I have a Jetson Orin Nano and it had a 6.3 Jetpack firmware. I followed the quick start guide Quick Start Guide — Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit - User Guide and checked that the firware was above 36.x and it was. So I downloaded the Jetson ISO (r39.2), flashed it to a usb, and selected install Jetson ISO r39.2.0 from the boot manager. It starts to install, but then always gets stuck at this process and never seems to progress
And now I can’t get it to even boot up to the old firmware. Is there a way to reset the Jetson back to the old firmware and then re-flash it with the 7.2 Jetpack? Or how can I successfully flash the Jetson ISO r39?
— 🤖 This is an automated AI response. I’m here to help, but please verify important details! —
To address the issue of your Jetson Orin Nano getting stuck during the flashing process of JetPack 7.2 and failing to boot up to the old firmware, you should follow a series of steps to recover and successfully update your device.
Recovery Mode: First, try to put your Jetson Orin Nano into recovery mode. This usually involves pressing and holding the Force Recovery button while powering on the device. The exact procedure might vary, so refer to the official NVIDIA documentation or the Quick Start Guide for specific instructions related to your device.
Flash with SDK Manager: Instead of using the ISO directly for flashing, use the NVIDIA SDK Manager. This tool is designed to handle the flashing process more robustly and can provide more detailed feedback during the process. Ensure you have the latest version of SDK Manager and follow its instructions to flash your Jetson Orin Nano with JetPack 7.2.
QSPI Update: If your device’s QSPI (Quad SPI) memory needs an update for compatibility with JetPack 7.2, the SDK Manager should handle this automatically. However, if you encounter issues, you might need to manually update the QSPI using specific commands or tools provided by NVIDIA. Refer to the official documentation for the correct procedure.
Bootloader Update: Ensure that your bootloader is compatible with JetPack 7.2. The SDK Manager typically updates the bootloader as part of the flashing process, but if you’re experiencing issues, you might need to manually update it.
Reset to Old Firmware: If you need to reset your Jetson Orin Nano back to its old firmware (in this case, JetPack 6.3), you would typically use the SDK Manager to reflash the device with the older version. However, this might require you to first recover your device to a state where it can be flashed again.
Successful Flashing of JetPack 7.2: Once you’ve recovered your device and ensured it’s in a state ready for flashing, use the SDK Manager to flash JetPack 7.2. Make sure your host machine meets all the requirements for flashing, including having the necessary USB ports, a compatible operating system, and sufficient disk space.
Remember, the key to successfully flashing your Jetson Orin Nano is to follow the official NVIDIA guidelines and use the SDK Manager for the flashing process. If you continue to encounter issues, consulting the NVIDIA forums or contacting NVIDIA support might provide more tailored advice for your specific situation.
Important Note: Always ensure you’re using the correct and compatible versions of software and tools for your specific hardware (Jetson Orin Nano) to avoid compatibility issues. The provided context and NVIDIA documentation should be your primary guides for troubleshooting and resolving flashing issues.
— We support team will also look into your issue to have further suggestions soon. please stay tuned. —
I am on Ubuntu 26. Does the sdk not work with this distro? On the quick start guide I am confused why it didn’t mention anything about the sdkmanager. I thought it was not used anymore.
I don’t want to reinstall my whole operating system, so I tried to install Ubuntu 24 on a virtual machine. I downloaded the sdkmanager and followed the steps and typed sdkmanager in my terminal and nothing happens. The program doesn’t start. Is sdkmanager still relevant? On the quickstart for the Jetson orin nano it says to just install the Jetson ISO (r39.2) straight to the Jetson. However, as mentioned above the process gets stuck. Originally I was interfacing with the jetson through the uart pins and tty/usb cable. Now though there is no serial data coming accross. I plugged it into the display port and a blank screen. Everything was fine with my Jetson until I tried to upgrade to the new jetpack. Not sure if it’s bricked and what to do about it. I shorted wires 9 and 10 on the 40 pin header thinking that was putting it into recovery mode, figuring out later that it is the small pins under the fan. Could this have fried it? I would not think so as it it just a ground and one of the other uart pins. Anyway, I can’t get any communication with the serial cable and I don’t see anything come across when I interface through minicom on the usb c. Are the steps in the post first response relevant. I saw that it said it was generated by AI so not sure if it is pulling from old steps as like I said on the quickstart guide for the jetson it doesn’t say to do anything with the sdkmanger.
