Delete kftv launcher cache? (FS4K) - Fire TV Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Is there a way to delete the cache for the default launcher? I dont have root. There is over 900mb of data inside that thing.
Thank you in advance,
Jason.

tdfsu said:
Is there a way to delete the cache for the default launcher? I dont have root. There is over 900mb of data inside that thing.
Thank you in advance,
Jason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use ADB. Connect your Fire TV stick to your PC with a micro USB cable and run:
Code:
adb shell pm clear com.amazon.tv.launcher
NOTE: This will clear all application data and cache
You want to clear cache via recovery. Run:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
and select wipe cache partition.

So does that adb command delete all of the apps as well? Or just all of the app data?
Thank u for the reply btw!

tdfsu said:
So does that adb command delete all of the apps as well? Or just all of the app data?
Thank u for the reply btw!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it just wipes the data completely from the launcher.

omg yes a fix for my (presumably) my huge mbcache.db that doesn't require root
AmznUser444 Dev said:
Code:
adb shell pm clear com.amazon.tv.launcher
NOTE: This will clear all application data and cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Amznuser444 -- I cannot thank you enough. This medium-level annoyance, over time, has become a colossal annoyance that up until a few minutes ago, had me almost over the fence on buying a new device. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. And @tdfsu -- and thank YOU too, for asking exactly the right question which landed my google search here.
*DISCLAIMER: Since I'm not rooted, I don't think there's a way for me to verify that the infamous and usually-guilty mbcache.db file was deleted/reset by clearing the cache of the launcher... but with the sideloaded help of DiskUsage (by Ivan Volosyuk) I was able to verify that 'KFTV Launcher' went from 2.10GB down to 93MB.
My 3rd-gen pendant firetv box is used for precisely two apps: youtube, and Kodi pulling media over NFS.
...and I'm a "kinda experienced" Kodi developer, with an efficient setup and svelte footprint, so the fact this dumb thing could run out of space was infuuuuriating me. I wasted a good hour finding only dozens of older forum posts suggesting only two solutions:
wipe & restore fireos
"get root" & rm the criminally-overinflated mbcache.db
...so I'd like to try and guide future people here and crosslink with some the pages I landed on before this one, to try and hint the google algorithm in what I think is this correct direction. From reddit: Out-of-storage space on rooted 1st Gen FireTV, with Kodi installed, Amazon Fire TV Hard Drive Full of WHAT?, PSA: To anyone having "low storage" problems, get the app Total Commander and follow these steps, Fire TV low on storage error. From XDA: mbcache.db files is almost 4GB!, Hdd space shrinking fast on my Firetv box

Related

[Q] Market Not Downloading Apps

Hey, okay so I'm having this annoying problem with the android market not downloading my apps. I would click install, then it will say your item will be downloaded, then it will start downloading but then disappear and stop. What's even more weird is that it doesn't happen for all apps, some of them do download. I have tried going to settings, market, and clear data and cache. Also, the same thing with the download manager still no luck. I am running a custom rom (Stock Turbo) however, this problem was persistent in my original stock rom too. I think it has something to do with the new android market. 2.2.7. Any ideas? Thanks. Btw, I have a HTC Evo.
Update
Hey, okay so I was reading, and I discovered the with the custom rom I have the dalvik is moved to the /cache space. Apparently, the market also uses the /cache space when temporarily downloading apps. That could explain why I can only download smaller apps. So could this be the problem? Also, is there a way to move the dalvik back to the phone's memory, or am I better off just flashing another rom?
Wow, okay, so I'm replying to my own posts ahha, but anyway, I looked in logcat, and realized, that I get the error d/downloadmanager: downlaod aborted not enough free space. So definitly have to do with the /cache right?
my phone did this to me before i even rooted. try clearing the market cache and restarting.
aimbdd said:
my phone did this to me before i even rooted. try clearing the market cache and restarting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, still didn't work
I had this same problem a few months ago and did find a fix somewhere online. I have the link saved on my laptop at home, if no one posts it before I get home Ill post it here for you.
filmaker said:
Wow, okay, so I'm replying to my own posts ahha, but anyway, I looked in logcat, and realized, that I get the error d/downloadmanager: downlaod aborted not enough free space. So definitly have to do with the /cache right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if your /cache partition is full, it will cause issues downloading from the market. I saw that at one point.
Since you mentioned logcat, I assume you have the SDK and adb ready to go. You can confirm if your cache dir is full with the following (from windows. You can also drop "adb shell" and run it from terminal on the device).
adb shell df -k /cache
bkrodgers said:
Yes, if your /cache partition is full, it will cause issues downloading from the market. I saw that at one point.
Since you mentioned logcat, I assume you have the SDK and adb ready to go. You can confirm if your cache dir is full with the following (from windows. You can also drop "adb shell" and run it from terminal on the device).
adb shell df -k /cache
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey thanks for the info. Actually, I just got a little impatient and went on, and installed another custom rom where the dalvik is not moved to the cache portion. That seemed to do the trick. With this new rom I have 152 mb of space available in the chache. (checking from adb)
corzo002 said:
I had this same problem a few months ago and did find a fix somewhere online. I have the link saved on my laptop at home, if no one posts it before I get home Ill post it here for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I appreciate the help, but I solved my problem by installing another custom rom without the dalvik moved to the /cache. Seems to be working now. lol

