Jul 26 2012

Link2SD – Upgrading Your SD Card

You would think that upgrading the SD card in your Android phone would be as simple as copying the contents over to your new SD card. With Link2SD you need to remember the second partition on your SD card that contains off of you apps. This partition cannot be seen from Windows so to get around this we have to go through a few more steps to upgrade your SD card when using LInk2S on your Android phone.

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Before anything, I cannot recommend enough that you invest in a fast SD card, preferably a Class 10 micro SD card. Anything slower and you may see a negative impact in your phone’s performance. With that note out of the way, let’s get started. First we need to backup everything that is on your current SD card. To backup your files plug your SD card into your computer either through an external SD card reader or by mounting your phone to your computer via the USB cable. Then copy over the SD cards contents to a folder on your computer. And for the backup process later make sure you have enough space on your SD card to store a backup of all your apps. If you don’t make some room, the data is backed up anyway.

 

Now we can’t forget about the apps. Go to the Google Play Market and download the Titanium Backup root App. Install this and make sure it is on your phones internal memory. Once on your internal memory launch the app and press the menu button on your phone and select batch. Here go down and select run a backup of all apps plus system data. Let the backup run. It will take a copy of all of your apps and put them in a folder on your SD card.

Now we have to make sure some apps are there after we put in our new SD card. Launch the Link2SD app and find the Gmail app, YouTube app, Maps app, and most importantly the market app. These all have to be moved back to the internal storage by removing their link the SD card.

Now we have to go back the the computer and do one more thing. Mount your old SD card back onto your computer and copy the new Titanium Backup folder. to your backup folder. Then disconnect your old SD and plug in your new one.

Now to set up your new SD card for Link2SD. I previously wrote a guide showing how to set up Link2SD On The LG Optimus V. Follow that guide through the end of step five regardless of what phone you have to set up your new SD card for Link2SD.

Now you new SD card is ready, move your backup including the Titanium Backup folder onto your new SD card. Then mount it into your powered off phone. Then turn on your phone. Launch the Link2SD app and make sure that all looks well. Note that most of your apps shouldn’t be working at the moment. We’re about to fix that.

Launch Titanium Backup and head back to the batch area. Select to batch restore all missing apps and system data. Follow through until the end of the restore process and you should have your phone back to an operating condition with your new SD card!

One common hick-up is if Link2SD does not automatically link your newly installed apps. To compensate for this you will need to move your apps back onto your phone in batches. After filling up your internal storage head back to the Link2SD app and move over the new apps then go back to Titanium Backup and do another batch until all of your apps have been restored.

If you ran into any trouble please ask for help in the comments, I will get back to you ASAP and get your new SD card upgraded!

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