Yes, SDK Manager is still relevant, but for JetPack 7.2 on Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit, the Jetson ISO flow in the Quick Start Guide is also the documented installation path.
From your earlier screenshot, the installer had already reached the NVIDIA OOBE step and was asking to complete first-boot setup through the USB-C device-mode serial connection. That means the system may have been waiting for initial setup at that point, rather than still flashing.
For the current state, please first confirm whether the board can still enter Force Recovery Mode:
Power off the Jetson.
Connect the Jetson USB-C port to a physical Ubuntu host with a data-capable USB-C cable. An Ubuntu live USB is enough for this check; you do not need to reinstall your main host OS. Please do not use a VM for this recovery-mode check, because VM USB passthrough can hide or lose the recovery-mode device.
Use the correct Force Recovery pins on the small button/recovery header under the fan / near the microSD slot. Do not use the 40-pin GPIO header for recovery.
Power on the Jetson while the Force Recovery pins are shorted.
On the Ubuntu host, run:
lsusb
Please share the full lsusb output. We are looking for an NVIDIA USB device, usually with vendor ID 0955.
Shorting pins on the 40-pin header was not the correct recovery procedure, but we should not conclude the board is damaged from that alone. The recovery-mode lsusb result is the next useful check.
If the NVIDIA recovery device appears, we can continue with a recovery/direct-flash path. If it does not appear, then we should focus on the recovery connection first, such as the USB-C cable, host port, recovery-pin sequence, and power-up timing, before trying any flashing command.
Also, when retrying the Jetson ISO path later, please recreate the USB installer with verification enabled, such as Balena Etcher validate, and note the target storage used, whether the QSPI/UEFI update prompt appeared, and whether you pressed Y at that prompt.
Ok the device showed up, I ran minicom and started the boot process. It got stuck again like the picture above. I never got prompted to upgrade the QSPI/UEFI and select Y. When I started it with the iso usb inserted it gets to the boot manager and then I select run Jetson ISO (r39.2). I do remember it installing the QSPI/UEFI and I pressed Y the very first time I tried this and it got stuck.
If the device now shows up and you can see boot output in minicom, I would not treat it as bricked at this point.
The QSPI/UEFI prompt may not appear on later attempts if the first capsule update already completed. In the Jetson ISO flow, that prompt is shown when the installer detects QSPI firmware that needs the capsule update.
For the current stuck point, please confirm which serial device minicom is connected to:
If you are using the USB-to-TTL UART cable on the header pins, such as /dev/ttyUSB*, keep that as the boot log console, but also connect the Jetson USB-C port to the Ubuntu host and check for the USB device-mode serial port:
ls /dev/ttyACM*
sudo minicom -D /dev/ttyACM0 -b 115200
Adjust /dev/ttyACM0 if your host shows a different ACM index. The OOBE / first-boot setup prompt should be completed from this USB-C device-mode serial console.
If you are already using /dev/ttyACM* and it still stops at the same screen, please share the full minicom output from selecting Install Jetson ISO r39.2 in Boot Manager through the point where it stops.
Please also confirm:
whether your target storage is microSD or NVMe
whether the installer ever showed the target-storage selection screen
whether it ever showed an install-complete / reboot prompt
Recommendation: Please do not start a recovery flash yet. First we need to confirm whether this is the expected first-boot OOBE step waiting on the USB-C /dev/ttyACM* console, or whether the Jetson ISO installer is failing before it finishes installing Jetson Linux to the target storage.