Clear up Space from downgrades and upgrades recovery?

The firetv has about 1 gig of remaining space. Prior to the earlier rooted version I had about 4 gigs of remaining space. Is there a way or a guide to clear out the holding copies of roms on the firetv? I've tried to keep a note of the locations but cannot seem to find the files to delete. Not sure as well.
Here are the paths. I presume the recovery.img and the bootmenu.img is required for rbox's boot menu. I couldn't find rom.zip
adb push update.zip /cache
/data/local/tmp/aftv-unlock unlock
adb push recovery.img /sdcard/
adb push bootmenu.img /sdcard/
adb push rom.zip /sdcard/
space
Has anyone tried to clean up the extracted roms etc to make up some room on the ftv? The guides walk you through the downgrade and upgrade process but don't really touch on what to remove after the process is completed.
any guidance is really appreciated.
Steps to delete the files you push to sdcard.
1. adb shell
2. su
3. rm -f /sdcard/filename
great. have you done this? Will it break anything like the rbox's boot menu? does it recover any space? sorry for the questions.
navigates said:
great. have you done this? Will it break anything like the rbox's boot menu? does it recover any space? sorry for the questions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the Bootmenu installed, can I run the following commands to make space? Will I brick my box as I have the boot menu?
Run the command: adb shell
Run the command: su
Run the command: rm -f /cache/*.bin
Run the command: rm -f /cache/*.zip
Run the command: exit
Run the command (yes, again): exit
Hi, I used SD Maid app ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm) and I paid for the SD Maid unlocker pro was on sale cheap price.
They cleaned and free 2.4gb whole system and apps including any dead files or directory. It required to have root.
chrootz said:
Hi, I used SD Maid app ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm) and I paid for the SD Maid unlocker pro was on sale cheap price.
They cleaned and free 2.4gb whole system and apps including any dead files or directory. It required to have root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too used the SD maid app. I found my old FW files under : /mnt/shell/emulated and there they were. Thanks for the app suggestion...
I bought that app about years ago, I totally forgot about it!
chrootz said:
Hi, I used SD Maid app ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm) and I paid for the SD Maid unlocker pro was on sale cheap price.
They cleaned and free 2.4gb whole system and apps including any dead files or directory. It required to have root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This App / Post should become a sticky. I purchased the pro version from google play as well. its just $2.49. Here are my results.
Initial: 1.46GB Remaining
After Cleaning: 2.67GB Remaining
After starting SPMC and rebooting. 2.62GB Remaining. (SPMC Starts as if its just installed but all settings are intact)
Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks Thanks
People here are helpful... Wish I could thank you enough.
Your welcome.
I had like 658mb in the amazon pictures folder.... Don't know why
mroneeyedboh said:
I had like 658mb in the amazon pictures folder.... Don't know why
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder if those are the screen saver photos?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
collindv said:
