New 3ds xl not booting up, only displays the blue lcd for a few seconds

Matisey · Nov 28, 2022

The issue started right after I did the restoration of a back up of a 3ds nand that I had made a few hours prior in gm9, before that everything was fine aside from me not being able to install some cia's. I am able to boot to luma and gm9 without issues.
The last possible solution that I tried was a ctrtransfer but couldn't finish it because gm9 didn't give the option "Select “CTRNAND options…” ".

1. The situation is the same with and without the sd card;
2. I've tried doing the restoration again but didn't change anything;
3. Did the safe boot mode (I think is called) where you are taken to an offcial update screen for the 3ds and was able to do the update although it came back to say that the system was already up to date;
4. I am now in the process of copying all the files off the sd card to format it but I'm not sure if that can create problems;

I've read several other posts regarding almost the same exact issue but none that had started the same way and as suddenly so I'm hoping maybe that there is another solution for my case that wasn't mentioned yet.

I appreciate any suggestions. At this point I wouldn't mind formating everything, the sd card and the 3ds.

Sypherone · Nov 28, 2022

Just to verify. You can enter at boot godemode9 also luma menu. And the screen appears by entering at boot the safe mode to update the system which let you also run the update.

To 4)

First run in Powershell chkdsk X: /r (X your driveletter) on the SDCard. If errors are found it will repair the filesystem and if possible recover corrupted data.
Then move the hole content to PC and run h2testw (write and verify) on the empty card (data on the card else will be corrupted).
Then reformat it with fat32/guiformater to fat32 and use sectorsize 32k < 64gb / 64k >= 64gb card size.
If you have a Nandbackup on a secure place try with it again (you should have one from the moment you moded it). But be sure as boot9strap user, you use latest luma.firm version on root of your SDCard and latest godmode9.firm in /luma/payloads.

In case you have black screens and the blue light turns on only a few seconds or is static, you have basicly this chances in this order :

Possibilitys to recover a 3DS from black screens :

Get rid of faulty bits/information by battery trick
Check the SDCard for errors by chkdsk and run h2testw (write and verify)
Replace luma.firm (blue LED light turns off on B9S <= v1.3 / B9S v1.4 will show different colors)
If at boot gm9/luma can be entered : Update boot9strap to v1.4. Since v1.4 B9S has a error check feature for luma.firm and displays different LED colors.

In case the SafeB9SInstaller want launch at boot : Put it in /luma/payloads/ to the godmode9.firm . If now holding start at boot, a menu (luma chainloader) should appear where you can choose what to launch.

Or if gm9 exist on CTR-Nand (CTRNand/rw/luma/payloads/ ) and runs without SDCard insert : Remove the SDCard -> boot gm9 -> reinsert the SDCard -> move to the SafeB9SInstaller.firm -> press A -> Firm image options -> Boot firm.
Remove the home menu extdata (static blue LED light)
Restoring the NANDBackup with godmode9
Doing a CTRTransfer by Godmode9
- If DS functionality is still broken run TWLfix
Doing a CTRTransfer (Type Decrypt9)
- But the region value needs to added to the .bin.sha by hexeditor
Reinstall boot9strap by NTRboot
- ONLY: If gm9/luma cannot be entered at boot (B9S issue): Reinstaling boot9strap by a compatible flashcard (a second 2DS/3DS is needed for a couple of minutes)
Last chance is restoring a Nandbackup by Hardmod

BUT : A Member figured out, at his old 3DS the camera ribbon was faulty that caused this black screen problem.

Matisey · Nov 28, 2022

I'll try eveything that I am able to (don't have a second 3ds/2ds), some of what you mentioned I'll have to look it up but I'll come back later with a feedback, thank you.
Also yes for all that you wanted to verify at the start.

Hayato213 · Nov 28, 2022

Can you take a picture of the error?

Sypherone · Nov 28, 2022

Matisey said:
I don't have a second 3ds/2ds

You may lend one from a friend only for a few minutes. But as you can enter godmode 9 at boot, you may try updating boot9strap. In case the SafeB9SInstaller want launch, put it in /luma/payloads/ to the godmode9.firm . If now holding start at boot a menu (luma chainloader) should appear where you can choose what to launch.

