This is outdated. It works in its basic ideas, but has no updated links whatsoever anywhere. Look - if you want to migrate from SX to Atmos and don't have Emunand, just grab Atmos files and sigpatches, and boot Atmos with fusee-primary using your favorite means of launching payloads. That's it.

If you're on SX emunand, have a look at this tutorial. That is what I used myself to migrate to Atmos and emummc, and it works just fine. Contains links to everything you need. It also covers the problem of having an SX dongle, but wanting to boot another CFW with it.

This tutorial does absolutely not cover anything Ipatched-unit, Mariko or SX Core/Lite Modchip related. Please don't ask any questions about that here. I can and will not help you with that.

Spoiler

How to migrate from SX OS to Atmosphere
This short guide will show the basic steps to move from SX OS to Atmosphere, or have them both next to each other. I won't boast it up with images or even videos, since it's mostly only dragging and dropping files around. It's very straightforward and should be done in maybe ten to fifteen minutes.
It is especially relevant to users who boot their console with the SX Pro Dongle, because with it come certain limitations and issues when trying to boot Atmosphere or even dual-boot. This guide also provides a solution for that.

Why would I want to switch to Atmosphere and what are the ups and downs?
Pros:

• Most up-to-date CFW support for newer Firmwares
• KIP Support (external modules, 'add-ons' if you want)

Cons:

• No XCI Loading
• No USB Loading
• No installing games from USB media

To put it in other words: if you don't need or want

• XCI Loading
• USB HDD support,

then there are no sensible reasons to hold on to SX OS.

Regarding EmuNAND/EmuMMC
Given that I do not use EmuNAND/EmuMMC, I can neither tell you how to move that nor provide support for it. There is already a guide that covers this, so if you are looking to move your EmuNAND as well, take a look at this guide by thaikhoa.

Basic Atmosphere Setup for existing SX OS users

• Get the latest Atmosphere files (zip and fusee-primary.bin), put the contents of the zip on the root of your MicroSD
• Get Sigpatches if needed (to run unsigned code), put the contents of the zip on the root of your MicroSD
• SX Installer does not work on Atmosphere, so get another title installer like Goldleaf, Tinfoil or Lithium and put it into your \Switch folder
• Since 0.8.5, Atmosphere supports cheats as well and they are compatible with the format that SX uses. User KuranKu already described what you need to move to make it happen, so have a look at this guide if you need this
• If you have any XCI files left, you will either have to install them with the latest versions of Tinfoil or Lithium or grab them again as NSPs from your most favourite source. Don't install them via the SX menu, they won't work on Atmosphere
  
• If you don't have or use the SX dongle, just use whatever loader you were using before but instead of pushing the SX payload, push the Atmosphere fusee-primary.bin payload

That is basically it. Now when in Atmosphere, launching any app while holding R (standard config) will open the Homebrew menu and allow you to run Homebrew from there.

All of the below is not necessary if you use any other dongle or payload launcher besides the SX Dongles! If you have a different method of launching payloads, just push the payload of your choice to go into SX or Atmosphere!

Booting Atmosphere with the SX Pro or Gear Dongle
If you want to use your existing SX Dongle to boot Atmosphere or to have a choice between Atmosphere and SX OS, there are some additional steps needed. SX actively blocks loading fusee-primary.bin through their launcher (boot.dat) since SX OS 2.6, so you need to install a little workaround and that is Hekate. I will show you how to set this up properly for both options - either having the dongle boot Atmosphere automatically, or leaving you a choice between Atmosphere and SX OS.

Setting up HekateOptional: Autoboot into Atmosphere

1. Setting up Hekate
   For both options, we need Hekate.
   You can optionally set Hekate up as the Payload that the Reboot to Payload Homebrew boots into. Now when you use this Homebrew or your console crashes, the console will boot into Hekate, allowing you to dump your NAND, choose between SX OS and Atmosphere (if wished) etc.
   
   • Get the latest Hekate files and put the contents of the zip on the root of your MicroSD
   • Rename hekate_ctcaer_*.bin on the root of your MicroSD to payload.bin
   • Optional (if you want to have your console reboot into Hekate): Make a copy of the hekate_ctcaer_*.bin Payload, rename it to reboot_payload.bin and put it into the \atmosphere folder, overwriting the existing one. If you use the Reboot to Payload Homebrew, it'll now go into Hekate
   • Optional (if you want to continue using SX): Get the SX OS Payload, put it into \bootloader\payloads
   • Put the Atmosphere Payload fusee-primary.bin into \bootloader\payloads
2. Optional: Have Hekate autoboot into Atmosphere
   You can set up Hekate so that you do not have to navigate its menu, but boot into Atmosphere directly. To achieve this, do the following:
   
   • Boot up Hekate at least once, so that the file hekate_ipl.ini in the folder \bootloader is created
   • Open hekate_ipl.ini and append the following lines at the end:

   [Atmosphere]
   payload=bootloader/payloads/fusee-primary.bin
   { }

   • Change the value autoboot=0 to autoboot=1
   • This will make Hekate show a splashscreen for some seconds, and then autoboot into Atmosphere. During the splash screen, you can press one of the volume buttons to override the autoboot process and get into Hekate's menu.
   • Optional (if you want a longer time to be able to override): Change the value bootwait=3 to another time (in seconds)
   • Save the file
   If you go into Hekate now, it will show a splashscreen for the time specified in bootwait and then boot Atmosphere.

