Tutorial  Updated

Have your cake, and eat it too! (How to have Themehax and a custom theme installed)

*** THIS TUTORIAL REQUIRES TWO SD CARDS ***

Introduction

What's Themehax? (For those who've been living under a rock.)
Themehax is a special homebrew entrypoint that is 100% offline when installed, and is
100% Usually successful.

Ok, but why does it sound like something bad will happen to my theme?
Due to how Themehax works, you will lose any custom (or stock) theme you are using. This tutorial aims to bypass that restriction through the use of two SD cards.


Why exactly do I need two SD cards?
One SD card is used for the Themehax exploit, while the other SD card is used for storing your Custom Theme (additionally, I recommend using this SD card for most of your homebrew + normal storage.)

How does install Themehax?
See following section


Installing Themehax

Before you can have your cake, you must install Themehax!


1A.

  • If you have never installed homebrew, please follow the Page Link and follow all of the directions. Additionally, read about browserhax here
2A.
  • Download the compiled Themehax installer from yellows8 Github, here and place it onto the SD card that you want to use to BOOT into the HBL.
  • If you do not already know (or you are new and didn't read the Page link, and browserhax link on 1A), you put files into their own directory, and place that directory into a directory called "3ds" on the root of the SD card.
  • Example path: /3ds/themehax_installer/installer.3dsx
3A.
  • Run the browserhax exploit to get into the HBL
  • *** MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE SD CARD YOU WANT TO INSTALL THEMEHAX ON INSERTED INTO THE 3DS***
  • Install Themehax with the Themehax installer
Installing A Custom Theme

1B.
  • Install Custom Home Menu Manager 2 (Or 1, although 1 is depreciated, I prefer it's minimal text interface over 2's buggy GUI.)
2B.
  • *** MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE THEMEHAX SD CARD INSERTED INTO THE 3DS ***
  • *** THIS IS WHERE YOU USE THE SECOND SD CARD ***
  • Use CHMM/CHMM 2 to install your theme into your SD card.

Launching HBL

1C.
  • Whenever you want to launch the HBL, insert the Themehax sd card and hold down the left shoulder button while the 3DS loads the Home Menu.
  • Once the HBL has launched, hot swap your SD cards
  • If at any time you return to your Home Menu, the Custom Theme will be applied.

Side Notes
  • If you boot with the theme SD card inserted, your theme will load.
  • If you have boot.3dsx on both SD cards, you can run Homebrew (and return to the HBL) on both SD cards without re-running the Themehax exploit. (This only works on Homebrew that exits to the HBL.)
  • *** YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESTART AT ANY POINT, REGARDLESS OF WHICH CARD WAS THE BOOT CARD ***
  • *** THE HOME MENU LOADS THEME DATA EVERY TIME WHEN LOADING / HARD RETURNING TO HOME MENU ***
Enjoy having your cake, and eating it!
 
Last edited by SubstituteCS,
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DDTarZan

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Very nice guide. I have one question that I need cleared up though: After the Custom theme is applied from the SD card with the theme, is it permanently installed? Like I can go back to my first SD card afterwards?
 
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Baccabechoppin

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I have never had it fail for me, but I'm on 10.1 on o3DS.
9.9 2DS, only way I can make it work 100% is to load the home menu, press the power button until the power off screen shows up, press the home button and hold L. If I try holding L during boot it only works occasionally.
 
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SubstituteCS

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Very nice guide. I have one question that I need cleared up though: After the Custom theme is applied from the SD card with the theme, is it permanently installed? Like I can go back to my first SD card afterwards?
Yes.
Install the custom theme to your main SD card (since you want to have the theme most of the time.)
The Themehax exploited theme goes on your boot into HBL sd card.

9.9 2DS, only way I can make it work 100% is to load the home menu, press the power button until the power off screen shows up, press the home button and hold L. If I try holding L during boot it only works occasionally.
Hmm, might be a system related issue (I know the 3DS "3d enabled" doesn't get disabled until HBL starts to load (the ROP doesn't disable it.)
Could be related to that.
 
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Amadren

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Best way to profit from Themehax + Custom Themes:
Unlink your emunand and your sysnand.

Install browserhax, Install pasta, launch browserhax, install FBI.cia using FBI homebrew, install cubic ninja + gateway firmware +emunand, install bigbluemenu on emunand with rxtools, change theme on emunand (to uninstall themehax on emunand), remove the microsd, restart, format sysnand, reinstall browserhax + themehax, install CHMM 2 cia on emunand, profit.

(Well, it's only working with fw < 9.2 but you don't need 2 microsd)
 
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SubstituteCS

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Best way to profit from Themehax + Custom Themes:
Unlink your emunand and your sysnand.

Install browserhax, Install pasta, launch browserhax, install FBI.cia using FBI homebrew, install cubic ninja + gateway firmware +emunand, install bigbluemenu on emunand with rxtools, change theme on emunand (to uninstall themehax on emunand), remove the microsd, restart, format sysnand, reinstall browserhax + themehax, install CHMM 2 cia on emunand, profit.

(Well, it's only working with fw < 9.2 but you don't need 2 microsd)
Most homebrew users don't have fw < 9.2, which is why I made this tutorial.
 
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SubstituteCS

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Sounds like too much trouble. Does shuffle themes work with this?

With stock themes only, yes. (If CHMM 2 has shuffle, then yes to both types.)

i could follow till step 1B then i got stuck- do i need to have homebrew on both cards? what do i need to do after i have got themehax,chhm 2 and the theme i wanna install in my sd card?
You just need the homebrew boot on both SD cards (boot.3dsx) and what-ever homebrew you want on them.
 

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