My 3DS got bricked in a *VERY* weird way and I can't find a way to fix it. Please help...

[RaitoADV]

So, reciently I booted up my 3DS with Luma, and for some reason the console started to show some very weird problems that I haven't been able to get fixed.

- Console boots up normally to the main menu, but every time I open an app, or I place the cursor on one of the 5 icons on the top of the touchscreen, the console freezes. Because of this, I can't access the options menu. App icons and animations show up correctly though.
- Some apps disappeared from my main menu, even ones from the console like the music app. (Fixed after installing a NAND back-up)
- The info on the top of the top screen like the battery and the clock time disappeared.
- Pressing the Power button to put the console on Sleep Mode doesn't do anything. I have to turn off the 3DS by force holding the Power button.
- Closing the console and opening it again makes the console freeze and it doesn't turn the screens on.
- Taking a screenshot on the 3DS main menu says "an error has occurred with an operation with the SD card". This happens with all the SD cards I have.
- I can't open the update menu on boot (L + R + Up + A + Power). It just gives me a black screen.
- GodMode9 and the Luma3DS settings menu work correctly for some reason. GodMode9 even shows me the remaining battery and hour of the console correctly.

I tried to install a NAND backup I made when I installed Luma on the console to see if it could fix the problems, and it only fixed the missing apps problem (though I can't still open them, it still freezes the console)

What could I do?

 

[hyprskllz]

sounds like an SD card problem. you're using sysnand?

 

[RaitoADV]

sounds like an SD card problem. you're using sysnand?

Yeah, I'm using SYSNand. I'd assume it's an SD card problem too, but then again, GodMode9 and Luma function perfectly from the SD, not to mention that I also tried the console both without the SD card and using other SD cards and I still get the same problems.

Someone told me that maybe using CTRNand could fix it, but the tutorial they gave me wouldn't work cause I need to access the update menu in that tutorial, and I can't do that.

 

[Pk11]

Are you using an SD card larger than 64 GB? The 3DS OS has issues with those, with 128 GB cards you can fix it by reformatting to 64 KB clusters, but anything larger is just gonna be buggy. Not sure if that would cause these issues but worth checking.

 

[RaitoADV]

Are you using an SD card larger than 64 GB? The 3DS OS has issues with those, with 128 GB cards you can fix it by reformatting to 64 KB clusters, but anything larger is just gonna be buggy. Not sure if that would cause these issues but worth checking.

It's a 32 GB SD card. I'm aware of the issues 3DS' have with SD cards larger than 64 GB.

 

[Kingdave]

Have you tried reformatting the 3DS system memory?

 

[RaitoADV]

Have you tried reformatting the 3DS system memory?

If you're talking about reformatting from the console, I can't. I can't access the console's option menu because it freezes when I try to enter.

 

[Kwyjor]

So, reciently I booted up my 3DS with Luma, and for some reason the console started to show some very weird problems that I haven't been able to get fixed.

...Why do you call this a "brick"? It's obviously malfunctioning, but it's clearly much more functional than a "brick".

not to mention that I also tried the console both without the SD card and using other SD cards and I still get the same problems.

Well, if it's not the SD card, then it sure sounds like something it failing internally. I kind of doubt there's much you can do.

Did you do anything unusual to this system?

 

[Pk11]

If you're talking about reformatting from the console, I can't. I can't access the console's option menu because it freezes when I try to enter.

If you can make it into homebrew apps you could try TinyFormat. I think it just triggers a system update the same as system settings, but as a homebrew app and without formatting your SD apparently.

 

[RaitoADV]

...Why do you call this a "brick"? It's obviously malfunctioning, but it's clearly much more functional than a "brick".


Well, if it's not the SD card, then it sure sounds like something it failing internally. I kind of doubt there's much you can do.

Did you do anything unusual to this system?

I called it a brick cause I can't really use the console anymore. Sorry if it wasn't the most proper term.

As for your other question, last thing I did before it started malfunction it was just playing CTGP-7 with it. That's all.

Then I didn't use the 3DS in like 2-3 weeks.

 

[RaitoADV]

I called it a brick cause I can't really use the console anymore. Sorry if it wasn't the most proper term.

As for your other question, last thing I did before it started malfunction it was just playing CTGP-7 with it. That's all.

Then I didn't use the 3DS in like 2-3 weeks.

I'm not sure if it's a hardware issue either, cause GodMode9 and Luma work normally, and they can detect stuff the 3DS system menu can't, like the battery and the time.

 

[RaitoADV]

If you can make it into homebrew apps you could try TinyFormat. I think it just triggers a system update the same as system settings, but as a homebrew app and without formatting your SD apparently.

Let me see if there's a way to access homebrew apps outside of the 3DS menu

 

[Takokeshi]

I'm not sure if it's a hardware issue either, cause GodMode9 and Luma work normally, and they can detect stuff the 3DS system menu can't, like the battery and the time.

It has to be a hardware issue, though. HOS tends to malfunction and fail to initialize like this when certain components on board are malfunctioning, though I couldn't really remember which components cause this problem exactly.

Luma and GM9 don't have that issue because they are different software and they don't have the same limitations as Nintendo's software does. There are a lot of integrity checks to ensure all of the hardware is working properly.

If you need to do a manual format, you can always just delete the data folder on ctrnand with GM9, but even if this fixes the problem, you should be very concerned because outside of hardware malfunction, nand contents don't just corrupt themselves on their own.

 

[retrospect]

I think restoring the NAND back-up was a good move, but I'd also copy all the Luma files over again (not Luma 10.2).

Check your current SD card for errors, and if you have a good backup of your SD card, it might be worth restoring that onto a spare card.

Luma bootloader and GM9 are pretty small. In certain cases they could still run ok off a bad SD card. iirc there's also a way to install tham to CTRNAND and run them from there.

 

[BaamAlex]

The 3DS OS has issues with those, with 128 GB cards you can fix it by reformatting to 64 KB clusters, but anything larger is just gonna be buggy.

Erm...no? It isn't buggy. However, the system becomes slower the more memory the card contains.

 

[Kwyjor]

Check your current SD card for errors, and if you have a good backup of your SD card, it might be worth restoring that onto a spare card.

The OP has already said that removing the SD card entirely does nothing to affect the problem.

 

[godreborn]

godmode time uses the rtc time, so your rtc must be working correctly. my guess is that your nand backup is screwed up.

 

[Takokeshi]

It's not that the home menu can't detect rtc correctly, it's that home fails to initialize at all. Check with a working 3DS, when you boot up into the home menu the battery and clock information at the top isn't there at first, until everything initializes and loads in. Here it just never finishes init, and hardware issues are generally the cause for this type of problem.

 

[Hayato213]

You can try to restore a nand backup, or do a CTR Transfer, if it still freeze after restoring a NAND backup, or moving to a clean NAND via CTR Transfer problem is your 3DS NAND flash chip.

 

[Takokeshi]

I would consider the likelihood that the wireless card has gone bad, or that its contacts are making improper connection to the main board.