With this done, there is now two ways to continue, depending on whether you want to move to Atmosphere completely without being able to boot SX OS anymore, or whether you want to dual-boot. Since the whole SX OS CFW is written into the boot.dat, and the SX Dongle does not allow anything but starting boot.dat, both options require slightly different setups.

Atmosphere onlyAtmosphere and SX OS

1. Using the SX Pro or Gear Dongle to boot Atmosphere without the possibility to load SX OS
   Utilizing the SX Gear boot.dat (which is just a chainloader), you can force the dongle to boot Hekate directly. As with the SX OS boot.dat, it will not launch Atmosphere directly and just blackscreen if you try to, and you'll also have to use Hekate to achieve getting into Atmosphere.
   
   • Follow all the steps above to set up Hekate
   • Get the SX Gear boot.dat, put that on the root of your microSD, overwriting any existing boot.dat
   • If you use the dongle to boot your console now, it will bring you into Hekate, where you can navigate to Launch > Payloads and choose fusee-primary.bin to launch Atmosphere
2. Using the SX Pro or Gear Dongle while being able to run both Atmosphere and SX OS
   You cannot just use another boot.dat if you want to be able to run both Atmosphere and SX OS, because the boot.dat contains the whole SX OS CFW. So in that case,
   
   • Follow all the steps above to set up Hekate
   • Start your SX OS as usual
   • For SX OS, just launch the CFW as usual
   • For Atmosphere, go to Options > Payloads and launch payload.bin (this will bring you into Hekate)
   • Navigate to Launch > Payloads and choose fusee-primary.bin to launch Atmosphere

 

[teamlocust]

I have emunand sx os set @ 6.20 and atmosphere sysnand at 7.0.1 so having best of both worlds. No need to abandon sx os yet.

 

[wurstpistole]

I have emunand sx os set @ 6.20 and atmosphere sysnand at 7.0.1 so having best of both worlds. No need to abandon sx os yet.

That is why it says in the first paragraph that this can also be used to set up both running next to each other.

 

[Lazyboss]

Good guide, and yes having both cfw is the best.

 

[wurstpistole]

Good guide, and yes having both cfw is the best.

Yet this is an individual decision that everyone can make for him- or herself - for example someone who wants to play online on Sysnand would probably not want to go with a Sysnand Atmos, Emunand SX solution. That's why this guide does not cover setups like this but merely shows either how to migrate to Atmos completely, or use both next to each other.

 

[Houjin]

When I am trying to boot atmosphere with the SX Gear boot.dat the system doesn´t boot up anymore. The lights on my SX Pro are blinking, but the screen just stays black.

When using the SX PRO boot.dat I can load and boot fusee-primary.bin as an external payload it works without any problems.

I also renamed the fusee-primary.bin to payload.bin, still no success with the SX Gear.

Can I use the boot.dat from SX PRO to launch atmosphere when I updated my switch to Firmware 7.0.1?

Thanks in advance!

 

[wurstpistole]

When I am trying to boot atmosphere with the SX Gear boot.dat the system doesn´t boot up anymore. The lights on my SX Pro are blinking, but the screen just stays black.

When using the SX PRO boot.dat I can load and boot fusee-primary.bin as an external payload it works without any problems.

I also renamed the fusee-primary.bin to payload.bin, still no success with the SX Gear.

Can I use the boot.dat from SX PRO to launch atmosphere when I updated my switch to Firmware 7.0.1?

Thanks in advance!

It should work actually, the SX Gear boot.dat is no more than a chainloader.

 

[Houjin]

It should work actually, the SX Gear boot.dat is no more than a chainloader.

Unfortunately it doesn´t, is this setup working for you?

 

[wurstpistole]

Unfortunately it doesn´t, is this setup working for you?

To be honest, I didn't try it. I figured it would work, since launching the payload with SX OS itself works as well. I will have to try it, and report back for an alternative solution. While I might find a way to boot directly into atmos with the dongle, I can't test it on 7.0 for now, since I am not on 7.0 myself yet.

 

[Deleted User]

@op should the sigpatches be on the root of SD card? As I have a working ams build but my es_patches are in atmosphere\exefs_patches and fs_patches are in atmosphere\kip_patches.

 

[wurstpistole]

@op should the sigpatches be on the root of SD card? As I have a working ams build but my es_patches are in atmosphere\exefs_patches and fs_patches are in atmosphere\kip_patches.

