Aura E2 Kobo Aura 2 v2 won't boot

Sadrarin · 08-14-2026, 06:26 AM

Hello everyone. First, I apologize for my English; in fact, I'm using a translator because my English is terrible.

I have a Kobo Aura 2 v2 (N236) that's been malfunctioning for a few months. When I press the power button, the LED lights up and stays on, but the drive doesn't start. I turn it off by holding the button for a few seconds and try again. After several attempts—sometimes two or three, other times seven or eight—the drive turns on and I can use it.

I removed the microSD card to make a backup, and it failed to read the first two partitions (rootfs and recoveryfs), so I thought it was the microSD card. I requested a microSD card image on this forum (thank you very much) and burned it to Linux using dd. The partitions are accessible from the computer, but when I put it back in the Kobo, I still have the same problem: the LED stays on and it doesn't turn on.

I've also tried burning the image with BalenaEtcher, but it still doesn't work.

Does anyone know what the problem might be? Thanks in advance.

DNSB · 08-14-2026, 11:47 AM

If you are attempting to re-use the µSD card, I would suggest obtaining a new µSD card and trying that instead. You could also try doing a full overwrite of the µSD card using the SD Card Association's SD Memory Card Formatter for Windows/Mac before re-imaging it.

Sadrarin · 08-14-2026, 12:23 PM

I recorded the image in a new microsd, but it doesn't work.

I downloaded the latest firmware from the Kobo website, after several attempts I managed to get it to boot and install it.

I've removed the microsd and I'm cloning it into a new one, hopefully it'll be over in an hour or so. Let's see if it works with the new microsd.

Sadrarin · 08-14-2026, 03:42 PM

I finally managed to fix it.

Installing the latest firmware must have fixed the boot problem, but I made a backup of the original card because it has bad sectors.

I had to use ddrescue because the backup I made with dd gave me an MBR error when writing it to the new card. It worked on the first try with ddrescue. Then I extended the partition with gParted, and now I have 28GB free for my books (the card is 32GB).

08-14-2026, 06:26 AM	#1
Sadrarin Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 20 Join Date: Aug 2026 Location: Spain Device: Kobo Aura 2 Edition 2 (n236), Sony PRS-650	Kobo Aura 2 v2 won't boot Hello everyone. First, I apologize for my English; in fact, I'm using a translator because my English is terrible. I have a Kobo Aura 2 v2 (N236) that's been malfunctioning for a few months. When I press the power button, the LED lights up and stays on, but the drive doesn't start. I turn it off by holding the button for a few seconds and try again. After several attempts—sometimes two or three, other times seven or eight—the drive turns on and I can use it. I removed the microSD card to make a backup, and it failed to read the first two partitions (rootfs and recoveryfs), so I thought it was the microSD card. I requested a microSD card image on this forum (thank you very much) and burned it to Linux using dd. The partitions are accessible from the computer, but when I put it back in the Kobo, I still have the same problem: the LED stays on and it doesn't turn on. I've also tried burning the image with BalenaEtcher, but it still doesn't work. Does anyone know what the problem might be? Thanks in advance.

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08-14-2026, 11:47 AM	#2
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 53,899 Karma: 182150167 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	If you are attempting to re-use the µSD card, I would suggest obtaining a new µSD card and trying that instead. You could also try doing a full overwrite of the µSD card using the SD Card Association's SD Memory Card Formatter for Windows/Mac before re-imaging it.

08-14-2026, 12:23 PM	#3
Sadrarin Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 20 Join Date: Aug 2026 Location: Spain Device: Kobo Aura 2 Edition 2 (n236), Sony PRS-650	I recorded the image in a new microsd, but it doesn't work. I downloaded the latest firmware from the Kobo website, after several attempts I managed to get it to boot and install it. I've removed the microsd and I'm cloning it into a new one, hopefully it'll be over in an hour or so. Let's see if it works with the new microsd.

08-14-2026, 03:42 PM	#4
Sadrarin Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 20 Join Date: Aug 2026 Location: Spain Device: Kobo Aura 2 Edition 2 (n236), Sony PRS-650	I finally managed to fix it. Installing the latest firmware must have fixed the boot problem, but I made a backup of the original card because it has bad sectors. I had to use ddrescue because the backup I made with dd gave me an MBR error when writing it to the new card. It worked on the first try with ddrescue. Then I extended the partition with gParted, and now I have 28GB free for my books (the card is 32GB).

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