I tried to install Manjaro on SSD for my RPI 400 4GB. After turning on the RPI with the SSD pluged in it showed nothing but the squared M and an allways turning circle. I tried different versions of Manjaro (XFCE, KDE) but all the same. Is there no way to show the boot-process so we could see where the problem lies?
At last I thought to try other USB-ports and found the bootprocess completed when the SSD is plugged to the USB2 port. The RPI has two USB3 ports and one USB2 port. When I plug the SSD to one of the USB3 ports the system does not boot, only if pluged to USB2.
The SSD is an Intenso portable SSD Premium 512GB.
Yes. Simply hit the ESC key when the Manjaro logo is there.
I don’t know for sure, but maybe the bootloader in the rpi400 only supports USB2 boot for now?
Maybe updating the rpi-eeprom might get you USB3 boot too?
@Darksky can likely answer this better than me.
The pi400 should have been shipped with the eeprom flashed to boot ssd. There might be some fix with some drives in a later rpi-eeprom package. I always live on the “stable” firmware on my pi4 and do not remember if I upgraded the eeprom my pi400. I do not use my pi400 much; only for testing issues on the forums. My usb 3.0 ssd works just fine.
Some ssd drives and or enclosures may not be compatible. They may not work on usb 3.0 but might work on usb 2.0 but will have a reduced read/write speeds. Some will work on usb 3.0 after setting “quirks” in the cmdline.txt.
Bottom line is update to the latest rpi-eeprom package in the repo using the “stable” firmware and these people have comprehensive guides on ssd drives. Look particularly at these sections:
https://jamesachambers.com/best-ssd-storage-adapters-for-raspberry-pi-4-400/
Known Problematic Adapters (Naughty List)
https://jamesachambers.com/new-raspberry-pi-4-bootloader-usb-network-boot-guide/
Fix (some) USB Adapter Problems Using Quirks
One last thing that needs to be mentioned is if one is using a wireless mouse/keyboard usb 3.0 drives will interfere if not properly shielded. I have to put in a longer usb extension cable to put more distance between the drive and my pi board.
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Some ssd drives and or enclosures may not be compatible. They may not work on usb 3.0 but might work on usb 2.0 but will have a reduced read/write speeds. Some will work on usb 3.0 after setting “quirks” in the cmdline.txt.
Just to emphasize, the problems which are fixed by using “quirks” are due to issues with the SATA-USB adapters, not the SSD’s themselves.
There is also an extensive thread on this problem on the raspberry pi forum at:
https://forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.php?t=245931