Micro SD cards for HD/MAXX HD | Class 10 32GB vs 64GB

[ambrown]

I apologize if this has been covered already, but i've posted on other threads and haven't gotten any replies yet. This issue has been frustrating me to no end. I have the regular Maxx, which came with a 16 gb class 4 Kingston card. I decided to upgrade a couple months ago to a 32 gb because I was running short on space. I never had a problem with the 16, nor do i now. I bought a Kingston 32 gb class 4 card and it is very finicky. I can put data on it by using the adapter in my card slot on my PC with no problem, but after I put it on the phone, things disappear and the phone won't even let me delete things a lot of the time. I have been trying to find a straight answer on compatibility, but apparently that doesn't exist. At least not, short of calling verizon and/or motorola. Based on what I've been reading on this thread, i'm wondering if its a class issue. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hmmm. There are sometimes problems with correct formatting if you just load up the card on a PC and then drop it into other devices. The first time you use it you should format it on your Android device first. Then I'd recommend plugging your phone directly into your PC and transferring to your SD card through the phone itself. This should negate most formatting issues right off the bat. Also using a file format that can be read by Android can solve other formatting issues.

For example, the stock Android video player doesn't like some files, (like .flv, .mkv, .avi, etc.) so finding an app that can open and/or play the files is needed sometimes too. For example, I use BSPlayer for all my video files (like I listed above) and it's a champ!

Unfortunately, Google made Android 4.0 + with reduced SD card support, and you can't move apps to the SD card (unless you're rooted) like you used to be able to. And finding the actual SD card on your PC might be a pain in the butt since Android 4.0 + now uses a virtual SD card, which is really internal storage, and looks really confusing while using a file browser. But transferring via your phone should work well.

I also recommend using a cloud service like Dropbox, Box, Copy, or Google Drive (I use all four!), since they make file transfers cross platform easy! BTW, Copy has no file size limits when using the mobile app or their desktop client, so storing and sharing large files just got easier! But download times still suck, and a wired transfer for files like movies or music is going to be faster. Still, dropping a word doc in my Dropbox folder on my PC makes that file nearly instantly available on my phone now too.

Anyway, hope this helps. If you're still having issues say so and maybe we can help you troubleshoot some more.

Edit: I forgot to mention the Airdroid app. It's great for not only transferring files, but you can even remotely access your pictures, videos, and other files. Download or upload anything, and perform security tasks like locating a lost/stolen phone or remote wiping all the data. It's still slow for large files, but it's a no hassle solution. Just watch your data use when transferring files as that can eat up a data plan fast.

Also of note, I've been having problems with the MTP protocol and getting my Windows machine to recognize any of my Android devices. I don't have a workaround for that yet, but I thought I'd share just in case anyone else was running into that problem as well.

 

[alafferty82081]

Nice, great write up which should help some people out..... thumbs up from me...

 

[MattsMaxx]

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. The farther I go with this and the more trouble I continue to have, I'm starting to wonder if its a windows 7 compatibility issue. When you say format in the phone(which I've done, and have an empty card right now), and move files with the phone, do you mean open folders in windows explorer and manually transfer files to sdcard? Or am I missing something. I've used both that method and syncing method using windows media player, win amp, and moto cast. Nothing seems to work properly. I appreciate the cloud advice, and intend to check out copy. However, my main concern is being able to play music without eating up data when I'm in my car. I have all of my music in the Google play music cloud. I would also like to be able to put personal pics and vids on the card with out worrying about them becoming corrupted or disappearing. Any more advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[bweN diorD]

when i plug in my HD i get 2 options/folders from the phone on my pc, internal storage and sd card. you should be able to open the sd folder and drop your files right in there.
if you put files there then unplug your phone from the pc, open the "files" app on your phone, then open the sd card and the files are not there, there may be something wrong with your sd card. they should defiantly show up, i transfer files like this all the time.
i also use windoze 7

 

[bweN diorD]

Based on what I've been reading on this thread, i'm wondering if its a class issue. Any help is greatly appreciated.

btw, its not a class issue. 4 is fine, higher classes will just make the read write speeds faster and ultimately make your phone faster when its interacting with data stored, or storing to the card.

