How to dump your own 3DS/DS games/saves.
How to dump your own 3DS/DS games/saves.
There's three different ways to dump your own 3DS/DS games/saves.
(The tools used to dump 3DS/DSi games are not currently public.)
One final note: piracy is bad, don't do it. These programs and instructions were created for the legal owners of DS games to backup the games and save data.
Many thanks to Xastabus and FAST6191 for filling in the missing information.
There's three different ways to dump your own 3DS/DS games/saves.
(The tools used to dump 3DS/DSi games are not currently public.)
- WiFi
- PROS
- Only needs a Slot-1 card.
- CONS
- Needs WiFi set up to let the DS connect, which isn't always possible.
- Needs you to run a server program on your computer, which might mean you need to dig around in your firewall settings.
- Slow transfer speeds (hours for the larger games).
- Will not work on a DSi/XL.
- Does not work with any DSi games.
- PROS
- Slot-2
- PROS
- Can be done without wireless.
- CONS
- Requires a Slot-2 flash card in addition to a slot-1.
- Won't work if the internal battery is dead.
- Will not work on a 3DS/DSi/XL.
- Does not work with any DSi games.
- PROS
- Hardware
- PROS
- Backs up any save.
- Fast backup speeds.
- Doesn't require a specific DS model.
- Works on all known DS games AND current-known 3DS games.
- CONS
- Doesn't dump the ROM.
- Requires you to buy some hardware.
- Uses unsigned drivers, so you may need to fiddle with some windows settings to use it.
- Does not work with DSi games.
- PROS
The tool used to dump games is Wood Dumper.
The tool used to dump game saves depends...
For 3DS saves, you will need DSaveManager.
For normal DS saves, the tool is NDS Backup Tool WiFi.
(For Heartgold/Soulsilver/Black/White, you need this tool.)
You will also need SmallFTPd 1.0.3.
- Transfer that file to your Slot-1 flash card.
- Run it.
- When it tells you to "Set a target card", take your Slot-1 flash cart out and put the actual game cart in.
- Press A, and then look for an IP address on the top screen.
- Go to your computer, and open Firefox3+, IE8+ or Chrome 5+.
- In the address bar, type "ftp://", then the IP address listed on the DS, followed by a colon, then the number 21. For example something like ftp://192.168.2.4:21.
- If in firefox you get a message that the port is blocked, you need to unblock port 21. If not, skip this step.
- In the address bar, type "about:config" with no quotes and press enter.
- Agree to the warning.
- Right-click in the window and choose New -] String.
- For the name, type "network.security.ports.banned.override" with no quotes.
- For the value, use "21" with no quotes.
- Restart firefox and try again.
- Just press enter if it asks you for a username and password.
- The screen that shows up should list the game as a file. Click it to start downloading it from the DS.
The tool used to dump game saves depends...
For 3DS saves, you will need DSaveManager.
For normal DS saves, the tool is NDS Backup Tool WiFi.
(For Heartgold/Soulsilver/Black/White, you need this tool.)
You will also need SmallFTPd 1.0.3.
- Transfer both the program and it's .INI file to your flash cart.
- Find your computer's internal/local IP address. In your start/globe menu, go to the "run" command. If you're on vista/7, you'd use the little white box near the bottom. Type in "CMD" and press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER. In the black box that comes up, type "ipconfig" and press enter. It'll list a series of four numbers as your IP(v4) address, like 192.168.2.3. Write those down.
- Edit the .INI file that comes with the backup program. You can edit it with a text editor like notepad. Change the IP address to the one you found in the previous step, and change the port number from 21 to 8080. Change both the user name and password to "test" with no quotes. Save the changes.
- You may need to go into your firewall or other security program and allow access on port 8080.
- Open SmallFTPd.
- Go to Settings - General, and set the port to 8080.
- Go to Settings - Advanced, and check "use local IP".
