Why can't Total Commander access the root directory of a TF/SD card formatted as NTFS?

Support for Android version of Total Commander

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DOSforever
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Why can't Total Commander access the root directory of a TF/SD card formatted as NTFS?

Post by *DOSforever »

On an Android 12 phone, the system can access the root directory of a TF card formatted as NTFS, and the system's built-in file management app "File Manager" can also access it. Other third-party file managers like X-plore, MiXplorer, Ghost Commander can directly access it too. However, Total Commander requires authorization the first time it is accessed, showing the following prompt:
Write protected!
On Android >=5, the external SD card is write protected.
You need to choose the directory from a special Android dialog to give Total Commander write rights.
In the next dialog, please go to the root of the external SD card and click the button at the bottom, 'Select'!
Click YES to continue to the next step.

At the root directory of the TF card, it prompts:
Can't use this folder
To protect your privacy, choose another folder
Clicking the bottom USE THIS FOLDER button prompts:
To protect your privacy, choose another folder.
You must select a subdirectory within the root directory; you cannot start from the root directory.

If the phone formats the TF card itself, automatically formatting it as exFAT, there is no such problem. Total Commander can access the root directory and its subdirectories of the TF card directly without authorization.





为什么 Total Commander 无法访问格式化为 NTFS 的 TF/SD 卡的根目录?

Android 12 系统的手机,系统可以访问格式化为 NTFS 的 TF 卡根目录,系统自带的文件管理App "File Manager" 也可以访问,其它第三方文件管理如 X-plore MiXplorer Ghost Commander 也可以直接访问,但 Total Commander 首次访问时需要授权,出现如下提示:

Write protected!
On Android >=5, the external SD card is write protected.
You need to choose the directory from a special Android dialog to give Total Commander write rights.
In the next dialog, please go to the root of external SD-card and click on the button at the bottom,'Select'!

点击 YES ,继续下一步

在 TF 卡的根目录处提示
Can't use this folder
To protect your prviacy, choose another folder

点击底部的 USE THIS FOLDER 按钮,提示 To protect your prviacy, choose another folder 。必须选择根目录中的某个子目录才行,而不可以是从根目录开始。

如果让手机自己格式化 TF 卡,自动格式化为 exFAT 则无这个问题,Total Commander 可以无需授权直接访问 TF 卡的根目录及其子目录。
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ghisler(Author)
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Re: Why can't Total Commander access the root directory of a TF/SD card formatted as NTFS?

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

Sorry, no idea, I have never encountered this problem and never got a similar report, and I can't test it.
All I can recommend is that you use one of the other file managers. :(
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dinosnake
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Re: Why can't Total Commander access the root directory of a TF/SD card formatted as NTFS?

Post by *dinosnake »

I am having the same problem with the same dialog pop-up - LG Wing running Android 13, updated TC to v3.62d (previously tried with v3.30, failed access as well)

TC can not write to the SD card and, only sometimes, issues a dialog warning
Write protected!
On Android >=5, the external SD card is write protected.
You need to choose the directory from a special Android dialog to give Total Commander write rights.
In the next dialog, please go to the root of the external SD card and click the button at the bottom, 'Select'!
The native Android Files program then opens up for you to try to select the SD card to offer write permission. The problem is that you can not select the root of the SD card, therefore you cannot give TC the write permission it needs, and therefore TC continuously comes back with an error. If you select a subdirectory in the Files program you can then approve that subdirectory for permission use, but TC states that this is wrong and kicks you back into Files to make you try to approve write permissions on the root of the SD.

Which, as stated before, you can't.

Note that TC v3.62d does not show any types of application permissions in it's App Info page beyond allowing Notifications or Nearby Devices - no file permission selections are available. However, if you go into the Android Permissions manager page there *are* permissions listed for TC, and I have indeed allowed TC full file permissions with no change in results.
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Re: Why can't Total Commander access the root directory of a TF/SD card formatted as NTFS?

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

The "access all files" permission is a special permission which can't be enabled via the app properties, only via Android settings - apps - special access. I really have no idea at all why it would work with other file managers but not with Total Commander. Once it has file access, the file functions are really simple calls, it makes no sense that they fail.
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dinosnake
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Re: Why can't Total Commander access the root directory of a TF/SD card formatted as NTFS?

Post by *dinosnake »

Yes, I already had "All files access" for TC turned on in the Special Access menu - no change, TC cannot write to the SD card. It just corrupted a copy of 6 important files and now I'll have to rescan & rebuild the files.

I need help, TC not being able to write to the SD card but simultaneously thinking that it does, and then corrupting the attempted files, is rather bad.
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Re: Why can't Total Commander access the root directory of a TF/SD card formatted as NTFS?

Post by *ghisler(Author) »

2dinosnake
Your problem seems to be different from what user DOSforever reported: It's possible that you have a "fake" card, which means that the card is sold with a fake capacity (e.g. 1TB) much larger than what the card actually contains (e.g. 32GB flash memory). These cards are common on Amazon (third party sellers) and sites like Ali Express, and they work perfectly fine until the actual flash memory size is reached. Then they corrupt previously written files, or even the directories. If you have access to a PC, please test your hard with h2testw:
https://h2testw.org/
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