Sunday, March 29, 2009

File corruption issue with N810 internal 2GB of memory

There is a potential file corruption issue with your internal 2GB of memory.

How to quickly check if this affects you:
  1. Open the X Terminal application in the Utilities menu.
  2. Type the following at the command prompt:
    cat /proc/partitions (then enter)
    The output should look something like this. Pay attention to the field I marked in red because this is the important part. The red number tells you how much space is really physically on the memory card)
    Code:
    major minor  #blocks  name

    31 0 128 mtdblock0
    31 1 384 mtdblock1
    31 2 2048 mtdblock2
    31 3 2048 mtdblock3
    31 4 257536 mtdblock4
    254 0 1966080 mmcblk0
    254 1 2007032 mmcblk0p1
  3. Now type the following at the command prompt:
    df (then enter)
    The output should look something like this.
    Code:
    Filesystem           1k-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
    /dev/mtdblock4 2048 2048 0 100% /mnt/initfs
    none 512 84 428 16% /mnt/initfs/tmp
    /dev/mtdblock4 257536 222104 35432 86% /
    none 512 84 428 16% /tmp
    none 1024 12 1012 1% /dev
    tmpfs 1024 0 1024 0% /dev/shm
    /dev/mmcblk0p1 1999206 1517392 481814 76% /media/mmc2
    The number I highlighted in red this time shows how much space is allocated to the internal memory card.

The corruption problem happens when the allocated memory size is greater than the physical memory size. So look to see if the number from the "df" command output is greater than the number from the "cat /proc/partitions" command. So for the example above, 1999206 > 1966080 which means I have the defective internal memory card configuration and need to repair my tablet. If the number from "df" is less than the number from "cat /proc/partitions", skip the rest of this thread and get on with your life.


How to repair your internal memory card:
Don't panic, it's very easy. Please don't be intimidated by the length of this post as you really type in very little. Read through all of these instructions once and ask questions if I haven't been clear on any of the steps.

Must do this first:
  • Do you have the swap file turned on? If so, make sure it is off! If you're not sure, open the Control Panel application and select "Memory". On the second tab "Virtual", make sure "Extend virtual memory:" is UNchecked or blank. If it is checked, remove the check mark, click OK, then reboot your IT.
  • Have you backed up your internal memory card to your PC? If not, do it now before continuing. All data on your internal memory card will be deleted! Just connect the USB cable that came with your tablet into your PC. The tablet's internal memory will appear on your computer looking just like a USB thumb drive or other USB storage device.


The easy way to fix this issue is from krisse. Simply use the File manager application to format the internal memory card (in the File Manager, select the internal memory card, then open the menu and select "Tools -> Format memory card..."). Once the formatting is complete, run the test commands above to verify the memory allocation is fixed. That's it, you're done.

(thank you to the folks who verified this method as successful)

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