Hacking Why does safearm9lhinstaller first look into the SD for OTP.bin?

[Bedel]

Well, since some youtuber briked like 4000 consoles by letting his OTP.bin in his files, I've been thinking, why does it search for it in the SD first? I mean, if you can start it up is because you can dump the OTP, so searching for it in the SD makes no sense for me.
I think there should be a reason, but I don't really know why. Maybe it's left from when we dumped the OPT from 2.1, went back to 9.2, and then installed the a9lh? I don't know, maybe it's a bad idea for it to be as it is now.

PS: I'm not tring to defend that youtuber or something. He really screw it up, but I just wanted to know this.

 

[windhazard]

You can only dump it if you are on FW 2.1 or lower. So the first step should be looking for an existing OTP.bin on the SD. This allows you to install A9LH on higher firmware without CTR Transfering once more to 2.1
It's not a bad function. Imagine one day you have to send back to Nintendo for reparing stuffs. You want to remove A9LH first. After getting it back, you just need that tiny OTP file to reinstall A9LH.

 

[Bedel]

You can only dump it if you are on FW 2.1 or lower. So the first step should be looking for an existing OTP.bin on the SD. This allows you to install A9LH on higher firmware without CTR Transfering once more to 2.1

But you could first try to dump it, and if it's not posible (because of the firmeware version) then search for it. Or even you could first what version is it executing to know if it can be dumped or not.
I don't know if I can explain myself as I want (my english level is limited), but that bricks could've been avoided.

 

[windhazard]

I get your point, but I'm sure the dev has their reason. Instead of creating a new thread, maybe you can find the original post and ask the question while tagging the name of the devs. It's easier for them to answer your question.
About the way people are bricking their own consoles because of a strange predumped OTP.bin, the fault lies mostly with them, not with the A9LH installer. Know that hacking your console always come with risk of bricking. So be prepared, look for help, search for every guide to compare, not just simply follow the first thing you found. I learnt it the hard way myself.

 

[Bedel]

I get your point, but I'm sure the dev has their reason. Instead of creating a new thread, maybe you can find the original post and ask the question while tagging the name of the devs. It's easier for them to answer your question.
About the way people are bricking their own consoles because of a strange predumped OTP.bin, the fault lies mostly with them, not with the A9LH installer. Know that hacking your console always come with risk of bricking. So be prepared, look for help, search for every guide to compare, not just simply follow the first thing you found. I learnt it the hard way myself.

Well I guess you are right in the first part.
In the second, as I stated, I'm not tring to defend anyone. Everyone has his own fault there, but even that way it's still this I can't really understand. I fell like safea9lhinstaller is, ironcally, less safer than it could.

 

[Cuphat]

I'd agree here, it should check to see if it can dump it first. I believe this is an oversight, it's not an issue that ever comes up until some dumbass writes a tutorial, provides the files, and leaves his fucking OTP in there.

 

[invaderyoyo]

Scroll down to "you can thank Yakara Colombia" on Jan 06, looks like it was actually an oversight.

https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/commits/master

 

[Bedel]

Scroll down to "you can thank Yakara Colombia" on Jan 07, looks like it was actually an oversight.

https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/commits/master

So plailect changed it to do it as I said, but this still does not aswer why aurora did it like that at first.
Well, for now on I wish the people that makes guides use plailect's version, because that in particular did not (he changed the source to put his name, so I think he used Aurora's github).

 

[Gray_Jack]

So plailect changed it to do it as I said, but this still does not aswer why aurora did it like that at first.
Well, for now on I wish the people that makes guides use plailect's version, because that in particular did not (he changed the source to put his name, so I think he used Aurora's github).

Maybe because she believes that people won't be so stupid to follow a video tutorial without a text tutorial

 

[Cuphat]

So plailect changed it to do it as I said, but this still does not aswer why aurora did it like that at first.
Well, for now on I wish the people that makes guides use plailect's version, because that in particular did not (he changed the source to put his name, so I think he used Aurora's github).

Probably just the way it was built. It was originally not usable directly on 2.1 to dump the OTP, it was to install after getting back to 9.2 or upgrade from A9LH. OTP dumping was then added after the fact.

 

[einhuman197]

Can you please tell me the YouTubers name or give me a link?

 

[Bedel]

Can you please tell me the YouTubers name or give me a link?

Yakara Colombia. He left his OTP.bin in the zip afaik.

 

[gamesquest1]

So plailect changed it to do it as I said, but this still does not aswer why aurora did it like that at first.
Well, for now on I wish the people that makes guides use plailect's version, because that in particular did not (he changed the source to put his name, so I think he used Aurora's github).

I'm guessing he just botchily hex edited the original files based on the fact he tries to squash his name in where ever he can without changing character counts, I.e "thanks to", becoming "yakara!! " seems to suggest he didn't recompile but just hex edited

Don't get me wrong though some of the issues people have with him are the same as pailect, I.e running ads on the guide that features the work of lots of people.....but again I don't really care as I'm sure most people would probably try monetise if they are putting in the effort to maintain guides etc, that said slapping your name over other people's projects is a shitty thing to do......I guess at least he didn't try to remove the original credits though.....which would have been shittier

 

[einhuman197]

Yakara Colombia. He left his OTP.bin in the zip afaik.

What an idiot. YouTube guides always suck. They are immediately outdated.

 

[Bedel]

I'm guessing he just botchily hex edited the original files based on the fact he tries to squash his name in where ever he can without changing character counts, I.e "thanks to", becoming "yakara!! " seems to suggest he didn't recompile but just hex edited

Don't get me wrong though some of the issues people have with him are the same as pailect, I.e running ads on the guide that features the work of lots of people.....but again I don't really care as I'm sure most people would probably try monetise if they are putting in the effort to maintain guides etc, that said slapping your name over other people's projects is a shitty thing to do......I guess at least he didn't try to remove the original credits though.....which would have been shittier

Well, he also edited the folder where otp.bin was saved, but I don't really know if he can edit that also with hexadecimal.

 

[Sketchy1]

I.e running ads on the guide that features the work of lots of people

The guy spent months doing this. Gotta eat somehow

 

[C0mm4nd_]

A good workaround could be: Check if the SD contains OTP.bin if yes Check fw version, if 2.1 dump OTP and check OTP.bin with 2.1 OTP.bin, if ver 9.2,ecc just use OTP from SD​

 

[Bedel]

A good workaround could be: Check if the SD contains OTP.bin if yes Check fw version, if 2.1 dump OTP and check OTP.bin with 2.1 OTP.bin, if ver 9.2,ecc just use OTP from SD​

I'd first look if the fw version is 2.1, and if it's, then dump the OTP and compare it. If it's not, then search into the SD. Anything else seems unusefull to me xD

 

[Redferne]

In the A9LH early days, you dumped your OPT before using SafeA9LHinstaller. That's why.
I guess the code stayed since then.

 

[szymon170]

It's kinda off-topic, but I'm going to ask it here anyway. What's that video that has bricked 4000 3DSes by placing the OTP.bin file in the description? I'd like to watch it.