How to enable USB mass storage on Android 4.0 ICS Samsung Galaxy S2?

By
Jayce Ooi
-
Last modified on

Oh no, USB mass storage is gone on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Samsung Galaxy S II. We should be able to use USB storage mode when enable USB debugging in Gingerbread. But it is not working on Android 4.0.3 ICS Samsung Galaxy S2. I have 2 options ~ Media device (MTP) and Camera (PTP) modes to choose only. No worry, USB storage mode is still available on Android 4.0 ICS Samsung Galaxy S2 but located in other place…

USB mass storage

How to enable USB mass storage on Android 4.0 ICS Samsung Galaxy S2?

  1. Bring up Settings.
  2. Click More… (under Wireless and network).
  3. Then select USB utilities ~ Set USB cable connection mode.
  4. Select Connect storage to PC then.
  5. Connect USB cable from phone to PC.
  6. Select Turn on USB storage.
  7. That’s all.

One thing that I notice. USB mass storage mode in Ice Cream Sandwich is better than Gingerbread. I have video playback issue with USB mass storage connection to Samsung TV. It will hang during extensive scene. But no issue on ICS USB storage mode.

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147 COMMENTS

  1. thanks for the info.. but i have noticed tht we have to follow the same procedure every time we connect to pc. cant we enable it permanently like in old ginger bread?

    • Well, folks. Here’s my problem. Following the steps outlined, the “USB Utilities” option does not show up on my phone.

      Samsung Galaxy s2 Android 4.0.4

      When I plug in, I get “auto USB tethering. Should I turn on USB tethering?” Regardless of what option I select, it doesn’t work.

        • I could accept your response if it weren’t for the fact that it worked three weeks ago, and now it doesn’t.

          Obviously, I did something in that period of time, but a firmware upgrade or change was not done.

            • I’m having the same problem and I even did a factory reset and I still cant get it to connect. Every time I connect it, it’ll get to the place where it asks you to plug in your usb cable but doesn’t bring up the option to turn on mass storage. Also i have not had any updates or changes since i last used my mass storage a week ago.

            • Hi!

              Well I just don’t have the same options as you described. within settings I have the ‘wireless and networks’ option and I click ‘more’ heres where the problem comes in: there is NO OPTION FOR USB UTILITIES. no where within settings can I find any mention of USB storage.

              I just bought this phone last month from Virgin Mobil. does virgin mobil offer some different version of the Galaxy S2?

              I’m so frustrated, I just want my music! all my other droids had a USB option pop up when I plugged it into my laptop. I expected that same ease of use and hope that I can figure this out.

  2. Hi,
    I tried some entries under ‘settings’ activities but there a really too many !

    The closest is the one I mentionned earlier “wireless and network” where ‘USB Utilities’ is tio be found.

        • Hi!

          Well I just don’t have the same options as you described. within settings I have the ‘wireless and networks’ option and I click ‘more’ heres where the problem comes in: there is NO OPTION FOR USB UTILITIES. no where within settings can I find any mention of USB storage.

          I just bought this phone last month from Virgin Mobil. does virgin mobil offer some different version of the Galaxy S2?

          I’m so frustrated, I just want my music! all my other droids had a USB option pop up when I plugged it into my laptop. I expected that same ease of use and hope that I can figure this out.

        • I don’t have the same options as you described. within settings I have the ‘wireless and networks’ option and I click ‘more’ heres where the problem comes in: there is NO OPTION FOR USB UTILITIES. no where within settings can I find any mention of USB storage.

  3. I’ve found the setting so we need not enable usb mass storage each time on S2 with ICS

    Settings->Developer options->Check “USB Debugging”

    • Hi Jason,

      The solution you describe used to work for me on Gingerbread.
      But now in ICS (4.03) it has not the same effect anymore 🙁

      Anyway, MTP is fine for me for file transfer from/to PC.
      It has just 2 disadvantages :
      1°) my car stereo dosen’t recognize this protocol (only UMS)
      2°) I need admin rights (which I have not) to install the proper drivers on a professional laptop

      For the rest, it seems “safer” for file transfer (no corrupt files anymore?) and would allow multiple acesses at the same time (like external read of .mp3 files and have navigon gps system working)

  5. Thanx a million for this help! I was in despair over the limited functions appearing when connecting my Samsung Galaxy S II to my computer. Your description and advice was brief, to the point and very, very helpful for this little girl in Denmark – thanx a billion :*

  7. well my issue as i saw few people have its that after upgrade to ics the usbstorage folder on gal. s2 can’t be access on the phone, it’s just plain empty.

    but weird thing its from the pc you can access it fine.

