Hacking N3DS XL Bricked when updating

[satan89]

You redownload it from Luma's GitHub


As above, plus buy a new SD if possible

Neither of these things are going to brick you, update you, render your console unhackable, or even lose you your data.

Fair enough, I wasn't aware of those solutions. Anyways, as I had said this is not what I was talking about when I said menuhax was safer.
OP has bricked his console while on a9lh, and I'm sure he'd agree an updated unhackable console would be better than a brick.

 

[upfromtheskies]

For example, you go into an option in Settings that reboots your console without you realising. Or you touch the key that makes you boot into sysNAND by accident when starting up. Or someone else gets hold of your system. Or you play a game that reboots you and you're using a CFW where this reboots you to sysNAND. Or your SD card or reader plays up a little and it boots without using the SD card files. Lots of ways.

People could just delete the update nag and disable wifi in sysnand, problem solved. If they try to update and it says they're not on wifi, they know they're not in emunand.

I really don't understand why people are pushing so hard for A9LH. Yes, it has advantages, and it's fantastic that the option to use A9LH is there should the time come that the latest games and updates do not work with menuhax+cfw, but until that happens the benefits for the average user just aren't worth the risks.

 

[wsquan171]

If luma really fails protecting firm in some rare cases, going back and setup emunand should be enough for safety. No need to get rid of a9lh and go all the way back to menuhax. The a9lh itself is free of issue, at least.

Well, updating to 11.2 could potentially cause a problem because native firm received an update in this version. In future updates there is actually no chance to brick if we see no native firm updates.

 

[Quantumcat]

People could just delete the update nag and disable wifi in sysnand, problem solved. If they try to update and it says they're not on wifi, they know they're not in emunand.

I really don't understand why people are pushing so hard for A9LH. Yes, it has advantages, and it's fantastic that the option to use A9LH is there should the time come that the latest games and updates do not work with menuhax+cfw, but until that happens the benefits for the average user just aren't worth the risks.

EmuNAND uses WiFi info from sysNAND and vice versa. You can't stop sysNAND from downloading updates that way :-p (although I heard filling up sysNAND's connections with junk data can stop it from using emuNAND's valid connections).
Actually for the average user it is better - the more average or noob you are the more likely you are to do something to screw up your menuhax system. So better to have an 1% chance of a brick the single time you install it (I don't think it's even that high) than a 0.005% chance of screwing things up every time you use it.

Think of it this way. Would you rather:

1. Roll a 6-sided die once, where if it lands on 6 you get your head cut off, or,
2. Roll a 20-sided die every morning when you wake up, and if it lands on 20 you get your head cut off.

And this is even assuming you are more likely to brick on a9lh installation than screw up your menuhax console, which I don't think is true.

It's not the single occasion of making a mistake that is important here, it's the fact that you have the opportunity to do it constantly for ever and ever instead of just once.

Even if you're super careful and are pretty sure on any particular occasion you won't screw it up - you still have to go through that chance regularly. And if you're a super careful sort of person then the chance of bricking on a9lh installation due to use error goes down significantly also.

 

[Deleted User]

It seems like these bricks are from recent converts who came from emunand to a9lh after the November 3rd update.That might be the source of the issue.My emunand was already on 11.2 when I went to a9lh so I have no idea if this will happen to me aswell.

 

[einhuman197]

When you guys are scared bricking with arm9loaderhax, just set up emunand. Than you are safe.

 

[satan89]

EmuNAND uses WiFi info from sysNAND and vice versa. You can't stop sysNAND from downloading updates that way :-p (although I heard filling up sysNAND's connections with junk data can stop it from using emuNAND's valid connections).
Actually for the average user it is better - the more average or noob you are the more likely you are to do something to screw up your menuhax system. So better to have an 1% chance of a brick the single time you install it (I don't think it's even that high) than a 0.005% chance of screwing things up every time you use it.

Think of it this way. Would you rather:

1. Roll a 6-sided die once, where if it lands on 6 you get your head cut off, or,
2. Roll a 20-sided die every morning when you wake up, and if it lands on 20 you get your head cut off.

And this is even assuming you are more likely to brick on a9lh installation than screw up your menuhax console, which I don't think is true.

It's not the single occasion of making a mistake that is important here, it's the fact that you have the opportunity to do it constantly for ever and ever instead of just once.

Even if you're super careful and are pretty sure on any particular occasion you won't screw it up - you still have to go through that chance regularly. And if you're a super careful sort of person then the chance of bricking on a9lh installation due to use error goes down significantly also.

The worst case scenario for menuhax is update to latest version, not brick. Afaik we can still use dsiware to downgrade. So even if, by some unlucky chance, you were to accept an update prompt and it so happened that it updated sysnand (in spite of all your protection to block WiFi on sysnand, unlinking nands, and user checking and rechecking the 'emu' in system settings), you'd still at least have a working 3ds with an option (at least currently) of downgrading again, even if it's a little inconvenient and not free. Which doesn't make it half as bad as your beheading analogy makes it sound.

You'd not have to take a risk every time. Just the time when update is available and being installed.

 

[CrispyYoshi]

@loneZ Out of curiosity, can you take out the SD and hold select as you power on the console, and then tell us if you see Luma config, a blue light flash, or if the blue light stays on?

