I've just started using Android-x86 via VirtualBox and thoroughly enjoying it. While trying to install an app I got an error message that I couldn't install the app without an SD card. I saw this lengthy post<http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86/browse_thread/thread/db01b...>on setting up a card in VMWare and was wondering if this applies to VirtualBox or if there are any simpler solutions for setting up virtual SD cards?
> I've just started using Android-x86 via VirtualBox and thoroughly enjoying > it. While trying to install an app I got an error message that I couldn't > install the app without an SD card. I saw this lengthy post on setting up a > card in VMWare and was wondering if this applies to VirtualBox or if there > are any simpler solutions for setting up virtual SD cards?
I gave it a shot, and the SD card mounted! Here are the steps I used for VirtualBox:
1. Create a new virtual machine with a hard disk. 2. Launch the Live ISO in Debug mode (I used android-x86-2.2-generic.iso) to get the commend prompt. 3. "fdisk /dev/sda", then type: 1. "n" (new partition) 2. "p" (primary partition) 3. "1" (1st partition) 4. "1" (first cylinder) 5. "xx" (choose the last cylinder, leaving room for a 2nd partition) 6. "w" (write the partition) 4. Repeat #3, but call it partition 2, and use the remaining cylinders. 5. "mdev -s" 6. "mke2fs -j -L DATA /dev/sda1" 7. "mke2fs -j -L SDCARD /dev/sda2" 8. Reboot ("reboot -f") 9. At the boot menu, choose VESA, then hit TAB and type so that the end of the line reads: "DATA=sda1 SDCARD=sda2". 10. After booting (and of course disabling mouse integration via the machine menu), the SD card is read as unformatted, but you can format it by going to Settings > SD card & phone settings > Format SD Card, then Mount SD card. 11. The SD card should now work!
Can I please ask you to refrain from sending one word e-mails like Cool, Awesome etc. to the list. If you are so excited and want to compliment the person please do it privately. This group has a wide circulation and people are looking for technical content.
It is ok expressing your delight occasionally, but please don't make that a habit!
Thanks Suman
--- On Sat, 22/1/11, Ikem Krueger <ikem.krue...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> > I gave it a shot, and the SD card mounted! Here are > the steps I used for > > VirtualBox: > Awesome! :D
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On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 9:34 PM, <davematt...@gmail.com> wrote: > I gave it a shot, and the SD card mounted! Here are the steps I used for > VirtualBox:
> Create a new virtual machine with a hard disk. > Launch the Live ISO in Debug mode (I used android-x86-2.2-generic.iso) to > get the commend prompt. > "fdisk /dev/sda", then type:
> "n" (new partition) > "p" (primary partition) > "1" (1st partition) > "1" (first cylinder) > "xx" (choose the last cylinder, leaving room for a 2nd partition) > "w" (write the partition)
> Repeat #3, but call it partition 2, and use the remaining cylinders. > "mdev -s" > "mke2fs -j -L DATA /dev/sda1" > "mke2fs -j -L SDCARD /dev/sda2" > Reboot ("reboot -f") > At the boot menu, choose VESA, then hit TAB and type so that the end of the > line reads: "DATA=sda1 SDCARD=sda2". > After booting (and of course disabling mouse integration via the machine > menu), the SD card is read as unformatted, but you can format it by going to > Settings > SD card & phone settings > Format SD Card, then Mount SD card. > The SD card should now work!
> The steps are adapted from this and this posting. I couldn't find cfdisk, > but fdisk worked. Are steps 5-7 necessary, since I ended up reformatting the > card anyway?
> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Android-x86" group. > To post to this group, send email to android-x86@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > android-x86+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86?hl=en.
Just a minor addendum - DevTools application has a MediaScanner which (re)indexes your SD card for cases where you manually copied media over. This ensures that you see new images and/or music in the apps without having to reboot.
If you downloaded it from within android, the application asks the relevant service to index new files.
