Tutorial - NDS Backup Tool Wifi

Due to the lack of documentation on this process, I am writing my own tutorial. I may modify with screenshots later, but I'm a stay at home dad with two kids and a lot to do. Can't promise everything, but the text version of this should work for you.

Step 1 - Preparation
Step 2 - Software Setup
Step 3 - DO IT!

STEP 1 - PREPARATION

The things you will need:

HARDWARE
- NDS or NDS Lite system (I used a Lite)
- Your personal computer (I'm using a PC running Windows 7 64bit)
- NDS FlashCart or Slot1 Device (I'm using EZ-Flash Vi H[805] F[101] K[3.0 OB2])
- A game you want to back up your save from

SOFTWARE
- NDS Backup Tool Wifi (0.31f used)
- smallftpd (1.0.3 used)

Yup, that's it.

Make sure that your NDS is configured to connect over your local network (or router). Just play a game that uses Nintendo WFC, and edit the settings to use your access point IN THE FIRST NETWORK SETTINGS SLOT. If you already use Nintendo WFC, and your first set of settings are the one you use, your set.

STEP 2 - SOFTWARE SETUP

1) Download and extract NDS Backup Tool to your desktop. (The NDS file, and the INI file.) This is temporary.
2) Download and extract smallftpd to the location of your choice. (I used the desktop.)
3) Open your control panel and go to your network settings. (Network and Sharing Center for Windows 7)
4) Open your network connection status (for Win7 you click the network name link), and then click, "Details."
5) See the line that says IPv4 Address? Make note of this number somewhere.
6) Open the NDS Backup Tool INI File in Notepad or similar text editor, and you will see this:



Now, where that ServerIP is, replace that number with the IPv4 Address you wrote down earlier. Keep the port 21.
Replace "username" with a desired username, and "password" with a desired password.
Save the file so it stays an INI file (shouldn't be an issue with Notepad) and load your FlashCart's memory card into the computer.

7) Copy the NDS and INI file for NDS Backup Tool into the ROOT of your memory card. When done, put it back in your FlashCart (which can now go back into your NDS or Lite).
8) In your C: Drive (NO SUBFOLDERS FOR SAKE OF EASE), create a folder labeled, "NDS_Backup."
9) Open smallftpd, DON'T CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON YET, and do the following steps:
a) Under Settings, go to GENERAL and make sure the port is 21. If not, change it to 21.
b) Under Settings, go to ADVANCED and click the Use Local IP tick box.
c) Under Settings, go to USERS. Here's the "hardest" part. Click ADD, and specify the login and password you chose in the INI file.
c-1) In the directories section, click ADD. Leave the Virtual Path as a / and in the physical path type c:\NDS_Backup.
c-2) Under Permissions click ADD, and leave the Virtual path as is, and make sure the permissions say, "LRW."
c-3) You can now click OK to save your user settings, and OK on the userrs dialog to go back to smallftpd.
9) You may now click the Play Button to activate your FTP!

STEP 3 - DO IT!

1) With your FlashCart loaded into your NDS, load NDS_Backup_Tool_Wifi.NDS
2) Once it connects to your network AND your FTP, it will ask you to swap your game card out for the one you wish to back up. DO NOT SHUT OFF THE POWER TO DO THIS! Press (A) to continue.
3) To immediately backup the SAVE of the current game, Press (B), then press (A) to confirm. It should start copying the SAVE over the FTP to the folder you created earlier. When complete it may say that the data transfer failed. Check your folder on your hard drive for the file. If its there, then you should be okay. (As long as it made it to 100%)
4) Rename the SAV file to match the name of your ROM, drop it into your FlashCart's SAVE folder, and load your game. It should work just fine.

Now, here's a breakdown of NDS Backup Tool. When you connect to the FTP, you can swap the cartridges out. Once you load the game to back up it will take you to the first "page" of options. If you already have SAV files on the FTP, you can update the one for your current game by pressing (A). You can press (B) to rip a new save, (X) will allow you to switch to a new game card, and (Y) will refresh the file list on the DS's end (in case you changed it on your PC's end). On this first page you can press ® to get to the second page. On that page, the only difference is that (B) will ERASE THE SAVE FROM YOUR DS CARD! This is useful if you want to trade the game, but don't want the next owner to take advantage of your hard work. ® again will take you to the third page, where you can rip that actual NDS ROM file. (This takes quite a bit of time, so if that's what you want to do, go get your charger just in case.) I think the third page would allow you to overwrite a SAV too, so if you download or modify a SAV, you can put it on the card like it was your own.

