Micro SD card with an adopter fails to be recognised as bootable. What could be the reason?

[Sudhakarrdy]

I downloaded MX & made a live bootable medium on a micro SD card using MX live USB maker.
I have inserted into the card reader situated in the laptop using an adopter.
But the SD card fails to be recognised as a bootable medium.
Earlier I have used SD cards (not micro but standard size) successfully to install Linux distros.
Is the adopter in someway interfering?
The SD card is recognised but not bootable.
I have seen several others having the same problem with micro SD cards.
Why is it so?
It's a SanDisk micro plus card 128 GB & class 10.

[Eadwine Rose]

If others have the same problem, then it must be something with the cards making them not suitable for live mediums. You'll have to use another card. Why, not a clue, but the fact that others have the same issue with those micro cards makes it not an MX issue. Could indeed be the adapter. *shrug*

[chrispop99]

If you are using the SD card slot on the laptop, be aware that not all laptops will permit the use of that slot to boot from. Some machines allow you to change the slot to make it bootable from within the BIOS/UEFI.

Chris

[wdscharff]

Booting via USB has its pitfalls.
I have an old active USB2 HUB, almost everything works via it.
I have 3 newer active USB3 hubs. With one nothing works, with the other only USB2 sticks, with the third only USB3 when only one port is occupied.
Old USB2 card reader, everything is bootable on it, so everything I have, that is old CF cards and CF minidrives. Works fine on the old active USB2 hub, does not work on any USB port of the PC.
The modern USB 3 card reader works everywhere, but no longer boots via the CF part.
You see, booting via USB can be fun if you leave the safe paths of classic sticks and USB hard drives.

[rokytnji.1]

Insert the card on a working install and post readout of

Code: Select all

sudo parted  -l

Maybe boot entry is missing. I mdsum check my downloaded isos to save head aches later.

Edit: My acer spire one zg5 would not boot sd slot either. So a mention of what type of gear we are discussing here seems in order.

[chrispop99]

My acer spire one zg5 would not boot sd slot either.

Very few machines will boot from an SD card slot. The ones that do have the reader connected to the USB bus.

Chris

[Eadwine Rose]

If the reader is internal, it likely will, indeed. The eeepc that I have with integrated SD card reader boots from a regular sized SD card that has MX17 installed on it (been a while, it's an emergency machine just in case etc).

[chrispop99]

If the reader is internal, it likely will, indeed. The eeepc that I have with integrated SD card reader boots from a regular sized SD card that has MX17 installed on it (been a while, it's an emergency machine just in case etc).

The Eee PC does because the card reader is connected internally to the USB bus. That's not the case with most laptops.

I've tested dozens of machines with internal card readers, and only found one (a Dell Mini 10) that will boot from that slot. None of the Thinkpad range I have tested will do so, nor any of the Dell Latitudes. (Apart from very new ones, which I haven't tested.) Various Asus and HP machines that I have had for repair, and which have a reader, will not boot from SD card slot.

If you stick a bootable SD card in, then look in the BIOS/UEFI for boot order, the SD card will very rarely be shown.

Chris

[Sudhakarrdy]

Live medium on a standard sized SD card boots without problem when inserted in the same card reader in my laptop from which a micro SD card doesn't.
Using the former, I have installed Linux distributions several times.

[Eadwine Rose]

Then, with the comment "I have seen several others having the same problem with micro SD cards." I'd say: don't use them for this purpose.

But why? Not a clue. Less stable, maybe.