Hacking [N3DS] Attempted downgrade to 9.2.0-2OU, failed halfway through

[tivu100]

For anyone who is having a similar problem and happens upon this; DO NOT update via cartridge as suggested by @Tony_93 (and others?)

Cartridge updates are not full updates. They do not update eshop, the browser or AGB FIRM, among other things.

If you're in a similar situation as OP and find yourself half downgraded, there's a really good chance that some of the titles that failed to install during the downgrade process won't be installed with the cartridge update.

This will mean you're still on a "neither here nor there", Franken-firmware. This could lead to unintended consequences in the future, worst case scenario you could "randomly" brick your device at some point down the line.

The best way to deal with a Franken-firmware is to update or downgrade to your target firmware again. I'd personally recommend the former, though OP was successful doing the latter.

The right way to do this is to load up mini-pasta or rxTools' pasta mode, then update using sysupdater.

Is there a way to go from between 93 and 10.1 to update to 10.3? Seems like downgrading from firmware <10.2 has the most of issues.

 

[spoonm]

Is there a way to go from between 93 and 10.1 to update to 10.3? Seems like downgrading from firmware <10.2 has the most of issues.

memchunkhax2 should work on that firmware range, so if you can download the 10.3 update files, you can theoretically use sysUpdater to flash them.

 

[tivu100]

memchunkhax2 should work on that firmware range, so if you can download the 10.3 update files, you can theoretically use sysUpdater to flash them.

Sorry. Shoud have worded it better. Has anyone tested update to 10.2 or 10.2 between 9.3 and10.1 before downgrading?

 

[godstriker8]

Well for what it's worth, I got a softbrick downgrading from 9.4, but it worked fine after recovering to 10.3. I did it twice from 10.3 with no failures.

 

[tivu100]

Well for what it's worth, I got a softbrick downgrading from 9.4, but it worked fine after recovering to 10.3. I did it twice from 10.3 with no failures.

You meant before 10.4 out right?

By the way, another case with issue by downgrading between 9.3 and 10.1 while10.2 and 10.3 have much more successful news

 

[spoonm]

Sorry. Shoud have worded it better. Has anyone tested update to 10.2 or 10.2 between 9.3 and10.1 before downgrading?

Didn't pay attention to downgrade threads, but you might have some luck looking through the data gathering ones. OP had a more or less successful downgrade this time, but @godstriker says he got a brick by downgrading from 9.4.

The two 3DSes I downgraded(an O3DSXL and a N3DSXL) were both on 10.3 before I did the downgrade. My old O3DS is still on 9.9. I'll download the update files, attempt a downgrade and report on what happened.

 

[godstriker8]

You meant before 10.4 out right?

By the way, another case with issue by downgrading between 9.3 and 10.1 while10.2 and 10.3 have much more successful news

Yeah, I was really just posting it so people don't try to downgrade unless they're at 10.3

 

[reiyu]

worst case scenario you could "randomly" brick your device at some point down the line.

i like the word "randomly". it's been common lately. like randomly used tinyformat by accident, randomly formatted sysnand by accident, randomly etc.

 

[Tony_93]

For anyone who is having a similar problem and happens upon this; DO NOT update via cartridge as suggested by @Tony_93 (and others?)

Cartridge updates are not full updates. They do not update eshop, the browser or AGB FIRM, among other things.

If you're in a similar situation as OP and find yourself half downgraded, there's a really good chance that some of the titles that failed to install during the downgrade process won't be installed with the cartridge update.

This will mean you're still on a "neither here nor there", Franken-firmware. This could lead to unintended consequences in the future, worst case scenario you could "randomly" brick your device at some point down the line.

The best way to deal with a Franken-firmware is to update or downgrade to your target firmware again. I'd personally recommend the former, though OP was successful doing the latter.

The right way to do this is to load up mini-pasta or rxTools' pasta mode, then update using sysupdater.

I do not share this point of view at all.

Why? Cardtridge updates may not have AGB firm, eShop, browser, etc... But they are all meaningless to what we are trying to acomplish here to begin with (except the browser, but as you said before if it wasn't downgraded it will still have the one from before the update).

Nintendo has made it this way with the cardtridge updates themselves, anyone who updates with a cardtridge basically gets a Frankenfirmware, with a different version of web, eShop, agb, etc... than the ones using an online update... AND NO ONE HAS EVER BRICKED A SYSTEM WITH A CARDTRIDGE UPDATE.

So your "random brick down the line" is just coming from your imagination and nothing more. The cardtridge update has all the essential files from a firmware update, everything you need except a web browser is there and is %100 safe to use.

 

[BasedIndex]

I got black screen half downgrade during the first try, sysnand booted and it showed 9.2.
But I knew something was fishy so I just downgraded again. And it worked. I used julian20 sysupdater which did safe_firm first. Thanks to that guy I didn't get a soft brick. Haha
Also I'm pretty sure that "SAFE" sysupdater isn't safe at all as it does native firm first then safe firm which is........OLD. Why not make one like julian did but with MD5 checks?

 

[tivu100]

I got black screen half downgrade during the first try, sysnand booted and it showed 9.2.
But I knew something was fishy so I just downgraded again. And it worked. I used julian20 sysupdater which did safe_firm first. Thanks to that guy I didn't get a soft brick. Haha
Also I'm pretty sure that "SAFE" sysupdater isn't safe at all as it does native firm first then safe firm which is........OLD. Why not make one like julian did but with MD5 checks?

What firmware did you downgrade from?

 

[BasedIndex]

What firmware did you downgrade from?

I was on 9.6-24e.

 

[tivu100]

I was on 9.6-24e.

Thanks fro reporting!


Another case of <10.2 getting some kind of error downgrading.

 

[BasedIndex]

Thanks fro reporting!


Another case of <10.2 getting some kind of error downgrading.

No problem!
Thankfully it went well from second try. Now I'm with comfy 9.2 master race. (: