Does anyone know how to change my 64GB Android sdcard exFAT file system
Volume Serial Number (VSN) from a cryptic hard to remember pseudo date code
created by Win10 to something more easily remembered like 0000-0001
(or whatever)?

For example instead of what it currently is now of /storage/C64B-FE9D
I'd like to change the VSN to something simpler like /storage/BEEF-CAFE

How?

Scott Lurndal <scott@slp53.sl.home> writes:

> Does anyone know how to change my 64GB Android sdcard exFAT file system
> Volume Serial Number (VSN) from a cryptic hard to remember pseudo date code
> created by Win10 to something more easily remembered like 0000-0001
> (or whatever)?
>
> For example instead of what it currently is now of /storage/C64B-FE9D
> I'd like to change the VSN to something simpler like /storage/BEEF-CAFE
>
> How?

On Android? Maybe with Termux? dd and a hex editor is probably enough,
probably would need root as well. No idea if Termux has the tools or if
there's some issue with low level access to SD card on Android.

On a computer, you could just edit the "volume boot record" but it has a
checksum to update as well. I wouldn't do this without backups and then
it seems easier to just backup, format with a tool that let's you
specify the VSN (like mkfs.exfat on Linux) and restore the backup.

Or just go with a new card. I had a very bad experience on my previous
phone and SD cards. In less than two years two cards developed problems
so it seems six months is a good time to replace an SD card? Depends on
what value you put on the data on the card of course.

With a quick look I did find a short description of what to do and a
handy Python script to calculate the VSN checksum at
https://twlee.nz/changing-exfat-volume-serial-number/

Also found one free Windows tool called DiskGenius which supposedly can
change the VSN.

Anssi Saari writes:

> On Android? Maybe with Termux? dd and a hex editor is probably enough,
> probably would need root as well. No idea if Termux has the tools or if
> there's some issue with low level access to SD card on Android.

Thanks for those suggestions on possible Android ways to set the VSN.
I searched Google Play but haven't found the tool that I'm sure exists yet.

A manual edit should work but the checksum has to be calculated correctly.
https://www.digital-detective.net/documents/Volume%20Serial%20Numbers.pdf
https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/forensics/reverse-engineering-microsoft-exfat-file-system-33274

> On a computer, you could just edit the "volume boot record" but it has a
> checksum to update as well. I wouldn't do this without backups and then
> it seems easier to just backup, format with a tool that let's you
> specify the VSN (like mkfs.exfat on Linux) and restore the backup.

Unfortunately I don't have access to Linux but it's nice to know that Linux
can specify the volume serial number for exFAT file systems.

I'm hoping there is a free utility on Android which can do the same thing.

> Or just go with a new card. I had a very bad experience on my previous
> phone and SD cards. In less than two years two cards developed problems
> so it seems six months is a good time to replace an SD card? Depends on
> what value you put on the data on the card of course.

The card isn't the problem as the goal is to make cards swappable and to
make it easier to manually enter the path when asked in certain programs.

> With a quick look I did find a short description of what to do and a
> handy Python script to calculate the VSN checksum at
> https://twlee.nz/changing-exfat-volume-serial-number/

I saw that but don't have the knowledge of python to calculate the checksum

Other methods are suggested here but none of these are Android solutions
https://gist.github.com/dreamer2908/59066658df2844746e5feadba7a589a2
https://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/22/hard-disk-serial-number-changer/

And a lot of methods change something other than the volume serial number
https://www.howtohaven.com/system/change-disk-signature.shtml

> Also found one free Windows tool called DiskGenius which supposedly can
> change the VSN.

I tried DiskGenius & Krylack yesterday but they didn't work on exFAT
https://www.diskgenius.com/
https://www.krylack.com/volume-serial-number-editor/

I reported those results to the Windows 10 newsgroup
From: Scott Lurndal <scott@slp53.sl.home>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10
Subject: Windows format of Android 11 sdcard
Date: Fri, 30 Apr 2021 12:10:48 +0300
Message-ID: <s6ghif$9ef$1@gioia.aioe.org>

Most of the Windows tools that say they change the VSN don't work on exFAT.
https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/5825/Changing-volume-s-serial-number

The advantages for Android are hot swapping of sdcards without having to
change paths (in all your programs that use the VSN) & the ability to more
easily set the path in programs that ask for them to be typed in manually.

