Fix JetPack 5 SSD Boot Failure

JetPack 5 may fail to boot from certain NVMe SSDs even after a successful flash. This is caused by filesystem incompatibility or incomplete wiping during flash. JetPack 6 is not affected by this issue.

Hardware: Seeed Jetson device, NVMe SSD, SSD enclosure (for Option A), USB cable Software: JetPack 5.x, Ubuntu host PC

Execution model

Run one phase at a time. After each phase:

• If output contains [STOP] → stop immediately, consult the failure decision tree
• If output ends with [OK] → tell the user "Phase N complete" and proceed

Two repair options are available. Ask the user which they prefer before starting.

Phase 1 — confirm the issue (~1 min)

Symptom: JetPack 5 was flashed successfully to SSD, but device fails to boot with filesystem errors on screen.

# On the Jetson (if accessible via serial/recovery), check:
cat /etc/nv_tegra_release

[OK] when user confirms JetPack 5 boot failure from SSD. [STOP] if running JetPack 6 (this issue does not apply).

Option A — Wipe SSD externally

Phase 2A — connect SSD to host PC (~1 min)

1. Remove the NVMe SSD from the Jetson device
2. Connect it to a host PC using an NVMe-to-USB enclosure
3. Identify the device name:

lsblk

Verify it's the Jetson SSD by checking for Jetson device tree files:

ls /media/$USER/*/boot/
# Should show Jetson-specific device tree files (*.dtb)

[OK] when SSD is identified (e.g. /dev/sda). [STOP] if SSD not detected — check enclosure and cable.

Phase 3A — wipe the SSD (~5–15 min)

⚠️ DANGER: This destroys all data. Back up first. Double-check the device name.

Replace /dev/sdX with the actual device. Adjust count for larger SSDs (count=800 with bs=100M = 80 GB wiped):

sudo wipefs -a /dev/sdX
sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=100M count=800

[OK] when dd completes without errors.

Phase 4A — re-flash JetPack 5 (~15–30 min)

1. Reinstall the SSD into the Jetson
2. Put device into recovery mode
3. Flash JetPack 5 following the standard Seeed flash guide: https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/flash/jetpack_to_selected_product/

[OK] when device boots successfully from SSD.

Option B — Re-flash with --erase-all

Phase 2B — prepare BSP source project

Follow the Seeed BSP source build guide to prepare the flashing environment: https://wiki.seeedstudio.com/how_to_build_the_source_code_project_for_seeed_jetson_bsp

Phase 3B — flash with full erase (~15–30 min)

Add --erase-all to the flash command to completely wipe the SSD during flash:

sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --erase-all \
  --external-device nvme0n1p1 \
  -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_nvme.xml \
  -p "-c bootloader/t186ref/cfg/flash_t234_qspi.xml --no-systemimg" \
  --network usb0 <DEVICE_NAME> external

Replace <DEVICE_NAME> with the appropriate board config name.

[OK] when flash completes and device boots.

Failure decision tree

Reference files

• references/source.body.md — Original Seeed wiki with screenshots and detailed context