The Raspberry Pi Foundation has just released version 2.0.3 of the Raspberry Pi Imager. This offers a huge list of built-in improvements that focus heavily on performance, reliability and security of the cross-platform utility. This update makes the shooting process less frustrating.
One of the most noticeable improvements comes in performance monitoring. Imager 2.0.3 now implements bottleneck detection and gives you real-time progress updates. This is a great feature because it tells you exactly where the lag is occurring, whether the lag is caused by your Internet connection, your computer’s processor decompressing files, or the speed of the SD card itself.
I think the biggest problem with the old imager was the conundrum of waiting, but now you can get detailed written timelines for analysis. The developers have also improved asynchronous I/O support across all platforms and implemented a way to skip periodic synchronization when direct I/O is enabled. This should greatly improve productivity, which means writing your operating system faster.
Stability improvements are probably the most important part of this version, especially when it comes to driving handling. The software can now detect fake SD cards that usually freeze your system when you try to write data to them. This is a big win for anyone struggling with cheap, unreliable microSD cards.
To prevent these endless suspensions, the developers added timeouts for high-risk tasks, especially when the tool finishes writing at the end of the drive. If you have a problematic card that simply won’t cooperate, there’s also a new debugging option that allows users to skip these end-of-device operations. For Windows users working with the latest technologies, the update also added support for the NVMe over Fabrics bus type.
If you’re dealing with unstable Wi-Fi, the new network improvements will make your life much easier. Imager 2.0.3 has network monitoring across all platforms. There is built-in automatic fallback and retry logic when network connectivity is restored. Under the hood, the app has switched to a new networking library that handles connection errors more smoothly.
If you’re a Linux user running AppImage, you can expect better compatibility because Imager is better at finding the security certificates it needs, even on Linux distributions that store them in unusual locations. For power users managing custom operating system versions, the security and repository features are excellent additions.
Imager now supports new file rpi-imager:// URI scheme. This allows developers to deep link directly to custom operating system repositories, which is very convenient for distribution. However, convenience often comes with security risks, and the developers have handled this well. When you upload a URL to a remote repository, Imager displays a confirmation dialog box with a security delay.
In addition to the major functional changes, the developers have focused on several quality of life updates that make using the tool much easier. The app now remembers your language choice across sessions, so you don’t have to reset it every time you open the app. Title display has been improved with an offline status indication in the main window, which is useful when you’re working on a device with an intermittent connection. The UI also benefits from improved text wrapping and better marquee scrolling.
The tool also does a better job of creating the configuration files used to set up your user account and network settings on first run. It also enhances Wi-Fi network configuration, specifically addressing the open networks you’re using key_mgmt=NONE. If you’re using Windows, the uninstaller is now more tidy. It successfully erased residual folders and registry keys from old versions that were left behind.
source: Raspberry Pi