Section 6 - Unlinking your NANDS
Using the recommended method of formatting SysNAND
We will now unlink your NANDs. But first, some information.
The benefits of unlinking your NANDs:
- You will not have to unwrap all your games whenever you enter emuNAND.
- This doesn't happen to everyone, but if it does, unlinking your NANDs will stop this from happening.
- In the past, some users have reported their sysNAND updating even though they were sure they updated emuNAND. These same people happened to have linked NANDs. We don't know if it is related but it is safer unlink your NANDs if you fear this may happen to you.
- You can go into sysNAND's Data Management (found in the System Settings app) safely.
- Doing this while your NANDs are linked will result in your emuNAND games, saves, themes, etc. being deleted.
- If you have Menuhax installed, you will not get a black screen when entering EmuNAND.
- You can bypass this by holding a button when launching EmuNAND (which will disable Menuhax from loading). But who wants to remember to hold a button every time?
The disadvantages of unlinking your NANDs:
- If you want to play GBA games in emuNAND, you will have to install the GBA game in both NANDs, taking up double the space.
- If your NANDs are linked, you only need to install GBA games in sysNAND once.
- Your sysNAND will be formatted.
- Don't worry, everything that was on your sysNAND is in emuNAND instead.
- If you don't like this, you can always use Decrypt9WIP or Gateway to restore your NAND.bin, thus recovering all your sysNAND stuff.
- If you have Menuhax installed, it will be removed and you will have to reinstall it!
Now finally, how to unlink your NANDs:
- Download TinyFormat
- Place the .cia in your SD card (CIAs folder if you want to be organized)
- You may use the .3dsx version and run it from the HBL in Sysnand instead; the skip to step 6.
- Boot into rxmode SysNAND
- Don't know how? Hold L when booting rxTools to get into the menu. From there you can select which rxmode you would like to access. Note: 2.5.2 users have to hold R instead.
- Once you're in the HOME menu, launch BigBlueMenu, Devmenu_2x, or FBI
- Install the TinyFormat.cia
- Press HOME and choose to launch TinyFormat
- Follow the instructions to complete the formatting of SysNAND, and thus unlinking your NANDs
- Turn off your 3DS after the process is finished
- Reboot your 3DS and complete the Initial 3DS Setup.
- NANDs are now unlinked!
How unlinked NANDs may look like on your SD card:
On your SD card, open the "Nintendo 3DS" folder.
The folder with the smallest size and random numbers/letters belongs to your sysNAND. This is your sysNAND's ID folder.
Go back to the
3DSCFWKIT_V3.00-STABLE folder and copy the
dbs folder to this directory:
SysnandIDFolder/RandomNumbersAndLettersFolder/
If there is a "dbs" folder already, you are in the wrong ID folder!
Should look similar to this
Don't worry, it is normal that the two files are 0KB!
Lastly, boot up your 3DS/2DS and go into Settings —> Data Management —> Software. It’ll ask to reset or repair your software management information or sd card, so allow it to do so.