Hacking (2DS): Switching From GW emu to RXtools CFW autoboot questions?

[2DSGamerdude]

hay all,

i was wondering, since GW hasn't released anything for O3ds/2ds users to be able to load into GW emunand without the use of Browser etc, i saw that now you can make the switch from gw emu to rxtools cfw, basically take all your gw emu with it's stuff like themes, cia's, etc and copy them over to the rxtools cfw?

so, by making the switch to rxtools i can keep my gw emunand stuff and use them all on rxtools cfw without using the browser to load into emunand?

also, what are the pros and cons of rxtools cfw? compared to gw?

and if i use rxtools
i will lose the ability to be able to enter the GW menu (for backing up sys hand, restoring sys hand, backing up games and saves?)

is it possible to be able to access the gwmenu for doing the above but still have rxtools?​

Nevermind the above as i will have 2, 2DS's One for GW menu etc, xorpad stud and one for rxtools auto boot emunand thing.

also using CTRbootmanager i can also boot into sysnand?

is it also possible to be on fw sys 9.2 and be able to run the DS blue GW card?
it's true that GW can run both 3ds and via games, but rxtools can't run 3ds games but cia's?
and if i install FBI and Bigbluemanager i can use that to install cia's without the need of the GW red card?

also to make my 3ds games into cia's for installing to sd i have to get their "xorpads"?
i know how to do it, just wondering if it is needed.

also for storage space, since using emunand as autoboot on 2ds, can i use my 64GB XC cards Class 10?
it has to be formatted to FAT32 to work, as exfat won't work for sd card?
since cia games will take some space and if i migrate all of them into one sd.

also for updating rxtools i have to use the system update to go up versions for emuanad? with the RX… etc thing.

thanx

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Pros:
Autoboot compatible
No need for the GW cart

Cons:
Not possible to run .3DS files, you have to go through the ordeal of waiting hours for CIA files to install.
Misses some features GW has, like cheats, built in firmware spoofing and region free.

That pretty much sums it up, I think. Sticking with Gateway isn't a bad idea since you already have the cart, it's a matter of personal preference. I prefer being able to use .3DS roms over having autoboot, so I'm still using my Gateway.



You don't need CtrBootManager to boot into sysNAND, for that you just need to hold the button (which you set in the menuhax configuration) to cancel menuhax boot. You only need CtrBootManager only if you want to autoboot rxTools while still being able to access homebrew launcher easily.

To use the blue card you'll need to install the bluecardfix.cia from the GW archive to your sysNAND.
Yes, you can use either FBI or BBM. No need for both. I prefer BigBlueMenu as it auto selects NAND/SD destination for you and the GUI is better IMO, but they will both accomplish the same thing.

You can find most games already in CIA format, for the few that don't exist in CIA format you can either generate xorpads for it, or place the .3DS roms on the 3DS SD card and use rxTools to decrypt them directly. The latter method is easier.

You can use a 64GB card as long as it's formatted to FAT32.

You can update rxTools through system settings, just make sure the version says RX-E right before you update. And sometimes new firmware versions will require an update to rxTools to work so make sure the latest firmware is compatible with rxTools before updating or you'll end up with a black screen in emuNAND, or some features broken.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

Pros:
Autoboot compatible
No need for the GW cart

Cons:
Not possible to run .3DS files, you have to go through the ordeal of waiting hours for CIA files to install.
Misses some features GW has, like cheats, built in firmware spoofing and region free.

That pretty much sums it up, I think. Sticking with Gateway isn't a bad idea since you already have the cart, it's a matter of personal preference. I prefer being able to use .3DS roms over having autoboot, so I'm still using my Gateway.

yeah thanx for the tips, Real Jdbye!
um, firmware spoofing and region free, so you mean like not being able to run custom hacked games or translated games? like Fire emblem IF eng patch?
the cia install thing is annoying even on gw, but if you install everything you want then it's good
i wish gw would release an update for odds/2ds that allows booting into emuanad offline instead of browser method.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

yeah thanx for the tips, Real Jdbye!
um, firmware spoofing and region free, so you mean like not being able to run custom hacked games or translated games? like Fire emblem IF eng patch?
the cia install thing is annoying even on gw, but if you install everything you want then it's good
i wish gw would release an update for odds/2ds that allows booting into emuanad offline instead of browser method.

