Hacking How to install a CFW to fit my needs on 7.2.0-17U?

[kathy]

I'm purchasing an original 3DS XL that's on system firmware 7.2.0-17U.
What I want is a CFW that allows me to download games from Freeshop onto my SD card and bypass region locks. Playing homebrew games and emulators would be nice but they're not important.
What's the actual difference between Luma3DS, A9LH, etc? Do I need all of them together or are they different things?

 

[N7Kopper]

To break it down simply, arm9loaderhax tricks the bootrom (the chip the 3DS reads code from at startup which cannot be altered in any usable way without physically replacing the entire chip) into loading a small chunk of homebrew code that tells the system to load a file on the SD Card or internal memory (in that order) called "arm9loaderhax.bin"

Luma3DS is simply the most popular custom firmware for the 3DS. There are other options, such as Cakes, Salt, and Corbenik (which is not recommended unless you know exactly why you need it), but Luma is popular because it has all the features that most people need - FIRM protection (this one's a must-have) and ignoring digital signatures (this allows you to install homebrew applications and, well, pirate games) as well as more advanced options such as booting into developer mode.

In short, arm9loaderhax is installed onto your system's internal memory (referred to as NAND) and that causes the bootrom to load arm9loaderhax.bin (which in most cases is Luma3DS) and that does all the cool magical stuff.

 

[Distrance]

I'm purchasing an original 3DS XL that's on system firmware 7.2.0-17U.
What I want is a CFW that allows me to download games from Freeshop onto my SD card and bypass region locks. Playing homebrew games and emulators would be nice but they're not important.
What's the actual difference between Luma3DS, A9LH, etc? Do I need all of them together or are they different things?

N7Kopper did well explaining what A9LH/luma is, but failed to mention the guide that should be used. Do yoursefl a favour and use www.3ds.guide to hack your 3DS. Do NOT use Video guides or any other random guides found on the internet less you want your 3DS to get bricked.

 

[kathy]

Is there a convenient sccreenshots tool to use for Luma3DS? Taking screenshots in-game is one of my favorite things to do.

 

[The Catboy]

Is there a convenient sccreenshots tool to use for Luma3DS? Taking screenshots in-game is one of my favorite things to do.

NTR is basically the best tool to take screenshots in games.
https://gbatemp.net/threads/release-bootntr-selector.432911/
I would also like to mention that there is more than just Luma3DS.
http://gbatemp.net/threads/faq-what-cfw-is-best-for-me.428509/