Hacking Cleaning CTRNand

[Samwix]

Hi,

I want to install A9LH but do I have to install these 3 cias (O3DS NATIVE.cia, O3DS AGB.cia and O3DS TWL.cia) on my SysNAND to clean up this one (9.2 downgraded to 4.5 by using GW Downgrade in the past) to avoid any problem with CTRNAND in the future?

Are there any risks?

Thanks!

 

[LongTimeLurker]

I don't believe you have to do anything special if following the new guide. There was an entry in the FAQ previously about if you run into issues, and had downgraded with Gateway in the past, but it has since been removed (or renamed).

There are always risks, but this guide tries to minimize them as much as possible. A great many people have had success following this guide. I haven't read a permabrick yet that was a result of following the guide.

Good luck!

 

[Samwix]

I don't believe you have to do anything special if following the new guide. There was an entry in the FAQ previously about if you run into issues, and had downgraded with Gateway in the past, but it has since been removed (or renamed).

There are always risks, but this guide tries to minimize them as much as possible. A great many people have had success following this guide. I haven't read a permabrick yet that was a result of following the guide.

Good luck!

Thanks but 2.1.0 ctrtransfer flashes the CTRNand and according to AuroraWright, it would be in a messy state. That's what worries me the most.
That entry about GW-downgraded 3DS was in the Plailect guide FAQ?

 

[LongTimeLurker]

Thanks but 2.1.0 ctrtransfer flashes the CTRNand and according to AuroraWright, it would be in a messy state. That's what worries me the most.

Seems reasonable, I wish I had additional info.

That entry about GW-downgraded 3DS was in the Plailect guide FAQ?

Yes, the dead link can be found at the end of this entry.

 

[Samwix]

Seems reasonable, I wish I had additional info.



Yes, the dead link can be found at the end of this entry.

Thanks. I think I'll install the 3 cias.
I need to know something: I wanna restore my EmuNAND (once A9LH will be installed). Will that be possible (does its CTRNAND is messy too)?

 

[LongTimeLurker]

Thanks. I think I'll install the 3 cias.
I need to know something: I wanna restore my EmuNAND (once A9LH will be installed). Will that be possible (does its CTRNAND is messy too)?

Yes you should be able to do that. Restoring EmuNAND / RedNAND is referenced here.

 

[Samwix]

Yes you should be able to do that. Restoring EmuNAND / RedNAND is referenced here.

Yeah I already saw that entry but my EmuNAND is in a messy state, isn't it?

 

[LongTimeLurker]

Yeah I already saw that entry but my EmuNAND is in a messy state, isn't it?

Sorry, I'm not sure. I've sent a PM hoping someone else may be able to answer you .

 

[Samwix]

Sorry, I'm not sure. I've sent a PM hoping someone else may be able to answer you .

I'll try to install them on my EmuNAND (I'll backup it before). Thank you very much

 

[astronautlevel]

Yeah, you should be fine to do that. No reason it won't work.

 

[LongTimeLurker]

Yeah, you should be fine to do that. No reason it won't work.

Could you provide me with more details / a resource on what exactly CTRNAND is and why it would/wouldn't cause any issues?

 

[Samwix]

Yeah, you should be fine to do that. No reason it won't work.

You're talking about the EmuNand thing or the A9LH installation without cleaning SysNand?

 

[astronautlevel]

CTRNAND is a partition on the NAND of the 3ds, which contains stuff like tickets, the title database, and titles installed to NAND (such as the firmware titles). See here for more information: https://www.3dbrew.org/wiki/Flash_Filesystem#CTR_partition

The reason GW's downgrader makes the NAND "dirty" is because the end result is there are multiple firmware binaries in the folder where the firmware is stored on the NAND. This causes luma to read the oldest one, which causes an error due to incompatibilities in the versions.

Cleaning basically deletes the doubled firmware titles (NATIVE_FIRM, TWL_FIRM and AGB_FIRM) and installs only the right version. However, cleaning may not even be necessary anymore, thanks to v6.2.3 (https://github.com/AuroraWright/Luma3DS/releases/tag/v6.2.3) which seems to fix launching these NANDs.

Note that when you do the CTRNAND transfer to 2.1, the 2.1 CTRNAND is clean.

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

You're talking about the EmuNand thing or the A9LH installation without cleaning SysNand?

A9LH installation without cleaning any of your NANDs should be fine, as v6.2.3 seems to fix booting a messy NAND.

 

[Samwix]

CTRNAND is a partition on the NAND of the 3ds, which contains stuff like tickets, the title database, and titles installed to NAND (such as the firmware titles). See here for more information: https://www.3dbrew.org/wiki/Flash_Filesystem#CTR_partition

The reason GW's downgrader makes the NAND "dirty" is because the end result is there are multiple firmware binaries in the folder where the firmware is stored on the NAND. This causes luma to read the oldest one, which causes an error due to incompatibilities in the versions.

Cleaning basically deletes the doubled firmware titles (NATIVE_FIRM, TWL_FIRM and AGB_FIRM) and installs only the right version. However, cleaning may not even be necessary anymore, thanks to v6.2.3 (https://github.com/AuroraWright/Luma3DS/releases/tag/v6.2.3) which seems to fix launching these NANDs.

Note that when you do the CTRNAND transfer to 2.1, the 2.1 CTRNAND is clean.

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


A9LH installation without cleaning any of your NANDs should be fine, as v6.2.3 seems to fix booting a messy NAND.

Yes but a messy NAND may cause some problems during the 2.1.0 ctrtransfer, isn't it?

 

[astronautlevel]

Yes but a messy NAND may cause some problems during the 2.1.0 ctrtransfer, isn't it?

No reason it should, as far as I know. The reason it's messy is because of the doubled firmware binaries (and other system titles), but those are overwritten during the transfer.

If you're worried about it, go through the cleaning steps first on your SysNAND.

 

[Samwix]

No reason it should, as far as I know. The reason it's messy is because of the doubled firmware binaries (and other system titles), but those are overwritten during the transfer.

If you're worried about it, go through the cleaning steps first on your SysNAND.

According to the Plailect Guide troubleshooting, GW-downgraded 3DS could have a black screen after installing A9LH (8.)

Can I brick my SysNand by installing these cias?

 

[astronautlevel]

According to the Plailect Guide troubleshooting, GW-downgraded 3DS could have a black screen after installing A9LH (8.)

Can I brick my SysNand by installing these cias?

Number 8 is in regards to booting Luma with the issues I mentioned above, which should be fixed.

I've never cleaned a CTRNAND before (don't own a gateway) but as long as you follow the instructions exactly, you should be fine. It may be better to wait until after a9lh is installed though for brick protection.

 

[Samwix]

Number 8 is in regards to booting Luma with the issues I mentioned above, which should be fixed.

I've never cleaned a CTRNAND before (don't own a gateway) but as long as you follow the instructions exactly, you should be fine. It may be better to wait until after a9lh is installed though for brick protection.

Number 8 is in regards to booting Luma with the issues I mentioned above, which should be fixed.

I've never cleaned a CTRNAND before (don't own a gateway) but as long as you follow the instructions exactly, you should be fine. It may be better to wait until after a9lh is installed though for brick protection.

OK thanks, the n.8 has been edited.
Did you ever downgrade a SysNand with GW Software?

 

[proflayton123]

DO NOT user GW A9LH method, stick to community method~

 

[LongTimeLurker]

DO NOT user GW A9LH method, stick to community method~

Ah yes, forgot to mention that. The community version of a9lh is far superior (such as giving FIRM protection).