Hacking Playing GBA Virtual Console .cia Files - Do I need to update?

[jitterbob]

I have Gateway 3DS (I own a blue and a red card). Sysnand is 4.5 / Emunand is 10.6

I tried to install GBA .cia files and to my disappointment it did not work. From my research I gathered that I need to use Menuhax and do some tweeking in order to play them correctly.

Is it true that I cannot use menuhax since my sysnand is 4.5, and I woudl need to update to 9.2?

Is there another way to get GBA Virtual Console games working without risking brick to update sysnand to 9.2?

Thanks!

 

[Deleted User]

I have Gateway 3DS (I own a blue and a red card). Sysnand is 4.5 / Emunand is 10.6

I tried to install GBA .cia files and to my disappointment it did not work. From my research I gathered that I need to use Menuhax and do some tweeking in order to play them correctly.

Is it true that I cannot use menuhax since my sysnand is 4.5, and I woudl need to update to 9.2?

Is there another way to get GBA Virtual Console games working without risking brick to update sysnand to 9.2?

Thanks!

install them on emunand but make sure u have a patched agb_frim on ur 3DS

 

[Ronhero]

You can run pasta through the ds exploit

 

[Deleted User]

or rx tools

You can run pasta through the ds exploit

 

[jitterbob]

install them on emunand but make sure u have a patched agb_frim on ur 3DS

Okay well I'm glad that I didn't go through with the risky sysupdater method but all other efforts to get these GBA CIA files playing have been in vain. Do you guys have experience with getting them working using the above methods?

 

[Ronhero]

Okay well I'm glad that I didn't go through with the risky sysupdater method but all other efforts to get these GBA CIA files playing have been in vain. Do you guys have experience with getting them working using the above methods?

You can't use gateway first off

Rx tools has pasta build in so our ideas are one in the same

With unlinked nands it's best to install them once on sysnand and boot between the two.

It's recommend you updated to 9.2 because you can automatically boot to a boot selection screen to boot into gateway or pasta as soon as you turn it on

 

[jitterbob]

I know updating always has the potential to brick so I'm cool with booting things the long way as long as it still works. I'm confused about Pasta though. Isn't Pasta CFW another emunand? Wouldn't I have to overwrite my current GWF if I do things with Pasta?

 

[Ronhero]

Use a cart to update and there is almost no chance of brick. You will need to install the browser prior to doing this.

Pasta uses system nand with patches

 

[jitterbob]

Thanks for the info but I don't have a cart I can use for updating. As long as it works on 4.5, I really don't care if booting is less convenient. It's not worth buying a cart and going through the updater if I don't absolutely need to. I thought I had to update in order to get these gba cia files working.

 

[supamoist]

Hmm... is there any reason to be on sysnand 4.5?

I'm curious since I've noticed a lot of people stay on lower sysNANDs or even downgrade lower than 9.2... wondered if it was for stability/performance or perhaps extra exploitability.

 

[jitterbob]

From what I understand there is not a reason to stay put. The DS profile exploit is patched on 9.2 but you can use menuhax there so it doesn't matter. (I think)

The only reason I stay on 4.5 is because there is always a chance (can be minimized but not eliminated) of bricking when using sysupdater to go to 9.2. Also because I don't own an exploit cart which is the safest way to update. If sysupdater crashes during update there's a real chance of brick.

 

[supamoist]

This might be of help;
https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki/9.2.0-Update

 

[Halvorsen]

I know updating always has the potential to brick so I'm cool with booting things the long way as long as it still works. I'm confused about Pasta though. Isn't Pasta CFW another emunand? Wouldn't I have to overwrite my current GWF if I do things with Pasta?

Pasta CFW is a custom firmware. Not an emunand. You can't "download" an emunand.
Either way, Pasta runs in sysNAND. If you have a way of installing .cias on your sysnand, install the 9.2 Internet Browser, then install the update that comes with Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, which has almost no risk of brick. After that, use Browserhax to install Menuhax and coldboot to your emunand.

 

[jitterbob]

This is rather confusing. What's the difference between a custom firmware and an emunand? I thought both were emulations of the 3DS built in sysnand?

It seems like everyone is recommending the 9.2 update but I'm not seeing why this is important to my goal of just being able to play GBA Virtual Console .cia files. Couldn't I just use Pasta with my 3DS on its current 4.5 sysnand to install and play said files?

