[Q] Inevitable Newbie questions

[bobcov]

Bought a rooted Captivate on ATT with ICS 4.0.4 and cyanogen 9. Tried to unlock it but could not get nv_data.bin to copy to my sdcard. Ended up just calling ATT and they gave me the code.

Forgive me if these answers are here. I looked, I couldn't find them.

Why doesn't cat /efs/nv_data.bin >> /sdcard/nv_data.bin result in the file being copied to the sdcard next to the sim card? Does that sdcard have a different name? I put an apk file on there via my computer (LOST.DIR was there from the phone, btw) but the phone said nothing was on the sdcard, which means I'm looking at the wrong sdcard somehow?

Why does my SGH-i897 have an i9000UGKG3 baseband and does that make the phone a GT-i9000 or is it still an i897?

Why does Google Play not allow registering a second device so that the app store can be accessed? I got the apk for the store downloaded and installed, but it just launches and then immediately closes.

I found KIESAIR-1.apk, downloaded it but that halts with a message "Application not installed." No idea why. Tried two versions of Kies Air. Both installations halted. I did check allow unknown sources. I want Kies Air because I cannot get USB to work with the phone on three different Windows laptops and that's a whole other kettle of fish.

Much appreciate any info you can share.

-Bob

 

[jmtheiss]

To answer your first question, i think the command would be going to /mnt/sdcard instead of just /sdcard.

 

[wwcjr91]

I loathe kies air. You can use "Air Droid", it should be on the market. There are other similar applications where you can transfer files via Wi-Fi. Hopefully someone else here will help you with accessing the market.

The baseband is the modem(or radio, not sure what term exactly) your phone is running, which is what the phone uses to get a signal and access the data network People report higher data speeds, better signal, and better GPS reception with different modems. It's still a Samsung Captivate. I'm using an I9000 modem as well.

That's all I can answer for you, I'm sort of a newbie too. Lots of reading and googling helps.

 

[laughingT]

the micro sd card is mounted as

/sdcard/external_sd

the path /sdcard is the internal user storage.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

 

[bobcov]

Thank you very much. So that I can have better luck with Google searches in the future, can you tell me how you came to know this? All I came up with in my searches was /mnt/sdcard but that turned out to be the system card and I'm lucky I didn't screw up anything.

Found the various wikis on XDA for Captivate and now reading through them.

the micro sd card is mounted as

/sdcard/external_sd

the path /sdcard is the internal user storage.


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

 

[bobcov]

I had tried that, but forgot to mention it. As somebody else pointed out, that turned out to be the system card.

 

[Nick D]

Why does Google Play not allow registering a second device so that the app store can be accessed? I got the apk for the store downloaded and installed, but it just launches and then immediately closes.

-Bob

Are you sure gapps was ever flashed once CM9 was installed? You might flash it again anyway and see if that helps. I've never known Play to limit registrations.

 

[bobcov]

It has to be part of the firmware? Is that what you mean by it has to be flashed? Where can I read about that? BTW, I now have access to the phone via Android Sync Manager over wifi. Trying to find a way to put contacts into it without using Gmail. Seems I can't see the entire file system. The contacts are supposed to be in a file in this path data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db, but that path doesn't show up. How come? I'll be looking back at this post someday chuckling, but for now, I'm mystified.

 

[Nick D]

It has to be part of the firmware? Is that what you mean by it has to be flashed? Where can I read about that? BTW, I now have access to the phone via Android Sync Manager over wifi. Trying to find a way to put contacts into it without using Gmail. Seems I can't see the entire file system. The contacts are supposed to be in a file in this path data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db, but that path doesn't show up. How come? I'll be looking back at this post someday chuckling, but for now, I'm mystified.

When you install cyanogenmod Google apps (gapps) aren't included. If the previous owner didn't add them then none of your Google apps nor your sign in will be present. Even if it is already installed a reinstall may help.

Download this: http://goo.im/gapps/gapps-ics-20120429-signed.zip
Reboot to recovery and install zip from sdcard. You'll have to find and choose the file you just downloaded. Reboot and see if things aren't square.

You can also do a nandroid backup from the recovery so you can get back to where you are now if things go awry. Side note, if you want to install the latest cm9 nightly the method is the same.

You can find clearer instructions via the cyanogenmod site should you feel uneasy about proceeding. I'm away from the PC and typing from my phone or I'd try to be more thorough. Good luck!