I wonder if those are the screen saver photos?
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another TIP to keep the space down is in XBMC, uncheck the option to cache movie thumbnails. Can't remember what is the exact option. I use SPMC 13.3.2 as the variant of xbmc.
Thanks. I don't know what was removed from that amazon photos folder
This app is amazing. It looks like the bulk of the savings is from compressing the various databases.
Hye guys also, you can use this to DISABLE apps that are starting in the background as well. I found a few apps that were starting for no reason
Hi all,
I rooted my fire tv. i downgrade firmware and installed CWM, install rbox bootloader, then upgrade pre-rooted firmware by rbox. Now when i check under setting --> system -> about i see 3.61gb free space from 5.49gb available space. I don't have a lot app installed in my rooted fire tv so i didnt think what i have installed would taken up 2gb. Here is what i have installed.
Google play store, kodi, llama, es file explore, busybee box, supersu, chrome, firefox and the whatever was required to gain root access, upgrade and downgrading firmware and whatever app is pre-installed from pre-rooted firmware.
Is there way to check which apps and files are taking up the most space and how do you free up space?
Also, does this sound right that only 3.59gb is left. At one point during my root process when i was pushing update.zip file thru adb to downgrade firmware, it took a very long so i exit out of adb (i simply click on "x" bar to close the connection) and started again but i am not sure maybe i installed update.zip file 2x. How do i check? How do ensure i don't have any unnecessary file on fire tv internal drive.
Do you thinking using SD maid app will clean up any space?
Thank you
ashsha7877 said:
Hi all,
I rooted my fire tv. i downgrade firmware and installed CWM, install rbox bootloader, then upgrade pre-rooted firmware by rbox. Now when i check under setting --> system -> about i see 3.61gb free space from 5.49gb available space. I don't have a lot app installed in my rooted fire tv so i didnt think what i have installed would taken up 2gb. Here is what i have installed.
Google play store, kodi, llama, es file explore, busybee box, supersu, chrome, firefox and the whatever was required to gain root access, upgrade and downgrading firmware and whatever app is pre-installed from pre-rooted firmware.
Is there way to check which apps and files are taking up the most space and how do you free up space?
Also, does this sound right that only 3.59gb is left. At one point during my root process when i was pushing update.zip file thru adb to downgrade firmware, it took a very long so i exit out of adb (i simply click on "x" bar to close the connection) and started again but i am not sure maybe i installed update.zip file 2x. How do i check? How do ensure i don't have any unnecessary file on fire tv internal drive.
Do you thinking using SD maid app will clean up any space?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or just use esfile explorer and use the sdcard analyzer. It's not too hard to figure out where the large files are. If you've got more than one firmware file, that's close to 1gb with only two files. If you used cwm to back up your firetv, that's another 1.1 or 1.2gb. What i do is back it up, and then use the es file explorer app to push the backup to a network samba share.
After that, the backup can be deleted from the firetv.
Es file explorer is free too.

