Ultimate guide to upgrade your firmware/Atmosphère

Sometimes you need to upgrade your console, upgrade the firmware or upgrade Atmosphère, using the @l7777 's guide (https://gbatemp.net/threads/updating-hekate-atmosphere-and-hos.631739/) as base I hope to create a list of necessary steps to successful upgrade your console.

This guide uses Hekate, if you don't want to use Hekate skip the steps about it. You may loose some features.





Make a backup.​

Always make a full backup of your console, so if something goes wrong you have a know working restore point.

If you are going to update your SysNAND you can create a backup using Hekate's NYX, It's the easy way.

For your EmuNAND there are two paths:
  • If your EmuNAND is RAW based, you can use a tool like EmuTool (EmuTool GitHub) to backup the RAW partition to a set of files on your PC. That backup can be used later to restore the RAW partition or you can convert your setup to File based EmuNAND using that files.
  • If your EmuNAND is file based, making a backup is so easy as copying the SDMC:/emuMMC folder to your PC.

Also is advisable to backup all files on your SD Card, You can Use Hekate's UMS for that task, so you don't remove the SD from Console and avoid the problem associated to manipulating the SD card.

Preparation.​

Before you start the process you need some steps:
  • Download latest Atmosphère files, download again from the GitHub repo no matters if you think you have it, sometimes the repo is silent updated.
  • Download latest Hekate files, download again from the GitHub repo no matters if you think you have it, sometimes the repo is silent updated.
  • Download latest Sigpatches from the GBATemp Thread no matters if you think you have the newest, they might be upgraded.
  • Download latest Sys-Patch Sysmodule some people tells is redundant but is better be safe than sorry
  • If you are going to upgrade your firmware, remove any theme you have installed! NX-Themeinstaller now have a option to remove all installed themes.
  • You can get a legally aquiered firmware files, by example dumping them from another console using homebrew like https://github.com/mrdude2478/Switch-Firmware-Dumper or DBI, also a search engine can help you to find a correct backup, by example Firmware 18.1.0 rebootless have an ID of e7e2b68

Starting the process.​

Restart your console to Hekate's NYX and load UMS tool, or remove the card and put on your PC, is up to you, Hakate may be a little bit slower but you do not risk physically your console.
  • Delete SDMC:/atmosphere/contents or SDMC:/atmosphere/titles, you should have backed up this folder before.
  • Delete the next folders, that's because the first time you load new Atmosphère that folders will emptied and that can take a lot of time so you could think your console got frozen, so in order to avoid that false alarm it's better to delete them before start console.
    • SDMC:/atmosphere/crash_reports
    • SDMC:/atmosphere/erpt_reports
    • SDMC:/atmosphere/fatal_reports
  • If you had used INCOGNITO_RCM, is advisable to remove incognito from yours *NAND, having PRODINFO blanked via Incognito RCM can create problems on the new firmware/atmosphère versions.
  • Extract Atmosphère zip file and copy to the root of your SD, overwrite all files.
  • Edit your SDMC:/exosphere.ini file and add/change the next values to «1» in order to enable Atmosphère incognito on telemetry:
Code:
blank_prodinfo_sysmmc=1
blank_prodinfo_emummc=1
  • Enable DNSMiTM, by editing the SDMC:/atmosphere/config/system_settings.ini and be sure the parameter enable_dns_mitm have the value u8!0x1:
Code:
enable_dns_mitm = u8!0x1

  • Extract the downloaded Hekate zip file, and copy to the root of your SD, overwrite all files.
  • Upgrade your payload.bin file, if you use a injector on the injector, if you use a modchip replacing the file SDMC:/payload.bin file, if you use Hekate rename the file hekate_ctcaer_X.Y.Z.bin to payload.bin and copy to root of your SDCard.
  • Extract the sigpatches file and copy to the root of your SD Card, overwrite all files.
  • Etract the Sys-Patch zip file and copy to the root of your SD Card, overwrite all files.
  • Create a folder on your SD Card and copy on it the extracted files for the firmware.

Testing the console​

Put the card or turn off the console, then start your console as usual and let the HOS to load.
If everything load fine yu can now upgrade your firmware or go to next step.
In order to upgrade your firmware, load Homebre Loader (HBmenu) and run Daybreak. it's better to select «install (FAT32 + exFAT)» option, on this way if anytime you insert a SD card formatted on exFAT you will avoid an error. This option only install additional drivers but DO NOT modify your card. Be sure of select «Preserve settings» if you like to preserve your games and configuration.
Your console will restart once the process end.
Test your installed titles and verify some games to run OK.

Finishing the setup.​

After you know your console boots correctly and everything is fine now you can reinstall SYSMODULES, cheats, and modifications. you can choose restore them from your SDMC:/atmosphere/contents backup or I do recommend to look if there is any newer version.

By example you can use the post TESLA and Overlays to find the most recent version of Tesla and overlays, also if you like there is a tutorial for build the latest code available https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-build-overlays-from-code.659331/, it's for advanced users.

Other common SYSmodules are, Emuiibo, Mission Control, FTPD, etc.

Remember to restar your console once you upgraded any SYSMODULE

Take a time and look for updated version of your Homebrew.

