ics looses sd card write access.

[GeoffNT]

I've just discovered that the ICS upgrade has lost write access to the external SD card (sdcard2). I use ES file explorer which has previously worked perfectly but can now not edit, create or copy any files to my SD card. So we wait for ages for ICS and it still has a major bug. Great. 

[sehuxle]

This was noted by those by who 'root' their devices and a fix was developed. So if you've rooted your Sony then you can get write access back

[GeoffNT]

No mine is not rooted and I have no real desire to go down that route. I just want to be able to write to my SD card as I could before. Anyone from Sony read these boards and care to comment on whether this is a bug or a "feature"? Have I now got to remove my SD card everytime I want to add files to it rather than do it over wifi as I could before?

[sehuxle]

Possibly didn't explain myself proparly. Since ICS the SD card lost write access as you say. But they found a fix for those who have rooted their tablet.

As for a reply from Sony, well look out of you window do you see any flying pigs!!!

I decided to root my tablet a few weeks ago, glad I did I can tell you. An instant fix for your problem that will take Sony god knows how long to get round to sorting.

[breedBenR]

Yes, this is a change.

- if it is about media copied onto the card from elsewhere: the players now do see the media on the external card

- if it is about copying downloaded stuff to the external card: Sony wants you to use the file-transfer app.

- your options are:

-- complain to Sony. What they at least should do, is make the File-Transfer App so that it is listed as an app to do an action with in other apps (similar to for example, how the  'Download All Files' app works with for example 'File Manager HD'.

-- notify the programmers of various file-manager software.
Perhaps they can find a way to use the File-Transfer App on the tablet to deal with this.

-- File Transfer APP HAS settings that 'always delete source on import' and 'always delete source on export'.

That is a handy setting to know, now that you are basically forced to use this half-useful file manager.

[GeoffNT]

OK perhaps I should explain how I use my SD card. I use it to store a selection of my Music, Photos and Videos that are stored on my PC. Fairly often I update these files. Until the ICS update I used ES File Explorer to transfer files over via WIFI on my LAN. Now there is no way to do this other than removing the SD card and putting it in the PC everytime. I also presume that I can't download directly to the SD card only via the internal storage and then file transfer?  This is ridiculous. It is good that the inbuild media player can now directly access the SD card but to make the main storage media on the tablet read-only for everything but their own file transfer app is something I would expect from Apple not an Android tablet.

How difficult is it to root the tablet S? I don't really want to get into that but it seems Sony have left me no choice.

[q_4brso]

I have the same problem. Before the  ICS update I could changes word-files on the extern sd-card, but now that isn't possible anymore. That's ridiculous. There is an solution but thas is only for rooted devices. A file, platform.xml must be changed. All the filemanagers I tried, refused to do that. So maybe sony can do that. For office use it is necessary to heave the files on an extern sd card. Now I have to change safe tot intern sd-card and use the file transfer. Not efficent at all.

[Cufi64]

you can use ES Explorer for copying to sdcard2, but instead of copying in /sdcard2 do it in /mnt/sdcard2

Thus you'll be able to write into your external sdcard, but you'll have to extract the sd card to delete the files , cause the device permission is "-r-"

I'm sorry, but it's the only solutioni have found

[cedricallain]

Is there anyone from the Sony support team who know about this problem, because this is really a major bug ! Is it possible to contact them and have a patch ?

[GeoffNT]

Thanks Cufi64, I hadn't realised that mnt/sdcard2 still gave write access that helps me out quite a bit.