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
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,