NOOBS...

[WCHD]

I want to install my Raspberry Pi using NOOBS. I only have a stable red light. The monitor I use says, "No Input." My file system is FAT32. I used the recommended SD Card Formatter to format it, and followed all the steps carefully. Nothing. On my last attempts, I tried to copy config.txt from Raspbian. Still nothing. Any advice on how to use NOOBS?

[WCHD]

please help asap need to bring it somewhere to use it tomorrow

[fruitoftheloom]

please help asap need to bring it somewhere to use it tomorrow

Just use standalone Raspbian Stretch with Desktop and create a card using Etcher...

[Imperf3kt]

NOOBS is not recommended by the community and most folk who actively post on the forums would advise you avoid it as it has surpassed its usefulness.

You will honestly find it easier to install Raspbian Stretch full using etcher or win32disk imager.

[HawaiianPi]

1. Which model of Raspberry Pi?
2. Which version of NOOBS?
3. What SD card are you using (capacity, brand, model)?
4. What are you using for a power supply?
5. What kind of monitor or display are you using?

Like others, I also recommend you download the latest Raspbian image and write it to your card with the Etcher image writing utility.

Download Raspbian here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/
Download Etcher here: https://www.balena.io/etcher/

You don't have to format the card before writing an image, and you don't even have to extract the image file (Etcher will do that for you). Just run Etcher, select the Raspbian .zip file you downloaded, choose your SD card (usually it will be selected by default), and write.

If you still want help with NOOBS, answer the questions above.

[procount]

In addition to HawaiianPi's questions:

1. How did you unzip NOOBS (Native Windows tools, or 7zip or ...)
2. What cable do you use to connect to your monitor - HDMI or composite?

NOOBS was designed to be easier to burn an OS image to an SD card for new users who are more used to a Windows environment. Mostly it works just fine, but occasionally:

• formatting an SD card to FAT32 becomes problematic due to the size of the SD card.
• unzipping noobs.zip becomes problematic due to the large size of the zip file requiring a newer zip format. (Try installing noobs-lite.zip instead).
• some users manage to format the SD card without an MBR, causing later problems with NOOBS not being able to find its files.

Nowadays Etcher has made the process of flashing an image a lot easier and avoids all of the above issues.

If you want the features of NOOBS, you should take a look at PINN, which is like NOOBS on steroids.
It has a an Etcher image which makes it as easy to install as Raspbian using Etcher.
It supports all of NOOBS' features but additionally:

• Has over 50 different operating systems you can install from the internet with just the click of a button (more being added all the time)
• Backup, restore, re-install or replace any of your OSes without affecting any others you may have installed
• Can clone an entire SD card (using the equivalent of Raspbian's SD card copier), but offline
• Can easily fsck your OS if it becomes corrupted
• Allows restore of your login password in case it is forgotten
• Works with TV remotes using the CEC protocol for use with Media centres or Gaming OSes
• Allows OS customisations on OS installation using "flavours" (a bit like piBakery)
• Allows ProjectSpaces to be created (like WDPiDrive) to install multiple versions of the same OS, or to defer OS installation
• Only uses 64MB of your precious SD card.

So PINN is a lot more than just an OS installer and boot manager, as it now is more of an OS management and administration tool as well.

PINN is still in active development and its self-update feature means you will always have the latest version whenever you want.
Check out the link in my signature for the full version history, links to the comprehensive documentation and download links.

But anyway, the answers to HawaiianPi's and my questions above will help people support you better for both NOOBS or PINN.

[WCHD]

please help asap need to bring it somewhere to use it tomorrow

Just use standalone Raspbian Stretch with Desktop and create a card using Etcher...

Etcher does not work; it corrupted my SD card. My 64-gig. SD card became only 43 megabytes.

[fruitoftheloom]

please help asap need to bring it somewhere to use it tomorrow

Just use standalone Raspbian Stretch with Desktop and create a card using Etcher...

Etcher does not work; it corrupted my SD card. My 64-gig. SD card became only 43 megabytes.

Windows as far I am aware does not "understand" the EXT partitions created on the card, boot you x86 machine with a Linux Live CD such as Gparted..

[WCHD]

1. Which model of Raspberry Pi?
2. Which version of NOOBS?
3. What SD card are you using (capacity, brand, model)?
4. What are you using for a power supply?
5. What kind of monitor or display are you using?

Like others, I also recommend you download the latest Raspbian image and write it to your card with the Etcher image writing utility.

Download Raspbian here: https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/raspbian/
Download Etcher here: https://www.balena.io/etcher/

You don't have to format the card before writing an image, and you don't even have to extract the image file (Etcher will do that for you). Just run Etcher, select the Raspbian .zip file you downloaded, choose your SD card (usually it will be selected by default), and write.

If you still want help with NOOBS, answer the questions above.

1. Raspberry Pi 3 model B
2. Latest version in Downloads
3. 64-gigabyte Sandisk Ultra SDXC
4. Normal 5v2a microUSB charger
5. Samsung TV

Etcher corrupted my SD card.