Need help

Even though i dont have any app installed my aftv says im running low on storage. On the setting menu i only have 470mb free. I already did a factory reset and wipe cache partition and wipe dalvik cache in CWM recovery, and reset to factory defaults on aftv settings.
Getting desperate as i cant sideload anything not even es file explorer...
Any ideas where i should look?
Hello, please anyone have any idea. Right now my aftv is useless even though its not bricked
Check xbmc thumbnails folder? I had an issue with it at one point, so I deleted the thumbnails folder in my kodi userdata folder which was huge and added an imageres tag in advanced settings file to 720 and let kodi rebuild thumbnails. I have several games installed and so far seems fine to me.
Look into that as a possible solution. If you have a lot of fan art and posters that could be eating up storage via thumbnails. I did try a path substitution for them at one point too, but I use a heavy skin and it was too slow to browse my media with the path subs for the thumbnails. Thinking of trying it again with another skin if I find one I like.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
ashmanmb said:
Check xbmc thumbnails folder? I had an issue with it at one point, so I deleted the thumbnails folder in my kodi userdata folder which was huge and added an imageres tag in advanced settings file to 720 and let kodi rebuild thumbnails. I have several games installed and so far seems fine to me.
Look into that as a possible solution. If you have a lot of fan art and posters that could be eating up storage via thumbnails. I did try a path substitution for them at one point too, but I use a heavy skin and it was too slow to browse my media with the path subs for the thumbnails. Thinking of trying it again with another skin if I find one I like.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did using the advanced settings method greatly reduced the size of data for XBMC? Mines' well over a 1.5g and I'm looking at moving my data to an external drive purely because of XBMC. I did the stickymount/foldermount method using a flash drive, but it was insanely slow.
Can you share your advanced settings file?
I can post it later for you. I use a central media server for my files and a mysql library so my kodi database is not on my fire tv, but like I said my thumbnails folder was huge in the userdata folder, so I shrank it by deleting it and setting imageres tag to 720 and it regenerated the thumbnails to a smaller size. I proved speed on my skin which is xeebo.
Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk
ashmanmb thanks for your reply but the problem is that of this moment my aftv has zero apps installed.
In the last few weeks i started getting the low storage message and i had xbmc, netflix and some other apps installed. Even after uninstalling and reinstalling i still got the message. Then a few days ago xbmc streams started getting a full cache in the beginning message.
So i thought i'm doing a factory reset through CWM recovery. After doing that i was stuck in a loop where it would go to the amazon logo and back to recovery. As suggested by rbox i updated my aftv version. After the update it went smoothly to the homescreen but with the same storage space (470mb). Back to recovery i did another factory reset and the storage space the same. I tried wipe cache partition, wipe the dalvik cache and even reset to factory default inside the aftv settings. I still have the same space. And the problem is i cant install any app like es file explorer to look for any files that may be occupying space.
So as if now i cant determine the problem...
Do you have any ROM files pushed and sitting after any upgrade? Do you have any backups done in CMW?
Look up the "du" command that you can run from shell (if rooted, can be run from root). Might need Busybox installed, not sure...
http://www.linfo.org/du.html
Eg: du -a / | sort -n -r | head -n 50
This gives you a top 50 hogs in your system. Read up on that and it should be a good starting point. I didn't search for scripts, but I am sure there are some good ones out there. There is also a "find" command, which might help you.
Dbdoshi thanks for your help
Will try tomorrow when i get home. If busybox is needed im in trouble because i can't install anything.
I'll let you know tomorrow
Thanks