---------- Post added at 08:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:19 PM ----------

It has to be part of the firmware? Is that what you mean by it has to be flashed? Where can I read about that? BTW, I now have access to the phone via Android Sync Manager over wifi. Trying to find a way to put contacts into it without using Gmail. Seems I can't see the entire file system. The contacts are supposed to be in a file in this path data/data/com.android.providers.contacts/databases/contacts.db, but that path doesn't show up. How come? I'll be looking back at this post someday chuckling, but for now, I'm mystified.

I just checked and found my contacts where you mentioned. You probably just need to copy the file using a file manager and move it to an accessible location you can see from the PC. I like root explorer. ES file manager is good, too, and free.

Since you may not have gapps I'd try that first and it may create the contacts db.

 

[bobcov]

Hi,before I can try what you suggested, I need to straighten out what's up with my file system. I still cannot see my external sd card in file operations, even though the phone shows it is present, lets me mount and unmount it. If I copy something to it from the laptop using a card reader, nothing shows up when it is mounted in the phone. The other mystery is that with ES file explorer, I still do not see the contacts.db file path, so I'm doing something wrong. Once I can see that path and see the external sd, I'll follow your instructions.

-B

 

[fractaline]

Make sure you have root function enabled in es file explorer. It's in settings.
With the external sd , on cm9 you'll find it at /emmc. (or /mt/emmc)

But read up on flashing.... You won't regret it.

Sent from phone with app

 

[mopo01]

i believe the external sd card is called emmc on the ics roms

 

[laughingT]

try opening a terminal emulator, then type:

df


the ouput from df will give you total space and free space for mounted paths, including your sdcard, if it is mounted.


if you want to see rootsystem files, run su before df.

there is a free terminal emulator on google play, aka market, if you need it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

 

[Nick D]

Hi,before I can try what you suggested, I need to straighten out what's up with my file system. I still cannot see my external sd card in file operations, even though the phone shows it is present, lets me mount and unmount it. If I copy something to it from the laptop using a card reader, nothing shows up when it is mounted in the phone. The other mystery is that with ES file explorer, I still do not see the contacts.db file path, so I'm doing something wrong. Once I can see that path and see the external sd, I'll follow your instructions.

-B

At this point, how do you feel about starting over? Some people aren't comfortable with a full factory reset and/or starting over with stock gingerbread, but I'd be leaning toward that at this point. I'm not completely sure it's necessary but I've wiped clean for less.

 

[bobcov]

Well, after many days, I am now finally importing 750 contacts without exposing any of them to a 3rd party server such as Google, etc.

1. There's a link here somewhere for version 1.3.450.0 "Samsung USB Driver for Mobile Phones. The filename was SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones_x86.exe

2. Forget about Kies. Somebody said it won't work unless it sees Touch Wiz. I don't know if it would work under any circumstances.

3. For my 750 contacts in blackberry, I made an .ipd backup of the blackberry using the RIM software, then used ABC Amber Blackberry Converter which can extract data from IPD backups and exported my contacts as CSV.

4. I used Windows Address Book to read the CSV file created by Amber and saved the file with .WAB as a Windows Address Book file.

5. I used the inexplicably free and astoundingly well-executed Wondershare MobileGo for Android program to link to my phone. On one computer it immediately identified the model and showed all contents. On another computer, it could not see the phone, and went to the web without prompting, downloaded a driver, installed it and loaded the phone into the program. Amazing. All I did was click on contacts on the left and then the small down arrow under the word "Import" on the Import icon. It took me about an hour to realize this was how to get the program to import different formats other than vcard. It somehow immediately found the .WAB file, and imported the 750 contacts where are now on the phone.

6. For the purposes of entertainment for those who know better and education for those who don't, here were some of my downfalls: All the apps may respond to that little funny symbol on the left, below the keyboard adjacent to "Samsung." I didn't know for the longest time that was a critical menu key. Also mirthful, I didn't know that you can just draw downward from the top of the screen and get a kind of status page where you will see "USB connected" which you must press if you want to copy stuff to the phone. I will now read the phone's manual.

It seems that the external card under Cyanogenmod 9 is /mnt/emmc/ instead of where programs expected it to be. I got a program called Directory Bind and tried to make it so that /mnt/emmc/ would automatically be seen as /mnt/sdcard/external_sd but it said that that wasn't a valid target. Any ideas there? Meantime I have done it from terminal but I don't think that will stick beyond a reboot.

 

[wwcjr91]

Damn you learn quick. When I first discovered the menu key it was like discovering a while new world.