OPi 3B, messed up with boot, nothing with a kernel number lower than 6.9.x boots at all

[Zeebee]

I think i messed up with armbian-config, namely with 'system' sub section.

I noticed that lately the only images that boot are armbian with kernel 6.9.x

Nothing, i say nothing with a lower kernel number would boot -- even those SD cards that were good last time i tried them. None of orangepi factory images boot.

In and out of itself, it is not a problem. Yet. But what if something changes in a future?

[Werner]

Wipe SPI/eMMC before trying to boot vendor/legacy/3rd party OS from microsd again.

[Zeebee]

Thanks for replying! 
"wipe the SPI" (i don't use eMMC, it died after just a couple of days)
Yes, i would think so, but HOW?
Yesterday i opened the case and pushed the button marked 'RECOVERY' but i don't think it does anything other than restart...

The screenshot above, i tried all three 4, 5, 7, options, to no avail.

In the absence of "normal" BIOS,  I don't really understand this boot process...

[Werner]

1 minute ago, Zeebee said:

but HOW?

I'd do the following:

 

Boot any image that works for your and check if /dev/mtd0 is present. Then simply overwrite it with dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mtd0. May take a few minutes. This type of memory is rather slow at writing.

[Zeebee]

Well, it works now with some of the older SD cards i tried, they work as usual.
But the internal nvme (M.2) drive doesn't boot. When i start without any SD card, nothing happens, black screen, status light red not blinking.

So, i guess i need to start Armbian from SD card which works, and go to armbian-config... Well, i think this is where i messed up last time...
What exactly i need to do?

I'd like to boot from any SD card inserted, also from older ones, and from internal nvme drive when no card is in.

Edited June 27 by Zeebee
only later discovered that internal m.2 doesnt boot