What version of the firmware is it running? I think it’s in the Settings > About page.
The SD cards are from the early kickstarter batches, possibly beta. Although I can’t find mention of the update that post is referencing. As far as I can tell, the switch from SD to USB happened very early. I was in the ~3000 range, and it came with USB.
Reading the firmware upgrade thread, firmware 2.1 says “Only products that come with the USB Disk can upgrade the firmware”. It sounds like you cannot upgrade firmware at all. So you’re probably on a version less than 1.2?
How are you checking that you cannot save the calibration settings? I can’t prove it, but it seems to me that originally doing a calibration reset to the default points. Only later firmwares would restart at the previously saved calibration points. So it’s possible that it is saving, but you’re clearing it when you re-start calibration.
Does it make any funny noises when it’s moving into the region that doesn’t print? It might require some lubrication.