Pi install bricked after update!??

[ZRadiooo]

No sure what's going on with my HS3Pi installation(s). After the update, the Pi restarted but the Aeotec is no longer lighting up and it is not connecting to the network (not responsive basically). I run it headless so nothing else is connected to it other than ethernet. In addition, this has happened before twice on a regular restart over the last several months, the Pi will effectively brick and I have to wipe the SD card and start over. One time, the Events seemed to start slowing down which was when I restarted to see if it would help.

Any ideas this keeps happening? Bad SD card getting memory corrupted? Something stupid that I'm doing or not doing?

[concordseer]

No sure what's going on with my HS3Pi installation(s). After the update, the Pi restarted but the Aeotec is no longer lighting up and it is not connecting to the network (not responsive basically). I run it headless so nothing else is connected to it other than ethernet. In addition, this has happened before twice on a regular restart over the last several months, the Pi will effectively brick and I have to wipe the SD card and start over. One time, the Events seemed to start slowing down which was when I restarted to see if it would help.

Any ideas this keeps happening? Bad SD card getting memory corrupted? Something stupid that I'm doing or not doing?

Definitely sounds like a corrupted SD card.

Take an image of your SD card prior to major changes to your installation. Makes life so much easier in the event of a crash.

What method are you using to carry out the update.

[ZRadiooo]

Definitely sounds like a corrupted SD card.

Take an image of your SD card prior to major changes to your installation. Makes life so much easier in the event of a crash.

What method are you using to carry out the update.

Hey thanks for the reply.

A corrupted SD card is my only guess, but would that result in it working until you reboot? The issue has manifested itself every time during a restart. It doesn't connect to the network and the USB Z-stick doesn't light up. Tried multiple power cycles, waiting, etc. Then I give up and start over as shown below.

To be clear, if the SD card was corrupted, a format would fix /work around that corruption so, as I've done several times, it is possible to reuse the card after a format, correct?

Would imaging the CD card transfer any corruption? How do I go about imaging the SD Card? Can you do it in Windows?

The process I have been using, below, does work without transferring any corruption (so far). Right before this last update which I installed through the setup menu in the software, I saved a backup, and it worked.

I have been very diligent in using the backup feature in the software, after the first failure (lesson learned). To get things running again though, I have to reformat the SD, re-image the SD card using the Win32Diskimager, boot, add my license, restore from backup...

I just hope it is a shitty SD card or some hardware issue I can fix. I switched to HS3 from another software because I thought this would be more stable and reliable. In general, it has worked better but this issue has forked me over at really inopportune times (right before leaving for a trip).

[simplextech]

Sounds more like a bad SD card that is leading to problems. I won't call it corruption until the contents could be verified in another system. If the data (file system) on the sd card is corrupted.

But if this happens after updates which is a lot of write activity or after a reboot then it does sound like a bad SD card. I would replace the card with a good quality card before I did too much more.

[ZRadiooo]

Sounds more like a bad SD card that is leading to problems. I won't call it corruption until the contents could be verified in another system. If the data (file system) on the sd card is corrupted.

But if this happens after updates which is a lot of write activity or after a reboot then it does sound like a bad SD card. I would replace the card with a good quality card before I did too much more.

What SD card would you recommend? Brand and class?

[simplextech]

I have had good luck with the Samsung or SanDisk Class 10 cards. Any of the "name brand" cards tend to have decent reliability.

[Pete]

Here have had two Samsung Evo 16Gb micro SD cards go bad. They have a lifetime warranty. Samsung replaced them with 32Gb micro SD cards.

I was starting to write about a third one going bad and noticed that it was a Sandisk 16Gb card. It also has a lifetime warranty.

The cards went to read mode only. I cannot format them and they cannot be written to. This is an issue when running HS3.

Purchased two of these in 2015 on Amazon. Found receipt. Sent Sandisk copy of Amazon receipt and pictures of SD card.


Items Ordered on May 6, 2015

2 of: SanDisk Extreme Pro 16GB MicroSDHC UHS-1 Flash Memory Card With Speed Up To 95MB/s- SDSDQXP-016G-X46
Sold by: Amazon.com Services, Inc



Posting this to test their RMA process. Opened an RMA today on Sunday, September 16, 2018.

The Samsung cards took a couple of weeks to replace after two RMA telephone calls as they seemed to lose my request after the first time.

17th of September, 2018

Sandisk sent me an RMA email and USPS postage label to return microSD card. Very quick. Will post turn around time. Faster than Samsung.

