Hacking Restoring old headers for the Acekard 2i

[Elbart]

Pippa Funnell (3DS 4.3.0-10)
Filetrip: Mirror
Mega: Mirror
Google: Mirror

Either I'm doing something completely wrong or all of these updater-files are the same files as the stock updaters, except for "Hello Kitty" (DSi v1.4.3 & 3DS 2.1.0-3/2.1.0-4).
At least those files on the Google-mirrors, the other mirrors are down.

And the archive with the most important file (Pippa Funnell) is either broken (Google) or gone (Mega, Filetrip).
The Curse of the Horse!

Anybody got a backup?

 

[The Catboy]

Either I'm doing something completely wrong or all of these updater-files are the same files as the stock updaters, except for "Hello Kitty" (DSi v1.4.3 & 3DS 2.1.0-3/2.1.0-4).

And the archive with the most important file (Pippa Funnell) is either broken (Google) or gone (Mega, Filetrip).
The Curse of the Horse!

Anybody got a backup?

The main post does contain the web archive of all of the update files.
https://web.archive.org/web/20120628114903/http://www.acekard.com:80/download/ak2/
I believe it's this link
https://web.archive.org/web/2012062.../download/ak2/ak2ifw_update_3ds4.0_dsi144.zip

 

[Elbart]

I meant a backup of the files with the modified header, sorry.

 

[The Catboy]

I meant a backup of the files with the modified header, sorry.

Oh, you just run the .nds file and will modify the header

 

[Elbart]

But all the modified updaters, except the one modding the "Hello Kitty"-header away, are the same files (checksums match) as the stock updaters, that can't work.

 

[The Catboy]

But all the modified updaters, except the one modding the "Hello Kitty"-header away, are the same files (checksums match) as the stock updaters, that can't work.

Honestly, I am pretty sure all of the links, except for the web archive one, are broken.

 

[Elbart]

I just downloaded the files with the supposedly modded headers from the Google-Drive-links an hour ago.

 

[The Catboy]

I just downloaded the files with the supposedly modded headers from the Google-Drive-links an hour ago.

I am really confused, are you downloading the files from the OP? Because those should (if they aren't broken) be just the same files as the ones in the web archive link

 

[Elbart]

I am really confused, are you downloading the files from the OP? Because those should (if they aren't broken) be just the same files as the ones in the web archive link

I'm understanding it like this:
The web-archive-link for www.acekard.com has all the stock updaters from 2010/2011/2012 made by Acekard with all the weird game-headers like HORSE

and Danny Phantom

etc.
The Filetrip/Google Drive/Mega-links have (or had) your modified updaters from 2017(?), which are flashing the flashcart with the firmware to whatever DSi/3DS-version that update is meant to support, but with the header changed to the old AK2i-logo

.

Or were the updaters with the original AK2i-logo made by Acekard in the first place?

Or am I completely mistaken and there are no modified updaters to begin with, and all it takes to get the original logo is to launch the original unmodified Acekard-made updaters through "NTR Launcher" on the 3|2DS to get the old A2ki-logo back?

EDIT:
But in any case, the flashcart updated in this way cannot work on any DSi-versions pre-1.4.5, even if the stock firmware-update-version would support it. To get the flashcart to work like that again, one has to flash it again using a NDS/DSLite, is that correct?

 

[The Catboy]

I'm understanding it like this:
The web-archive-link for www.acekard.com has all the stock updaters from 2010/2011/2012 made by Acekard with all the weird game-headers like HORSE

and Danny Phantom

etc.
The Filetrip/Google Drive/Mega-links have (or had) your modified updaters from 2017(?), which are flashing the flashcart with the firmware to whatever DSi/3DS-version that update is meant to support, but with the header changed to the old AK2i-logo

.

Or were the updaters with the original AK2i-logo made by Acekard in the first place?

Or am I completely mistaken and there are no modified updaters to begin with, and all it takes to get the original logo is to launch the original unmodified Acekard-made updaters through "NTR Launcher" on the 3|2DS to get the old A2ki-logo back?

EDIT:
But in any case, the flashcart updated in this way cannot work on any DSi-versions pre-1.4.5, even if the stock firmware-update-version would support it. To get the flashcart to work like that again, one has to flash it again using a NDS/DSLite, is that correct?

A lot of the information in the OP is pretty outdated but the icon issue isn’t the result of modification, but most likely just weird header nonsense at the time when they were created. They show up as the AK2i on the DS lite, but they should show up as the game icon on the DSi. The updaters do work on the 3DS and DSi but require a CFW and most likely being launched from an application like Twimenu++. It’s easier to upgrade/downgrade using a DS.

 

[Elbart]

And to get the AK2-logo to be displayed when the flashcart is used in a 3DS with CFW, I have to do what?