They are at the right place there. The folder structure is already given in the archive you download, that's why I say extract the contents to the root of sd.

 

[Deleted User]

They are at the right place there. The folder structure is already given in the archive you download, that's why I say extract the contents to the root of sd.

would that not overwrite all the files in the atmosphere folder?

 

[wurstpistole]

Unfortunately it doesn´t, is this setup working for you?

Okay, reporting back here.
Indeed, the SX Gear boot.dat does not chainload the Atmos payload, the screen just stays black.
Which is weird, but ok.
There's a (slightly inconvenient) workaround that does work tho.
You have to pair The SX Gear boot.dat with ArgonNX to make it work.
Which means:

Get ArgonNX
This is basically a payload chainloader that can allow you to load any payload you want.
Rename the payload to payload.bin
Put it on your SD together with SX Gear boot.dat
Create folder called argon
Put the Atmosphere payload in there
If you don't rename it to payload.bin, a menu will show up in which you can select the payload you want. You could also use this to have a selector between SX OS and Atmos!
Or if you rename the Atmos payload to payload.bin and put in in the argon folder, the SX Gear boot.dat will chainload the Argon payload, which itself chainloads the Atmos payload and then Booting Atmos with SX Pro Dongle works.

Complicated, but it works.
I'll put it in the first post.

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

would that not overwrite all the files in the atmosphere folder?

Of course not, it adds only the missing files, which are the sigpatches in this case.

 

[Houjin]

Okay, reporting back here.
Indeed, the SX Gear boot.dat does not chainload the Atmos payload, the screen just stays black.
Which is weird, but ok.
There's a (slightly inconvenient) workaround that does work tho.
You have to pair The SX Gear boot.dat with ArgonNX to make it work.
Which means:

Get ArgonNX
This is basically a payload chainloader that can allow you to load any payload you want.
Rename the payload to payload.bin
Put it on your SD together with SX Gear boot.dat
Create folder called argon
Put the Atmosphere payload in there
If you don't rename it to payload.bin, a menu will show up in which you can select the payload you want. You could also use this to have a selector between SX OS and Atmos!
Or if you rename the Atmos payload to payload.bin and put in in the argon folder, the SX Gear boot.dat will chainload the Argon payload, which itself chainloads the Atmos payload and then Booting Atmos with SX Pro Dongle works.

Complicated, but it works.
I'll put it in the first post.

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


Of course not, it adds only the missing files, which are the sigpatches in this case.

Thanks using ArgonNX I can boot up Atmosphere without any problems!

But how can I use Atmosphere and SXOS at once?

I would need the boot.dat from SX GEAR to boot up Argon, but then I would also need the boot.dat for SX OS to boot into SX OS itself, is it possible to have boot on the card at once without having to switch the files all the time?

 

[wurstpistole]

Thanks using ArgonNX I can boot up Atmosphere without any problems!

But how can I use Atmosphere and SXOS at once?

I would need the boot.dat from SX GEAR to boot up Argon, but then I would also need the boot.dat for SX OS to boot into SX OS itself, is it possible to have boot on the card at once without having to switch the files all the time?

Argon is also a boot manager. If you put two payloads into the argon folder and rename them (for example atmosphere.bin and SX OS.bin - you can get the SX OS payload on SX site) then a menu pops up that lets you choose a payload. Just don't name one of them payload.bin because then Argon will automatically load this one.

But if you do it like this, you could as well just stick with the SX OS boot.dat and launch either SX OS from the menu or Atmosphere as external payload. The Argon method makes more sense if you just want the dongle to automatically start Atmos.

 

[Soso76]

thanks

 

[JBMario]

Regarding the boot. You can convert Atmosphere's payload to a boot.dat file, so it should work without hassle with a SX Gear or SX Pro dongle. To convert the payload: https://sx-boot-dat-creator.herokuapp.com

FYI it's an open source project: https://github.com/choss/java-sx-boot-dat-creator-webui

 

[wurstpistole]

Regarding the boot. You can convert Atmosphere's payload to a boot.dat file, so it should work without hassle with a SX Gear or SX Pro dongle. To convert the payload: https://sx-boot-dat-creator.herokuapp.com

FYI it's an open source project: https://github.com/choss/java-sx-boot-dat-creator-webui

Yeah, I know that, but that will require doing that conversion each time the payload changes. With Argon you can just replace the payload on the SD and be done with it while the boot.dat stays. But I could put it as an alternative.

 

[Solid924]

Can I use my SX Pro Dongle as well? Or does it only work with the SX Gear Dongle?

 

[wurstpistole]

Can I use my SX Pro Dongle as well? Or does it only work with the SX Gear Dongle?

They are the same, the difference is that the gear dongle doesn't bring an SX OS License. Also, it literally reads "if you want to use your Pro Dongle"