That's the method, the use, and some tips to do this. Hopefully now there won't be people stumbling from FTP tutorial to tutorial, trying a little bit of everything, and figuring out the simple answer through trial and error. (Yeah, that's what happened to me.)

I hope this helps somebody!

Hey MarcusRaven !

You seems to have found by yourself what i was about to tell you.

Thanks for your tutorial.

Hmm, thanks. It was a lot of trial and error, and I learned a lot about FTPs. Didn't know a lick of it in the beginning. Any chance this could earn a sticky?

Might need to be moved into the Homebrew forum then too.

Just thought of an add-on tip. Periodically, your computer's IP changes. You'll usually see this if you go to connect to the FTP and it won't connect (even if it worked before). If this happens, just find your IPv4 again in Control Panel using the steps above, change the IP in the INI file, and you're good to go again.

I tried this tutorial, did all the steps correctly, and my screen just stays on "Connecting to Access Point."

Your IP may not be configured correctly. I've noticed that sometimes the computer's IP changes right after I check it. Just look your IP up again to see if that's the case.

I would just like to add my two cents about configuring the NDS. After filtering thru hundreds of pages from different sites about getting NDS  Backup Tool WiFi to work, if you are configuring your WiFi with  DSOrganize to be careful with the 'Firmware' or 'DSOrganize' switch at the top of the screen. If you do not use the 'Firmware' toggle, then your DS won't be set up for WiFi. I learned this from experience.

Can I load back my saved games from microSD to my original DS cartridge? Thanks

I have tried to Save Restore my saved game back to Original Rom but it keep saying Restore Fail... the Restore progress does not move 1% at all... any idea? Thanks!

Bought two new games for my sons today, and i would like to make a NDS file to put the games on their R4 card..

I have used this great tutorial, and it seems like everything work fine with V0.31f and smallftpd.

When i start loading the ROM into the PC, a NDS file is created on C:/temp. This file is about 399Kb.
The progressbar on the NDS stops at 1%
In the smallftpd window it seems like the transfer stops, because the information regardingth e upload disappears.

Here is a log from smallftp:
27/06/2011 17:48:15 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : SABERTOOTH_B49P00.nds
27/06/2011 19:17:32 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : SABERTOOTH_B49P00.nds
27/06/2011 19:26:48 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\SABERTOOTH_B49P00.nds
27/06/2011 19:44:13 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\KNERTEN_BXKP00.nds
27/06/2011 20:12:07 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\SABERTOOTH_B49P00.nds
27/06/2011 20:33:52 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\SABERTOOTH_B49P00.nds
27/06/2011 21:06:09 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\SABERTOOTH_B49P_00.sav
27/06/2011 21:06:39 Download started by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\SABERTOOTH_B49P_00.sav
27/06/2011 21:06:39 Download completed by nds : 192.168.1.140
27/06/2011 21:07:10 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\SABERTOOTH_B49P00.nds
27/06/2011 21:17:05 UL by nds [192.168.1.140] : c:\temp\KNERTEN_BXKP00.nds

Uploading av downloading of the SAV-file seemed to work fine.

Does anyone have a tip for me to get this to work?

Regards
Tullkuk

Is it possible to back up ANY game save with this, even the larger ones? I'm concerned about being able to backup Daigasso! Band Brothers DX (J)'s 8MB save and Jam With the Band (E)'s 32MB save.

Er... Can I get some help here?
I tried to do this, I followed the instructions to the letter, but it won't connect to the access point.
The DS' access point settings are already set up, and I even tested the connection to make sure it worked. The FTP server starts just fine, but when I try and run the NDS  Backup Tool, it just... won't connect to the access point. What's going on?
Edit: Also, this is what I'm using:
DS Phat
CycloDS Evolution
2GB Sandisk MicroSD
And yes, I can connect to Wi-Fi using other games on my flash cart.

Edited by Rubedo, 31 July 2011 - 09:37 PM.

Regarding error: "Can't connect with th eAccess Point of WiFi. Please confirm the Wifi setting. (A) : Confirm". I cant speak to the root cause of error for all situations but I spent half a day working this error. I tested xp & windows 7 computers hosting the the ftp server (e.g. smallftpd & non-smallftpd), disable av & firewall, different ftp settings & ports, both ds lite & dsi xl , different NDS FlashCart devices, SD cards, & kernels. What turned out to be for me was Wireless Security Mode: WPA on my d-link router; I disabled the wireless security (I did not test WEP) then all worked good with the nds  backup tool v.031f version. I hope this helps.

I'm using WEP on a Belkin router. So uh... what do I do?

I tried disabling all my wireless security, as well as making sure I had ports open... and it still doesn't work. Help?