Guide: How to setup EmuNAND without a flashcard!
So, I was having serious issues finding a really, really good and detailed guide on how to hack and install EmuNAND on your 3DS without using an actual Gateway Card (they are out there, but I spent a day of trial and error figuring out a process that could be done in an hour or less), but after a good bit of research and understanding, I've finally managed to figure it out.
EmuNAND allows you to run the latest version of the 3DS firmware alongside an older version so that you can have hacking capabilities but also be able to access the eShop and play online.
This guide does not include and does not condone the use of pirated content. If you want to play pirated games, you can go elsewhere. Bear in mind if you choose to do so, you can be banned from Nintendo's servers.
I'm also pretty sure this voids your 3DS' warranty (but I'm also pretty sure your 3DS is more than a year old by now anyways).
Okay, what you'll need:
- The Gateway firmware
Download it here: http://scmods.com/gateway/GATEWAY ULTRA 3.1.1 PUBLIC BETA.zip
- rxTools
Download it here: http://www.rxtools.net/php/download.php?dl=rxTools v2.3
(Bear in mind you'll also either need WinRAR, 7-Zip, or some other extraction tool to open the RAR file if you don't already)
- slot0x25KeyX.bin
(You can find it on Google. I can't provide it here.)
- A 3DS with system version 9.2 or below
- An SD card that's at least 2gb in space (although I recommend more)
STEP ONE: Back up your SD card!
You're going to have to do this step later if you don't do it now, so I recommend doing it now. The next step is going to require around a gig of space left on your card. Back up all the files on your SD card to a folder on your desktop or wherever you'd like, and you can go ahead and delete the files off of the card.
STEP TWO: Make a NAND Backup!
Inside of the zip file you downloaded containing the Gateway Firmware, there should be a file called "launcher.dat" (without the quotes, obviously). This should be inside the "GW_Ultra_3.1.1(Public Beta)" folder. Copy this to the root of your SD card. None of the other files are needed.
Put the SD card into your 3DS. Boot up the 3DS and open the web browser. TURN OFF THE WIFI SWITCH. This isn't totally necessary, but it does help. Go into the browser settings (click on the wrench icon), and clear your history and cookies. Afterwards, close the browser, then reopen it. You're doing this so that you don't have to do this every time you open the browser (because when we run Gateway, the browser will crash). Now then, turn on the wifi switch and navigate to http://go.gateway-3ds.com/ (you'll probably want to bookmark this later). After a few seconds, Gateway 3DS should be running on your 3DS. If it didn't work, ensure that you have the right system version (at or below 9.2) and then retry step 2. It's not foolproof.
Once you have Gateway running, you're going to want to go over to where it says "Backup System NAND," press A, and then press start. This will take between five and ten minutes, so give it time. Make sure your 3DS is plugged in!
Once the NAND backup is done, move on to step three.
STEP THREE: BACKUP YOUR FILES
The next step is going to format your SD card! If you have not done so, back up your files now!! THIS INCLUDES THE NAND.BIN FILE YOU JUST CREATED.
Your 3DS is not going to be wiped, by the way - only your SD card. You might have to redownload any eShop titles afterwards, but I'm not sure. You might also just be able to restore them by merging your old Nintendo 3DS folder with your new one that will be created.
I had to redownload mine, but then again I also downgraded my system (which, by the way, is totally unnecessary for this, and I'm not going to include it in this guide).
STEP FOUR: Install Emunand!
Now that all your files are backed up, launch Gateway again (http://go.gateway-3ds.com/), and go to the option that says "Format EmuNAND." Of course, press A, and then start to start the process. This will also take around ten minutes. Just be patient, and make sure your 3DS is plugged in! None of this should have any chance of bricking your 3DS, but when it comes to homebrew, it's still better to be cautious! There is no brick protection on the 3DS like there was on the Wii, so you don't want to screw anything up!
Once the process is done, restart your 3DS (you'll probably have to hold down the power button a little longer than usual. This is fine). Take the SD card out, and put it in your computer. Copy all of the files inside the "release" folder inside of the rxTools archive to the root of your SD card (at this point you may also copy over your old backup files too, but DO NOT erase or overwrite anything on the SD card). Also copy over the slot0x25KeyX.bin file (once again, I am not allowed to provide the link here, but it's extremely easy to find).
Now then, run the cdn_firm.exe file on your SD card. This downloads a pretty small file (around a megabyte in size) called firmware.bin to the root of your SD card (for some reason they aren't allowed to include it with rxTools either).
If you're using OS X or Linux, you can run the cdn_firm executable using a program called Wine. It's just a Windows emulator (not a virtual machine).
STEP FIVE: Boot and update EmuNAND!
The reason we're using rxTools instead of Gateway to run EmuNAND is simply because it works with the latest version of the 3DS' firmware (9.6). Anyway, once you have everything on your SD card, pop it back into your 3DS and turn on your 3DS. Now open the browser and go to http://launch.rxtools.net (you'll want to bookmark this too. You'll need it to boot into EmuNAND). Once rxTools has launched, Press A at "Launch rxMode." EmuNAND should load up. It might be a black screen for a few seconds, but don't worry about that. If it doesn't load up after around 20 seconds or so, though, go ahead and power off your 3DS and try again. If it still doesn't work, you might have to reinstall EmuNAND (granted, it should work).