I edited my post with answers to your other questions.

Firmware spoofing and region free has nothing to do with game mods/translation patches. It just means the CIA you're installing has to be pre-patched (most CIAs you find are but when converting an out-of-region game yourself you'll have to make sure that region free is enabled) to work.
Firmware spoofing is mostly useful for us n3DS users, who are stuck on 9.5. So many CIAs you find are already firmware spoofed to 9.5 to work on n3DS. It shouldn't matter to you, you can just update your emuNAND.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

I edited my post with answers to your other questions.

Firmware spoofing and region free has nothing to do with game mods/translation patches. It just means the CIA you're installing has to be pre-patched (most CIAs you find are but when converting an out-of-region game yourself you'll have to make sure that region free is enabled) to work.
Firmware spoofing is mostly useful for us n3DS users, who are stuck on 9.5. So many CIAs you find are already firmware spoofed to 9.5 to work on n3DS. It shouldn't matter to you, you can just update your emuNAND.

ah, kool thanx for the help,
also for booting not HBL, i can install the via of hbl to emunand and boot into hbl from emunand?
also if a game isn't of my region, let's say how can i tell if it is region free? via the CTR tool on windows?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

also is it possible to:

update my 2ds from 6.x/7.x to 9.2 via these games:

For EUR:

Cooking_Mama_Bon_Appetit
Gardening_Mama_Forest_Friends
Tamagochi life

if i have the backup sys hand of 6.x/7.x and the 9.2 sys hand backups up, i can switch back to 6.x from 9.2 sys?
or if i have rxtools auto boot i can't access the gwmenu?
also can i still access the gwmenu on rxtools for sys backuped etc via the launchergw.dat file?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

ah, kool thanx for the help,
also for booting not HBL, i can install the via of hbl to emunand and boot into hbl from emunand?
also if a game isn't of my region, let's say how can i tell if it is region free? via the CTR tool on windows?

Yeah, using hblauncher_loader CIA. But only if you're using CtrBootManager or you hex edit hblauncher_loader so it points to a different .3dsx file on the SD. Otherwise it will just try to load rxTools (since to autoboot you have to replace the boot.3dsx on the SD)
I don't think you can. You'll just have to install it and see. If it doesn't work, you can run FreeMultiPatcher to enable region free, but you will have to run it on each boot.

ah, kool thanx for the help,
also for booting not HBL, i can install the via of hbl to emunand and boot into hbl from emunand?
also if a game isn't of my region, let's say how can i tell if it is region free? via the CTR tool on windows?

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

also is it possible to:

update my 2ds from 6.x/7.x to 9.2 via these games:

For EUR:

Cooking_Mama_Bon_Appetit
Gardening_Mama_Forest_Friends
Tamagochi life

if i have the backup sys hand of 6.x/7.x and the 9.2 sys hand backups up, i can switch back to 6.x from 9.2 sys?
or if i have rxtools auto boot i can't access the gwmenu?
also can i still access the gwmenu on rxtools for sys backuped etc via the launchergw.dat file?

You can't update your sysNAND using Gateway. If you have a physical copy of the game, you can update with it. Note that only the Tomodachi Life reprint has 9.2, the older version comes with 7.1. Otherwise you'll need to follow this (or an equivalent guide): http://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-u...om-4-1-8-1-to-9-2-0-20-with-pasta-cfw.389187/
rxTools doesn't use launcher.dat, so it won't affect the GW launcher.

 

[Deleted-236924]

You can find most games already in CIA format, for the few that don't exist in CIA format you can either generate xorpads for it, or place the .3DS roms on the 3DS SD card and use rxTools to decrypt them directly. The latter method is easier.