--- On Sat, 22/1/11, Yi Sun <beyo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> From: Yi Sun <beyo...@gmail.com> > Subject: Re: SD card on virtualbox > To: android-x86@googlegroups.com > Date: Saturday, 22 January, 2011, 12:15 > I have added this to > https://sites.google.com/a/android-x86.org/web/documents/virtualboxhowto > Please take a look just in case I made any mistake. > Thanks > Yi
> On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 9:34 PM, <davematt...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > I gave it a shot, and the SD card mounted! Here are > the steps I used for > > VirtualBox:
> > Create a new virtual machine with a hard disk. > > Launch the Live ISO in Debug mode (I > used android-x86-2.2-generic.iso) to > > get the commend prompt. > > "fdisk /dev/sda", then type:
> > "n" (new partition) > > "p" (primary partition) > > "1" (1st partition) > > "1" (first cylinder) > > "xx" (choose the last cylinder, leaving room for a 2nd > partition) > > "w" (write the partition)
> > Repeat #3, but call it partition 2, and use the > remaining cylinders. > > "mdev -s" > > "mke2fs -j -L DATA /dev/sda1" > > "mke2fs -j -L SDCARD /dev/sda2" > > Reboot ("reboot -f") > > At the boot menu, choose VESA, then hit TAB and type > so that the end of the > > line reads: "DATA=sda1 SDCARD=sda2". > > After booting (and of course disabling mouse > integration via the machine > > menu), the SD card is read as unformatted, but you can > format it by going to > > Settings > SD card & phone settings > Format > SD Card, then Mount SD card. > > The SD card should now work!
> > The steps are adapted from this and this posting. I > couldn't find cfdisk, > > but fdisk worked. Are steps 5-7 necessary, since I > ended up reformatting the > > card anyway?
> > -- > > You received this message because you are subscribed > to the Google Groups > > "Android-x86" group. > > To post to this group, send email to android-x86@googlegroups.com. > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > android-x86+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. > > For more options, visit this group at > > http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86?hl=en.
> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the > Google Groups "Android-x86" group. > To post to this group, send email to android-x86@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > android-x86+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86?hl=en.
On Sat, Jan 22, 2011 at 12:24 PM, Suman Saraf <saraf_su...@yahoo.com> wrote: > Just a minor addendum - DevTools application has a MediaScanner which (re)indexes your SD card for cases where you manually copied media over. This ensures that you see new images and/or music in the apps without having to reboot.
> If you downloaded it from within android, the application asks the relevant service to index new files.
> --- On Sat, 22/1/11, Yi Sun <beyo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> From: Yi Sun <beyo...@gmail.com> >> Subject: Re: SD card on virtualbox >> To: android-x86@googlegroups.com >> Date: Saturday, 22 January, 2011, 12:15 >> I have added this to >> https://sites.google.com/a/android-x86.org/web/documents/virtualboxhowto >> Please take a look just in case I made any mistake. >> Thanks >> Yi
>> On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 9:34 PM, <davematt...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> > I gave it a shot, and the SD card mounted! Here are >> the steps I used for >> > VirtualBox:
>> > Create a new virtual machine with a hard disk. >> > Launch the Live ISO in Debug mode (I >> used android-x86-2.2-generic.iso) to >> > get the commend prompt. >> > "fdisk /dev/sda", then type:
>> > "n" (new partition) >> > "p" (primary partition) >> > "1" (1st partition) >> > "1" (first cylinder) >> > "xx" (choose the last cylinder, leaving room for a 2nd >> partition) >> > "w" (write the partition)
>> > Repeat #3, but call it partition 2, and use the >> remaining cylinders. >> > "mdev -s" >> > "mke2fs -j -L DATA /dev/sda1" >> > "mke2fs -j -L SDCARD /dev/sda2" >> > Reboot ("reboot -f") >> > At the boot menu, choose VESA, then hit TAB and type >> so that the end of the >> > line reads: "DATA=sda1 SDCARD=sda2". >> > After booting (and of course disabling mouse >> integration via the machine >> > menu), the SD card is read as unformatted, but you can >> format it by going to >> > Settings > SD card & phone settings > Format >> SD Card, then Mount SD card. >> > The SD card should now work!
>> > The steps are adapted from this and this posting. I >> couldn't find cfdisk, >> > but fdisk worked. Are steps 5-7 necessary, since I >> ended up reformatting the >> > card anyway?
>> > -- >> > You received this message because you are subscribed >> to the Google Groups >> > "Android-x86" group. >> > To post to this group, send email to android-x86@googlegroups.com. >> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> > android-x86+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. >> > For more options, visit this group at >> > http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86?hl=en.
>> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the >> Google Groups "Android-x86" group. >> To post to this group, send email to android-x86@googlegroups.com. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> android-x86+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86?hl=en.
> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android-x86" group. > To post to this group, send email to android-x86@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to android-x86+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-x86?hl=en.
Thank you for the sharing, though there are something need to be correct or modify. See below.
Besides, I think these steps are still too complex for beginners. I suggest newbies just install android-x86-2.2 to harddisk, and use the "Create a fake SD card" feature in the installer. (available when installation finished)
> I gave it a shot, and the SD card mounted! Here are the steps I used for > VirtualBox:
> Create a new virtual machine with a hard disk. > Launch the Live ISO in Debug mode (I used android-x86-2.2-generic.iso) to > get the commend prompt. > "fdisk /dev/sda", then type:
> "n" (new partition) > "p" (primary partition) > "1" (1st partition) > "1" (first cylinder) > "xx" (choose the last cylinder, leaving room for a 2nd partition) > "w" (write the partition)
> Repeat #3, but call it partition 2, and use the remaining cylinders. > "mdev -s" > "mke2fs -j -L DATA /dev/sda1" > "mke2fs -j -L SDCARD /dev/sda2"
Format it to vfat by
newfs_msdos /dev/sda2
Also remember the partition type has to be fat32 (b or c).
> Reboot ("reboot -f") > At the boot menu, choose VESA, then hit TAB and type so that the end of the > line reads: "DATA=sda1 SDCARD=sda2".
If you use the vm target, you don't need to do so. The vm target automatically does the equivalent thing for you. That's what I called "persistent mode".
But if you use other targets like generic, you have to add that by hand.
> After booting (and of course disabling mouse integration via the machine > menu), the SD card is read as unformatted, but you can format it by going to > Settings > SD card & phone settings > Format SD Card, then Mount SD card.
No need if you format it to vfat.
> The SD card should now work! > The steps are adapted from this and this posting. I couldn't find cfdisk, > but fdisk worked. Are steps 5-7 necessary, since I ended up reformatting the > card anyway?
cfdisk only available in the installer (the last boot item).
I'm a newbie to Android-x86 and think maybe a few items could be added to the online howto? From the howto I thought that I had to manually create partitions by command-line before installing to hard disk, but I've now realized that I can just use the installer to create one big partition and then create the fake SD card. When I tried creating an SD card with the default size (ie the size of the partition), it appeared to install fine but then didn't boot (came to a blank grub screen). I'm guessing that the fake disc image overwrote the Android install? I tried again and made a smaller SD card (estimated to be fit within the free space), and now it works.
> Thanks for the modifications and insight! > I'm a newbie to Android-x86 and think maybe a few items could be added to > the online howto? From the howto I thought that I had to manually create
The doc is a little obsolete and needs to be updated.
> partitions by command-line before installing to hard disk, but I've now > realized that I can just use the installer to create one big partition and > then create the fake SD card. When I tried creating an SD card with the > default size (ie the size of the partition), it appeared to install fine but > then didn't boot (came to a blank grub screen). I'm guessing that the fake > disc image overwrote the Android install? I tried again and made a smaller > SD card (estimated to be fit within the free space), and now it works.
Yes. The installer is not smart enough to detect the free space yet.
I too am new at this. I followed the instructions and divided the virtual hard disk (in VirtualBox 4) into 2 partitions, one about 1 GB, the other 7 GB.
The instructions on the website were hard to follow but I did it, only to find that after installing Android to sda1 that there is no more a GRUB menu at boot up, and when accessing the CLI (via pressing ALT F1), I find that the system is read only and thus I cannot edit anything.
I want to have it so that it loads the "fake" SDcard I created and can be used like a normal Android installation as much as possible. I did not see any option to create a fake SDcard during installation, maybe because I was not looking for it. I think the Documentation needs to be updated as currently i am confused about what to do.
