Hacking Dusting off a 3DS I hacked in 2016 but what did I do?

wuggle

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Sorry if this is a dumb question but I haven't really played with 3DSs since about March 2016 which looks from nand backups I have is the date I hacked 3 devices, my New 3DS, an old 2DS and my son's old 3DS XL.

Out of boredom I recently picked up another cheap 3DS XL and have used the great 3DS guide website to install boot9strap on it. All great and no problems but made me think I really should update my older 3 devices to this too.

Only problem is I am not sure what exactly I did back then so can't just follow the stock to CFW guide and I am a bit confused if I should be working on the basis these have arm9loader installed and following those instructions or not... based on my comments below can anyone guide me to what I would have likely done? They were all hacked around March 2016 I think so would have probably followed a guide here or on 3ds guide at the time.

1) On the 'New 3DS' when I switch on after I get a dot/noise image on the top screen I get to a white 'select a boot entry' screen where I have options rX Tools, Homebrew menu and More. I then usually go to homebrewmenu and launch Luma3DS but I think originally it was set up just with rxTools. I am then in Emunand 11.2.0-35E. I do know if I boot up and hold a button I go into sysnand which is still sitting at 9.2E.

2) On the 2DS the bottom screen goes from white, green, yellow blue, red, etc.... then some matrixy type gobbledegook on the top screen before booting me into the homebrew launcher. Again if I select luma 3ds from here I get to emunand 11.2.0-35E firmware and again I believe the sysnand is still sitting at 9.2E.

3) My son's old 3DS XL initially launches the same as the 2DS with the same color flashing bottom screen and white/black text on top before dropping straight into the 3DS (no homebrew launcher at start up - think I did this to make it easier for him) and then into the same Emunand 11.2.0-35E with sysnand still at 9.2

So all 3 are slightly different and I know sometimes they don't initially work as above when you switch them on. Had to reboot my son's twice before it got in to the 3DS operating system. Went black first go and hung.

I do have original sysnand backups etc for all 3.

Anyway I am just trying to understand I guess if I should be working on the basis these have arm9loader installed and follow that guide or whether these are just menuhax or something because it would be nice to bring them all up to date CFWare wise.... btw, I just followed the guides at the time so do not really keep up to date with the terminology. I had no idea what boot9strap was until a few days ago! I do note all 3 SD cards in the old devices do have the file arm9loaderhax.bin sitting in the root but not sure if that necessarily means I should follow the arm9loader steps or whether that was just part of the menuhax stuff? I seem to have a recollection that back in the day arm9loader required extra steps of downgrading and the likes which I think I thought sounded too complicated and I would just live without it but maybe my recollection is wrong and the existence of this file means it is installed? All so confusing when you don't follow the scene closely and pick it up a few years later. Stock devices would be so much easier to just do from scratch again!

Thanks for anybody who can put me on the right track.
Cheers
 
Last edited by wuggle,

wuggle

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Just do https://3ds.hacks.guide again, that has 9.2 covered on there as well.

I understand that but on the getting started page it says 'This page is for instructions on how to install boot9strap to a stock 3DS or 2DS. If you already have arm9loaderhax installed and are looking to update to boot9strap, follow A9LH to B9S.' therefore as these old devices are not 'stock' and have been hacked before whether I should be diverting in the guide to the A9LH to B9S instructions instead or whether I don't actually have A9LH installed - I am not sure if the existence of that bin file on my root means I am using A9LH or just some other method. Presume if I follow those steps to uninstall something I don't have installed it will throw up an error but presume that would be ok.
 

nl255

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It looks like you are probably using Menuhax + emunand. In that case you have to hold down a certain button while booting to boot into 9.2 sysnand, change the theme/color to remove menuhax, then follow the 9.2 stock method. After that you can move your emunand over to sysnand if you want.
 

wormdood

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I understand that but on the getting started page it says 'This page is for instructions on how to install boot9strap to a stock 3DS or 2DS. If you already have arm9loaderhax installed and are looking to update to boot9strap, follow A9LH to B9S.' therefore as these old devices are not 'stock' and have been hacked before whether I should be diverting in the guide to the A9LH to B9S instructions instead or whether I don't actually have A9LH installed - I am not sure if the existence of that bin file on my root means I am using A9LH or just some other method. Presume if I follow those steps to uninstall something I don't have installed it will throw up an error but presume that would be ok.
if your unsure just post a screen shot of each sd cards root and we will go from there
 

wuggle

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The attached 2ds.png is the root of the 2DS device - does that help make things clearer?