Hdd space shrinking fast on my Firetv box

FireTV Box Gen 1
S/W: 51.1.6.3 Rooted
About a week ago, I noticed I only had about 1.56 GB of space left on my box. I assumed Kodi was the culprit, so I removed much of Kodi's data, thumbnails, addons, etc. I got Kodi down to around 600 MB, but realized the extra space gained wasn't much, putting the storage capacity at 1.63 GB. So I removed a couple of apps leaving only 4 or 5 that together may take up 50 MB. I don't use anything on the Firetv but Kodi, so I can't figure out what is eating up all my space, and it has gotten worse. It now shows I only have 873 MB of 5.49 GB, yet Kodi is only using about 750 MB.
Running ES File Explorer's SD Card Analyzer shows that under the heading: Others - 3.73 GB is used. The problem is it will not let me view what is in it or delete any of it. I would love to know what is consuming all of this space. I tried other apps like, CCleaner, and SD Maid but they didn't even recognize this 3.73 GB of unaccounted data.
Any suggestions as to how to identify where all my storage space is going, and mostly, free it back up? I realize the OS uses some of the storage space, but I don't recall it ever being this much.
Thank you
Modify_inc said:
Any suggestions as to how to identify where all my storage space is going, and mostly, free it back up? I realize the OS uses some of the storage space, but I don't recall it ever being this much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a similar issue with my AFTV2 (see my post earlier in this forum). Clearly, the issue is in /data. Go to that directory and run the following as root in a shell: du -h -d 1
This will list the disk usage by directory. The biggest hogs will usually be: data, app, dalvik-cache, and media. Go to each of those directories and check the du. Rinse and repeat. In my case, it was the FTV Launcher (in particular, the file /data/data/com.amazon.tv.launcher/databases/mbcache.db). Yours could be different, but the disk usage will reveal the problem. If it's not obvious, compare the output of du -h -d 1 every 24 hours or so (you could cat it to a file) and you will find the culprit.
retyre said:
I had a similar issue with my AFTV2 (see my post earlier in this forum). Clearly, the issue is in /data. Go to that directory and run the following as root in a shell: du -h -d 1
This will list the disk usage by directory. The biggest hogs will usually be: data, app, dalvik-cache, and media. Go to each of those directories and check the du. Rinse and repeat. In my case, it was the FTV Launcher (in particular, the file /data/data/com.amazon.tv.launcher/databases/mbcache.db). Yours could be different, but the disk usage will reveal the problem. If it's not obvious, compare the output of du -h -d 1 every 24 hours or so (you could cat it to a file) and you will find the culprit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much!
The mbcache.db was also my culprit, at 3.11 GB. I deleted it and I now have 3.96 GB of free space. That size just seems ridiculous for a database. Not sure what caused it to get so big, but it had to go.
retyre said:
Go to that directory and run the following as root in a shell: du -h -d
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not very familiar with FTV yet. Would you share just how to do that? I have an unrooted FTV2/5.2.1.1.
Thank you.
---------- Post added at 06:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:11 AM ----------
Modify_inc said:
Thank you very much!
The mbcache.db was also my culprit, at 3.11 GB. I deleted it and I now have 3.96 GB of free space. That size just seems ridiculous for a database. Not sure what caused it to get so big, but it had to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know what mbcache.db is created by?
That's so weird. This just started happening to me about a week ago with the same box and software. I also thought it was Kodi so I removed it and started from scratch, but that didn't solve the problem. I usually start with around ~2 GB free, but after watching a movie or show for a while (or sometimes doing nothing at all) the little box would pop up telling me to remove apps because I'm running out of space. It would often take hours for my free space to go back to normal and rebooting the box didn't help.
Thanks for the command, retyre. I'll give it a try next time this happens.
This works. Thanks
erased
Can someone please list step by step how to access and delete the mbcache.db file? Thanks
YOgun27 said:
Can someone please list step by step how to access and delete the mbcache.db file? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked for me: https://www.andryou.com/2017/01/04/amazon-fire-tv-fix-low-storage-error/
thanks for asking this question and for the replies. Exactly what I came here looking for!
I successfully deleted the mbcache.db file, and now I can't get most of my apps to work on the Fire TV, even if I use Firestarter. I tried to put the mbcache.db file back, and even tried a factory reset to no avail. Can somebody tell me how to get the Fire TV back to it's previous state, where I can access apps like Amazon Prime Video?
YOgun27 said:
I successfully deleted the mbcache.db file, and now I can't get most of my apps to work on the Fire TV, even if I use Firestarter. I tried to put the mbcache.db file back, and even tried a factory reset to no avail. Can somebody tell me how to get the Fire TV back to it's previous state, where I can access apps like Amazon Prime Video?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I upgraded to PreRooted FireOS 5 when I encountered the same problem after deleting some .dB files. Although my problem was only with YouTube.
I had locked my mscache.db back in January using the command chmod 0 mscache.db due to the massive space it was taking up. The Loading...Please wait message on the main page wasn't a big deal since I didn't use any of it.
Well, I finally got around to installing TWRP, which I then installed the pre-release 5.2.1.2_r1 update. It seemed to install without any issues, though I noticed I still had the Loading...Please Wait message, and the menu interface still looked the same as before. It doesn't look anything like the new interface as on the Gen 2 boxes (Isn't it suppose to?) Thinking it may have something to do with the mbcache.db still being locked, I checked the permissions on it and noticed it still had no permissions. Assuming the permissions should be the same as the other databases in the same folder, I typed chmod 660 mbcache.db. I verified it changed and confirmed the permissions matched with the other files in the database folder. I rebooted the box, and yet I still have the same continuous Loading... message, which always eventually says "We are currently unable to contact our servers."
Now that I have the mbcache.db unlocked, should I try reinstalling 5.2.1.2_r1 over itself or does someone have a better idea? Is it even safe to install the same version over itself?
Update: I confirmed the database files are being written to because the timestamps have changed from the previous date of 2017-01-03 to 2017-07-08 (current date).
Thank you
Y314K said:
I upgraded to PreRooted FireOS 5 when I encountered the same problem after deleting some .dB files. Although my problem was only with YouTube.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. Do you know where I can find a guide to upgrade to PreRooted FireOS 5? I can't seem to find it on AFTVnews.
YOgun27 said:
Thanks for the input. Do you know where I can find a guide to upgrade to PreRooted FireOS 5? I can't seem to find it on AFTVnews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Everything I know is based on this guide:
http://www.aftvnews.com/how-to-install-twrp-custom-recovery-on-a-rooted-fire-tv-1/
But I expand about my experience on updating from FireOS 3 to FireOS 5 from the 4th post here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv/help/help-to-unroot-fire-tv-to-original-t3612898
Read the whole guide tread. And don't get started until you know what you are doing. Everybody's starting point is different. So everybody needs to mod the Guide to their situation.
New issue, I've updated and downgraded many times. Now when I try to upgrade to 51.1.6.3 from 51.1.6.2 I get an error message when trying to push the zip file. Here is the log:
[email protected]:/ # adb push /Users/user1/update.zip /sdcard/
cannot stat '/Users/user1/update.zip': No such file or directory
I've searched similar problems, and tried every fix I can think of to no avail. Is it possible to get this zip file in the sdcard directory any other way??
YOgun27 said:
New issue, I've updated and downgraded many times. Now when I try to upgrade to 51.1.6.3 from 51.1.6.2 I get an error message when trying to push the zip file. Here is the log:
[email protected]:/ # adb push /Users/user1/update.zip /sdcard/
cannot stat '/Users/user1/update.zip': No such file or directory
I've searched similar problems, and tried every fix I can think of to no avail. Is it possible to get this zip file in the sdcard directory any other way??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I normally just use a Fat32 USB drive with all the files I'll need organized in separate clearly labeled folders.
Y314K said:
I normally just use a Fat32 USB drive with all the files I'll need organized in separate clearly labeled folders.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean put the zip file on a USB drive, which I then plug into the Fire TV? If so, I do I then get to the boot loader screen if the USB drive is occupying where I would plug in the keyboard?
YOgun27 said:
Do you mean put the zip file on a USB drive, which I then plug into the Fire TV? If so, I do I then get to the boot loader screen if the USB drive is occupying where I would plug in the keyboard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use a powerless USB hub to connect both at the same time.
Y314K said:
I use a powerless USB hub to connect both at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, I've made some progress and was able to use your program to update to 51.1.6.3. I also used the Downloader program to transfer TWRP 3.0.0-7.img. However now, i don't know how to install that without ADB. And when I put in the dd command, it says no such file or directory. Is there any other way to run this command?
Also, i can't seem to get out of [email protected], even if I run "adb shell" command. Could that be the issue?