Whoa no
It takes forever to copy roms over to the SD card, takes forever for rxTools to decrypt them, then you have to copy them off the SD card which takes another forever and a half.
All you need to generate xorpads is ncchinfo.bin which is a super small file that any CIA converter will generate for you, it copies over to SD card pretty much instantly, then takes less than 10 seconds for rxTools to generate xorpads, and those are super small so they copy off the SD card really quickly.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

Whoa no
It takes forever to copy roms over to the SD card, takes forever for rxTools to decrypt them, then you have to copy them off the SD card which takes another forever and a half.
All you need to generate xorpads is ncchinfo.bin which is a super small file that any CIA converter will generate for you, it copies over to SD card pretty much instantly, then takes less than 10 seconds for rxTools to generate xorpads, and those are super small so they copy off the SD card really quickly.

so, if i use the 3DS To CIA Converter v4.1 it'll work?
the xorpads i needed for FE IF in order to apply the eng patch, but for other games to convert to via xorpads aren't really needed? cool.
thanx for the info, Pingouin7!

 

[Deleted-236924]

It should, Option 2 will create ncchinfo.bin from the .3ds rom (you specify the file name), and you copy that to root of your SD card.
Then in rxTools you have decryption options, where you can generate xorpads from that ncchinfo.bin
The xorpads are generally only around a few megabytes each.

Then Option 3, then Option 1 - Start 3DS To CIA Converter (Req. Xorpads)

You could also just decrypt the roms like Jdbye mentioned, but that takes forever especially if you have lots of roms to convert to cia.

3DS Simple CIA Converter can create a ncchinfo.bin file from multiple roms at once though so it might be better to use that one. That way you generate xorpads for multiple games at once and you dont need to go back and forth creating xorpads and copying them off, creating another ncchinfo.bin, etc.

3DS to CIA Converter v4.1 can only do one game at once so it may take longer.
It might still be better to do the actual conversion using 3DS to CIA Converter because I've read on a thread on here that the way Riku's 3DS Simple CIA converter handles it is flawed in a way and it would be super easy for Nintendo to detect those in a future firmware update and wipe them from your 3DS. They still work just fine though and they play just fine. Just hopefully Nintendo never figures this out and actually makes something to detect it and wipe everything, should be ok though.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

It should, Option 2 will create ncchinfo.bin from the .3ds rom (you specify the file name), and you copy that to root of your SD card.
Then in rxTools you have decryption options, where you can generate xorpads from that ncchinfo.bin
The xorpads are generally only around a few megabytes each.

Then Option 3, then Option 1 - Start 3DS To CIA Converter (Req. Xorpads)

You could also just decrypt the roms like Jdbye mentioned, but that takes forever especially if you have lots of roms to convert to cia.

yeah, i remember creating the xorpads and the nicchinfo.bin file such for the fe if,
um i have to check to see how many games i need to convert to via, i don't think that they are alot, also can i convert shop 3ds games?
like 3dswares? um example Aeternoblade?

 

[Deleted-236924]

eShop games are already in .cia format
If you mean take games you downloaded from the eShop and make .cias out of them, you want FunkyCIA
https://gbatemp.net/threads/funkycia-guide-how-to-make-cias-from-your-eshop-stuff.377015/

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Whoa no
It takes forever to copy roms over to the SD card, takes forever for rxTools to decrypt them, then you have to copy them off the SD card which takes another forever and a half.
All you need to generate xorpads is ncchinfo.bin which is a super small file that any CIA converter will generate for you, it copies over to SD card pretty much instantly, then takes less than 10 seconds for rxTools to generate xorpads, and those are super small so they copy off the SD card really quickly.

It's easier. I never said it was faster.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

yeah, um i have a question on the ncchinfo.bin, i use any cia tool to generate this file, Riku's Simple 3DS to CIA Converter does this, and then i only copy the ncchinfo.bin to my sd card, not the 3ds game that i used to create the .bin file?

also for getting the xropads for FE: IF to patch the eng i needed to use Decrytpt9 tool, as Rxtools 2.6 wouldn't work for FE: IF, but for other games it works fine, unlike decyrpt9 which only works for FE: if, for others it gave a "Work version of ncchinfo.bin".

also, for using decyrpt9 it has an option to restore/backup sysnand, how reliable is that?
i tried yesterday the simple tool 4.1 3ds to via, it din't work for converting cia's, but i later found out about riku's simple tool, which works great
um in his tool there is a FW spoof box and when checked it has some numbers, what is this for? is it needed for Rxtools?
or if i update rxtools with the latest sys update via system settings, all the games will run and function fine like on GW emunand?