 

[Halvorsen]

This is rather confusing. What's the difference between a custom firmware and an emunand? I thought both were emulations of the 3DS built in sysnand?

It seems like everyone is recommending the 9.2 update but I'm not seeing why this is important to my goal of just being able to play GBA Virtual Console .cia files. Couldn't I just use Pasta with my 3DS on its current 4.5 sysnand to install and play said files?

A custom firmware runs on top of your NAND image. Your emunand is actually just a completely vanilla, unmodified copy of sysNAND, and is still unchanged when running it. As in, each time your system is turned on, you have to load a custom firmware (which temporarily changes some aspects of the NAND behind the scenes. Changing your custom firmware doesn't change much about when you actually use your console) to get the benefits of homebrew, piracy and hacks. Nothing actually is "customized" or "modified" in your emunand. It's just that custom firmware runs on TOP of the nand, where you can basically do whatever you want.
In short, you can change custom firmwares without deleting your games, your themes, ect.
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Because, to be blunt, MSET is obsolete trash at this point.
It's just tedious, and with Menuhax being second as a custom firmware to a9lh, there's little reason to stay on 4.5. With the latest menuhax and custom firmware loaders, there is around a 15% boot fail rate, but it is smoother than staying on 4.5., as most homebrew and hacking developments shifted sharply as 9.2 being the standard. Furthermore, you can THEN also install Arm9LoaderHax, which means 100% boot rate, custom firmware on a completely updated sysnand, and no troubles with GBA game installation!

 

[jitterbob]

This might be of help;
https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki/9.2.0-Update

Dude thanks you for that link! I took the chance, followed it carefully and it worked flawlessly. I'm now on 9.2.0-20U. Will post back once I figure out how to get these GBa Virtual console files working.

A custom firmware runs on top of your NAND image. Your emunand is actually just a completely vanilla, unmodified copy of sysNAND, and is still unchanged when running it.....

Thanks for the clarification. Still a bit confusing to me but I think I get the basic difference better now.

Am I correct in thinking that GBA VC .cia files will only work on a CFW, hense it doesn't work on gateway's GWF because it's not a custom firmware, only a copy of sysnand?

 

[supamoist]

A custom firmware runs on top of your NAND image. Your emunand is actually just a completely vanilla, unmodified copy of sysNAND, and is still unchanged when running it. As in, each time your system is turned on, you have to load a custom firmware (which temporarily changes some aspects of the NAND behind the scenes. Changing your custom firmware doesn't change much about when you actually use your console) to get the benefits of homebrew, piracy and hacks. Nothing actually is "customized" or "modified" in your emunand. It's just that custom firmware runs on TOP of the nand, where you can basically do whatever you want.

Out of curiosity - do you know whether sysNAND stays in the memory when emuNAND is booted?

I do wonder about the occasional menuhax boot crash or CakesFW loader crash and whether it's down to timing and what is already in the memory. Though I guess it's hard to know unless you can see what's going on. Been tempted to do arm9 hax but it seems like tiptoeing down brick lane. Kinda nice for native CFW though - but once booted CakesFW seems flawless and at the end of the day that 1-2 boot crashes in every 10 ain't really a problem.

 

[Halvorsen]

Out of curiosity - do you know whether sysNAND stays in the memory when emuNAND is booted?

I do wonder about the occasional menuhax boot crash or CakesFW loader crash and whether it's down to timing and what is already in the memory. Though I guess it's hard to know unless you can see what's going on. Been tempted to do arm9 hax but it seems like tiptoeing down brick lane. Kinda nice for native CFW though - but once booted CakesFW seems flawless and at the end of the day that 1-2 boot crashes in every 10 ain't really a problem.

No, not really. The structures of nands is pretty convoluted, and a nand isn't really cached in memory. There is some stuff like the sysnand system clock that are kept in memory when the system is off, so in theory, removing the battery before booting the system would mean the bootrom is the only thing in memory while turning the system on, probably increasing boot rate if memory issues were the case.
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That's actually pretty interesting, but since autobooting from menuhax is the exact same processes each and every time, there shouldn't be too much variation to what's in the memory. There isn't any user input from the time the user presses the power button to when emunand loads. And since a fully powered off console would basically be a clean slate, I think it's only contradictions in Menuhax's coding itself, not the system.