First time RPI user. I bought a Pi 5 "kit" with all official Raspberry Pi parts -- case, board, power supply and a pre-flashed OS on a 128 GB SD card.
When I started the Pi 5 with *NO* SD card, attached to a Samsung 23" monitor,, a keyboard and a trackpad, I got the screen saying no SD card is present and offering boot options. It was very grainy and "static-y" I assume because no drivers yet, but I could read it.
The "preflashed" card was blank--when I tried to boot with it I got continuous slow blinking green light . So assuming it may be faulty, I bought another 64GB card from a local computer store. I successfully flashed it from my Windows PC with the Pi OS, and did the 128 GB card while I was at it.
I installed the new card (64 GB) and booted. It seemed promising, with the ACT light flashing like an external hard drive does when being accessed. Fast flashing and not at regular interval. Went on for about 2 or 3 minutes, but the monitor never had any activity at all.
I shut down and swapped in the 128GB card and booted, same story.
Next I removed the SD Card and rebooted to see if the "NO SD" screen would come up. Alas, it did not. The Pi turned on, but with a solid green ACT light and nothing on the screen at all. If I insert an SD card now, the same thing happens.
I have unplugged everything and left it overnight, and tried booting with nothing in the USB ports (read they may draw too much power and prevent the screen from coming on.)
It appears to be dead in the water. It's disappointing, as I was looking forward to at least a simple startup and then learning the ins and outs.
Did I kill it somehow?
When I started the Pi 5 with *NO* SD card, attached to a Samsung 23" monitor,, a keyboard and a trackpad, I got the screen saying no SD card is present and offering boot options. It was very grainy and "static-y" I assume because no drivers yet, but I could read it.
The "preflashed" card was blank--when I tried to boot with it I got continuous slow blinking green light . So assuming it may be faulty, I bought another 64GB card from a local computer store. I successfully flashed it from my Windows PC with the Pi OS, and did the 128 GB card while I was at it.
I installed the new card (64 GB) and booted. It seemed promising, with the ACT light flashing like an external hard drive does when being accessed. Fast flashing and not at regular interval. Went on for about 2 or 3 minutes, but the monitor never had any activity at all.
I shut down and swapped in the 128GB card and booted, same story.
Next I removed the SD Card and rebooted to see if the "NO SD" screen would come up. Alas, it did not. The Pi turned on, but with a solid green ACT light and nothing on the screen at all. If I insert an SD card now, the same thing happens.
I have unplugged everything and left it overnight, and tried booting with nothing in the USB ports (read they may draw too much power and prevent the screen from coming on.)
It appears to be dead in the water. It's disappointing, as I was looking forward to at least a simple startup and then learning the ins and outs.
Did I kill it somehow?
Statistics: Posted by cgorm — Sun Jan 11, 2026 12:47 am