also when i copy my gw munand to my new sd card i just copy everything from one sd to another, i don't need to do anything else for switching it over to rxtools?

i checked for games with FW 9.2, on amazon.de gardening mama is cheaper than cooking mama bon appetite, they are both on FW 9.2, which is great for RXtools autobbot.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

Question:

my 2DS is at 7.1 E, I'm running Emunand GW 9.4, with cia's,dlc etc installed,
to switch over to rxtools emunand, i just copy over the emunand backup i made of my GW emunand 9.4 to my new sd card 64gb class 10 via the emunand tool 1.3?
and copy the saves and everything from my old sd to my new sd card?

since, my 2DS is unlinked the nands already,
and gw emunand installed, i just copy the stuff from one sd card to another? 16gb => 64gb?
also for updating to 9.2, i should use a game to do it and not ninjahax via sysupader ( update to sysnand dangerous)
um i read that the games have 9.2 update, which 9.2? 9.2-20 or 9.2.0?
9.2-0 has no browser or ninhax .
just want to be sure i order the right game that has the 9.2-20 update and not an no browser/ninjahax update.

 

[Deleted-236924]

Ok this is a bit all over the place but I'll try to answer everything.

The way I do it is, I have all 3DS roms in the roms folder in 3DS Simple CIA Converter, and I create ncchinfo.bin

ncchinfo.bin is what you place at the root of the SD card.

I've never used older versions of rxTools, so I wouldn't be able to tell you if older versions have problems. I use 3.0 9/28 nightly
I've never used Decrypt9 to generate xorpads using ncchinfo.bin so I wouldn't be able to help you there. What I know is that 3DS Simple CIA Converter creates ncchinfo.bin from all the roms in /roms/ folder, and rxTools reads that ncchinfo.bin file and generates xorpads for every game.
It will give an unable to read sdinfo error or something but you can ignore that.
Then you would plug your SD card back into your computer and copy all the xorpads from the root of the SD card to the /xorpads/ folder of 3DS Simple CIA Converter.

I have a lot of trust in the Decrypt9 devs and their knowledge when it comes to 3DS stuff so I'm pretty sure the backup/restore sysnand option would be pretty reliable. At least I'd trust them over GW team any day.
Not sure why 3DS to CIA Converter 4.1 didn't work for you, it's more difficult to use and less user-friendly though. But if 3DS Simple CIA Converter works fine for you, then you don't need to worry about that.
In Riku's 3DS Simple CIA Converter, you are on O3DS, so you can have the latest version of emunand. You don't need to worry about the fw spoof option. fw spoof is only required if you wanted to play games directly from sysnand that require a firmware higher than 9.2 to run, or on a N3DS for games that may require higher than 9.5 to run.
The numbers in the box are hex values for the minimum firmware version required to run that game. I don't know where you would find the values for each different firmware. 2102 is for 4.0 or something I believe and is probably the only one you'd really need if you need to fw spoof a .cia

For copying your previous emunand + data to the new SD card, format a new emunand on the new SD card, then you can copy everything from the previous SD card to the new one. emunand tool can extract emunand.bin fron the previous SD card and inject it into your new SD card, overwriting the one you created when you formatted emunand on the new SD card.

If you can already run rxtools I recommend simply getting a 9.2.0-20E update pack from the internet, and using rxTools' devmode/pasta mode to install sysupdater on sysnand and updating via that. ONLY run sysupdater when in rxtools devmode/pasta mode, NOT rxMode sysnand, and NOT Gateway sysnand mode, or it will brick!
If you can run PastaCFW without firmlaunch, that works as well.
Would be a little bit of a waste of money to buy a 9.2 update cartridge when you can already use sysupdater



As for your second post I believe I covered most of it already now. Games don't have browsers included in their update. None of them do.
But it doesn't delete the one you already have. It simply won't update your browser and (most likely) won't update your NVer, which is the last part of the firmware number (9.2.0-XX)