    • Hey Tery,
      I have the same issue. After upgrading to ics the usbStorage folder is inaccessible from the phone but can see it when i connect through the computer.

      Did you find a soulution to this?

      • Hi,

        I have been pulling my hair out trying to fix the problem you folks are having! Any luck? I’m really irritated that they didn’t test prior to update… Thanks in advance, Weas

        • You want the sdcard folder under /mnt; the usbstorage folder is where you mount a USB drive when using an otg cable, so it will stay empty until/unless you plug in a usb drive..

  12. Thank you for the help here! I have another problem – I updated to Sandwich. I can now hook up as usb starage I can see my files that were in storage on my PC when the phone is connected via the cable BUT I cannot see anything via “My Files” on the phone when it is disconnected. With Gingerbread it was there to access via My Files? What to do?

  13. Rebooted – removed battery sd card sim – still not accessable. There is no folder USB Storage like with gingerbread

  14. I have an Android Galaxy 2 7.0 with ICS. I must tell you that nothing is more frustrating than misleading instructions such as those provided by people like YOU. The problem is in your Step #3: Then select USB utilities ~ Set USB cable connection mode.

    Under Settings, More, Wireless and networks there is NO USB related options whatsoever. What we do have is Airplane mode, Kies via Wi-Fi, VPN, and Wi-Fi Direct.

    So, Jayce, your little nifty answer is ABSOLUTELY USELESS.

      • true that. i concede the point to you. however. #$@! why should ICS on the tablet not have this option whilst it exists on the android phone?

        excuse my harsh comment, this is extremely frustrating that such a very basic function has been completely neglected by samsung

        note – you should consider placing a concise clarification in the top of your article to prevent confusion as the two devices are soooo nearly identical in nomenclature.

      • Hello,

        I have a Samsung Galaxy S2. I recently got the ICS update, and now when I plug my USB cable into my computer it reads the device as a camera only. It will not allow me to access the many files I have stored on the phone.

        I am also NOT SEEING the USB utilities option under the “settings….more….wireless and networks” option listed above.

        I’ve tried a desktop computer and a laptop, same results. This is extremely frustrating – I need to be able to transfer files back and forth for work projects.

          • Hi Jayce,

            I actually did call Samsung Support, and they informed me that this is a bug with ICS (may be specific to Sprint, my service provider, I wasn’t clear on that), and there are three options to fix:

            1) Wait for the patch (booooo!)
            2) Reinstall the Gingerbread OS (not the best option – requires that I backup the files first or they will be written over during the process, and also requires me to visit a Sprint Service center as apparently I can’t do it on my own)
            3) Utilize Kies app until the patch comes out.

            I’m using option 3, which is a pain in the neck but at least gives me immediate access to my files.

            Thought I would pass along in case anyone else runs into the same problems.

            • Sprint technological support told me there is no option fro re installing Gingerbread. I would _love_ to have GB back!

        • Don’t have a solution to this problem but another workaround if you absolutely have to transfer a file. I sent it Bluetooth via usb key. Sure its slow but it works and you don’t have to mod the phone and you don’t really have a size limit that emailing would.

        • hi Nix,

          while connecting ur phone to the pc, a notification might be popping up in the notification drawer.. click on that and u might get 2 check boxes to choose from. i doubt that in your case the PTP mode might be checked. so try to check the mtp mode and connect ur usb again.

  15. Still doesnt work, have had nothing but problems with ics, and this is yet another.
    Have tried the instructions many times but doesnt come up that the cable is connected via the computer nor the device
    This update has made so many things on this phone unusable and am wondering if anyone knows any way to go back to gb?
    Please help.

