I'm not technically good enough to know for sure, but my suspicion is that you formatted the internal card as Fat 16 or 32 and it should be ext 3, and that is causing a problem and giving you huh? error messages from Linux. That happened to me once, and gave me conniptions, whatever they are, for a long time.

Maybe someone knows some easy way to confirm or unconfirm that.

A few comments :

1) Some N810:s have had a problem with corrupt memory solvable by the user.
I can't find the article in the wiki, but here is the original thread :
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...corrupt+memory

2) I had (similar?) problems with my N810 memory cards after playing around with partitioning before I managed to do it properly with PB's console tools.
Formatting the cards from my PC plus reformatting from the PB program to the proper file systems solved the issue.
On this forum you can find several recommendations to use Memory Card Formatting Program from Panasonic on your PC.

geneven - thanks for that suggestion. I'm pretty sure (but not positive) that it was formatted FAT, but did it again just to make sure .

KristianW -
re: #1 - I followed the instructions in the link and the outcome for the df command wasn't the same in that no /dev/mmcblk0p1 was even listed. (the output for the cat /proc/partitions was the same as what speednut had written).

re: #2 - I have formatted at least a couple of dozen times, both on my PC and using N810 file manager. Did download/install/run the panasonic program you suggested but it kept locking up my PC (running WinXP).

I tried running pb but didn't understand it; as a raw beginner I guess I need to use pbeasy.

The good news: after so many formats/reboots (many of which resulted in corrupted card error messages), and several attempts at partitioning (those times that I didn't get an error message), I can probably now do that much at least, in my sleep . So I know more now than I knew 24 hours ago!

chiaowl

chiaowl, try the Panasonic formatter, with all the most rigorous options. It's in Post #1 or #2 of my sig thread. Don't then format with anything on your PC, just proceed to PB's tools, do the whole automated thing.

The thing that makes me think that this may not work, is that I thought you were trying and not succeeding with cloning to the N810's internal 2GB.

UPDATE - It is finished .

I now have a huge amount of space in which to install programs. Nate is formatted (he's had a lobotomy), partitioned, and cloned, and I'm putting my backups back on as I type.

Honestly, it had turned into an ordeal and I was ready to chuck it and just make-do with the 256MB alloted from the factory. Then, one last try (after MANY), and it all fell into place and worked. I was startled, frankly, but am totally pleased now even though I'm not sure what was wrong for so long and what is now right...just kept doing the same things as far as I know, and it finally worked!

THANK YOU so much for your help GeraldKo, Un27Pee, Geneven, and KristianW, if any of you are ever in my town I'll buy you dinner .

chiaowl

Congrat's !
But it is frustrating not to know what really happened !!

Re: PB :
In PBs menu
MKFS for formatting and
CFDISK for partitioning
is what I (total linux beginner) started with to learn to use it.
( I first partitioned with PBeasy, then looked at the card with PB.)
You navigate through CFDISK with the D-pad, it's fairly self instructing.
Experiment on an unused external card (or USB stick + USBcontrol + possibly a powered hub).

Appreciate that tip, KristianW! I've found a few tutorials online but I'd rather get my hands dirty, so to speak, and just DO stuff to learn it. I'll take your advice, was going to get a USB connector tomorrow anyway, have tons of memory sticks to practice on .

chiaowl

There are a few weird tricks and traps with the PB wonderful program that aren't documented. I found that it was much easier if I started by zooming the text size to the smallest possible! Otherwise, I was getting freaky error messages about not enough icons or something.

But the best thing now is to accept victory graciously and go on, which is what you are doing.

Someone should start a business -- send them your tablet and they will do all this work and send it back in perfect condition. I think there would be buyers (but not me).

LOL Geneven, I was SO tempted to see if I could find a linux genius locally who could at least decipher the command lines - it did actually cross my mind to put an ad in a paper .

Great minds think alike .

chiaowl

Congratulations! (Heck, with persistence like yours, we'll all be downloading your Linux apps and NIT tweaks one of these days )

(Also, I'll confirm what Geneven found, that you have to make the text size small in Xterm.) (Not that this was a problem for you, you weren't getting those kinds of errors.)