The problem is universal enough that I'm hoping there's an Android solution.

I couldn't find any useful Android utility to set sdcard VSNs.
But I finally figured out how to change the sdcard VSN on Windows 10.

Here is a detailed set of steps which finally changed my sdcard VSN.
(Works on NTFS, FAT, FAT32 and exFAT file systems.)

(a) Read the instructions for modifying the Krylack CLI tool "volsn.exe"
https://gist.github.com/dreamer2908/59066658df2844746e5feadba7a589a2

(b) Go to the Krylack CLI tool home page
https://www.krylack.com/volume-serial-number-editor/

(c) Click the top left link to "Volume Serial Number Editor Command Line (volsn)"
http://dl.krylack.com/volsnsetup.exe

(d) That downloads an exe which is really just a winzip self extractor (apparently)
Name: volsnsetup.exe
Size: 2513040 bytes (2454 KiB)
SHA256: 89A1474383EA2BBC148D15085B1B6F16145488EE5B7C792849F759AE0A41E0A2

(e) "WinZip Self-Extractor - volsnsetup.exe" will ask for an "Unzip to folder"
c:\volsn (is the default but you can choose any folder to extract 7 files to)
Download GUI Version.url
KRyLack Software.url
LICENSE.TXT
Order.url
README.TXT
volsn.exe
volsn64.exe

(f) You can delete all extracted files but the "volsn64.exe" file
Name: volsn64.exe
Size: 2826384 bytes (2760 KiB)
SHA256: 0B60FE7F670585C0EC0F606FD2D49F22E7A82B170129DE1E3107CC87A8D7F190

(g) List the options available for that Krylack volsn64 command line interface
C:\> volsn.exe /?
Volume Serial Number Editor Command Line [Version 2.02.34]
(c) 2017 Serhiy Horobets. All rights reserved.
http://www.krylack.com
*** UNREGISTERED DEMO VERSION - Changes only to 1234-ABCD ***
Changes disk drive volume serial number.
usage: volsn <command> <drive> <serial number> [/Y]
<Commands>:
l Lists current serial numbers.
c Changes volume serial number of the specified disk drive.
The format of volume serial number is: XXXX-XXXX, X maybe 0 - 9, A - F.
[/Y] Supresses prompting to confirm you want to change the serial number.
Example:
volsn c c: 1234-ABCD Change volume serial number of C: drive to 1234-ABCD
Reboot is required to make the modification take effect.

(h) Place your exFAT formatted 64GB sdcard into your PC card reader

(i) Open a Windows administrator command window for all actions below

(j) As admin, run volsn64.exe in "list" mode to see your current VSNs
c:\> volsn64.exe l
Volume Serial Number Editor Command Line 64-bit [Version 2.02.34]
(c) 2017 Serhiy Horobets. All rights reserved.
http://www.krylack.com
*** UNREGISTERED DEMO VERSION - Changes only to 1234-ABCD ***
Drives:
C: AFC4-D0AA
D: <No info>
E: B9FC-EE8A
F: C64B-FE9D

(k) Doublecheck the VSN using the Windows "vol" command
C:\> vol
Volume in drive C is disk 1
Volume Serial Number is AFC4-D0AA

C:\> vol E:
Volume in drive E is disk 2
Volume Serial Number is B9FC-EE8A

C:\> vol F:
Volume in drive E is sd1
Volume Serial Number is C64B-FE9D

(l) Decide ahead of time exactly what you want your new VSNs to be
C: AFC4-D0AA -> 0000-0001
E: B9FC-EE8A -> 0000-0002
F: C64B-FE9D -> 0000-0000

