I have downloaded the latest Raspberry Imager and ran the following:
sudo rpi-eeprom-update
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo rpi-eeprom-update -d -a
sudo reboot
I have HA on a SD card, which now boots with a USB - SD and runs from the USB without a problem.
But when I try to start HA installed on an SSD card, it stops, and states firmware update needed and firmware shown is 2019.
What am I missing?
Thanks
Make sure your Pi starts from the SSD first:
That’s what I did. I booted from the Micro SD card in the USB adapter and did what I thought was the firmware update as described in my post.
Unplugged the adapter, plugged in the SSD, and restarted, but always get firmware update needed.
Are ytou using the VNC viewer? Because a couple clicks and it’ll update the firmware… It could be it prefers to update the firmware on each current boot device in this case for some reason? I know that sounds stupid, but I see no reason why you can’t just say at that point “ok, I’ll update it again then while I am booted off the SSD, you dumbass rpi” 
and see what happens when after the update is finished you reboopt it (if the pdate doesn’t do the reboot itself)?
Not using VNC
My problem is it just won’t boot from an SSD (Raspberry or Home Assistant)
Boots from a Micro SD Card, either in the dedicated slot or in an adapter in a USB slot.
Wondering whether to abandon the Raspberry Pi and go for a ODROID-N2+ with Home Assistant pre-installed on eMMC.
No, here is the easy way. Get a different unused Micro SD Card. In Windows run the RPI imager (it is available from the RPI website) to create a generic plain RPI OS instance on that new card).
Then you can boot up from this “generic” card.
Then just plug your SSD and MicroSD Card (you need to put the Micro SD Card into a USB dongle to connect it via USB) into the RPI while it is up and running and use SD Card Copier to copy the other MIcroSD Card to the SSD.
I have a couple of these, they are GREAT:
Then, run the Raspi-Config app on your RPI to tell it to boot from the USB port where you have the SSD connected. You can do that also from the VNC viewer or from the commend line:
sudo raspi-config
You areally should install the VNC viewer on both your PC and RPI, it makes everything MUCH easier! It pops up likle a window on my pc screen:
In the above image, next to the top right dark icon, if there is ever an update for the firmware or any software on your RPI, another icon pops up to show you a listr of what updates are available (software and firmware) and you can update one or all with a single click. I always just install all the updates. Isn’t that much easier?
(FYI I never run the HA on the RPI front end in VNC, I always do it on the separate connected PC, or my mobile when I am not home, whatever.)
Anyway, once you have updated the RPI to boot off of the SSD, and that new image which you know works has been copied onto the SSD, remove both SD Cards and reboot the RPI leaving only the SSD connected.
I think that is the best way, google around not sure why yiou wouldn’t want to use the VNC viewer, it makes working with the RPI like a windows machine, so much easier! Command line i still available within it also anyway…
VNC viewer has a paid and a freee option, I always just use the free one.
And trust me, EVERYONE WILL TELL YOU, rbooting off the SSD it runs MUCH FASTER.
It could be that your SSD is drawing too much power from the PI or it has a couple bad sectors or the like. I bought a really nice one and exchanged it because it was defective with a gazillion bad sectors and it wasted like three weeks of my time trying to use it.
The one I swear by however and it uses almost no power, is a samsung T7 (1TB but that is probably overkill!) - even comes with a USB 3.0 cable that fits right into the USB 3.0 ports on the back of the RPI.
Good luck. - If after all the above you still have trouble, can y,ou use the SD card copier to try a different SSD?
Worked it out, so for those in same position - ie newbies
To get Home Assistant installed on an SSD, I took the following steps:
The Pi writes Home Assistant to the SSD and restarts - but be patient, mine took 30 mins.
Log into Home Assistant on your computer and it sets up as normal.