  17. i have an archos 80g9 under ics, same problem

    under seven 32bits, if i try to copy files withe windows exporer, explorer crash 🙁
    then i activate usb debogging (yeah i know why did i do that ? because on my gs2 under GB it enable usb mass storage so why not :))
    it doesn’t enable UMS but i can copy files without crash 🙂
    and now, like with my gs2/2.6.4, it ask me if i want to convert the files ou juste copy them
    when i had pb with explorer, no questions asked !!
    so maybe it try to convert my videos files and crash and now nothing 🙂

    hope it can help you guys

    euh sorry it still crash…with drag and drop of mp4 files
    but ctrl-c/ctrl-v…works ….did i say i hate windows ???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    that’s the confirmation i need : no need to buy 32gb model, just buy the lowest capacity and a big microSD card…it will be quicker and simpler 😉

  19. thanks for this but i did have a question though
    when i used to open in MTP and transfer a video (.mkv and .mp4) from my computer, the video playback would be all broken and would get stuck alot (this is after the update)
    but when i did the transfer using (as instructed by u) the whole usb thing i dont seem to get that problem (for now… will get back here if it suddenly pops up again)
    thanks

  21. For many phones running aftermarket ROMs (and maybe even stock ones too) running ICS, there seems to be a common problem; the inability to move things (like apps and their respective APKs) to the SD card. Here’s a work-around fix that worked for me:

    http://www.howtogeek.com/114667/how-to-install-android-apps-to-the-sd-card-by-default-move-almost-any-app-to-the-sd-card/#comment-184807

    It’s little bit of work, but worth the effort if you can save yourself a bunch of space doing it. 🙂

  25. I Hi Jayce..can I ask for your help on my galaxy s2 gt i9100,few days ago I flash a lq5 on it,after that my 32 GB mass storage drop to only 4.11GB total space ..I had been looking for a solution to get it all back.help pls.thank you

  26. Hi again Jayce..thank you so much for the quick reply on my last query regarding my 32GB USB storage.another question Jayce..will my 32 GB can be fix?

  27. I tried this and i get to the “USB storage in use” screen and it should be connected to the PC, ONLY it is not and the sdcards do not show on my PC (or MAC).

  28. Thank you so much Jayce. I was initially stumped as to why I couldn’t transfer files. You instructions were very helpful. I recently updated to ICS and I didn’t really know that it was a little different from the previous Gingerbread. With your instructions, I had no problems transferring files from my Galaxy Note LTE ICS to my PC. Many thanks again!

  29. i read through the thread but i’m still confused. my samsung galaxy sII epic 4g touch updated to 4.04 this morning and now I can’t find the connect usb option, even after following the instructions at the top of the page. I have the mtp and ptp(?) options? but my phone/mounted sd card aren’t recognized. did i miss something in the thread, or are there more updates or changes that need to be done to my phone?

  30. Yeah, this is not working for me. I have a brand spanking new Samsung Galaxy S II that has been upgraded via that awful Samsung Kies hack to ICS (4.0.3). Now I find that the brain trust at Google has stripped Android of USB block mode which worked fine with my Debian Linux box under Gingerbread. For what? Moron Windows users? Way to screw the OSS guys that you built the platform on. Take Linux and make it useless to Linux, to tart Android up for slobbering Windows users.

    Yes, I loaded all the bull MTP utilities, libraries, applications, tools, magic fairy dust. But I CAN’T GET PAST “Connect USB cable to use mass storage” on the phone. Not if I connect the cable late, not if I connect early, not if I dance jig around the damn useless phone. Nothing else has changed. On the host, “lsusb” shows nothing – like the phone is not even handshaking on the USB bus. And “mtp-detect” is showing “No raw devices found.”

    Any thoughts here? It’s not so simple, is it?

    And I’m not calling or emailing Samsung’s worthless monkeys. If you’re not running Windows, they just don’t care. Not a whit. “Well sir, everything is working fine on our Windows systems. Perhaps you should chuck your thousands of dollars worth of Linux servers and desktops into the trash, and get yourself some craptastic Windows box and an analog modem, from the chumps at BestBuy and start a virus farm. Then you can be stupid and happy like us.”

    Yeah, thanks for nothing. I’d trade “Don’t be evil” with “Don’t be useless” any day.