 

[The Catboy]

I just realized I was getting a lot of requests from this thread. I will not be replacing or maintaining the links. All files came from here
https://web.archive.org/web/20120628114903/http://www.acekard.com:80/download/ak2/

 

[Apache Thunder]

Ahh I see I'm not the only one that's done this. only I replaced the entire rom the cart used in the second rom section with a copy of the first rom. I didn't just replace the header. I replaced the rom + blowfish key the cart used which essentially makes what ever rom it used previously a mute point. Currently though I use a custom bootstrap now so I can hold B on boot to show a hbmenu type filebrowser where I can boot something else besides the akmenu nds file on the cart.

You're free to use my backup of my cart to use it if you want. This backup is intended for hw revision 88 by the way. (not intended for hw44. You'll have to extract my rom and adapt it for your hw44 if you have a fw44...assuming there's room for it to fit? I'm not sure how much space you get for it on hw44 but if limited to 128KB or so like the first rom section for hw88 then this won't work on those carts)

Anyways this bootstrap is basically a modified version of hbmenu that autoboots akmenu.nds on cart's sd card by default and holding B on boot shows a fancy file browser. Unlike stock hbmenu mine has a custom bottom screen graphic with custom font (used the font from Godmode9i).

The top screen graphic is also modified. It's got the DS Menu theme if you are curious as to what I went with that.

 

[SylverReZ]

This backup is intended for hw revision 88 by the way. (not intended for hw44. You'll have to extract my rom and adapt it for your hw44 if you have a fw44...assuming there's room for it to fit? I'm not sure how much space you get for it on hw44 but if limited to 128KB or so like the first rom section for hw88 then this won't work on those carts)

HW88? You mean HW81?

 

[The Catboy]

Ahh I see I'm not the only one that's done this. only I replaced the entire rom the cart used in the second rom section with a copy of the first rom. I didn't just replace the header. I replaced the rom + blowfish key the cart used which essentially makes what ever rom it used previously a mute point. Currently though I use a custom bootstrap now so I can hold B on boot to show a hbmenu type filebrowser where I can boot something else besides the akmenu nds file on the cart.

You're free to use my backup of my cart to use it if you want. This backup is intended for hw revision 88 by the way. (not intended for hw44. You'll have to extract my rom and adapt it for your hw44 if you have a fw44...assuming there's room for it to fit? I'm not sure how much space you get for it on hw44 but if limited to 128KB or so like the first rom section for hw88 then this won't work on those carts)

Anyways this bootstrap is basically a modified version of hbmenu that autoboots akmenu.nds on cart's sd card by default and holding B on boot shows a fancy file browser. Unlike stock hbmenu mine has a custom bottom screen graphic with custom font (used the font from Godmode9i).

The top screen graphic is also modified. It's got the DS Menu theme if you are curious as to what I went with that.

This was an idea I was playing around with for years. Never got far but I did see my project’s spirit live on in this
https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-change-your-r4s-icon-and-label.617723/

 

[Apache Thunder]

HW88? You mean HW81?

Yeah meant 81. My bad.

 

[Deleted member 702243]

Spoiler

Ahh I see I'm not the only one that's done this. only I replaced the entire rom the cart used in the second rom section with a copy of the first rom. I didn't just replace the header. I replaced the rom + blowfish key the cart used which essentially makes what ever rom it used previously a mute point.

I'm interested. Do you remember what the hex addresses are for the first and second rom, and the blowfish keys? Or alternatively, do you have an ak2i-backup.bin of this hanging around somewhere? Mine is also hw81

I have this weird problem where for some reason, the official dsi launcher refuses to recognize the first rom, and it only ever manages to see the second one. Which is normally not a problem, until you don't have a second rom

I'm trying to get ak2i on original bootloader running on unmodded dsi with 1.3 firmware for the novelty of getting it working, just like old times, but of course on original bootloader there is no second rom, and because the launcher won't see the first rom... so I think if I can copy the first rom to the second rom area, then it should finally show up in the launcher, and because it's the same rom acekard made with the same keys, it should run just the same

And btw I'm really not convinced this would be a contact issue like everyone thinks in all the old threads from 2009... for the simple fact that unlaunch recognizes it no problem, it can run it fine and it doesnt hang or crash from poor contact. Same with twilightmenu btw, ds classic menu sees the header and banner from first rom just fine, it will launch it and play just fine with no crashes

okay well nevermind. I flashed the ak2i backup from the "convert r4i to ak2i" thread here and it turns out, the flash backup that was posted there is a genuine pre-1.4 bootloader, and works perfectly fine. so I no longer need this, but I'm leaving the original contents of my post up anyway

https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-...a-legit-acekard-2i-using-a-hacked-3ds.473764/

this flash only has the first rom, no second rom, and what do you know. dsi menu reads it perfectly, and it runs just fine unmodded on 1.3 fw edit: no, that is incorrect. it does have a second rom section, but it has a fifa world cup header instead of the acekard one which is why I didnt find it with ctrl+f. I guess the fifa world cup header is how they were able to bypass the protections for 1.3 fw, despite still being able to show the original acekard2i icon and banner

 

[The Catboy]

Got an email for the links in this thread. Here's the folder
https://drive.google.com/drive/fold...cekey=0-AbCABlDTMvbkj6lvMoZ2bw&usp=drive_link