Matisey · Nov 28, 2022

Unfortunately I don't know anyone with a 3ds or 2ds, as for the boot9strap and safeB9installer, I'm pretty sure I don't have either, I did look into it but since it was a part of the whole cfw installation I wasn't sure on how to implement it at this point but I'm gonna try reading the guide and see if I get there.

For now I've tried the battery trick but it doesn't seem to be the fix at the moment, right now I'm doing the things that you mentioned with the sd card, but since there was a lot of stuff on it (128gb) it takes a long time to transfer the data from it.

I should mention that I only have the one .bin back up that got me in this predicament when doing the restoration through gm9 and that I did try the CTRtransfer at the same website that you linked to but when I got to step 6, gm9 didn't give me the option “CTRNAND options…”, which is where I got stuck at.

I also saw someone suggest deleting a folder that had something to do with the home menu and that by deleting it, the 3ds would then rebuilt it and possibly fix this issue, but I don't which folder exactly, only that they said to follow a "plailect's guide" but I couldn't find anything that connected those two things.

To hayato that asked a picture of the error, there is no error, the 3ds simply isn't booting up to the home screen.

Once again thank you for the help, I'll keep returning with any feedbacks.

CoolMe · Nov 28, 2022

Like mentioned above, first check the sd card for errors. And run a standard ctrtransfer. If it doesn't fix it, you might have a serious problem in your hands. and it could be either software or hardware related, hopefully not the latter.

Sypherone · Nov 28, 2022

Matisey said:
Unfortunately I don't know anyone with a 3ds or 2ds, as for the boot9strap and safeB9installer, I'm pretty sure I don't have either

This NTRboot method is normaly last chance if no luma and godmode9 menu cant entered anymore.
As you still can enter it, you may try update boot9strap by following the metioned guide above. If the Installer dont run at boot, put the SafeB9SInstaller.firm in /luma/payloads/ and hold start at boot like you will launch gm9.

Matisey said:
but when I got to step 6, gm9 didn't give me the option “CTRNAND options…”, which is where I got stuck at.

You need to download the CTRTransfer image of your region and extract the zip file. Then copy this .bin (NOT your Nand backup!) to /gm9 on the SDCard. Navigate to SDCard -> gm9, choose the CTRTransfer.bin and klick A to let the "CTRNand option" appear.

Else you may do : Put the downloaded CTRTransfer image to SDCard:/gm9/in/
Enter gm9 (start button at boot) -> press home button -> Scripts -> GM9Megascript -> CTRNand Transfer -> choose the .bin -> press A

Matisey said:
had something to do with the home menu and that by deleting it, the 3ds would then rebuilt it and possibly fix this issue

Clear homemenu extdata + theme data (I also added this point to the list above some time ago)

Matisey said:
they said to follow a "plailect's guide"

This is Plailect`s guide : https://3ds.hacks.guide/

Matisey · Nov 30, 2022

Hello again, sorry it took so long to come back, each of the processes with the 128 sd card were taking half a day to finish and I couldn't focus 100% on this, the results were not positive as it turned out the sd was full of errors and corrupted data according to the h2testw, so I used another sd card a 32gb, and transfered old data that I had on my ssd to it and with that, was able to perform the ctrtransfer which fixed the issue with the booting, in other words, I am now able to boot up to the home screen on the 3ds without issues with and without the sd inserted.

Thank you a lot Sypherone, your summary of the steps to take really facilitated what I had to do, I appreciate all the time and help that you've provided.

I'm currently testing everything, it seems that I'm unable to connect to the eshop or attempt the update (not that is needed) while the sd card is inserted, trying to work this out but the most important thing and the reason for this post has been resolved! Thank you again!

Sypherone · Nov 30, 2022

Thank you for the feedback !
Nice to hear your main problems are solved.
In case issues persist, post here again in this thread.

Happy gaming :yay3ds:

New 3ds xl not booting up, only displays the blue lcd for a few seconds

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