Help System storage went down without doing any modification!

[Kharl]

Hello guys!

this is a unlocked Nec Terrain

my phone storage (the storage available ONLY for apps) usually runs between 170-200mb, but from two days ago... yesterday i received a "low on space" message

Despite that, the only weird thing that have happened to my phone these days was a suddenly battery discharged two days ago, which i suspect was also the same moment the space went low.

i am extremely strict with the memory usage;
this is how i manage the memory

*the phone has an internal memory for apps of 787mb
*separately, has a phone storage of 4.34gb
*and a sd card of 8gb

*the memory for apps.. the phone shows it is 709mb full (78mb free)
*the phone storage, can not be used to install apps, but for anything else, for now i only use it to store maps in pdf and the map files for two maps applications, mapsme and avare, since in my daily basis i depend a lot on maps, i need them to work reliably and fast thats why i dont let those app to store their maps in the sd card neither in the internal memory for apps...
*and the sd card... you know you use it for what ever you want, i have there a "my document folder which i handle like a regular pc, and some non essential apps installed on the sd card

Now, back to the space for apps..
my total apps make about 440mb
just like always, why suddenly the space for apps went so low without any modification (from my part) to apps?

i rely a lot on this phone so i dont use to try new apps and to install any apps without doing several reviews and receive a positive information of an app, in my bag, i have another phone for playing with trend apps and new untrusted things.... EVEN UPDATES.... i first doit in the secondary phone and when i see everything working fine then usually a week or 15 days later is when i perform the update in this phone.... this is just to show you how strict i am with whats on this phone.

what is sucking my space for apps?

 

[Bg260]

You probably need to wipe the cache partition. That can be done in the stock recovery. You won't loss your applications. It will wipe the Davlik cache which is kind of where memory goes to retire

 

[Kharl]

You probably need to wipe the cache partition. That can be done in the stock recovery. You won't loss your applications. It will wipe the Davlik cache which is kind of where memory goes to retire

what is stock recovery? the fast boot then the recovery part?
will it erase app data like logings and settings?
how do i enter to that i n this phone?

it is a nec terrain

 

[lunatic59]

I moved these posts out of the thread about the Nexus 7 just to keep the discussions separate.

 

[Bg260]

Recovery is a system that exists on every Android. Its a fall back in case of system failure. I found directions here.

http://www.hardreset.info/devices/nec/nec-terrain/recovery-mode/

Keep in mind, if you decide to go this route, the guide shows how to do a factory reset. You do not want to do that. Just look for the "wipe cache partition" option. You will lose some of your app data. I think the biggest impact will be a longer start up time for your apps, at first. They will soon rewrite to the Davlik and start up times will normalize.

 

[Kharl]

I moved these posts out of the thread about the Nexus 7 just to keep the discussions separate.

thanks!

 

[Kharl]

ok, but for examply, a cache wipe... will delete my calendar events? my k9 email account and setting? my music folder player eq setting?

 

[lunatic59]

Nope. The system cache contains temporary files and pre-compiled apps for quick use.

FYI, @Bg260 , The Dalvik virtual machine was eliminated in 5.0 (lollipop) and has since used ART (Android Run Time).

 

[lunatic59]

Just looked it up. To get into the recovery mode on an NEC Terrain, power off the phone and then press and hold the volume down and power until recovery appears. (I know that's the same key combo on the Nexus to get into fastboot, but that's just two different manufacturers using the same key combo for different functions.)

Once in recovery (it should look like this)

use the volume up or down to highlight and the power key to select. You want wipe cache partition.

When you restart the phone you might see a screen saying something about recompiling or optimizing your apps (depending on the version of Android) which is normal. Let it finish and then see if that fixes your problem.

 

[Kharl]

no
i did not work
in fact it restarted even faste than the normal, normally use to take 15-18 secs to start up, after cache wipe did it in 10secs about and the problem persist

 

[lunatic59]

Some of the other things that can clog up your system partition are large log files and huge text or email databases. You also might look at the data usage for individual apps. What version of Android is it?

 

[Kharl]

android 4.0.4 (id like to install a 4.4.4 but nobody has been able to root and flash this phone)

log files... i dont know, but email files i already check that, i have 3 accounts at k9 (no other app handles emails in this phonee) and k9 is almost the same size than a week ago, 14mb

 

[lunatic59]

In 4.0.4 I think if you go into menu>settings>apps you can sort them by size and it will show you who's the memory hog... i think.

 

[Kharl]

yes, you are right
i have so strict control of how much memory apps use that io have a shortcut of settings>apps in the screen

when i go to apps, and sort them by size, the biggest one is
google play services with 95mb
mapsme with 39mb
skype with 24mb
google play store with 22
weatherbug with 20
intelly cast 16mb
clean master 13
k-9 mail 13
my backup pro 13 and a couple of dozen apps between 12 and 3 mb
the rest are around 50 apps ranging from 3mb to128kb

if i manually do the calc, it is around 440mb in apps
the same (+-40mb) than one month ago

 

[Kharl]

the phone again... before goning to bed 45%, 7 hours later i woke up and its 8%
in gsambattery shows that (in kernel) keepawake was active for 6h21m
i have wakelook detector installed but i dont understand it too much

 

[Kharl]

Hi
i factory reset the phone a month ago
now the phone did it again

i have 1/4 of the apps i used to have, about 35 apps of about 150 i used to have

and TODAY i went to update opera mini and i receive the insufficient storage warnign and i said ohh!

yesterday i had 300mb free and now i have 87mb

 

[mikedt]

Frankly it sounds like the thing is dying. There's certainly some serious problem or instability with it, if it's forgetting and dumping apps overnight like that. 4.0.4 ICS is probably the most recent Android version it's ever going to get.

