MicroSD Card Reuse

[_radv_]

You can reuse the same MicroSD card multiple times and with multiple different images, right? I should be able to flash different images to the same MicroSD card many times before it stops working, right?

Seems obvious, but I thought I'd get some verification. Anyone have problems reusing a MicroSD card with the same or different image files?

[Merc]

No problems at all, you can flash it as many times as you like.

[chainingsolid]

You can reuse the same MicroSD card multiple times and with multiple different images, right?  I should be able to flash different images to the same MicroSD card many times before it stops working, right? 

Seems obvious, but I thought I'd get some verification.  Anyone have problems reusing a MicroSD card with the same or different image files?

Yep, SD cards are just really small solid state disks... However be careful if you go to use the SD card as a boot drive daily, they can only be written to so much before they go read only. I got a few months out of a few cards in a row before I figured out what happened. I'm using the emmc now.. It might have just been the type of cards I bought (non of them where high endurance ones).

[_radv_]

You can reuse the same MicroSD card multiple times and with multiple different images, right?  I should be able to flash different images to the same MicroSD card many times before it stops working, right? 

Seems obvious, but I thought I'd get some verification.  Anyone have problems reusing a MicroSD card with the same or different image files?

Yep, SD cards are just really small solid state disks... However be careful if you go to use the SD card as a boot drive daily, they can only be written to so much before they go read only. I got a few months out of a few cards in a row before I figured out what happened. I'm using the emmc now.. It might have just been the type of cards I bought (non of them where high endurance ones).

@chainingsolid
Maybe I'm having a similar problem.
Assuming you've tried to boot your device with an image on a card that's gone read only: what happens?  It skips the card and boots directly from the emmc, right?  Can you even write (i.e. flash) an image to the card?

[fxc]

You can reuse the same MicroSD card multiple times and with multiple different images, right?  I should be able to flash different images to the same MicroSD card many times before it stops working, right? 

Seems obvious, but I thought I'd get some verification.  Anyone have problems reusing a MicroSD card with the same or different image files?

Yep, SD cards are just really small solid state disks... However be careful if you go to use the SD card as a boot drive daily, they can only be written to so much before they go read only. I got a few months out of a few cards in a row before I figured out what happened. I'm using the emmc now.. It might have just been the type of cards I bought (non of them where high endurance ones).

@chainingsolid
Maybe I'm having a similar problem.
Assuming you've tried to boot your device with an image on a card that's gone read only: what happens?  It skips the card and boots directly from the emmc, right?  Can you even write (i.e. flash) an image to the card?

_radv_, mind that you also have to wipe U-Boot from the card if you don't want to boot from that card. Formatting the drive, deleting the partition table or the partition won't be enough -> https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/PinePhone_I..._from_eMMC

[chainingsolid]

You can reuse the same MicroSD card multiple times and with multiple different images, right?  I should be able to flash different images to the same MicroSD card many times before it stops working, right? 

Seems obvious, but I thought I'd get some verification.  Anyone have problems reusing a MicroSD card with the same or different image files?

Yep, SD cards are just really small solid state disks... However be careful if you go to use the SD card as a boot drive daily, they can only be written to so much before they go read only. I got a few months out of a few cards in a row before I figured out what happened. I'm using the emmc now.. It might have just been the type of cards I bought (non of them where high endurance ones).

@chainingsolid
Maybe I'm having a similar problem.
Assuming you've tried to boot your device with an image on a card that's gone read only: what happens?  It skips the card and boots directly from the emmc, right?  Can you even write (i.e. flash) an image to the card?

Its been a while, so I've forgotten some info, but once the SD card goes read only it will not accept any writes. I believe it failed to boot at all as the boot loader sees a bootable SD card but the kernel just dies cause it can't write anything. I don't think it would try the EMMC if the SD card failed. I think the SD card has to be free of a bottable partition totally to use EMMC. You can still insert the card into a computer/laptop and copy data off it. My current setup has the SD card slot empty.