(m) Obtain any hex editor such as the renown HxD64 hex editor
https://mh-nexus.de/en/hxd/

(n) Read the "volsn64.exe" file into that hex editor
HxD: File -> Open -> volsn64.exe

(o) Search and replace the one instance of "1324ABCD" with the desired value
HxD:Search -> Replace -> Search for: 1324ABCD -> Replace with: 00000000

(p) Save that newly modified executable to an unambiguous useful name
HxD: File -> Save as -> volsn64_00000000.exe

(q) Repeat the search & replace steps for the other desired VSNs you want
HxD:Search -> Replace -> Search for: 1324ABCD -> Replace with: 00000001
HxD: File -> Save as -> volsn64_00000001.exe

HxD:Search -> Replace -> Search for: 1324ABCD -> Replace with: 00000002
xD: File -> Save as -> volsn64_00000002.exe

HxD:Search -> Replace -> Search for: 1324ABCD -> Replace with: 00000003
HxD: File -> Save as -> volsn64_00000003.exe

(r) As admin run each of those commands as needed to change VSNs as desired
C:\> volsn64_00000000.exe c F: 0000-0000 /Y
C:\> volsn64_00000001.exe c C: 0000-0001 /Y
C:\> volsn64_00000002.exe c E: 0000-0002 /Y

(s) Run the volsn64 list command to see the removable media VSN has changed
c:\> volsn64.exe l
C: AFC4-D0AA
D: <No info>
E: B9FC-EE8A
F: 0000-0000

(t) You'll need to reboot & re-run the volsn64 command to see new hard drive VSNs
c:\> volsn64.exe l
C: 0000-0001
D: <No info>
E: 0000-0002
F: 0000-0000

(u) Doublecheck the VSN using the Windows "vol" command
C:\> vol
Volume in drive C is disk 1
Volume Serial Number is 0000-0001

C:\> vol E:
Volume in drive E is disk 2
Volume Serial Number is 0000-0002

C:\> vol F:
Volume in drive E is sd1
Volume Serial Number is 0000-0000

(v) Place the sdcard into your Android phone and check your new VSN
Some Android file managers will use the volume label "sd1"
/storage/sd1
Some Android file managers will uppercase the lowercase volume label
/storage/SD1
But other Android file managers will use the volume serial number
/storage/0000-0000

I tested the following file managers on Android 11
Files -> /storage/sd1 (com.marc.files)
Files -> /storage/sd1 (com.google.android.documentsui)
Explorer -> /storage/0000-0000 (com.speedsoftware.explorer)
X-plore -> /storage/0000-0000 (com.lonelycatgames.Xplore)
SolidExplorer -> /storage/sd1 (pl.solidexplorer2)
File Manager -> /SD Card (com.simplemobiletools.filemanager.pro)
Amaze -> /storage/0000-0000 (com.amaze.filemanager)

Note some tools which are not file managers require a hard coded path
when you wish to store their program data in a path of your choosing.

(w) Advantages of a simple Volume Label & Volume Serial Number
/storage/0000-0000 (in my case that's also /storage/sd1)
Plus if an Android app needs a hardcoded path - it's easy to remember now!
/storage/0000-0000 (often hardcoded paths won't use /storage/sd1)

(x) Notes:
Windows 10 format will only allow you to set the Volume Label
Windows 10 format will NOT allow you to set the Volume Serial Number

Linux "mkfs.exfat" format calls the VSN the UUID apparently
Linux "mkfs.exfat" format will allow you to set the VL & VSN
It's probably best to use capital letters as Android is kind of Linux
# mkfs.exfat -i DEADBEEF -n VOL_LABEL /dev/sde1

(y) Other utilities which are reputed to work usually don't work on exFAT
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-rename-my-external-sd-card.3358234/

And a lot of people have tried and failed to change exFAT VSNs over time
https://androidforums.com/threads/how-to-get-around-the-sd-card-path-using-the-volume-serial-number.1092617/

Don't use Microsoft volumeid because it won't change exFAT VSNs.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/volumeid

