Cannot boot from microSD

[pizzalovingnerd]

Hello, I recently got my PineTab and I want to install an OS other than Ubuntu Touch. But I cannot get my PineTab to boot off of the microSD card no matter what I do.
I don't think my microSD card reader is broken because Ubuntu Touch can detect my microSD cards, but not mount them.

What I've tried:
4 different microSD cards from 3 different brands
4 different operating systems (Mobian, Arch, postmarketOS, Jumpdrive)
4 differents ways of burning them to the SD card (dd, etcher, GNOME disks, pmbootstrap)
And I have been extracting the compressed ones.

What I did before I opened this thread:
Read all the Pine64 wiki pages on the PineTab
Asked about it in the Pine64 PineTab chatroom.

I haven't still been able to figure out this issue by myself, so I have opened this forum thread.

[barray]

Have you set the boot bit?

[pizzalovingnerd]

Have you set the boot bit?

Can you elaborate?

[pizzalovingnerd]

It appears that this in fact is a hardware issue.

[pjsf]

It appears that this in fact is a hardware issue.

Not totally conclusive yet, I get exactly the same result on pinetab jumpdrive even with a working boot sd (which boots fine in the pinetab) installed. does jumpdrive even attempt to mount an sd that's inserted after it's running? or did you have the sd inserted before you started jumpdrive?

[barray]

Have you set the boot bit?

Can you elaborate?

In order for a drive to be bootable, you might need to set the boot bit. You can do it from Gnome Disks or GParted. There is a command line option (of course), but I can't remember from the top of my head.

The other thing it _could_ be is the type of SD card. I've seen with other devices they can fail to see mediums at boot time if they take too long to start up.

If you're ruling out a unique hardware issue your end then I can tell you that the PineTab can 100% boot from SD (I and many others have done it).

[fritz]

For me when I first got the pinetab I just didn’t push the sdcard down enough till it clicks in. I am used to some microsd computer slots that just slide in without a spring. Haha. It is quite far down. Only say this is when I checked external drives from initial ubports install it would show microsd folders though the card wasn’t being read if I remember right.

[pizzalovingnerd]

My MicroSD card won't click in, I have to use the tray that opens the microSD slot in order to hold it in. (It came like this)

[barray]

My MicroSD card won't click in, I have to use the tray that opens the microSD slot in order to hold it in. (It came like this)

Are you sssssuuuuuurrrreee? It is _very_ tough to get it to go in? I used another SD card to push mine in. Also the tray won't hold it in nearly enough...?

[pjsf]

My MicroSD card won't click in, I have to use the tray that opens the microSD slot in order to hold it in. (It came like this)

That doesn't sound right. Have you taken the unit apart at all? When I first did that the sd slot didn't align properly after reassembling it. I had to take it apart again to get it properly accessible. Now, as others have said, it is difficult to access but it clicks in. It's on a spring clip (like on the pbp not the pinephone), if you're not getting that effect it might be worth trying to take it apart and (carefully!) reassemble so it's aligned properly. But be very careful, that's how I snapped my screen.