Might be best to get anything important off of it, backed up, in case it goes completely.

I know that NEC is not exactly a big name in mobile phones these days, except for switches, plant and servers, but not consumer stuff. BTW my first mobile phone was a second-hand NEC 9A back in 1992.

 

[Kharl]

any help
anybody?

i hardlys uspect of an APP which is causing this,
something like somebody from here but in another post suggest, its like a hidden log of a na pp, that is not counted in the storage space but IT IS consumming that space


help please

 

[lunatic59]

The phone will give you the out of memory issue if you are close, but not necessarily exceeding the phone's total available memory. Is your phone set to download updates? They could be filling up the space behind the scenes. I think you are pushing it, though with this phone.

 

[Kharl]

no buddy, you dont remember my case, automatic updates are off

i am not close the limits, i donw wan tto write allmy case but here aresume

i used to have this phone with 150-200 free for apps, for this phone thta was fine plenty of space then it went down to 100mb WITHOUT DOING NOTHING, that is not a notrmal behavior with this phone neitoher anyone i use, i am very strict with wyhat i isntall and downlaod to my phone, the total of the app give me a number different of twhat the system says
i factory reset, after factory reset i got 600mb free for apps, i installed only the necesary apps then i got 300 mb free, way way more of what i used to have free, but since i am testing what causes the problem... and yesterday the problem arise, from one day to another from 300mb free to 80 mb

IT IS ABUG THERE IS A PROBLEMA SPY OR MALWARE, that is what i am telling you, is not somethign i am doing wrong and i am not noticing.. THERE IS something wrong with an app or any other software that IS creating ahiden file in ccess of 270mb thatis not being counted in the app managmen

 

[lunatic59]

I wasn't talking about app updates, but system updates. Sorry if I wasn't clear. In any case, it's almost impossible to tell without a root file explorer (which you'll need root for, obviously).

When you say you installed only the "necessary" apps, would it be possible to list them? If it is an app, maybe something would jump off the list.

If it is a virus or malware and it was able to install itself in the system partition, the only thing that will clear it is to reflash the phone's factory firmware, but unless you've been installing apps from shady sites, then I think that's unlikely.

 

[Kharl]

all aps downlaod fromgoogle play IN FACT for some apps i suspect i didnt download from google play and i installed the previous version that my backup did
no no system update neither

this is the list of the apps I USED TO HAVE, with those apps i used to have 190-210mb free, for about 2 YEARS and never got low memory message, with this i mean that always was my average of free memory and no issue at all
this is the list

a calendar
advanced task killer
aimp
androsensor
auto airplane mode
avare
avast antitheft
aviation checklist
aviation pocket knife
barcode scanner
charger tester
clean master
contacts VCF
convert it
dr web light
droidcam
e6b+
earthquake alert
easytether
easytether tablet
english
field compass
fing network tools
first aid
first aid
gps test
gsam battery monitor
home remedies
intellicast
jhon GBC lite
jhon NES lite
K-9 mail
Knots guide
latest quakes
maps me
mdt tracker
memory
memory trainer
memory wiper
metam
music folder player
mx player
natural notes
neptune explorer
NFC tools
notes
offline dictionaries
OI file manager
Olive office premium
Opera mini
OS monitor
oscilloscope
periodic table
permission dog
quick pick
shoot buble
simple stop watch
skype
smart cleaner
smart voice recorder
sonar
spanish
sunmoon time
table of elemets
teamviewr
torch
truetone
unit converter pro
voice alarm
wakelock detector
watch dog lite
weatherbug
weathe
wififile transfer
---73 apps---

i factory reset the phone on June 1st and the following are the apps i inmediatly installed
1 a calendar
1 advanced task killer
1 androsensor custom
1 avare
1 convert it
1 dr web light
1 K-9 mail
1 mx player
1 neptune explorer
1 notes
1 OI file manager
1 simple stop watch
1 skype
1 smart voice recorder
1 torch
1 unit converter pro
1 wififile transfer
---16 apps---
(the no. 1 in front of each apps is because i have an excel doc where iam creating a log trying to get with the problem, the # 1 mean those were installed the same day)

probelm working fine, regarding the storage, but the mai n problem that did arise, the call log taking long to populate or partialy shown arise at about 15 daysa fter the factory reset and wonly with those 16 apps... i ignore that

then after that, i neeeded to use other apps, and i installed the following apps
2 auto air[plane mode
2 e6b+
2 field compass
2 gps test
2 maps me
2 natural notes
2 Opera mini
2 quick pick
2 voice alarm
2 weathe
---10 apps---

and this past week (7 days ago no more
i installed this group of apps
3 charger tester
3 clean master
3 droid cam
3 fing network tools
3 OS monitor
---5 apps---

so now i have 31 of 76 apps i used to have, and i have 78mb left of storage?

see my point?

 

[Dannydet]

I think the 200 apps corrupted your system files. But I can see where they were all needed....?

 

[lunatic59]

Two jump out at me right away. Advanced task killer and clean master. Task killers have been discussed to death and are patently unecessary, IMO. ANYTHING from Cheetah mobile is bad news. They do a boat load of nonsense in the background.

 

[Kharl]

sorry, dont understand, you mean why i need or use those apps for?