If you use themes look if there are new versions of NXThemesInstaller and the patches needed to install them, after update all components, reinstall your themes.


Important note for Mac Users:​

Macintosh OSes and IOS have a disgusting tendency to no adhere to standards so if you handle your card on a Mac, be sure to boot in to NYX and on tools tab select «Unset archive bit» AND «Fix archive bit - Nintendo»


More information about the upgrade process:​


https://gbatemp.net/threads/super-m...needs-system-update-help.641589/post-10273387
https://gbatemp.net/threads/updating-hekate-atmosphere-and-hos.631739/
https://gbatemp.net/threads/firmware-and-nand-questions.612782/post-9835101
https://rentry.org/UpdateCFWAndFW
 
Last edited by impeeza,

furbi963

Active Member
Newcomer
Joined
Dec 4, 2021
Messages
39
Trophies
0
Age
33
XP
574
Country
Mexico
Yo añadiría el bundle NX Venom for overclocking y undervolt mejora bastante el rendimiento y la duración de la batería.

I would add the NX Venom for overclocking bundle and undervolt improves performance and battery life quite a bit :grog:
 

impeeza

¡Kabito!
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
7,423
Trophies
4
Age
46
Location
At my chair.
XP
23,862
Country
Colombia
Yo añadiría el bundle NX Venom for overclocking y undervolt mejora bastante el rendimiento y la duración de la batería.

I would add the NX Venom for overclocking bundle and undervolt improves performance and battery life quite a bit :grog:
I was trying to leave as general as possible, but I will investigate about that SYSMODULE and if possible add to the steps.

Thank you so much.
 

wiiztec

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
442
Trophies
1
Age
34
XP
373
Country
United States
I don't have SDMC:/exosphere.ini or SDMC:/atmosphere/config/system_settings.ini and I don't know what "Create a folder on your SD Card and copy on it the extracted files for the firmware." means
 

impeeza

¡Kabito!
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
7,423
Trophies
4
Age
46
Location
At my chair.
XP
23,862
Country
Colombia
I don't have SDMC:/exosphere.ini or SDMC:/atmosphere/config/system_settings.ini

That files are on SDMC:/atmosphere/config_templates. Copy the files from that folder to the root and config folder respectively


and I don't know what "Create a folder on your SD Card and copy on it the extracted files for the firmware." means

Simple: you create a folder at the root of sd card and extract the files of the firmware archive on it
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blythe93

wiiztec

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
442
Trophies
1
Age
34
XP
373
Country
United States
Simple: you create a folder at the root of sd card and extract the files of the firmware archive on it
I don't know what you are talking about

also does what you said about those ini files only apply if you used an incognito RCM? because I don't think I did
 

impeeza

¡Kabito!
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
7,423
Trophies
4
Age
46
Location
At my chair.
XP
23,862
Country
Colombia
I don't know what this firmware archive you're referring to is
You can upgrade the console firmware offline using a set of files which you can get by dumping from a console already upgraded, a cartridge or from a friend on the net. if you get the firmware from the beer is very possible you download a zip file, so you need extract that zip file on a folder on the root of the sd card
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blythe93

wiiztec

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2009
Messages
442
Trophies
1
Age
34
XP
373
Country
United States
When is this necessary? I maybe have known in the past but I always forget stuff about switch softmodding, as a concept it seems if Atmosphere is a custom firmware it's replacing the OFW so updating the OFW should be irrelevant right?
 

impeeza

¡Kabito!
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 5, 2011
Messages
7,423
Trophies
4
Age
46
Location
At my chair.
XP
23,862
Country
Colombia
  • Like
Reactions: Blythe93

Blythe93

The Treasure Tracker
Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2022
Messages
1,274
Trophies
2
XP
3,106
Country
Serbia, Republic of
I don't know what "Create a folder on your SD Card and copy on it the extracted files for the firmware." means
Create a folder on the root of your SD card named e.g. firmware and extract the zip archive containing firmware files that you've previously acquired somewhere on the Internet (we aren't allowed to link to any place that hosts those files due to copyright issues, but quick Google search is all it takes to find it). Why do you need to create a folder named firmware? Just so that you can find it easily once in Daybreak, an Atmosphere homebrew app that is used for updating / downgrading your Switch firmware. You can name it and place it wherever you want on your SD card, but creating a folder on the root of your SD card is recommended.

When is this necessary?
Depends on what you do on your console. If you want to play latest games, you'll probably have to be on the latest firmware. Usually game updates are the ones that require higher firmware. I personally update whenever Atmosphere, Hekate and sigpatches/sys-patch support the latest available firmware (and MissionControl, if you're like me and you're using controllers from other consoles like Wii U and PS3). All those important apps are updated in a week or so at best.

if Atmosphere is a custom firmware it's replacing the OFW so updating the OFW should be irrelevant right?
Not quite right, I guess. I believe that the author of Atmosphere made it that way so that it doesn't come with the official firmware files from Nintendo in order to avoid copyright infringement, therefore you can think of it as a patch for the official firmware that needs to be run on every boot. Him not supporting piracy as well allowed him so far to keep working on Atmosphere so that we can enjoy having the latest and greatest in Switch homebrew scene.
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    babycomingsh @ babycomingsh: 最好换一个新的SD卡