[PROBLEM] External storage card in T-Mobile S3 (SGH-T999) NOT RECOGNIZED

[MLB]

[PROBLEM] External storage card in T-Mobile S3 (SGH-T999) NOT RECOGNIZED

OK. This past Tuesday. I picked up a 16GB T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S3 (SGH-T999), in Marble White, along with a 32GB storage card.

AWESOME PHONE!

However, I continue to encounter a SERIOUS PROBLEM: Regardless of which appropriate application I use, I absolutely cannot transfer any app or file to the external storage card. It just won't happen. In fact, the phone does not even ackmowledge the existence of an external card.

Even when my S3 is USB-connected to my PC, I am unable to move any file to the phone's storage card. The "card" image appears on my PC's screen, but I get the black "x" symbol when I attempt to move a file onto the card image.

There is no problem moving files to-and-from the PC and the phone's "Internal Storage" area (as is the case with my Nexus i9250) , but no success with the external storage card.

I have repeatedly re-formatted the 32GB card (which has only a "lost directory" folder showing inside it -- and I can only tell this when connected to the PC), but that is the only recognition the S3 makes regarding the card (and conceding that 29.71GB of available space does exist). From within my phone, and regardless of which file reader/explorer app I use .... the external card simply does not appear.

For my purposes, I'm essentially back with my Nexus: No external storage.

Is anyone else encountering this problem?

I'm wondering if it's a flaw particular to the T-Mobile's SGH-T999 or if the international version GT-i9300 has the same issue.

Any comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[gTen]

I don't have a SGS3 but to ask a few questions, where did you get the 32gb sd card? I hope it isn't ebay...

Also what partition is the sd card formatted as? did you try formatting the sd card from the phone directly?

[MLB]

Thank you for your reply.

The card is good.

I formatted both ways. Via the PC as fat32. Via storage/format on my S3.

Play Store has an app that has eliminated some of the external storage card problem: ASTRO FILE MANAGER.

[MLB]

[I formatted the 32GB external storage card both .... THROUGH THE PC/format/fat32 And ..... THROUGH THE PHONE storage/format]

UPDATE: It seems the following app -- and you can find it in Play Store -- has eliminated at least part of my external storage card problem on my T-Mobile S3 (SGH-T999): ASTRO FILE MANAGER

[gTen]

What problem was fixed?

And the reason why I am asking about the origin of the card is there are a few tricks that are done on cards if you do not buy from a good source.

Such examples are:

1) Make a 2gb card show 32gb in its settings, this can be caught once a large file is copied to the card that is bigger then 2gb.

2) Make a 2gb card show 32gb but as you write data to the card, the card automatically rewrites itself over and over to make it appear like a 32gb card. The only way to find this is by copying over 2gb of data and opening or sha1 checksum the file and see if its still ok.

3) When factories close down, the workers activate the factories and make cards using low quality materials or take cards that have failed Q/A

Those are some of the problems that can face sd cards, that is why it is important to buy from a good source.

[appsman]

Originally Posted by gTen

Such examples are:

1) Make a 2gb card show 32gb in its settings, this can be caught once a large file is copied to the card that is bigger then 2gb.

2) Make a 2gb card show 32gb but as you write data to the card, the card automatically rewrites itself over and over to make it appear like a 32gb card. The only way to find this is by copying over 2gb of data and opening or sha1 checksum the file and see if its still ok.

3) When factories close down, the workers activate the factories and make cards using low quality materials or take cards that have failed Q/A

Is it really possible like this? I've never heard of these kinds of digital fraud.

[demonlordoftheround]

It is very common to find these cheap 32GB micro sd cards that are really 2GB cards. Stay away from these on Ebay.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

[MLB]

Originally Posted by gTen

What problem was fixed?

Using ASTRO FILE MANAGER, now I can at least read and use the 32GB external storage card (shown as extSdcard )
for storing music and music videos, thus freeing-up valuable space on my S3's Internal Storage.

I still, however cannot transfer apps to the external card

//////////////
[ Samsung Galaxy S3 * SGH-T999 * 16GB int / 32GB ext * Marble White ]
/////////////

[gTen]

Originally Posted by appsman

Is it really possible like this? I've never heard of these kinds of digital fraud.

Yes its possible. And the cards would all read 32gb despite being only 2gb.

Originally Posted by MLB

Using ASTRO FILE MANAGER, now I can at least read and use the 32GB external storage card (shown as extSdcard )
for storing music and music videos, thus freeing-up valuable space on my S3's Internal Storage.

I still, however cannot transfer apps to the external card

//////////////
[ Samsung Galaxy S3 * SGH-T999 * 16GB int / 32GB ext * Marble White ]
/////////////

Not all apps support being moved to sd card using the default fat partition. If you want to move all apps to the sd card you have to format your sd card as EXT2/3/4 and mount it.