a factory system image or AOSP?
system partition is write protected.
You might have luck using Magisk module for privileged apps
Yep, someone in another thread in this section had the same or similar problem, but I believe it was completely solved by a magisk module. I haven't used that module, and can't remember what it's called, so I can't be more specific.
While is is possible to edit the system partition, I highly recommend you don't do that. In order to do that, you would need to edit the super and vbmeta partitions. There is a scripted solution to do that (here), but I've never used it.
A much easier solution would be to use Magisk's mirror partitions that allow you to virtually override/add/remove elements for the system/vendor/product partitions. Create a simple Magisk module or use /data/adb/magisk (read the Magisk documentation)