If you are like me and bought the 16GB version of our beloved SG3, thinking you could always move apps to the external sd card, then this mod is for you. It swaps the internal and external sd cards so apps install on your external card, because your phone is fooled into thinking the external card is the internal card.
I suggest that if you are going to do this, you should probably do it right after installing a new ROM, and before you install any apps. That way everything will get installed onto the external SD card.
I didn't invent this, Zedomax adapted in from mattiadj. But most people haven't been able to get it fully working, probably due to variations in the init.d function of various ROMS. They'd be able to see the External SD card as the internal SD, but the internal SD would disappear. This method avoids using init.d, and instead uses the app Script Manager to load the script on boot.
After much fooling around, I figured out how to do it so the External SD card and the internal cards are swapped, but you can see both with any file Explorer. I got it working on CleanROM 2.0, but it should work on Beans 10 as well.
Here's how to do it: Warning, if you do not understand the following instructions, or don’t have experience doing these things, you probably don’t want to do this hack. I am not responsible if you a) brick your phone, b) delete your data, or c) get very frustrated. That being said, the most likely failure will be that you only see the one card (the External card).
Back everything up that you care about first!!!!
1. First, I'd recommend making a Nandroid backup of your phone.
2. Next, just to be extra safe, I would backup your internal SD card to your PC. While you are doing that, if you have data on the external SD card, back that up too.
3. Next, I would format your external SD card to fat 32. (You could probably use Ext format too, but I didn’t test that.)If you already have it in that format, and have content on it, this won't affect the content, but back it up just to be safe. It’s probably better to have the Ext SD blank to begin with, you can always copy back its content from your pc.
4. Next copy the contents of the internal SD to the External SD card. This is to avoid confusion about apps and such.
5. Next install script manager free from the play store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...anager&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd
It will show up on your phone as S manager ads.
6. Download the mod from here: http://downloadandroidrom.com/file/...ternalsd_gs3_fat32orextfat_US_ZEDOMAXv0.2.zip
7. You’ll see a folder called: 11extsd2internalsd_gs3_fat32orextfat_US_ZEDOMAXv0.2.zip
You need to unzip the folder, then go to System/etc/init.d and copy the 11extsd2internalsd file from there to your phone. Put it into the /data directory. Use Root Explorer, and your phone will need to be rooted.
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/11ext file in data directory.png)
Or you can get just the 11extsd2internalsd file here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/11extsd2internalsd
8. Using Root Explorer, navigate to that file in the /data directory. Press and hold the file name until the menu pops up, and click on permissions.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Permissions.png
(Unix geeks set them to 777, and everyone else copy the picture below. Click OK.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Permission settings 777.png
9. Open the script manager app, and select Browse as Root in the config screen. Tell it to remember this setting.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Script manager browse as root and save.png
10. Navigate to the /data directory and choose the 11extsd2internalsd file that is located in /data and click on it. Click on the “Is script” button.
11. Now tap on the buttons that say Su, Boot, and Save. The file name will come up in yellow after the save.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Script manager setting after save.png
12. Reboot your phone and you should see the swap working and be able to access both internal and external SD cards. The external card will show up as sdcard, and the internal card will show up as extSDCard. Your apps should now install to the external card, since your phone will think it's the internal card. Is that confusing? It was to me too!
Good luck and please share your experiences specifying which ROM you used, so that others can avoid frustration.
Thank you’s always appreciated.
I suggest that if you are going to do this, you should probably do it right after installing a new ROM, and before you install any apps. That way everything will get installed onto the external SD card.
I didn't invent this, Zedomax adapted in from mattiadj. But most people haven't been able to get it fully working, probably due to variations in the init.d function of various ROMS. They'd be able to see the External SD card as the internal SD, but the internal SD would disappear. This method avoids using init.d, and instead uses the app Script Manager to load the script on boot.
After much fooling around, I figured out how to do it so the External SD card and the internal cards are swapped, but you can see both with any file Explorer. I got it working on CleanROM 2.0, but it should work on Beans 10 as well.
Here's how to do it: Warning, if you do not understand the following instructions, or don’t have experience doing these things, you probably don’t want to do this hack. I am not responsible if you a) brick your phone, b) delete your data, or c) get very frustrated. That being said, the most likely failure will be that you only see the one card (the External card).
Back everything up that you care about first!!!!
1. First, I'd recommend making a Nandroid backup of your phone.
2. Next, just to be extra safe, I would backup your internal SD card to your PC. While you are doing that, if you have data on the external SD card, back that up too.
3. Next, I would format your external SD card to fat 32. (You could probably use Ext format too, but I didn’t test that.)If you already have it in that format, and have content on it, this won't affect the content, but back it up just to be safe. It’s probably better to have the Ext SD blank to begin with, you can always copy back its content from your pc.
4. Next copy the contents of the internal SD to the External SD card. This is to avoid confusion about apps and such.
5. Next install script manager free from the play store:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...anager&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDNd
It will show up on your phone as S manager ads.
6. Download the mod from here: http://downloadandroidrom.com/file/...ternalsd_gs3_fat32orextfat_US_ZEDOMAXv0.2.zip
7. You’ll see a folder called: 11extsd2internalsd_gs3_fat32orextfat_US_ZEDOMAXv0.2.zip
You need to unzip the folder, then go to System/etc/init.d and copy the 11extsd2internalsd file from there to your phone. Put it into the /data directory. Use Root Explorer, and your phone will need to be rooted.
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/11ext file in data directory.png)
Or you can get just the 11extsd2internalsd file here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/11extsd2internalsd
8. Using Root Explorer, navigate to that file in the /data directory. Press and hold the file name until the menu pops up, and click on permissions.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Permissions.png
(Unix geeks set them to 777, and everyone else copy the picture below. Click OK.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Permission settings 777.png
9. Open the script manager app, and select Browse as Root in the config screen. Tell it to remember this setting.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Script manager browse as root and save.png
10. Navigate to the /data directory and choose the 11extsd2internalsd file that is located in /data and click on it. Click on the “Is script” button.
11. Now tap on the buttons that say Su, Boot, and Save. The file name will come up in yellow after the save.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/6305/SD Card Hack SG3/Script manager setting after save.png
12. Reboot your phone and you should see the swap working and be able to access both internal and external SD cards. The external card will show up as sdcard, and the internal card will show up as extSDCard. Your apps should now install to the external card, since your phone will think it's the internal card. Is that confusing? It was to me too!
Good luck and please share your experiences specifying which ROM you used, so that others can avoid frustration.
Thank you’s always appreciated.
