inconsistent sd card mounting via usb

[JimmyTheSaint]

I have the latest Motorola drivers on two different laptops, but sometimes my SD fails to mount on the PC when I plug it into the USB. I am able to mount most of the time and do normal file operations, no problem. But sometimes I go into failure mode where no matter what I try the SD won't mount. I try rebooting the phone and laptop, trying my other laptop, uninstalling an app I suspect is causing a problem, but probably isn't, etc. Then, sometime later, for no apparent reason, I'll plug the phone into the laptop and suddenly it's working again. I see threads about SD mounting difficulties, but none that address an intermittent problem like I'm having. Any ideas about diagnostics, fixes, or preventive measures?

When it fails to mount, the symptom is that with many attempts, the phone will make the mounting sound repeatedly, but never mounts. Other times, it makes the sound once, as if it succeeded, but it doesn't mount. I've checked the log with aLogcat, but I see nothing that I can tell might be informative, but then I'm not an expert with that stuff.

I must say, the error is really vexing. Mounting works well enough to use the SD card for transferring files, but then just when you need it (to transfer something back) it fails.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

just for fun, try an app called "Auto Mount"

 

[JimmyTheSaint]

just for fun, try an app called "Auto Mount"

OK, I'm giving that a try. I won't get my hopes up: people are reporting it doesn't work with the Droid or with 2.1. I just tried file-browsing my SD card while connected to usb, and auto-mount didn't enable that, so no improvement there. But if it lets me reliably access the SD via USB, that's all I'll need.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

I use it with 2.1 and I use it on a Droid??

only reason why I say try it is that it forces the USB to mount every time you connect versus selecting to do so via the drop down menu. worth a shot.

 

[JimmyTheSaint]

I use it with 2.1 and I use it on a Droid??

only reason why I say try it is that it forces the USB to mount every time you connect versus selecting to do so via the drop down menu. worth a shot.

Um, what dropdown menu? I didn't know there was a way to mount it manually. The sd has always mounted for me automatically. Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

I think we are mixing terms.

yes, when you plug in your Droid it mounts automatically - that is, it starts the process - BUT to complete the mount to the desktop you have to pull the drop down menu and hit the "USB Connected" option and then hit the "Mount" button.

BUT, with the Auto Mount app, when you plug in your Droid it bypasses those 2 above manual steps and just mounts it to your desktop.

That is why I called the "conventional" method "manual" as you actually have to interact to get the mount to happen on your desktop. Not so with Auto Mount - which is why the app was made.

 

[JimmyTheSaint]

when you plug in your Droid it mounts automatically - that is, it starts the process - BUT to complete the mount to the desktop you have to pull the drop down menu and hit the "USB Connected" option and then hit the "Mount" button.

No mix-up of terms: mine has always auto-mounted. I plug it in, it starts the process, makes the sound, flashes some "connecting" messages on the phone and voila, it's mounted. I've never seen any dropdown menu. When it fails to mount, it either makes the mounting audio alert repeatedly, or proceeds as if it's mounted though it has not. In those cases, if there's some further step I can take (like finding the dropdown menu you're referring to), then I've never seen it. If I've installed something in the past that makes my usb mounting auto, then I've forgotten about it and I don't see anything like that on my phone. In any case, it sounds like "Auto Mount" is redundant for me.

 

[JimmyTheSaint]

To follow up, I believe my problem was using the Multimedia Docking Station when plugging into the computer's USB. In that case, my SD mounting problem was intermittent. Now that I've started plugging the phone directly into the computer, it has never failed to mount properly.

I now see the dropdown menu, but as I said it's irrelevant: my SD card has always mounted and continued to mount without any manual intervention required. I tried pulling down the menu anyway and I see the options that include Memory Card Access, but that's apparently the default, so I'd only need to do things manually if I want use one of the other options.