Dear,

This email is an approval of your request for Return Material Authorization(RMA) #RX12345 for your Memory Card microSD/SDHC/SDXC Extreme Red/Gold U3 16GB .

Please note that all devices replaced using the below process will be NEW and may not be in retail packaging.

Best regards,
RMA Coordinator
SanDisk Global Customer Care

Dear,

Attached is your Merchant Returns Label, with mailing instructions included. This email was automatically generated by the US Postal Service at the shipper's request. Any reply to this email will not be received by the USPS or shipper. The USPS has not collected or retained any personal information that would identify you or your label request from this email.

Noticed a Samsung 16Gb Evo marked as read only in the change tray today so proceeded to do an RMA for this one too. This is the 3rd Samsung Evo I am replacing. This was just a phone call to Samsung support. Fast as they had all of my information from last two RMA's.

[concordseer]

SD cards are like marriage. Some work and some don't. You hang on to the ones that do and get rid of the bad ones. Don't hang on to the bad ones and hope you can fix them. The same problems will will come back to haunt you.

I really do not recommend reformatting your corrupted card and reinstall your your system on it. The card is failing. Taking an image now while you can still access it. The image you take can be safely restored to a new card and your system should once again be reliable.

[Pete]

SD cards are like marriage....

...seen this already a few times....Pete....

I did image these last two micro SD cards before sending them in.

What is nice is that both Sandisk and Samsung authorize and pay for a return and replacement.

It seems that the digital RW lock enables itself to read only with an apparent no fix on these older microSD cards.

What is not nice is that I cannot format the cards and had to send them cards chock full of stuff.

Soon switching my Pine64 2Gb computer running off a microSD to a Rock 64 4 Gb computer running on an eMMC (still waiting on the RTC/Battery thing - promised over two years ago)....

I wish though to learn how to digitally lock a portion of the microSD card. Would be nice. I have one old USB stick given to me as a promo for a company. It has an adverstisement on it locked and I have never been able to low level format the stick and never been able to get the advertisment off of it.

[concordseer]

SD cards are like marriage....

...seen this already a few times....Pete....

I did image these last two micro SD cards before sending them in.

What is nice is that both Sandisk and Samsung authorize and pay for a return and replacement.

It seems that the digital RW lock enables itself to read only with an apparent no fix on these older microSD cards.

What is not nice is that I cannot format the cards and had to send them cards chock full of stuff.

Soon switching my Pine64 2Gb computer running off a microSD to a Rock 64 4 Gb computer running on an eMMC (still waiting on the RTC/Battery thing - promised over two years ago)....

I wish though to learn how to digitally lock a portion of the microSD card. Would be nice. I have one old USB stick given to me as a promo for a company. It has an adverstisement on it locked and I have never been able to low level format the stick and never been able to get the advertisment off of it.

In the majority of cases SD Formatter has removed these partitions for me. The rest of the other problems I've resolved with HP Disk Tools

A little more involved is EaseUS. It's heavy duty but does the trick too..

[Pete]

Yeah tried them all. Read about a digital in firmware RW lock that has been an issue with these microSD cards. Old lock was the little tab on the regular SD cards.

I just used EaseUS to restore data files on a SATA hard drive after deletions but not cleansing (secure wipe) the hard drive.

There are little formulas out there in Internetlandia (kind of like receipes). Some include formatting with your smart phone.

They are so cheap now a days that it's only the data on them that concerns me.

Lately using an original in DOS hard drive low level format tool called HDDGuru which works on SATA, SSD, USB and SD cards called. It doesn't restore files; just reformats the drive. Works well on trashed USB sticks.

[concordseer]

Linux disk tools are fairly effective on SD cards too. It really is a case of experimenting. The Galaxy S2 is a handy disk Formatter. Have you tried a running a heavy duty magnet across them.

[bsobel]

Linux disk tools are fairly effective on SD cards too. It really is a case of experimenting. The Galaxy S2 is a handy disk Formatter. Have you tried a running a heavy duty magnet across them.

SD Cards are flash and aren't affected by magnetic fields, so curious why you made that suggestion?

[concordseer]

SD Cards are flash and aren't affected by magnetic fields, so curious why you made that suggestion?

I think Pete would have appreciated the irony in that suggestion. That fact is well highlighted on the interweb? It would be effective if the magnet was heavy enough though. Wouldn't be much of the SD card left to read.