Dashboard should warn that flasher images will erase internal drives

Feature Requests
1

Problem

When downloading a balenaOS image from the balenaCloud dashboard, there are no warnings that flasher images will automatically erase and overwrite internal storage when booted. This can result in catastrophic data loss.

What Happened

I downloaded an image for a genericx86-64-ext device from my iot-home fleet dashboard:

  1. Downloaded the image (production mode) via the “Add Device” button
  2. Flashed it to a USB stick using Etcher
  3. Booted my desktop PC (Intel NUC with 3 internal hard drives) from the USB
  4. The flasher image automatically erased one of my internal drives containing a Windows installation

There was no warning, no drive selection, and no confirmation prompt before the data was permanently destroyed.

Expected Behavior

The dashboard download page should provide prominent warnings when downloading flasher images.

Suggested Improvements:

1. Clear Warning During Download

Display a warning message like:

⚠️ WARNING: Flasher Image

This image will automatically install balenaOS to internal storage when booted.

• ALL DATA on the target drive will be PERMANENTLY ERASED
• On multi-drive systems, the target drive is selected automatically
• Back up all important data before proceeding

For non-destructive testing, consider using a development image instead.

[Learn more about flasher vs live images]

2. Clear Image Type Labels

Indicate whether the download is:

  • “Flasher image (installs to internal storage)”
  • “Live image (runs from SD/USB)”

3. Alternative Options

Offer both flasher and live/development images for devices that support both, with clear descriptions of the difference.

4. Documentation

Add a prominent link to documentation explaining:

  • What flasher images do
  • When to use them vs live images
  • How they select target drives
  • Data loss risks

Impact

Without these warnings, users risk permanent data loss on:

  • Multi-purpose devices
  • Development machines with existing OS installations
  • Systems with multiple drives containing important data

This is especially problematic for x86/x64 devices that are often repurposed desktop/laptop hardware.

System Details

  • Device type: genericx86-64-ext (Intel NUC)
  • balenaOS version: 6.10.14
  • Downloaded from: Fleet dashboard “Add Device” → Production mode
  • System affected: Desktop PC with 3 HDDs + Windows installation
  • Result: Complete loss of Windows partition

Note: This is not an Etcher issue - Etcher correctly wrote the image to USB. The issue is that the balenaOS flasher image, when booted, automatically flashes to internal storage without user interaction or warnings during the download process.