Once you're booted into EmuNAND, open System Settings. On the top screen in the bottom right-hand corner, look at the text. It SHOULD say "RX-E [Whatever version + region]." IF IT DOES NOT, BUT INSTEAD SAYS VER. [Number], DO NOT PROCEED. YOU ARE NOT IN EMUNAND.
Once you are POSITIVE that you are booted into EmuNAND, go into Other Settings and perform a System Update. Once again, make sure you have your 3DS plugged in.
DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SD CARD! DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SD CARD! DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SD CARD!
DO. NOT. REMOVE. YOUR. SD. CARD.
DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
EMUNAND COULD CRASH.
STEP SIX: Reboot and Check EmuNAND.
Once the system update is done, the 3DS should reboot. If you're in SysNAND (you aren't prompted "EHRMAGERD LUK AT ALL DESE NEW FEACHURES GUISE"), go ahead and open the web browser and boot back into EmuNAND (http://launch.rxtools.net/ - seriously, bookmark it). EmuNAND should load up soon, and you should be prompted to agree with Nintendo's ToS. Once you agree (and are told about the two and a half "wonderful, amazing new features," check System Settings to make sure you're running the latest version of the 3DS firmware (as of 4/8/2015, it's 9.6.0-24U [the U is just for my region; yours might be different]). Once done, go ahead and exit System Settings. I recommend changing the theme/color of your EmuNAND home menu so that you'll always know when you're in it (mine's a snazzy black).
You're officially done and have EmuNAND installed! Congrats! I hope that this was useful!
NOTES ABOUT EMUNAND:
- Never remove your SD card while in EmuNAND, especially if you're in-game. It can crash, and it's super wonky.
- Using this method, I don't know how to (if you can) autoboot into EmuNAND. With this, you'll just have to visit the rxtools link the in the browser.
- EmuNAND still shares a lot of data with your SysNAND, but the version differences do make a difference, especially when trying to run some games.
- If you ever decide to restore your SysNAND from your NAND.bin backup (KEEP THAT BACKUP, PLEASE), it won't erase or overwrite EmuNAND, so don't worry c:
- DO NOT UPDATE YOUR SYSNAND. I really don't recommend it!
- Always make sure that rxTools is compatible with the latest version of the 3DS firmware before updating; otherwise you'll just get a black screen when trying to use EmuNAND.
- Have fun! If you have Animal Crossing: New Leaf, there's a set of tools for dumping and editing the RAM file. Google it!
Thanks!
~Jesse (jebug29)
EmuNAND allows you to run the latest version of the 3DS firmware alongside an older version so that you can have hacking capabilities but also be able to access the eShop and play online.
This guide does not include and does not condone the use of pirated content. If you want to play pirated games, you can go elsewhere. Bear in mind if you choose to do so, you can be banned from Nintendo's servers.
I'm also pretty sure this voids your 3DS' warranty (but I'm also pretty sure your 3DS is more than a year old by now anyways).
Okay, what you'll need:
- The Gateway firmware
Download it here: http://scmods.com/gateway/GATEWAY ULTRA 3.1.1 PUBLIC BETA.zip
- rxTools
Download it here: http://www.rxtools.net/php/download.php?dl=rxTools v2.3
(Bear in mind you'll also either need WinRAR, 7-Zip, or some other extraction tool to open the RAR file if you don't already)
- slot0x25KeyX.bin
(You can find it on Google. I can't provide it here.)
- A 3DS with system version 9.2 or below
- An SD card that's at least 2gb in space (although I recommend more)
STEP ONE: Back up your SD card!
You're going to have to do this step later if you don't do it now, so I recommend doing it now. The next step is going to require around a gig of space left on your card. Back up all the files on your SD card to a folder on your desktop or wherever you'd like, and you can go ahead and delete the files off of the card.
STEP TWO: Make a NAND Backup!
Inside of the zip file you downloaded containing the Gateway Firmware, there should be a file called "launcher.dat" (without the quotes, obviously). This should be inside the "GW_Ultra_3.1.1(Public Beta)" folder. Copy this to the root of your SD card. None of the other files are needed.
Put the SD card into your 3DS. Boot up the 3DS and open the web browser. TURN OFF THE WIFI SWITCH. This isn't totally necessary, but it does help. Go into the browser settings (click on the wrench icon), and clear your history and cookies. Afterwards, close the browser, then reopen it. You're doing this so that you don't have to do this every time you open the browser (because when we run Gateway, the browser will crash). Now then, turn on the wifi switch and navigate to http://go.gateway-3ds.com/ (you'll probably want to bookmark this later). After a few seconds, Gateway 3DS should be running on your 3DS. If it didn't work, ensure that you have the right system version (at or below 9.2) and then retry step 2. It's not foolproof.
Once you have Gateway running, you're going to want to go over to where it says "Backup System NAND," press A, and then press start. This will take between five and ten minutes, so give it time. Make sure your 3DS is plugged in!