[GUIDE] How to install Plex Media Server on external storage (Micro SD or USB Flash)

If you use Plex and Plex Media Server on your Nvidia Shield Android TV, as your library grows, you'll soon learn that Plex Media Server can eat up a lot of that fast, precious internal storage.
Please note the current limitation of Plex Media Server for Android:
Note: The server's data directory will always be placed on the original internal storage, even if you expand it with a USB drive or microSD card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ran into this problem and spent days trying to figure out how to set the location of the metadata database to the external (adopted) storage. Unfortunately, Plex doesn't give Android users this option like they do for Windows users. Maybe in the future? Maybe if enough of us make a stink on the interwebs?
If you can't wait that long, here's a guide on how to install Plex Media Server directly to your external storage, be it Micro SD or USB Flash Drive. Just make sure your storage media is SUPER FAST. So, it's probably best to go with the fastest USB 3.0 Flash or SSD drive you can find.
IT IS CRITICAL TO DO THESE STEPS IN ORDER:
Root the Nvidia Shield 16GB Nougat (2015)
Insert Micro SD card or USB Flash drive (make sure it's fast) and adopt the storage.
Install ES File Explorer and use its Root Explorer or use ADB command line:
Code:
adb uninstall <package_name>
to remove the Plex Media Server app. Reboot and verify that it's truly removed.
Enable Developer Options
Install Plex Media Server from Google Play. Yes, this will install it in the Internal Shared Storage, but it won't be in the /System/ folder.
Go to: Settings > Developer options > Force allow apps on external (4th from the bottom)
Go to: Settings > Apps > Storage Used and move Plex Media Server to the external storage.
Reboot the Shield
*Start Plex, initiate Plex Media Server, do not build default libraries, and it should work
Reboot the Shield
Use the Plex web client to create your libraries
Enjoy!!
*Whenever you restart the Nvidia Shield, launch Plex using the Plex Media Server shortcut in SETTINGS > APPS because you have to wait 1-3 seconds for your Micro SD or USB 3.0 Flash Drive to initialize, so this makes sure the PMS is running before Plex is opened.
Thank you so much for this guide.
Damn son, You literally just did the impossible!!! People have been trying to achieve this since Plex came to Shield Tv. Over 9000 thanks to you for getting this done & for posting a guide!!!
I got this to work, But had massive trouble trying to remove PMS with both ES File Explorer & ADB. After a hour or 2, I was finally able to remove PMS with Titanium Backup Pro successfully. I've got as far as setting my libraries up now & it all apiers to be on my 3.0 SSD
I can't find the folder to place the channel bundles. Did the folder structure change from the plex server that is installed as a system app?
liqianghua said:
I can't find the folder to place the channel bundles. Did the folder structure change from the plex server that is installed as a system app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im looking to install a few plugins & it seems the folder has been moved from "/data/data/com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb". Did you happen to find the new location of the appdata location?
EDIT: I have just managed to find it. Its located at.. "mnt/expand/RANDOM CODE/user/0/com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb"
RANDOM CODE Seems to be the adoptive storage ID. I didnt include mine because chances are is that mine would be different & it is around 35 characters long.
BIFFTAZ said:
Im looking to install a few plugins & it seems the folder has been moved from "/data/data/com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb". Did you happen to find the new location of the appdata location?
EDIT: I have just managed to find it. Its located at.. "mnt/expand/RANDOM CODE/user/0/com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb"
RANDOM CODE Seems to be the adoptive storage ID. I didnt include mine because chances are is that mine would be different & it is around 35 characters long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you BIFFTAZ. I appreciate your reply. It was driving me crazy not finding it. I ended up resetting my device in frustration and will let you know once I get my Shield back up and running.
Thanks muchly, Neo3D!
It's been working fine for me for the last 10 days or so on my 2015 16GB. Netflix is still working too - I'd read somewhere that they'd made it stop working on rooted devices but that doesn't seem to be the case here.
Hopefully the setup will survive the next Plex Media Server update !
BTW, after much unsuccessful faffing around with ES File Explorer etc, in the end I removed the existing PlexMediaServer via:
Code:
adb shell # on your PC
su # you will have to grant superuser access when asked by the SU app
mount -o rw,remount -t ext4 /system # mount /system as read-writeable
cd /system/app
rm -rf PlexMediaServer
Does this method work for the latest version of Shield with the latest software (just got one last week) ?
If yes, do any of the steps above change for it, or can I follow them to the dot?
TIA for the help... and Thank you OP for the awesome work!
@Neo3D, tank you so mutch, your trick worked like a charm (on my Nvidia Shield TV 2017, 16GB, Nvidia Experience 6.2)!
I've been spent a lot of time searching a solution to the Plex server and 16GB Shield limitation, and finally I got Plex working on the adopted storage!
