Can we ditch the HDD/SSD of PC and use smartphone storage instead?
Is it possible to create an NTFS partition in the smartphone storage that will be used as a bootable external HDD/SSD drive that can boot a PC?
Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
Re: Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
I am not aware of any model of modern smartphone, ie, Android or Apple iOS, that exposes a drive volume via USB Mass Storage which can be used to boot an IBM-86 PC or Apple OSX computer.
You may find some obscure Chinese hand build cellphones from generic parts that can be used in such a way, but nothing that normal consumers in Western society have access to. In such a way that you could boot a PC from a Chinese iPod clone, but not from a proper Apple iPod.
You may find some obscure Chinese hand build cellphones from generic parts that can be used in such a way, but nothing that normal consumers in Western society have access to. In such a way that you could boot a PC from a Chinese iPod clone, but not from a proper Apple iPod.
Re: Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
You do have to consider that drive spec had driven down Windows boot times dramatically since the late 90's.
There was a time when it took 3 minutes to boot the computer into Windows, then 90 seconds, then 30 seconds, and now near instantly. PATA -> SATA -> SSD -> M.2
If you try booting Windows from a USB2 thumbdrive, it will take many many minutes. Even a consumer-tier low performance USB3 thumbdrive will be clunky, but servicable. This is the approach I would recommend instead of trying to partition your phone's storage for external bootable mass-storage. And no, Android and iOS will not recognize NTFS and could not access your files on that partition anyway. Good luck installing/booting Windows from exFAT.
There was a time when it took 3 minutes to boot the computer into Windows, then 90 seconds, then 30 seconds, and now near instantly. PATA -> SATA -> SSD -> M.2
If you try booting Windows from a USB2 thumbdrive, it will take many many minutes. Even a consumer-tier low performance USB3 thumbdrive will be clunky, but servicable. This is the approach I would recommend instead of trying to partition your phone's storage for external bootable mass-storage. And no, Android and iOS will not recognize NTFS and could not access your files on that partition anyway. Good luck installing/booting Windows from exFAT.
Re: Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
Your recommendation is probably the right answer for today.
So the question now is for the future:
If people decide it's a good idea, is it technically possible to implement this idea (that phone storage will replace computer storage)?
Is this a hardware issue?
Is this a software issue?
both?
So the question now is for the future:
If people decide it's a good idea, is it technically possible to implement this idea (that phone storage will replace computer storage)?
Is this a hardware issue?
Is this a software issue?
both?
Re: Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
It's mainly a hardware issue and a human condition issue.
Modern gadgetry intended for consumption by the general population of people from all walks of life and IQ ranges... are going to be simplified and locked down to prevent inadvertent tampering and instability. The reason that cellphones don't mount as a standard Mass-Storage device with standard file access/copy protocols, but instead, use other protocols like MTP, PTP et al, is so the phone can interact with special software for managing photographs, and movies & music that are compatable with that phone's playback software and DRM encryption. Until very recently, only very specific file formats were allowed to be copied to consumer cellphones. The special MTP/PTP protocols also allow diagnostic software to communicate with the phone through USB, but Mass-Storage does not.
Which is why only generic Chinese Frankenstein cellphones, and open-source Linux phones, will mount as a generic Mass-Storage Device.
Modern gadgetry intended for consumption by the general population of people from all walks of life and IQ ranges... are going to be simplified and locked down to prevent inadvertent tampering and instability. The reason that cellphones don't mount as a standard Mass-Storage device with standard file access/copy protocols, but instead, use other protocols like MTP, PTP et al, is so the phone can interact with special software for managing photographs, and movies & music that are compatable with that phone's playback software and DRM encryption. Until very recently, only very specific file formats were allowed to be copied to consumer cellphones. The special MTP/PTP protocols also allow diagnostic software to communicate with the phone through USB, but Mass-Storage does not.
Which is why only generic Chinese Frankenstein cellphones, and open-source Linux phones, will mount as a generic Mass-Storage Device.
Re: Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
Another suggestion to add,Stamimail wrote: ↑Mon Feb 06, 2023 6:32 pm https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/can- ... s.4548711/
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/can- ... t-88089031
The point is to combine the phone storage and the PC storage to one storage, to be able to manage your data in one place.
Dividing the storage to (at least) 3 partitions:
1. Android OS
2. Data (Documents, Music, Video...)
3. Windows OS
You don't need to manage your Data twice.
All your Data and changes is available to you at home and on the road.
You don't need Cloud or Sync solutions.
Offline.
The PC storage does not have to pass from the world.
If the storage size of the PC is the same as the storage size of the smartphone (say both are 1TB), they can, through synchronization, serve as a backup for each other.
When you connect the smartphone to the PC, then automatically:
Windows (on the PC) will back up the Android OS partition (on the smartphone) to the PC.
Android (on the smartphone) will back up the Windows OS partition (on the PC) to the smartphone.
The Data partition (Documents, Music, Video...) on both the PC and the smartphone will not be automatically synchronized. This will require explicit synchronization instructions from the user.
Re: Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 5 Hybrid
1. How do we attach the smartphone to the party?
2. If we use the storage of the smartphone, as a single storage also for the tablet and the desktop, when we detach/disconnect the smartphone, the tablet and the desktop will be useless.
If we use separate storage for each device, we will have synchronization difficulties.
Maybe the solution is using User Accounts (like in WinKey+L and C:\Users), but separated in different storages\devices. When detach the smartphone, the Desktop will switch account (to something like All Users account), and use the Desktop storage. When attaching the smartphone, Desktop will switch account (to Personal account), and use the Smartphone storage.
1. How do we attach the smartphone to the party?
2. If we use the storage of the smartphone, as a single storage also for the tablet and the desktop, when we detach/disconnect the smartphone, the tablet and the desktop will be useless.
If we use separate storage for each device, we will have synchronization difficulties.
Maybe the solution is using User Accounts (like in WinKey+L and C:\Users), but separated in different storages\devices. When detach the smartphone, the Desktop will switch account (to something like All Users account), and use the Desktop storage. When attaching the smartphone, Desktop will switch account (to Personal account), and use the Smartphone storage.
Re: Can I use my smartphone storage for both Android OS and Windows OS?
Is it theoretically possible?
You install your user profile on your removable disk / smartphone, separately from the rest of the Windows installation. Something like that. The Windows OS resides on the computer. Your user account resides on the removable disk / smartphone.
You connect your removable disk / smartphone to your computer. The AutoPlay dialog shows up.
You will be able to click on "Switch User Account:" and log in to your user account that resides on the removable disk / smartphone.
Can this be done just for your personal computer, or can you also have a completely portable user account so you can run your user profile on a friend's computer or a library computer (Guest permissions enabled)?
You install your user profile on your removable disk / smartphone, separately from the rest of the Windows installation. Something like that. The Windows OS resides on the computer. Your user account resides on the removable disk / smartphone.
You connect your removable disk / smartphone to your computer. The AutoPlay dialog shows up.
You will be able to click on "Switch User Account:" and log in to your user account that resides on the removable disk / smartphone.
Can this be done just for your personal computer, or can you also have a completely portable user account so you can run your user profile on a friend's computer or a library computer (Guest permissions enabled)?