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After the phone restarts, there is a LOST.DIR folder created on the external SD card. Is it possible not to create this folder if nothing is lost?

ohho
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3 Answers3

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LOST.DIR is just a storage space (directory) for files that were recovered upon boot. You can safetly remove it with no problems. The sysytem keeps it just in case you want to get your recovered currupted files back.

A quick google search yielded:

As for preventing it from being created, just prevent the SD card from becoming corrupted. Here are some things to keep in mind while using an SD card:

  • Always eject before removal
  • Never remove while files are being modified
  • Never remove from Android device while device is on

If you have your device connected to the computer, the SD card will usually automatically mount itself on the computer. Remember to eject it before disconnecting the device.

This thread has a ton of good info. Basically the gist of it is, if you are following all of the precautions to keep the SD card from getting corrupted (ejecting before removal, ect...) then the SD card is partially incompatible with your device. If you move to a higher class SD card, the problem usually goes away on its own.

John
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    I wonder if that directory could be the equivalent of lost+found on unix systems. – ott-- May 06 '13 at 18:48
  • @ott I would imagine that it is, considering that LOST.DIR is created at startup after a disk check, which is exactly what happens on *nix with lost+found. – John May 07 '13 at 02:28
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    "As for preventing it from being created, just prevent the SD card from becoming corrupted." does not work for my device. After I delete the LOST.DIR folder, restart the device, a new empty LOST.DIR folder is created. – ohho May 07 '13 at 02:44
  • @ohho see my edit – John May 07 '13 at 02:54
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    "running a defrag program" is a nonsense suggestion, since fragmentation on flash media is a non-issue. – deed02392 May 23 '13 at 11:09
  • @John then how can an internal SD card be itself incompatible with the phone where it is embedded? Cause just like ohho I get an empty LOST.DIR on both internal and external SD cards all the time, and I use MTP not MSC when connecting to PC. –  Sep 12 '13 at 23:36
  • I don't get the last part: Basically the gist of it is, if you are following all of the precautions to keep the SD card from getting corrupted (ejecting before removal, ect...) then the SD card is partially incompatible with your device. – Boris_yo Sep 17 '13 at 09:59
  • If you are doing everything you can to keep it from corrupted, and it is still getting corrupted, then the SD card is partially incompatible with your device. Buy a higher class card and that should fix your problem. – John Sep 17 '13 at 17:36
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I had the same problem, an empty LOST.DIR appearing all the time, both on internal and external SD cards. The workaround I have implemented was using Tasker for deleting it on device boot. It seems to be working so far.

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  1. Delete LOST.DIR folder.
  2. Create a file named LOST.DIR

When system tries to create LOST.DIR folder,it can't because a file exist with the same name.

bth_
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