- Go to Settings - Users. Choose to add one, and make sure it's username and password are both "test" with no quotes. For "directories", use "c:\temp" (no quotes) as the physical path. Give the user permissions LRW.
- Save the settings.
- Click the play button, and the server should start.
- Run the backup tool on your DS/Lite.
- It should connect to your computer. If it does not, double-check your settings and security software.
- Take your flash cart out of your DS.
- Put the real game in your DS and then press A.
- Press B to dump the save.
The tool used depends on which Slot-2 cart you have.
If you have an EZFlash 3in1 the tool to dump games (a.k.a. Rom Backup) and backup saves is NDS Backup Tool 3in1. By default this tool will back up to /NDS_Backup though this location can be changed in the included INI file. It works by copying the original DS game or save data to the 3in1, then after a reboot it copies the backup from the 3in1 to a Slot-1 flash cart. DLDI patching may be required if your flash cart does not support automatic DLDI patching.
If you have a Slot-2 flash cart with DLDI support like the Supercard Supercard, M3, or older model EZ4 (the newer models and kernels with SDHC support do not have DS mode and thus no dumping tools) you want Wood Dumper Slot-2
For the save data of Heartgold/Soulsilver you need this tool for a 3-in-1.
There's another tool that works with other Slot-2 carts, but it's experimental for now, use it at your own risk.
If you have an EZFlash 3in1 the tool to dump games (a.k.a. Rom Backup) and backup saves is NDS Backup Tool 3in1. By default this tool will back up to /NDS_Backup though this location can be changed in the included INI file. It works by copying the original DS game or save data to the 3in1, then after a reboot it copies the backup from the 3in1 to a Slot-1 flash cart. DLDI patching may be required if your flash cart does not support automatic DLDI patching.
- Download the tool from the link above and extract the NDS and INI files to the root of your flash cart.
- (Optional) If you want to change the destination folder of the backup you can edit the INI file with your favorite text editor.
- Make sure an EZFlash 3in1 card is in Slot-2 before you run the tool or it will give a warning and shutdown.
- Follow the on screen instructions to swap the flash cart for an original game.
- From here follow the on screen instructions. Backups are temporarily written to the EZFlash 3in1.
- The DS should shutdown after a backup operation has completed.
- Swap the original game for the flash cart and run the tool again to retrieve the backup from the EZFlash 3in1.
If you have a Slot-2 flash cart with DLDI support like the Supercard Supercard, M3, or older model EZ4 (the newer models and kernels with SDHC support do not have DS mode and thus no dumping tools) you want Wood Dumper Slot-2
- Download the tool and DLDI patch it for your Slot-2 cart.
- Transfer it to your Slot-2 cart and run it.
- Put the game you want to dump into your DS, and press A.
- When it's completed you will find a DS rom with a datestamp in the root of your card.
For the save data of Heartgold/Soulsilver you need this tool for a 3-in-1.
There's another tool that works with other Slot-2 carts, but it's experimental for now, use it at your own risk.
One piece of hardware is the NDS backup Adapter+ (plus, not normal). Unlike the original adapter (and other models) this supports newer games with various hardware changes, including Pokemon Heartgold and Pokemon Soulsilver, as well as 3DS games.
This device works by actually sticking a DS game cart into it, and then putting it into a USB port on your computer to back up or restore the game/save on it. It comes with the required software and a manual for using it, but this review includes more detailed instructions as well as information on getting the 64-bit drivers working if needed.
A second device is the NEO SMS4.
This device works by actually sticking a DS game cart into it, and then putting it into a USB port on your computer to back up or restore the game/save on it. It comes with the required software and a manual for using it, but this review includes more detailed instructions as well as information on getting the 64-bit drivers working if needed.
A second device is the NEO SMS4.
One final note: piracy is bad, don't do it. These programs and instructions were created for the legal owners of DS games to backup the games and save data.
Many thanks to Xastabus and FAST6191 for filling in the missing information.