 

[MattsMaxx]

One issue I run into is the phone is setup for "safely remove hardware". ideally for this type of file transfer, the data should physically transfer over as it shows on the screen, not transfer to temporary storage. Is there a solution or workaround for this issue, or is that just the way the phone is? I was able to change the setting on the card when it is plugged into SD card adapter on the computer, and files transferred much better. But once I plug my phone into the computer to add or remove files, I get the issues. Its possible but unlikely that its a bad card. I have the same issue with 2 different 32 GB class 4 cards that are different brands. I've tried transferring on 2 different computers with the same result. The only thing I may be able to take out of the equation is the external HDD that the music is stored on. I'm wondering if I'm having issues because its transferring from one removable device to another. In a perfect world, that shouldn't matter, but just a thought. In may transfer all of my music to my desktop computer with a larger hdd than my laptop and try transferring from there. One other problem I have is I had my phone rooted at one time and I can probably get a warranty replacement from vzw if it turns out to be a hardware issue with the phone itself. What are the odds my warranty will be voided. I heard that , especially with hardware issues, there is a hood chance they don't check for root.

 

[bweN diorD]

One issue I run into is the phone is setup for "safely remove hardware". ideally for this type of file transfer, the data should physically transfer over as it shows on the screen, not transfer to temporary storage. Is there a solution or workaround for this issue, or is that just the way the phone is? I was able to change the setting on the card when it is plugged into SD card adapter on the computer, and files transferred much better. But once I plug my phone into the computer to add or remove files, I get the issues. Its possible but unlikely that its a bad card. I have the same issue with 2 different 32 GB class 4 cards that are different brands. I've tried transferring on 2 different computers with the same result. The only thing I may be able to take out of the equation is the external HDD that the music is stored on. I'm wondering if I'm having issues because its transferring from one removable device to another. In a perfect world, that shouldn't matter, but just a thought. In may transfer all of my music to my desktop computer with a larger hdd than my laptop and try transferring from there. One other problem I have is I had my phone rooted at one time and I can probably get a warranty replacement from vzw if it turns out to be a hardware issue with the phone itself. What are the odds my warranty will be voided. I heard that , especially with hardware issues, there is a hood chance they don't check for root.

maybe the maxx is different than the HD i have but i dont understand what you mean by "the phone is setup for "safely remove hardware", i have never seen that on mine or an option for it.

i doubt it has anything to do with transferring from an external hdd but you could move 1 file over to the pc and do a direct transfer just to rule that out.

as far as rooting and warranty, there are tons of post and opinions etc., bottom line is, some have gotten caught, most have not.

 

[MattsMaxx]

The safely remove is a windows option. If you right click on the drive and open properties, go to the policies tab, there are 2 options. 1)Quick Removal and 2)Better performance. The first option is what I want, but it says(in windows) that that option isn't available for my device. This article explains it all. http://www.pcworld.com/article/254868/safely_remove_usb_drives_just_by_unplugging_them.html

 

[jp233]

If you have the Motorola Device Manager installed on your computer, you don't have to do the "Safely Remove Hardware" thing.... I have noticed zero problems with data loss or whatever.

https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/88481

 

[PereDroid]

I have never in my life safely removed anything and never, not once, damaged a single device.
Microsoft added that feature so morons wouldn't unplug a device while they are copying data to or from it. *FACT*

 

[MattsMaxx]

Maybe its just a hardware issue on my phone, then. I'm tired of seeing 510 files in the "Lost.dir" folder after almost every time I sync music and/or pictures. Its 510 every time. Not sure why. Also, most of the time, if I try to manually delete files and folders either in windows or in the phone, it won't delete them. It will just do nothing in windows, even though the dialog window pops up and says deleting. And, I get an error on the phone if I they to delete. This is only after I've had "corrupted or damaged" files on the SD card. And, the deleting issue in windows seems to only apply to certain folders and files. Sometimes I can delete the files, but the folder they are in cannot be deleted. Its not the same files and folders every time, though. I'm going to give it one last try when I have some free time and if I can't get it to work, I guess I'll try to get a warranty replacement.