Once the NAND backup is done, move on to step three.
STEP THREE: BACKUP YOUR FILES
The next step is going to format your SD card! If you have not done so, back up your files now!! THIS INCLUDES THE NAND.BIN FILE YOU JUST CREATED.
Your 3DS is not going to be wiped, by the way - only your SD card. You might have to redownload any eShop titles afterwards, but I'm not sure. You might also just be able to restore them by merging your old Nintendo 3DS folder with your new one that will be created.
I had to redownload mine, but then again I also downgraded my system (which, by the way, is totally unnecessary for this, and I'm not going to include it in this guide).
STEP FOUR: Install Emunand!
Now that all your files are backed up, launch Gateway again (http://go.gateway-3ds.com/), and go to the option that says "Format EmuNAND." Of course, press A, and then start to start the process. This will also take around ten minutes. Just be patient, and make sure your 3DS is plugged in! None of this should have any chance of bricking your 3DS, but when it comes to homebrew, it's still better to be cautious! There is no brick protection on the 3DS like there was on the Wii, so you don't want to screw anything up!
Once the process is done, restart your 3DS (you'll probably have to hold down the power button a little longer than usual. This is fine). Take the SD card out, and put it in your computer. Copy all of the files inside the "release" folder inside of the rxTools archive to the root of your SD card (at this point you may also copy over your old backup files too, but DO NOT erase or overwrite anything on the SD card). Also copy over the slot0x25KeyX.bin file (once again, I am not allowed to provide the link here, but it's extremely easy to find).
Now then, run the cdn_firm.exe file on your SD card. This downloads a pretty small file (around a megabyte in size) called firmware.bin to the root of your SD card (for some reason they aren't allowed to include it with rxTools either).
If you're using OS X or Linux, you can run the cdn_firm executable using a program called Wine. It's just a Windows emulator (not a virtual machine).
STEP FIVE: Boot and update EmuNAND!
The reason we're using rxTools instead of Gateway to run EmuNAND is simply because it works with the latest version of the 3DS' firmware (9.6). Anyway, once you have everything on your SD card, pop it back into your 3DS and turn on your 3DS. Now open the browser and go to http://launch.rxtools.net (you'll want to bookmark this too. You'll need it to boot into EmuNAND). Once rxTools has launched, Press A at "Launch rxMode." EmuNAND should load up. It might be a black screen for a few seconds, but don't worry about that. If it doesn't load up after around 20 seconds or so, though, go ahead and power off your 3DS and try again. If it still doesn't work, you might have to reinstall EmuNAND (granted, it should work).
Once you're booted into EmuNAND, open System Settings. On the top screen in the bottom right-hand corner, look at the text. It SHOULD say "RX-E [Whatever version + region]." IF IT DOES NOT, BUT INSTEAD SAYS VER. [Number], DO NOT PROCEED. YOU ARE NOT IN EMUNAND.
Once you are POSITIVE that you are booted into EmuNAND, go into Other Settings and perform a System Update. Once again, make sure you have your 3DS plugged in.
DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SD CARD! DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SD CARD! DO NOT REMOVE YOUR SD CARD!
DO. NOT. REMOVE. YOUR. SD. CARD.
DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.
EMUNAND COULD CRASH.
STEP SIX: Reboot and Check EmuNAND.
Once the system update is done, the 3DS should reboot. If you're in SysNAND (you aren't prompted "EHRMAGERD LUK AT ALL DESE NEW FEACHURES GUISE"), go ahead and open the web browser and boot back into EmuNAND (http://launch.rxtools.net/ - seriously, bookmark it). EmuNAND should load up soon, and you should be prompted to agree with Nintendo's ToS. Once you agree (and are told about the two and a half "wonderful, amazing new features," check System Settings to make sure you're running the latest version of the 3DS firmware (as of 4/8/2015, it's 9.6.0-24U [the U is just for my region; yours might be different]). Once done, go ahead and exit System Settings. I recommend changing the theme/color of your EmuNAND home menu so that you'll always know when you're in it (mine's a snazzy black).
You're officially done and have EmuNAND installed! Congrats! I hope that this was useful!
NOTES ABOUT EMUNAND:
- Never remove your SD card while in EmuNAND, especially if you're in-game. It can crash, and it's super wonky.
- Using this method, I don't know how to (if you can) autoboot into EmuNAND. With this, you'll just have to visit the rxtools link the in the browser.
- EmuNAND still shares a lot of data with your SysNAND, but the version differences do make a difference, especially when trying to run some games.
- If you ever decide to restore your SysNAND from your NAND.bin backup (KEEP THAT BACKUP, PLEASE), it won't erase or overwrite EmuNAND, so don't worry c:
- DO NOT UPDATE YOUR SYSNAND. I really don't recommend it!
- Always make sure that rxTools is compatible with the latest version of the 3DS firmware before updating; otherwise you'll just get a black screen when trying to use EmuNAND.
- Have fun! If you have Animal Crossing: New Leaf, there's a set of tools for dumping and editing the RAM file. Google it!
Thanks!
~Jesse (jebug29)