  31. I hear you Andrew …
    Only thing is that this BS is from monkeys at Google and their stupid Android system, not Samsung’s f…up!
    Proof: same device works well in Gingerbread but not in Ice cream.
    Next system upgrade should be called Sloppy Joe or something disgusting, as it makes us feel!

  32. Hello if you are not able to find the usbStorage folder in the My Files Application on the android do the following. .

    1. Open the My Files Application.
    2. Click on your options and select RENAME
    3.You will see the usbStorage folder now and just make the first letter Capital.
    You should be all set. The My Files app will see it now.
    Good Luck.

  34. same here no usb option under settings.
    i connect to the pc and my options are limited to transfer of pics but not files.

  35. Hi
    I have upgraded my galaxy notes android version to 4.03 latest.but i am not able to use my usb
    Mass storage.If i connect to.pc then it is showes but once i disconnect the same.
    It does not show.It is not showing in file manager also.Can any one pls guide me
    the solution on my problems.pls pls do reply..Nitin.

  36. I have a Samsung Galaxy 2 & updated to ics Just like others I was looking for the USB connection option. Through trial and error I found out that just plug the USB cable into a computer running Win 7 & it auto recognize it. Not sure if this will work for everyone but it’s worth a shot.

  37. Yeah…. ics update screwed things up for me. I got windows XP and idk…everytime i connect it it runs me into the “blank camera” with blank folders on my computer and when i look on the phone i see the usb connected icon on the top left but it has 2 options: 1. mtp 2. ptp and both are useless…….. where u go usb mass storage!!!!!! got a galaxy s2 epic4gtouch..yeah any solutions??????

  38. Upgraded my Epic 4g Touch ota to ics 4.0.3 about a week ago and now nothing will show up in windows explorer at all for the phone this is on a pc running Windows 7. The first time I plugged it in it said something about a missing driver but I can’t get it to ever mention it again after unplugging/replugging it back in.

    When I pull down the notification bar on the phone it comes up with a notification saying “connected as a media device” if I click on that it gives me the options mtp and ptp right now mtp is check marked but neither will make it show up on the computer.

    I tried going to developer options and turning on usb debugging like some people in the comments said but it made no difference.

  39. Everyone on this thread should call Sprint support at 800-927-2199 and say “since the recent Ice Cream Sandwich update to my Galaxy S2 Epic 4g Touch, I am no longer able to use the USB Mass Storage option to connect my phone to my computer and mount it as a drive letter”.

    Let me know what they say. I’m doing it right now.

    -C

  40. Sign up for a BOX account (online storage), then use wifi to transfer files through there. Plus you will have a place to back them up. It’s a little slow, but it will work for now.

  41. FIX – Sprint Samsung Galaxy SII / SPH-D710 – Broken USB External SD Card ability after Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS 4.0.4) Update.

    There are a bunch of people out there trying to tell you to use phone hacks, odd settings, 3rd party applications… DON’T DO IT!!!!! Yes they changed the USB interface, but that is not what is breaking your ability to see “everything” on the SD card.

    Sprint or Samsung needs to fix this, but for some reason after you accept the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS 4.0.4) Update the Samsung SPH-D710 USB Drivers are no longer auto detected when you connect your phone to your PC. You have to manually download them directly from the Samsung support page.

    Here is what I did to connect to my phone as a “USB Drive”… this means I see both the phone & card options again.

    1. Go to the Samsung support site (http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/SPH-D710)
    2. Click “Manuals & Downloads”
    3. Choose “Software”
    4. Download & Install the “Device(Install),USB Driver (Software) (ver.1_3_2360_0)” onto your PC.
    – Title Sprint SPH-D710 (Epic 4G Touch) USB Driver
    – Applicable Model Sprint SPH-D710 (Epic 4G Touch) USB Driver
    – Carrier or Corporate Customer Sprint
    – Description Sprint SPH-D710 (Epic 4G Touch) USB Driver
    5. Follow USB Driver installation prompts.
    6. ReBoot your PC to make the driver active.
    7. Now connect your phone to the PC and wait for the “Connected as a media device (Touch for other USB options)” to pop-up on your top status bar.
    – Make sure “Media device (MTP)” has a “green check mark” by it.
    8. Wait for your PC to recognize the device it can take several minutes (be patient and DO NOT disconnect your phone or change options)
    – Note: One of the PC’s I used made me reboot a second time after the phone was connected to activate the USB drivers. But it should prompt you if this is needed.
    9. When complete – You should see a phone icon in your My Computer screen labeled SPH-D710

    I really hope that they fix this with the next update. Until then, I suggest putting the drivers on a plain ol thumb drive and keep it handy for those times when you might need to connect to another PC.

