[SOLVED] Crappy experience using android via HaRET/SDCARD

So I have been playing with android builds for some time now.
I had successfully ran cupcake and donut builds using the HaRET on sdcard method.
(not every time was perfect but worked more times than not)

eclair has been very troublesome. with the introduction of the new installation method.
I have had limited success even getting it to install.


sometimes it would install without a hitch.
other times it wouldn't even get to the install screen.

SO HERE ARE MY FINDINGS.

while installing the latest polymod2.1g eclair build (actually with any version) I was watching the screen messages.
I know they are fast scrolling, but I can usually pic out errors.

I noticed almost every time I installed there were at least a few I/O errors of some kind.
and the times that I tried and didn't get any errors, the build would often install OK.

I obviously have either a crappy sdcard OR the phone is having problems writing to the sdcard.
either way is a problem, being that the new version of installing creates(writes to the sdcard) the system.img
with the installer program ON THE PHONE.


when using the previous android versions (cupcake & donut), the builds came with a system.img that was already built.
only the data.img was needed to be built on the phone.
that lead to fewer if any bad installs.

Now that there is more to write on the phone, its almost impossible to get a stable eclair build.


SO HERE IS WHAT I DID. (being that I am too stubborn to go buy another card yet...)

I first decided to go the route of partitioning the sdcard. (assuming there might be "bad" sectors on the card)
(1) fat32 followed by (2) ext2.

I then tried installing with the new 'install to partitions' options in the installer.

I was still getting I/O errors...

I tried again putting data on partition and system as an img.

still errors...

then data as img and system as partition.

still errors (but it worked)...

I reformatted the ext2 partitions and ran a check. (NO PROBLEMS)

at this point I got a crazy Idea....

ON MY COMPUTER I EXTRACTED THE ANDROIDINSTALL.TGZ AND PUT THE CONTENTS FROM THE SYSTEM FOLDER TO THE SYSTEM PARTITION ON THE SDCARD.
THEN I PUT THE CONTENTS OF THE DATA FOLDER TO THE DATA PARTITION OF THE SDCARD.

still having the andboot folder on the fat32 partition I confirmed the files: HaRET.exe, initrd.gz, zImage-eclair, and startup.txt.

Ran HaRET...
skipped installer...
NO ERRORS>>> INSTALLED>>>>> WORKS!!!!!!!

EDIT: OK, I did have a problem.
I couldn't install any apks. just got message that application was not installed.

first I reboot to installer and tried to fix permissions.

still couldn't install anything...

then I tried installing from market. got error message that there was no room left to install.

then I uninstalled an application and tried to install something else...
still no install...

it Had to be a permission issue. there is more than 50% free space on all partitions.

WENT BACK TO COMPUTER CHANGED PERMISSIONS ON ALL FOLDERS ON THE DATA PARTITION TO RW.(not sure if this is bad???)

and now everything works GREAT!!!!

the only problems are sometimes with the newly installed apps (probably due to I/O errors)
and I just re-install the app and it works.


*********I guess it is time for a new sdcard*******
but for now it is a nice work around.

however, it still doesn't rule out either the installer or the phone itself as the problem.
I will report back if I ever get a new sdcard.

Update...

I broke my data, which was to be expected.
after I installed a bunch of apps and had problems with many of them.
it finally crapped out on me.

Luckily I backed up my data partition using partimage on linux
so after I re-formated and restored the data partition
everything worked smooth again.
the system partition seemed to be unaffected....NICE!!!

although this time I manually added the apks that I wanted
to the data partition before I put it back in the phone.
they all work great now.

this is way to damn easy...
THANK YOU