Jetson AGX Orin Stuck on Flashing Underscore and Can't Enter Recovery Mode

[wb16]

Hello, I’m having a significant issue with my Jetson AGX Orin Dev Kit and need assistance.

I received my Jetson yesterday, and initially, I used a headless connection via MobaXterm, but the COMM port got lost. Afterward, I connected a display, mouse, and keyboard, but the situation progressively worsened. I now get a flashing underscore (_) on the screen and cannot proceed further.

Issue Summary:
The Jetson AGX Orin is stuck on a flashing underscore during boot, and no further progress occurs.

I am unable to enter Recovery Mode despite trying the standard method:
Pressing and holding the Recovery button during boot, but the system doesn’t enter Recovery Mode.
The device doesn’t respond to USB recovery attempts.
The system seems dead, with no output beyond the flashing underscore.

Steps I’ve Already Taken:
Tried entering recovery mode by pressing the Recovery button during boot, but the device doesn’t enter Recovery Mode.
Flashed the microSD card with a clean Ubuntu image and JetPack (JetPack 6.2), but the system still boots to the flashing underscore (microSD card has not been properly mounted as the boot device).
Checked display, keyboard, and connections; everything seems to be plugged in correctly.
Tried the standard flashing procedure with the SDK Manager, but the device remains unresponsive.
Rebooted multiple times, removed and reinserted the power cable, but still no progress.

Additional Information:
I am npot using the microSD card for booting.
No recovery mode seems to be accessible, and the screen stays stuck at the flashing underscore without progressing.
What I’ve Tried So Far:
Flashed the microSD but still no success in booting from it.
Reset the Jetson to default settings, but the device remains unresponsive.
Checked USB cables and ensured connections are secure.

Can anyone help with the following:
How to access recovery mode on the Jetson AGX Orin when it’s stuck in this state?
Any troubleshooting tips for the flashing underscore issue?
How to reflash the device if it’s unresponsive to recovery mode?
I would really appreciate any advice or assistance on how to get this system up and running again.

Thanks in advance!

[carolyuu]

Hi,
If the device cannot be flashed/booted, please refer to the page to get uart log from the device:
Jetson/General debug - eLinux.org
And get logs of host PC and Jetson device for reference. If you are using custom board, you can compare uart log of developer kit and custom board to get more information.
Also please check FAQs:
Jetson AGX Orin FAQ
If possible, we would suggest follow quick start in developer guide to re-flash the system:
Quick Start — NVIDIA Jetson Linux Developer Guide 1 documentation
And see if the issue still persists on a clean-flashed system.
Thanks!

[wb16]

The problem is that I cannot get into the system at all - on boot it just gives me the flashing _ forever

even when entering Recovery Mode, the _ flashes on th escreen forever without allowing me in

[WayneWWW]

Your method to enter recovery mode sounds not fully correct.

If your board is already powered on, then you have to

1. press and hold recovery button
2. then press and release “reset” button.
3. release recovery button.

If your board is not powered on, then replace “reset button” in (2) with “power button”.

[wb16]

The challenge is how to flash the Jetson through Windows WSL…?

[wb16]

Hi everyone,

I posted yesterday about a significant issue with my Jetson AGX Orin 64GB Developer Kit, where I was stuck on a flashing underscore (_) during boot and couldn’t enter recovery mode or proceed further. I tried numerous steps—headless connections, display setups, microSD flashing with JetPack 6.2, recovery mode attempts, and SDK Manager flashing—but nothing worked initially. I’m thrilled to report that I’ve resolved the issue, and I wanted to share the fix in case it helps others facing similar problems. Here’s what worked for me, with thanks to the support I received elsewhere (and hoping this forum can assist others in the future!):

Issue Recap

My Jetson AGX Orin was stuck at a flashing underscore on boot, with no progress.

I couldn’t enter recovery mode using the standard method (pressing the Recovery button during boot).

USB recovery attempts failed, and the device seemed unresponsive, despite checking connections and cables.

Steps I Took Initially (Without Success)

Attempted recovery mode by holding the Recovery button and pressing Reset, but the system didn’t respond.

Flashed a microSD card with JetPack 6.2 using Rufus, but since I wasn’t booting from microSD (defaulting to eMMC), it didn’t help.