(I suggest to @snickler or others moderators, to post this solution as a sticky post)
I also made some R/W performance tests:
1) insternal Shield storage: 210/40
2) KingFast SSD, 30GB, 1,8 inch, mSATA III, MLC (adopted storage) + Inateck USB 3.0 SSD mSATA, USB 3.0: 210/97
3) SanDisk Ultra Fit, 32GB, usb 3.0 (adopted storage) : 80/30
BIFFTAZ said:
Im looking to install a few plugins & it seems the folder has been moved from "/data/data/com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb". Did you happen to find the new location of the appdata location?
EDIT: I have just managed to find it. Its located at.. "mnt/expand/RANDOM CODE/user/0/com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I have a question: did you managed to manually install plugins like Trakt or WebTools?
coolpal said:
Does this method work for the latest version of Shield with the latest software (just got one last week) ?
If yes, do any of the steps above change for it, or can I follow them to the dot?
TIA for the help... and Thank you OP for the awesome work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it works!
You can follow the step-by-step from the OP, in case of troubles uninstalling Plex server you can follow the steps provided by @Xaph0d.
When starting Plex server for the first time, pay attention to the pop-up asking for w/r permission.
Then profit it!
goose2600 said:
I also made some R/W performance tests:
1) insternal Shield storage: 210/40
2) KingFast SSD, 30GB, 1,8 inch, mSATA III, MLC (adopted storage) + Inateck USB 3.0 SSD mSATA, USB 3.0: 210/97
3) SanDisk Ultra Fit, 32GB, usb 3.0 (adopted storage) : 80/30
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you do this performance tests?
goose2600 said:
Yeah, it works!
You can follow the step-by-step from the OP, in case of troubles uninstalling Plex server you can follow the steps provided by @Xaph0d.
When starting Plex server for the first time, pay attention to the pop-up asking for w/r permission.
Then profit it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.. was able to root it.
Had to splice two usb cables to make A to A cable.
Now stuck on deleting PlexMediaServer. Using the method suggested by @Xaph0d, and get a prompt from superuser which i granted, but still see "Read-only file system". Any ideas what could be wrong?
GrandStar said:
How did you do this performance tests?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just using A1 SD Bench android app.
It is not science, but crearly demonstrate as adopted storage can be fast.
coolpal said:
Now stuck on deleting PlexMediaServer. Using the method suggested by @Xaph0d, and get a prompt from superuser which i granted, but still see "Read-only file system". Any ideas what could be wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this:
Code:
adb shell
su
mount -o rw,remount -t ext4 /system
Thanks @goose2600
I am able to get it all working!
Can I migrate my existing PMS library metadata from Windows 10 machine to Shield?
coolpal said:
Thanks @goose2600
I am able to get it all working!
Can I migrate my existing PMS library metadata from Windows 10 machine to Shield?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably you can, but as I am new to Plex (and also re-reading the steps 9 and 11 of this guide) I don't know how Plex create the library, so I preferred to start from the scratch.
Now I would like just to find a way to install any unsupported plugins. If you will ever know the way, let me know
EDIT: To get unsupported plugins to works, we have justs to symlink the Plug-ins folder located in the data folder present in the external adopted storage (which is no writable) to a new folder located on the /sdcdard, which is writable.
I just graded to higher external HD from smaller HD. My device is not rooted and stock. I don't how I managed use my original HD as my plex server for all my movies. Now trying to figure out update it where the shield would recognize the new HD
Thanks for this guide, got it all working! Apart from one thing....
For some reason Plex is not downloading all the metadata, movie posters etc. It will only download maybe a handful or two, but not my whole library.
I had no issues when Plex was on the internal storage, but a nightmare now on the external storage. What can I do to fix this please?
Be sure to follow the guide step by step, even steps 9, 10 and 11.
Pay also attention to give the r/w permission when Plex will ask for them (it is pretty easy to dismiss the request).
I moved Plex data on two devices following this guide, and always worked without any troubles.
goose2600 said:
Be sure to follow the guide step by step, even steps 9, 10 and 11.
Pay also attention to give the r/w permission when Plex will ask for them (it is pretty easy to dismiss the request).
I moved Plex data on two devices following this guide, and always worked without any troubles.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've followed the guide exactly, especially those steps. Still don't get why it's only downloading some metadata and not all my library. Will have to post a screenshot later
Without root
I belive it shoud work also without root doing this:
1. Enable Developer mode
2. Enable ADB via usb in developer
3. run:
Code:
adb devices
4. Give permission on the screen
5. run:
Code:
adb shell
6. run:
Code:
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.plexapp.mediaserver.smb
(this will uninstall the app from curent user 0)
7. Reinstall Plex Server form store

Categories

Resources