Fresh Zero install, quitting to command prompt on multiple SD cards

Dochartaigh

• Raspberry Pi Zero 1.3 (3-4 of them)
• 2x Sandisk Ultra 16gb Class 10 SD Cards (sold and shipped from Amazon themselves so they should be legit)
• 4.1 Image downloaded from this site (twice + 1 older 4.0.2? image I had stored)
• Used ApplePi-Baker AND SD Clone 2 imaging programs to write the stock image, on 2x mac's, running El Capitan and Sierra, with 2x different card readers.

I'm trying REALLY hard to make Pi Zero Christmas presents for family members (we've all gone retro-gaming crazy ;) Like for 3 nights in a row now. It's honestly been a nightmare (like more of a nightmare than building the Pi 3's which are easy by comparison).

I FINALLY got a build on the 3x Samsung 16gb cards I ordered, but since the 3x Sandisk are like 4 bytes smaller that image won't fit on them so I started from scratch. After initial boot, I can log into WiFi, even do a couple edits to config.txt (disable_overscan=1 to enlarge the screen, hdmi_drive=2 to fix audio), might be able to start to move over ROMs (from the same USB stick I always use), maybe even change the "etc/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg" to reorder the systems...but at some point, ALWAYS, the system will crash to terminal

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Can't use 2.4ghz dongle keyboard, plug-in USB keyboard doesn't work, I can still SSH in. Even if I rebuild all installed packages (and core packages first, including the root kernel) it still boots to some code, then the RetroPie flash screen, some code, then the white EmulationStation screen, then exits to command prompt.

This has happened no less than 10 times. I reformat/image another Sandisk SD card, switch Pi Zeros, switch USB hubs, try it again...and BAM, at a random point the install is completely bricked again. Over and over and over again it seems...Never at the same point in my installation process mind you (or the fix would be easy to narrow down). Sometimes happens in the first 5 minutes, sometimes 2 hours later after everything is copied over, sometimes after I spend another hour+ tweaked my settings. Oh, I also ALWAYS backup whatever config file I edited and reboot after every change - if it bricks after I change a single file I change it back and it still won't bootup properly.

By my list above I hope you can see I've tried to limit it to a hardware or even SD card or accessory problem. I've tried several higher-end name-brand Sandisk Ultra 16gb SD cards (this was even happening on my previously awesome Sandisk EVO cards - albeit to a lesser degree), tried several different RetroPie Zero/1 images, on several computers, using several card readers, via several imaging software programs, several different USB hubs, wired and wireless keyboard, on my monitor or my HDTV....even friggin ran Windows on my MacBook Air (ewww) to use Winclone for the initial image.....like what the hell is going on? There's no rhyme or reason. No error logs in "/dev/shm/runcommand.log"...this is insane...Please help!

I can SSH into the Pi right now if need be - but am not physically by it.

backstander

@Dochartaigh

Do you have it setup to run Emulation Station after login?

sudo /home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/retropie_setup.sh

Configuration / tools -> autostart -> Autostart Emulation Station after login (Enabled)

Dochartaigh

@backstander said in Fresh Zero install, quitting to command prompt on multiple SD cards:@backstander

All the settings are the default settings from the stock RetroPie image files from their website - nothing different than what I've done literally 50 times before. Never had one NOT launch into EmulationStation on boot, and even SSHing in and running "emulationstation" won't launch EmulationStation.

...while I was at work today I rebuilt everything again. Twice. Took forever on the Pi Zero as we all know. When I came home I was so happy - it was actually booted up (especially since I had rebuilt before many times to no avail. Finished loading everything, customizing everything....and not a single emulator will launch a game (NES, SNES, Genesis, and mame4all). Rebuilt all those, rebooted....still won't launch. Installation is bricked, again, mysteriously.

Currently started over again, switched out all hardware, and this time re-downloaded RetroPie on my Mac running Bootcamp (Windows 10). Used Win32clone or whatever it's called, and ran all my config file mods and am waiting for the ROMs to finish copying to a brand new USB drive to see if this installation (think # 12) holds water...

backstander

@Dochartaigh
That is very odd. I really hate to say it but it sounds like either a bad microSD card or maybe a bad power adapter. The other bad news is it could be the GPU is bad which would cause it not to launch EmulationStation but I don't think I've ever heard of the GPU only dying on a RPi before. It's usually all or non. I highly doubt the GPU is bad.

I hope it's just the microSD card or some software fix.

Dochartaigh

It's totally freaking me out... I tried 3 different brand new sealed-package Pi Zero's too.

On the bright side the one I imaged on Windows 10 on my Mac bootcamp laptop seems to be working for like 3 hours now (completely done loading everything and doing all my normal tweaks). This was done on one of the same SD cards that failed multiple times before. This would normally tell me that my regular desktop computer's imaging software, or the USB hub it used, or the SD card reader itself is bad...but I just used those to image a Raspberry Pi 3 setup (which I'm likewise now done setting up) and it was flawless...

I could literally make a 50-point list of weird things these Raspberry Pi's and RetroPie do for no rhyme or reason (most of which I post about trying to get solutions here and/or on Reddit)...just really drives me crazy sometimes.

backstander

@Dochartaigh
I have a USB microSD card reader that came with my 16GB microSD card and later I purchased a bigger 64GB microSD card from Best Buy and I guess that card is just a tiny bit bigger than the 16GB card because it broke my USB microSD card reader and now it really acts weird. I tried to image my 16GB and it didn't image correctly and then thought my 16GB card was like 16MB or something. Took me forever to figure out how to fix it so I can image it again.

Dochartaigh

@backstander
I have 4x different card readers too! Built in SD one on my Mac mini (use the included micro to standard SD adapter SD cards commonly come with), have an off-brand USB 3.0 reader, then 2x Transcend (highest rated on Amazon) multi card readers (also USB 3.0)...I've really tried all bases here in like quadraduplicate lol

glennlake

@Dochartaigh I just did a quick read of your progress (or lack of same and I really feel your pain!!) and I may have missed something but was just wondering if you have tried a USB2 port and reader to burn the image and a larger microSD card (maybe 32gig)? I would just load the basic image to see if ran OK, then add ROMs one at a time till it fails. Please don't think I am patronizing you or your effort.