Like I said though, I recommend using sysupdater. Why spend money on a game when you can get it for free?
Just make sure to NOT run sysupdater in GW sysnand, and do NOT run it in rxMode sysnand. It will brick because of firmlaunch tricking sysupdater into thinking a newer version of NATIVE_FIRM is already installed and it won't update NATIVE_FIRM.

rxTools 2.5.2 has devmode, 2.6 does not. So use rxTools 2.5.2
Alternatively the 3.0 nightlies have devmode too, newer nightlies have started calling it pasta mode. But they are the same thing, however it may be a bit unstable so you may have trouble getting devmode to actually run. I'd recommend sticking to 2.5.2 for running devmode, it -should- work reliably.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

Ok this is a bit all over the place but I'll try to answer everything.

The way I do it is, I have all 3DS roms in the roms folder in 3DS Simple CIA Converter, and I create ncchinfo.bin

ncchinfo.bin is what you place at the root of the SD card.

For copying your previous emunand + data to the new SD card, format a new emunand on the new SD card, then you can copy everything from the previous SD card to the new one. emunand tool can extract emunand.bin fron the previous SD card and inject it into your new SD card, overwriting the one you created when you formatted emunand on the new SD card.

If you can already run rxtools I recommend simply getting a 9.2.0-20E update pack from the internet, and using rxTools' devmode/pasta mode to install sysupdater on sysnand and updating via that. ONLY run sysupdater when in rxtools devmode/pasta mode, NOT rxMode sysnand, and NOT Gateway sysnand mode, or it will brick!
If you can run PastaCFW without firmlaunch, that works as well.
Would be a little bit of a waste of money to buy a 9.2 update cartridge when you can already use sysupdater


Like I said though, I recommend using sysupdater. Why spend money on a game when you can get it for free?
Just make sure to NOT run sysupdater in GW sysnand, and do NOT run it in rxMode sysnand. It will brick because of firmlaunch tricking sysupdater into thinking a newer version of NATIVE_FIRM is already installed and it won't update NATIVE_FIRM.

rxTools 2.5.2 has devmode, 2.6 does not. So use rxTools 2.5.2
Alternatively the 3.0 nightlies have devmode too, newer nightlies have started calling it pasta mode. But they are the same thing, however it may be a bit unstable so you may have trouble getting devmode to actually run. I'd recommend sticking to 2.5.2 for running devmode, it -should- work reliably.

thanx for the helpful tips to my questions, Ammako
sorry i couldn't reply before i was out, but now I'm back.
hum, so in order to update my 2DS from 7.1 to 9.2-20 E i should use a .cia of it, okay i got the full version of 9.2-20 e from that mega pack on "that certain site".
for using sys updater, i should use version 0.4.1?

https://github.com/profi200/sysUpdater/releases

sysUpdater 0.4.1

profi200 released this on Jun 10 · 4 commits to master since this release

sysUpdater 0.4.1

• More meaningful errors.
• More error checking.
• Fixed a few little bugs.

IMPORTANT: Don't run this with any sort of firmware spoofing enabled like Gateway mode/rx mode/whatever or it will brick!
NOTE: The 3dsx version requires extra permissions Ninjhax alone can't provide. If possible use the CIA build.

yes i can run rxtools via ninajhax, not sure if that works, I'm using rxtools ver 2.6, it doesn't have devmode thing,
i'll use 2.52 for installing sysupadter,
um should i install sys updater via 2.52 first or

install fbi to sysnand then sysupdater?

also can i use rxtools 3.0/2.6 for emunand after install 9.2 on my system

also to be 100% correct so i don't mess up my 2ds:

NO: sysupdater in GW sysnand: booting in sysnand via gw menu by holding B
NO: rxMode sysnand: loading rxtools in sysnand via the rxtools menu "launch rxtools in sysnand"
YES: rxTools' devmode/pasta mode: um, i boot into demoed via "the dev mode option in rxtools menu?"

so how will i know that I'm in rxtools dev mode? how can i tell?

using rxTools' devmode/pasta mode to install sysupdater on sysnand and updating via that. ONLY run sysupdater when in rxtools devmode/pasta mode,

um for the new sd card do i need to unlink my nands again or not since i unlinked them already on my old sd?

thanx for the tips, again.