Connected a display, mouse, and keyboard, but still saw the flashing underscore.

Used SDK Manager on a Windows-to-WSL Ubuntu setup initially, but it failed due to USB passthrough issues.

Rebooted multiple times, checked USB cables, and reset the Jetson, but the issue persisted.

The Fix: How I Resolved It

After persistence and detailed troubleshooting, here’s what ultimately worked, step by step, to access recovery mode, troubleshoot the flashing underscore, and reflash the device:

1. Verified Recovery Mode Entry:

I ensured I was using the correct recovery sequence: Press and hold the Force Recovery button, press and release the Reset button, then release Force Recovery after 2-3 seconds while powering on via USB-C or DC jack. I used a high-quality, data-capable USB-C cable connected to the port near the 40-pin header on the Jetson.

Confirmed detection on my host PC (Dell Inspiron 5558 running native Ubuntu 24.04 LTS) with lsusb, looking for “NVIDIA Corp. APX” (0955:7023). If it didn’t appear, I rechecked the cable, port, and recovery steps.
2. Switched to a Native Ubuntu Host:

Initially, I tried using Ubuntu via WSL on Windows, but USB access was unreliable. I installed Ubuntu 24.04 LTS natively on my Inspiron 5558, wiping Windows and using a bootable USB (created with Rufus) to ensure full hardware control. This resolved USB detection issues for recovery mode and flashing.
3. Adjusted BIOS/UEFI Settings on the Host:

On my Inspiron, I entered BIOS (F2), disabled Secure Boot and Fast Boot, and set Boot Mode to UEFI (matching the GPT partition on the Ubuntu USB). This ensured stable USB detection for the Jetson.
4. Flashed JetPack 6.2 with SDK Manager:

Installed NVIDIA SDK Manager on Ubuntu 24.04 by downloading the .deb file, resolving dependencies (e.g., libcanberra-gtk-module, libgtk-3-0), and running sudo dpkg -i sdkmanager_.deb followed by sudo apt install -f if needed.

Launched SDK Manager, logged in with my NVIDIA Developer account, selected “Jetson AGX Orin (64GB) developer kit,” and chose JetPack 6.2 with eMMC as the storage device.

Ensured my Jetson was in recovery mode, connected via USB-C, and detected (confirmed with lsusb). The download completed successfully (16.92 MB total), and I proceeded to flash, setting a username (“wynand”) and password.
5. Monitored and Completed the Flash:

SDK Manager installed host components (CUDA, Nsight, etc.) and flashed the Jetson, taking 10-20 minutes. I monitored progress, ensuring the Jetson stayed in recovery mode (white LED on) and the USB connection was stable.

After flashing, I powered on the Jetson, and it booted into Ubuntu (JetPack 6.2) on its eMMC, eliminating the flashing underscore.

Key Troubleshooting Tips

Recovery Mode Challenges: If recovery mode fails, use a high-quality USB-C cable, ensure the correct port (near 40-pin header), and verify host detection with lsusb. Retry the recovery sequence multiple times if needed.

Flashing Underscore Fix: The underscore was due to a corrupted or missing bootloader/eMMC content. Flashing JetPack 6.2 via SDK Manager on a native Ubuntu host resolved it by overwriting the eMMC with a fresh image.

USB-to-UART Cable (Optional): I had a USB-to-UART cable ready but didn’t need it, as SDK Manager handled the flash. It would have been useful for serial debugging (via J26, baud 115200) if boot issues persisted post-flash.

Final Outcome

My Jetson AGX Orin now boots into JetPack 6.2 on its 64GB eMMC, with no flashing underscore. I can log in with my username (“wynand”) and password, and it’s ready for development. I also added a 1TB NVMe SSD, which I’ll format and mount post-boot for additional storage.

Gratitude and Future Support

I reached out here initially but didn’t really got helpful responses, so I sought help elsewhere and managed to resolve it with detailed, real-time guidance. I’m sharing this solution to help others and hope the Jetson Forum can assist future users facing similar issues. If anyone has questions or additional tips, I’d love to hear them—I’m now set up for Jetson projects and appreciate the community’s potential support moving forward.

Thanks for reading, and I hope this helps someone else!

Best regards,
Wynand
P.S. Flippen Painful experience