    ***SIDE NOTE: If you are having problems with your ICS update… Call Sprint and take it to the repair center that they recommend. Both my husband and I had to do this because the old Gingerbread and the new Ice Cream Sandwich were fighting each other for control on some things. They are able to completely wipe Gingerbread off of the phone and install Ice Cream Sandwich from scratch… This fixed our battery and connectivity issues.

  42. LiRoper,

    Your step-by-step instructions merely show users how to get the device driver installed and access to the card through a PC media player.. You are still unable to see the phone’s storage “drives” in Windows Explorer and browse the contents of the “drives” .. This is on Windows XP.

    This change effectively strips users access to the file system on their Android device from a computer.

    Bryan

  44. Ok so after reading this whole thread at least I think I did… lol I might have missed something but I have Sprint and after updating to ICS I am no longer to utilize the USB Mass Storage ability. I do not mean on my PC. Even after the update all I had to do is plug it in and it downloaded the new drivers just fine and I can still access everything like before no problem. What I am upset about is I have a B/R Player and I was able to access the USB utility when plugged into my B/R via usb and watch the movies that I have on the phone via my player. IE basically using it as a flash drive. Wouldn’t really be that big a deal but I lost my flash drive and can’t really afford another one atm… (yes I know they are cheap but other stuff comes first before that)

    So in all honesty is there anyway to use the phone as a flash drive like before with sprint as the carrier it seems that some are fine? Or am I waiting for JB to release and root my phone as JB really isn’t an upgraded version just a version to fix all the bugs in ICS? Please and thank you for any advice.

  45. incase it anyone needs a step by step …

    go to http://www.samsung.com

    click support

    click cellphones

    and complete the “find your model” portion

    mine was:SPH-D710

    under support options choose “manuals and downloads”

    scroll down a bit and there’s 4 tabs, choose Manuals and Downloads

    then click software and there should only be one to choose from.

    after you’ve downloaded the driver open it

    once it’s installed (on your computer) you can plug your phone in and it will be recognized as a Hard Drive

    these links might work (I think it’s the same link anyway) you can copy and paste:

    Galaxy S2 Black:

    http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=US&CttFileID=4507874&CDCttType=SW&ModelType=C&ModelName=SPH-D710ZKASPR&VPath=SW/201109/20110916042342248/Sprint_d710_USB_Driver_v1_3_2360_0.exe

    Galaxy S2 White:

    http://org.downloadcenter.samsung.com/downloadfile/ContentsFile.aspx?CDSite=US&CttFileID=4507874&CDCttType=SW&ModelType=C&ModelName=SPH-D710ZWASPR&VPath=SW/201109/20110916042342248/Sprint_d710_USB_Driver_v1_3_2360_0.exe

  46. This thread was the top result when I did a google search on USB MTP CAMERA ICS MASS STORAGE, and after reading through several of the (mostly incorrect) replies to the understandably frustrated posters, I thought I would share my knowledge:

    MTP/PTP is the default USB mode that is now baked in to the official ICS 4.04 stock ROM and which is by many accounts is here to stay. I was able to download the following market app to my ROOTED Samsung Epic 4G Touch to switch from USB MTP/PTP to USB MSC:

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.zatta.USB_switch&hl=en

    MTP = Media Transfer Protocol for file transfer
    PTP = Picture Transfer Protocol for image transfer
    MSC = Mass Storage Class which allows your phone’s internal and external storage partitions to mount as USB drives

    If you own a Samsung Epic 4G Touch and think you might want to root your phone, here is a good place to start:

    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1761666

  47. James – from August 7 – thanks, this info for the drivers does work.

    I am using a Sprint S II and had this issue – surprised it took me this long to find out I had an issue.

    MTP and the “camera” function do not work with a Win7 PC. I tired it on three different ones.