Don't use Hard Disk Serial Number Changer for the same reason.
https://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/22/hard-disk-serial-number-changer/

Don't use DiskGenius as the freeware doesn't change exFAT VSNs.
https://www.diskgenius.com/

Don't use Paragon Hard Disk Manager Advanced for the same reason.
https://www.paragon-software.com/home/hdm-windows/

This might work but it requires use of a checksum python script
https://twlee.nz/changing-exfat-volume-serial-number/

(z) References on how the exFAT VSN & checksums are calculated
https://www.digital-detective.net/documents/Volume%20Serial%20Numbers.pdf
https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/forensics/reverse-engineering-microsoft-exfat-file-system-33274

HTH

Scott Lurndal writes:
What I didn't know when I asked this question was the following that will
help anyone who needs the same information that I needed for this task.

Put the microSD card into a card holder in the PC sdcard slot.
You may need to push the writeprotect switch to the forward position.

Right click to format the sdcard as:
(1) Capacity = (whatever the card is, eg 32GB shows up as 29.7 GB)
(2) File system = exFAT
(3) Allocation unit size = 4096 bytes
(4) Volume Label = SD1 (uppercase letters for consistency across systems?)
(5) Format options = Quick Format
[Start]

The Windows "vol F:" command will report what the new VSN turns out to be.
C:\> vol F:
Volume in drive F is SD1
Volume Serial Number is C64B-FE9D

After formatting, you can change the date encoded volume serial number to
something easier to remember such as VSN = 0000-0001

Depending on the Android file manager that card will show up variously as
/storage/SD1 or /storage/0000-0001 (also depends on the phone make & model)

Note: Android mostly supports FAT32, Ext3, & Ext4 (rarely NTFS).
Most smartphones understand exFAT which is why we're using it here.
On Windows you can't specify the VSN at the time of format.
The Windows format assigns a date code as the VSN.

If you format on Linux you can specify the volume serial number
# mkfs.exfat -i 00000001 -n SD1 /dev/sde1

In practice having all sdcards with the same VSN is slightly more convenient
for swapping and for typing the full path, while having a sequential VSN
(0000-0001, 0000-0002, 0000-0003, etc) may make it easier to keep track.

The instant you browse that sdcard with an Android file manager you'll end
up getting xx directories so you may wish to create a directory for your
private use.

These are created by default on all external sdcards in Android 11
Alarms/
Android/data/
Audiobooks/
DCIM/
Documents/
Download/
Movies/.thumbnails
Music/.thumbnails
Notifications/
Pictures/.thumbnails
Podcasts/
Ringtones/
System Volume Information/{IndexerVolumeGuid,WPSettings.dat}

Scott Lurndal writes:

> The Windows "vol F:" command will report what the new VSN turns out to be.
> C:\> vol F:
> Volume in drive F is SD1
> Volume Serial Number is C64B-FE9D

Win10 checkdisk also reports the Android sdcard volume serial number (VSN)
& the volume label (both of which are often used inside Android apps).
/storage/SD1
/storage/0000-0001
In addition to (many) other Android defaults for the storage card location
System.getenv("EXTERNAL_STORAGE") �X> Internal SDCard /STORAGE/SDCARD1
System.getenv("EXTERNAL_SDCARD_STORAGE") �X> True SDCard /STORAGE/SDCARD0

C:\Windows\system32>chkdsk F: /f
The type of the file system is exFAT.
Volume Serial Number is 0000-0001
Windows is verifying files and folders...
Volume label is SD1.
File and folder verification is complete.

Windows has scanned the file system and found no problems.
No further action is required.

131064832 KB total disk space.
256 KB in 2 files.
256 KB in 2 indexes.
0 KB in bad sectors.
256 KB in use by the system.
131064064 KB available on disk.

131072 bytes in each allocation unit.
1023944 total allocation units on disk.
1023938 allocation units available on disk.

Do you know of other commands which report sdcard VSN & Volume Label?