SD card is now roofs after using Etcher

[Dragon12]

Thank you for reading this.

I normally use dd to flash an SD card, however, on this occasion I thought I'd try Etcher. All went smoothly until it came time to restore my backup.

My usual routine is to insert the SD card into my laptop and then copy the backup from an external HDD. This is no longer possible because now I don't have permission to write to the SD card. Is this something that I have to live with as a result of using Etcher or is there a way around it?

By the way, I have restored the backup but it's not as convenient as it used to be.

[SurferTim]

If you were using dd, then you are using a Linux box? Which flavor?

I use Ubuntu and the disk image writer, but first I have to unmount the partitions in order to write the new img file.

[Dragon12]

Thank you for your reply SurferTim.

I'm currently using Kubuntu. I wasn't aware of Image Writer, I'll have a look at it.

[SurferTim]

I use the "Files" app to locate the img file, right click on the img file and a popup box appears. I select "Open with" and the first choice is "Disk Image Writer". Hopefully it will work for you also.

[Dragon12]

Thanks again SurferTim,

Disk image write doesn't seem to be in Kubuntu repositories but an Internet search shows that it does exist, at least for Ubuntu.

Etcher works, except for the production of a rootfs SD card and I can still use dd. I was just wondering how I might overcome the write permission problem that resulted from the use of Etcher.

[jamesh]

As far as I know there should be no difference between an image written with etcher and an image with DD. All they do is copy the Iso to the SD card, so there should be no difference.

[n67]

As far as I know there should be no difference between an image written with etcher and an image with DD. All they do is copy the Iso to the SD card, so there should be no difference.

The difference is in which (exact) version of the software you're pulling in.

If you download the image (raspian-latest.whatever), you will get one version. If you use NOOBS or PINN, you'll get whatever version they pull in - which, in theory, should be the same as what you downloaded (subject to a few assumptions). The problem, of course, is that theory and practice don't always line up.

Or, as they say: in theory, there is no difference between theory and practice...

[Dragon12]

You're probably correct jamesh,

I used the latest image, perhaps I should try an earlier image that I know doesn't, or at least didn't create a rootfs card when flashing the the SD card with dd.

[jahboater]

If you want something slightly simpler, just use "cp" :-

Code: Select all

sudo cp 2017-11-29-raspbian-stretch.img /dev/sde

As JamesH said, these things all just do a simple copy.

[rpdom]

As far as I know there should be no difference between an image written with etcher and an image with DD. All they do is copy the Iso to the SD card, so there should be no difference.

The difference is in which (exact) version of the software you're pulling in.

If you download the image (raspian-latest.whatever), you will get one version. If you use NOOBS or PINN, you'll get whatever version they pull in - which, in theory, should be the same as what you downloaded (subject to a few assumptions). The problem, of course, is that theory and practice don't always line up.

jamesh was referring to images written using dd or etcher. Creating a card for NOOBS or PINN doesn't work that way, so your comment is irrelevant.

[n67]

Yes, OK. I was confusing this with another, similar, thread, where the poster was comparing an imaged version with a NOOBSed version (and noting different behavior of, I think, the "File Manager").

Obviously, there's no difference between dd, Win32DiskImager, etcher, etc - they all do the same thing.