[rpiMike]

It will create multiple partitions - after flashing did you actually put the sd card in the Pi and turn it on ?

[jahboater]

Etcher corrupted my SD card.

Either your SD card is fake, or faulty, or you have not understood the disk layout.
Etcher copies an "image" of a complete, pre-installed, operating system onto the SD card.
In fact on Linux, the "copy" command (cp) can do exactly the same thing, but Windows has difficulty writing to a raw disk, so tools like Etcher or win32diskimager must be employed.
This operating system "image" includes the partition table, which allocates two partitions.
The first partition contains a small FAT32 filesystem - and this what Windows can see.
The second partition contains a large ext4 filesystem. Ext4 is much more sophisticated than FAT32 and Windows will not understand it. If fact Windows probably will only see the first partition anyway.

Put the card in the Pi and enjoy!

[DougieLawson]

The second partition contains a large ext4 filesystem. Ext4 is much more sophisticated than FAT32 and Windows will not understand it. If fact Windows probably will only see the first partition anyway.

Windows can see all partitions, it will invite you to reformat the EXT4 partition (because it's an alien filesystem). DO NOT accept that offer from Windows to format anything.

[WCHD]

It will create multiple partitions - after flashing did you actually put the sd card in the Pi and turn it on ?

Yes, I needed root permissions to turn it off later, when I was on Raspbian. I want NOOBS though...

[WCHD]

In addition to HawaiianPi's questions:

1. How did you unzip NOOBS (Native Windows tools, or 7zip or ...)
2. What cable do you use to connect to your monitor - HDMI or composite?

NOOBS was designed to be easier to burn an OS image to an SD card for new users who are more used to a Windows environment. Mostly it works just fine, but occasionally:

• formatting an SD card to FAT32 becomes problematic due to the size of the SD card.
• unzipping noobs.zip becomes problematic due to the large size of the zip file requiring a newer zip format. (Try installing noobs-lite.zip instead).
• some users manage to format the SD card without an MBR, causing later problems with NOOBS not being able to find its files.

Nowadays Etcher has made the process of flashing an image a lot easier and avoids all of the above issues.

If you want the features of NOOBS, you should take a look at PINN, which is like NOOBS on steroids.
It has a an Etcher image which makes it as easy to install as Raspbian using Etcher.
It supports all of NOOBS' features but additionally:

• Has over 50 different operating systems you can install from the internet with just the click of a button (more being added all the time)
• Backup, restore, re-install or replace any of your OSes without affecting any others you may have installed
• Can clone an entire SD card (using the equivalent of Raspbian's SD card copier), but offline
• Can easily **** your OS if it becomes corrupted
• Allows restore of your login password in case it is forgotten
• Works with TV remotes using the CEC protocol for use with Media centres or Gaming OSes
• Allows OS customisations on OS installation using "flavours" (a bit like piBakery)
• Allows ProjectSpaces to be created (like WDPiDrive) to install multiple versions of the same OS, or to defer OS installation
• Only uses 64MB of your precious SD card.

So PINN is a lot more than just an OS installer and boot manager, as it now is more of an OS management and administration tool as well.

PINN is still in active development and its self-update feature means you will always have the latest version whenever you want.
Check out the link in my signature for the full version history, links to the comprehensive documentation and download links.

But anyway, the answers to HawaiianPi's and my questions above will help people support you better for both NOOBS or PINN.

1. 7-ZIP
2. HDMI-STB

Oh yeah, PINN! I'll try.

EDIT: Can't download: redirects me back to the forum

[rpiMike]

It will create multiple partitions - after flashing did you actually put the sd card in the Pi and turn it on ?

Yes, I needed root permissions to turn it off later, when I was on Raspbian. I want NOOBS though...

Why do you want NOOBS ?

[procount]

If you want the features of NOOBS, you should take a look at PINN, which is like NOOBS on steroids.
It has a an Etcher image which makes it as easy to install as Raspbian using Etcher.

Oh yeah, PINN! I'll try.

EDIT: Can't download: redirects me back to the forum

Well, the first link does take you to the main PINN thread on this forum. At the end of the first post, you will find links to the documentation and source code on Github, and to the download file on Sourceforge.

The second link is to the Etcher Image of PINN on sourceforge, which is the one you probably want to download and then flash it to your SD card using Etcher, as this is the easiest way to do it.

In the documentation you will also find links to pinn-lite.zip which requires the drive to be formatted as FAT32 and then the zip file expanded onto the SD card. I also offer pinn.zip that includes Raspbian and LibreElec, just like NOOBS does.

[DougieLawson]

It will create multiple partitions - after flashing did you actually put the sd card in the Pi and turn it on ?

Yes, I needed root permissions to turn it off later, when I was on Raspbian. I want NOOBS though...

Why do you want NOOBS ?

Because the OP wants a new level of masochism. NOOBS or PINN are only useful if you have more than one OS on a single (large SDCard) and want to be able to switch OS without removing and inserting a new SDCard. Other than that NOOBS has no value left now that Etcher is the easy way to write bootable SDCards on Windows.