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

It looks like you are probably using Menuhax + emunand. In that case you have to hold down a certain button while booting to boot into 9.2 sysnand, change the theme/color to remove menuhax, then follow the 9.2 stock method. After that you can move your emunand over to sysnand if you want.

My gut feel is that you are right. It was just the existence of the arm9loader file on my root that was getting me confused - presume this was part of the menuhax hack and doesn't mean anything else?

I am not attached to anything in emunand so am happy to wipe all 3 units back to a fresh new state. Would it be easier if I just took out the SD cards currently in there..... I note for example the 2DS goes straight to 9.2 sysnand if there is no card in place so, if I remove the card and then use a new blank sd card is that effectively reverting me to as if it was just a 9.2 stock unit anyway or would the hack I did in 2016 have left other traces?
 

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nl255

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The attached 2ds.png is the root of the 2DS device - does that help make things clearer?

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



My gut feel is that you are right. It was just the existence of the arm9loader file on my root that was getting me confused - presume this was part of the menuhax hack and doesn't mean anything else?

I am not attached to anything in emunand so am happy to wipe all 3 units back to a fresh new state. Would it be easier if I just took out the SD cards currently in there..... I note for example the 2DS goes straight to 9.2 sysnand if there is no card in place so, if I remove the card and then use a new blank sd card is that effectively reverting me to as if it was just a 9.2 stock unit anyway or would the hack I did in 2016 have left other traces?

First, try renaming the arm9loader file and if nothing at all happens (just a black screen) then you have a9lh. Otherwilse hold either the L or R button down (it could be either, try one then the other) while booting, if it boots into 9.2 sysnand then you know you are using menuhax.

From that screenshot you are almost certainly using menuhax.
 
Last edited by nl255,

wuggle

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First, try renaming the arm9loader file and if nothing at all happens (just a black screen) then you have a9lh. Otherwilse hold either the L or R button down (it could be either, try one then the other) while booting, if it boots into 9.2 sysnand then you know you are using menuhax.

From that screenshot you are almost certainly using menuhax.

Good idea. I changed the name of the file on the 2DS. It still booted up to the homebrew launcher fine but then when I selected Luma I got the message 'An error occurred while loading the payload' and after pressing a key just takes me back to the menu so presumably the fact I am getting to the homebrew launcher menu on the 2DS means I am just menuhax.

Held the right button on launching second time and took me to 9.2 sysnand as you anticipated.

So on that basis, and I will check on the other two later, I can ignore the instructions about arm9 and just work through the instructions as if it is a stock 2DS? To make life easier would I be better just using a fresh new SD card when I start this process too? (As I think I said before I don't care about preserving anything from the old emunand).

Cheers
 

nl255

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Good idea. I changed the name of the file on the 2DS. It still booted up to the homebrew launcher fine but then when I selected Luma I got the message 'An error occurred while loading the payload' and after pressing a key just takes me back to the menu so presumably the fact I am getting to the homebrew launcher menu on the 2DS means I am just menuhax.

Held the right button on launching second time and took me to 9.2 sysnand as you anticipated.

So on that basis, and I will check on the other two later, I can ignore the instructions about arm9 and just work through the instructions as if it is a stock 2DS? To make life easier would I be better just using a fresh new SD card when I start this process too? (As I think I said before I don't care about preserving anything from the old emunand).

Cheers

Yes, that should work just fine.
 

wuggle

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Thanks for the help. 2DS upgraded successfully just following standard stock instructions. Two more to go...

Hopefully will be the last time I do this and will not have to remember what I did again in 2 years time.
 

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