 

[Deleted-236924]

Yes, latest version of sysupdater always.

You only need a way to install the sysupdater .cia
If you have your GW you can install sysupdater.cia to sysnand by booting into GW sysnand mode and using DevMenu.3ds to install it. That should do the trick.
Then you can power off and go back to rxTools, boot into devmode, run sysupdater, update, profit!

And yes you can use rxtools 2.6 or 3.0 nightlies after you update to 9.2 just fine.

The only way you can tell if you are in devmode is if you selected the devmode option in rxTools menu. There's no way to really tell you are in rxTools devmode other than trusting that you pressed A on the devmode option in the menu.
It's difficult to mess up, booting sysnand in rxMode you have to go in different menu windows than accessing devmode. As long as you are 100% sure you select devmode in rxTools menu, you should be fine.

You don't need to unlink your nands again, because you'll just be cloning the contents of the smaller SD card to the newer SD card. Once you inject the emunand from the previous SD card to the new one it'll be the same thing. If you unlinked sysnand from that emunand then it will still be unlinked once you inject it into another SD card.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

Yes, latest version of sysupdater always.

You only need a way to install the sysupdater .cia
If you have your GW you can install sysupdater.cia to sysnand by booting into GW sysnand mode and using DevMenu.3ds to install it. That should do the trick.
Then you can power off and go back to rxTools, boot into devmode, run sysupdater, update, profit!

And yes you can use rxtools 2.6 or 3.0 nightlies after you update to 9.2 just fine.

The only way you can tell if you are in devmode is if you selected the devmode option in rxTools menu. There's no way to really tell you are in rxTools devmode other than trusting that you pressed A on the devmode option in the menu.
It's difficult to mess up, booting sysnand in rxMode you have to go in different menu windows than accessing devmode. As long as you are 100% sure you select devmode in rxTools menu, you should be fine.

You don't need to unlink your nands again, because you'll just be cloning the contents of the smaller SD card to the newer SD card. Once you inject the emunand from the previous SD card to the new one it'll be the same thing. If you unlinked sysnand from that emunand then it will still be unlinked once you inject it into another SD card.

cool, this should help me out allot,
thanx i get it now, how it works and all, it's crystal clear now
gw in sysnand mode is without having a gw emunand on the sd and holding b in the menu to boot?

 

[Deleted-236924]

I have heard that you could make GW boot in sysnand mode by not having an emunand on your SD card, but I think there's a way in more recent GW launchers to force it into sysnand mode. As I don't have a GW and never used it I don't know exactly how it will work.
Just make sure you only use it to install sysupdater.cia to sysnand using DevMenu.3ds, and that you turn it off to go back to rxTools and run sysupdater only once in rxTools devmode.

 

[2DSGamerdude]

I have heard that you could make GW boot in sysnand mode by not having an emunand on your SD card, but I think there's a way in more recent GW launchers to force it into sysnand mode. As I don't have a GW and never used it I don't know exactly how it will work.
Just make sure you only use it to install sysupdater.cia to sysnand using DevMenu.3ds, and that you turn it off to go back to rxTools and run sysupdater only once in rxTools devmode.

yeah, thanx
i tried what you said exactly and it worked!

it was really easy actually,

1) Installed Sysupdater.cia to sysnand via Devmeny.3ds in GW SYS mode
2) Installed the update 9.2.0-20E full pack files via sys updater in Rxtools Devmode (ii clicked on "dev mode" option in the 2.5.2 menu.

easy really and no harm to my 2DS!
also how can i remove the sys updater from my sysnand? also if i reformat my sysnand will the sys updater installed on it brick it?

and since my Gw emunand 9.4 has alot of installed cia's and Bigbluemenu installed if i make the switch to my new sd will all the ops installed still be on the home menu and such? or do i need to reinstall them again?

also if bbM isn't there i should install FBI to H?S app on emunand and then BBM.cia?
also if i auto boot into rxtools emunand is my sysnand kepted safe from bricks and updates and such?
if i use update the emunand via internet update system settings it'll only update emunand?