If you can boot Luma or the blue light flashes, I can help you out of your brick.

 

[KomasterXX]

Can anyone confirm this information to see if maybe bricks have one of these in common? Thanks again!

I think creating a new thread, and using a poll should be a more inclusive way. : )

 

[Loltag22]

For everyone who updated:

1) Did you brick?
2) What version of Luma were you on?
2) What type of 3ds do you have?
4) What version of luma (if any) is on your CTRNAND?

1) No
2) 6.6 stable
3) New 3ds Eur, 11.2 on sysnand
4)6.6 luma on ctr Nand.

 

[pikatsu]

This is an advise. Updating or playing with sysnand in any way is dangerous no matter how safe A9LH is. The safest way is the old fashioned emunand with an untouched sysnand. Do not touch or update many times a nand drive

 

[upfromtheskies]

EmuNAND uses WiFi info from sysNAND and vice versa. You can't stop sysNAND from downloading updates that way :-p (although I heard filling up sysNAND's connections with junk data can stop it from using emuNAND's valid connections).

Hm I'll have to check to see how I have it set up, but I know on my 3DS there's no internet on sysnand but I'm connected on emunand.

Actually for the average user it is better - the more average or noob you are the more likely you are to do something to screw up your menuhax system.

And therefore the more likely you are to make a mistake installing A9LH and brick your console.

Would you rather risk having a working console that can't use CFW, or a bricked console? The choice seems easy to me.

So better to have an 1% chance of a brick the single time you install it (I don't think it's even that high) than a 0.005% chance of screwing things up every time you use it.

You also need to add in the possibility of bricking for unknown reasons, which seems to be happening a lot, and I see far more A9LH bricking threads than accidental sysnand update threads.

 

[satan89]

Hm I'll have to check to see how I have it set up, but I know on my 3DS there's no internet on sysnand but I'm connected on emunand.

In sysNAND, make 3 fake WiFi connections with dummy passwords that don't connect to any SSID and save them.

 

[Loltag22]

Menuhax Is shit with luma... 2/5 attempts to work and takes 20 seconds... Safest solution Is A9LH with emunand i suppose. (Actually A9LH with 11.2 sysnand, new3ds. Otp Helper guide)

 

[linuxares]

I got a dumb question, if you replace your arm9loadhax.bin with the safea9hlupdater, does anything happen then for you?

Why I ask if that works, you might be able to get Hourglass9 or Decrypt9 to boot and restore your nand backup.

 

[kublai]

My N3DS running Luma with A9LH was bricked after I updated the system firmware. Luma is up to date as I checked before updating my 3ds. I can't go into other menus by holding down the buttons while booting.

Did you happen to install SafeA9LHInstaller? If so which version?

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

I thought A9LH was supposed to make our 3DS unbrickable basically? Like the Wii Bootmii Boot2 did for the Wii. Now it's not even safe to update through Luma?

Unfortunately not, if you are updating the A9LH files you are still at risk of bricking. I had thought this at first as well so that's why I updated to the newest A9LH and bricked my 3DS.

 

[upfromtheskies]

Menuhax Is shit with luma... 2/5 attempts to work and takes 20 seconds... Safest solution Is A9LH with emunand i suppose. (Actually A9LH with 11.2 sysnand, new3ds. Otp Helper guide)

I used to have this problem, but with the latest updates I have 100% boot rate. Regardless, even if it had a poor boot rate, would you rather have to reboot a few times, or pay for a hardmod to fix your 3DS?

In sysNAND, make 3 fake WiFi connections with dummy passwords that don't connect to any SSID and save them.

That must be what I did then. It's been quite a while since I set up my 3DS.

 

[Loltag22]

I used to have this problem, but with the latest updates I have 100% boot rate. Regardless, even if it had a poor boot rate, would you rather have to reboot a few times, or pay for a hardmod to fix your 3DS?


That must be what I did then. It's been quite a while since I set up my 3DS.

Well, I prefer 100% bootrate thanks. Hardmod? Never used. Risk (very low) Is a better option, the boot rate was unacceptable! A9LH plus emunand I think Is the safest mod at all... (Once installer A9LH obviuosly)

 

[Arkansaw]

Menuhax Is shit with luma... 2/5 attempts to work and takes 20 seconds... Safest solution Is A9LH with emunand i suppose. (Actually A9LH with 11.2 sysnand, new3ds. Otp Helper guide)

browserhax and mset works well enough for me. a9lh is certainly appealing for people who need to power off frequently, they just have to accept the inherent risk that comes with it

 

[upfromtheskies]

Well, I prefer 100% bootrate thanks.

I currently have 100% boot rate with menuhax and luma ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hardmod? Never used.

Well that's what you'll need to pay for if a9lh ever bricks your system, which is happening a lot lately.

Risk (very low) Is a better option, the boot rate was unacceptable! A9LH plus emunand I think Is the safest mod at all... (Once installer A9LH obviuosly)

That's what a9lh advocates irresponsibly have many people believing, but it's false. Browse through the forum for a while and you'll see lots of threads created by people who bricked their 3DS using a9lh, and a complete lack of menuhax brick threads.

And don't get me wrong, I think a9lh is great and I'll definitely be installing it should the latest updates ever fail to work with emunand, but until then I see no reason to take the risk using it.