[Q] S3 using 20GB of System Memory! What is going on?

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uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
I have a 32GB S3 with only 5.73GB of available space. Looking in my storage settings the reason is System Memory is gigantic at 19.95GB.

How can system memory take up so much space? I mean most S3 phones are only 16GB total.

Something is obviously amiss but not sure how to get to the bottom of this. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

TIA
 

bilgerryan

Inactive Recognized Developer
How is that different from installing from a file manager?

Are you rooted?

BILGERRYAN-SIG_zps5b0983a1.png
 

bilgerryan

Inactive Recognized Developer
That's definitely not right, if I was in that situation I would try to make a backup in recovery (if system is actually 20GB I doubt you'll have enough space) and then I would wipe everything (system, data, cache, and dalvik) thoroughly in recovery and reinstall the ROM to see if this issue persists.

BILGERRYAN-SIG_zps5b0983a1.png
 

meyerweb

Senior Member
Jun 19, 2010
2,422
1,153
If you go to Storage, in settings, and tap on the various categories shown there (Used Space, Miscellaneous files) you can dig down and maybe see what is taking up so much space. Give the phone a minute or so to calculate the space each time you go to a new page.
 

uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
That's definitely not right, if I was in that situation I would try to make a backup in recovery (if system is actually 20GB I doubt you'll have enough space) and then I would wipe everything (system, data, cache, and dalvik) thoroughly in recovery and reinstall the ROM to see if this issue persists.
I am fully stock so I can't make a backup in stock recovery. And I am stock ROM so there is nothing to reinstall.
If you go to Storage, in settings, and tap on the various categories shown there (Used Space, Miscellaneous files) you can dig down and maybe see what is taking up so much space. Give the phone a minute or so to calculate the space each time you go to a new page.
That's what I did, that is how I know the System Memory is taking 20GB. That is where I can see that. Clicking on the System Memory category does not give you any further breakdown.

See the attachment.
 

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uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
You might want to try an app like SD Maid. It has an option to find large files, and it can clean up all the cruft that collects over time.

That was quick and easy. I just ran it and there are no egregious offenders, as I expected.

This 20GB of system memory usage on a new & stock phone is ridiculous...
 

schlepprock

Senior Member
Jan 10, 2014
746
361
Archdale NC
Before I installed a new rom and kernel, I was showing like 13gigs of memory use. What I did was formatted my system, data, and storage, and I ended up with 9 gigs of available storage after installing everything. Of course everything is backed up so I had nothing to worry about.

sent from my Wicked GS3
 
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bilgerryan

Inactive Recognized Developer
Before I installed a new rom and kernel, I was showing like 13gigs of memory use. What I did was formatted my system, data, and storage, and I ended up with 9 gigs of available storage after installing everything. Of course everything is backed up so I had nothing to worry about.

sent from my Wicked GS3

That's what I suggested

BILGERRYAN-SIG_zps5b0983a1.png
 

uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
This is ridiculous.

First I tried a factory reset. After rebooting I skipped everything end went right into my phone settings. Didn't even associate a Google account with the phone (so no data was automatically restored). Still 19.95GB used for system memory.

Then I went into stock recovery to wipe everything. (Remember my phone is bone stock except it is rooted.)

First I get a "no command" message. Then it says "error" and then it goes back to "no command." Then I have the android guy with a red exclamation sign coming out of his body along with all the stock recovery options.

I then wiped the cache partition and wipe data/factory reset.

When I select the option to reboot I get "error" one more time and it reboots.

Same problem. I go into the Android OS with no associated Google account and it still shows 19.95GB of system memory being used.

Any other suggestions?
 

uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
After every type of reset and wipe failed I tried reinstalling the stock unrooted 4.3 ROM. No joy. Phone still shows 19.95BG used for System Memory.

And when I boot into stock recovery I still get the android guy with the red exclamation mark sign coming out of his body.

Anybody have any ideas as to what in the world is going on here? I've done everything I can possibly think of and none of it helps.
 

bilgerryan

Inactive Recognized Developer
After every type of reset and wipe failed I tried reinstalling the stock unrooted 4.3 ROM. No joy. Phone still shows 19.95BG used for System Memory.

And when I boot into stock recovery I still get the android guy with the red exclamation mark sign coming out of his body.

Anybody have any ideas as to what in the world is going on here? I've done everything I can possibly think of and none of it helps.

Odin MK3 unrooted. If that doesn't fix your problem I don't know what will.

BILGERRYAN-SIG_zps5b0983a1.png
 

uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
Odin MK3 unrooted. If that doesn't fix your problem I don't know what will.

BILGERRYAN-SIG_zps5b0983a1.png

That's what I did. I used the tar file from this thread - http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2565972 and still 19.95GB system memory used without even associating the phone with a Google account.

Is their any significance to having the android guy laying on his back with the red exclamation mark and the message "no command" when I am in recovery? What is the meaning of this?
 

bilgerryan

Inactive Recognized Developer

uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
Odin MK3 unrooted. If that doesn't fix your problem I don't know what will.

That is stock recovery

That's not stock recovery. I've never changed recovery. Per the thread that is "MK3 FULL stock tar extracted from Kies." And after I flashed it I was back to virgin unrooted state.

If this isn't what you are suggesting I use, what exactly are you suggesting I flash? I'll try just about anything at this point.
 
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bilgerryan

Inactive Recognized Developer
That's not stock recovery. I've never changed recovery. Per the thread that is "MK3 FULL stock tar extracted from Kies." And after I flashed it I was back to virgin unrooted state.

If this isn't what you are suggesting I use, what exactly are you suggesting I flash? I'll try just about anything at this point.

Yeah, FULL STOCK includes recovery. I suggest you flash a custom recovery and a custom ROM. Stock is obviously causing you problems.

BILGERRYAN-SIG_zps5b0983a1.png
 

uscpsycho

Senior Member
Mar 25, 2011
258
49
Yeah, FULL STOCK includes recovery. I suggest you flash a custom recovery and a custom ROM. Stock is obviously causing you problems.

Is flashing a custom ROM going to trip knox if I keep stock recovery?

If a hard reset and flashing stock ROM doesn't clear this problem up I'm not convinced that flashing a different ROM is going to fix this. As strange as it sounds it seems to me like I have a hardware problem.

I'm happy enough with the stock ROM and don't feel like spending hours researching all the ROM options. Can anyone recommend the most stable alternate ROM for the S3? And I don't just mean stable as in it doesn't crash, I mean stable as in everything works as it should - camera, GPS, screen rotation, wifi, bluetooth, etc.

When I'm in stock recovery why do I have the android guy laying on his back with a red exclamation mark and the message "no command?" Is this normal for a stock rooted phone?
 

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    You might want to try an app like SD Maid. It has an option to find large files, and it can clean up all the cruft that collects over time.
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    Before I installed a new rom and kernel, I was showing like 13gigs of memory use. What I did was formatted my system, data, and storage, and I ended up with 9 gigs of available storage after installing everything. Of course everything is backed up so I had nothing to worry about.

    sent from my Wicked GS3