    But the driver option from Samsung does do the trick and I can mount internal storage from the phone.

    Thanks for the info!

  48. After trying to figure out various solutions for downloading files to my Mac tonight, I came across a solution by trial and error. At first I transferred my files using Double Twist via wi-fi, which is much quicker and user-friendly than Kies. doubletwist.com

    Then, much later, after plugging my phone into my Mac for the zillionth time, I noticed a scrolling message on my phone about it being connected via USB. When I clicked on the message, I was given the option to either use the device using MTP or as a Camera. When I selected Camera, I was able to see my phone mounted through Double Twist and could then drag and drop my files. (You can also use this option using Android File Transfer, I noticed: http://www.android.com/filetransfer/)

    I’m not sure where in the phone settings this MTP vs. Camera option is, but hopefully this solution will work for other Mac users.

  51. LiRoper’s driver update worked for my XP computer. My problem was connecting via USB I could see all the folders, copy from phone to laptop but not from laptop to phone. Problem is solved for me now. Don’t know about extra SD memory I just am using out of box phone and recently it upgraded to ICS, worked before both ways with gingerbread.
    Thanks

  52. HI.. i need help..recently my computer is having problem detecting my samsung s2..it keeps on saying usb not recognized..i went to the samsung service centre and they were saying something about the part where we plug in the usb cable to the phone is the problem..so they asked me to hold the usb cable tighter..it worked but then i cant connect thru USB UTITLITIES like i used to anymore..do you by any chance know how i can fix this?

  53. On the sprint version of the galaxy s2 the only USB thing i have found is under settings>device>developer options. then it has USB debugging. you are supposed to activate that and a friend said that an option should show up in the drop menu but nothing is showing up for me, maybe it will for you, im not sure.

  54. Hi, cant get it to work on my galaxy note 4.0 plzz help … all it does when i connect is start charging , ive tried debugging both ways and tried reintalling drivers but still samsung kies doesnt recognise it and my laptop doesnt recognise it as storage :S

  57. hi. i have galaxy s2 16 gb . i have a problem i lost my phone usb storage from 11.5 to 4.11 gb. phone shows only 4.11 gb memory. plz tell me whts problem .how to back my usb storage memory?

  59. Hi everyone!

    I hope this helps, because both my wife and I have had the same problem on our GS2s. We both use Ubuntu Linux and the MTP/CTP methods do not quite work, plus we do not have access to everything on the SD card. I read the same thing about going to Settings > More… > USB Utilities and found we did not have that option at all. There IS a difference between the S2 versions that different carriers have. We have Sprint and the Sprint version does not have the USB Utilities available. If you do have it, then it works. However if it is not there, all is not lost. The following method seems to work when you are ROOTed.

    There are many places to describe ROOTing your phone. After you successfully ROOT (I used the One-Click ROOT method and it was quick and easy!) you can either use the ADB shell method or get the Terminal Emulator app from Google Play.

    If you use the ADB shell, make sure you go to System Settings > Developer options > USB debugging is checked.
    Then execute ADB (in Windows open Start menu and select Run and enter CMD, Linux and Mac OS X open the Terminal app) then type adb shell and press .
    If you use the Terminal Emulator app on your phone just start the app.

    Either of the methods above will lead to the next two commands:

    su
    setprop persist.sys.usb.config mass_storage,adb

    If you used the Terminal Emulator app on your phone, you may see a dialog requesting Superuser permission from the Terminal Emulator app. Just tap on ALLOW.

    If you entered the commands using ADB, you will need to restart your phone by either turning it off then on. If you used the Terminal Emulator app, type in one more command – reboot.

    After your phone restarts just plug in the USB cable and all should be well!

  62. When I connect my USB and go into the USB setting, it tells me to unplug the USB. I do so, then after I press Connect and it asks me to plug it back in. When I do, a bar appears at the top of the screen and says “USB Connected”, but the android robot picture doesn’t appear and I can’t even connect the phone to my computer. Do I need to use another program on my computer to gain acces? Or is my cellphone a defect?

  64. i am using N7000 and flashed silmrom 4.2.1 RC.
    there is missing USB Utilities.
    im tired to try all of solution.
    finally i choose apps ‘WiFi File Transfer Pro’ to transfer the file.

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