Persistent ARM9 Data Abort crash (Luma3DS/GodMode9) — same crash address throughout multiple fixes, broken L/R buttons

Omega_Alfa

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Aug 12, 2026
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Trophies
0
Age
25
XP
7
Country
Spain
System info:


  • Model: New 3DS XL
  • CFW: Luma3DS v13.4, boot9strap (installed via boot9strap-1.4 folder present on SD)
  • GodMode9 v2.0.0 (currently using a custom L/R-remapped build since my L and R shoulder buttons are physically unresponsive — combo is START+A instead of R+A)

Hardware note: My L and R trigger buttons do not respond at all (confirmed via camera zoom test and multiple attempts). This limits which GodMode9 functions I can access, since several (drive options, batch rename, etc.) normally require R+A.


The crash:



An exception occurred
Processor: Arm9
Exception type: data abort
PC: 08064FE0
LR: 08039455
CPSR: 60000030
R0: 00000000

This exact crash (same PC/LR values) has occurred consistently since the very start of my troubleshooting, across multiple different triggers: opening a specific game (Yokai Watch 2: Mentespectros), then spreading to multiple other titles, then to system apps (Health & Safety), and now happens essentially on boot/opening any system app, even after a full SD reformat.


Timeline of what I've done:


  1. Started getting this crash when opening one specific installed CIA (Yokai Watch 2). Later confirmed it happened with multiple other titles too — not isolated to one game.
  2. Suspected SD card corruption. Backed up the SD to PC, reformatted it as FAT32, reinstalled fresh Luma3DS v13.4.
  3. First reformat attempt failed — I had copied the Luma3DS/boot9strap folders as-is instead of extracting boot.firm/luma to SD root. Fixed that, console booted properly (confirmed "Booted from SD via B9S").
  4. Reinstalled GodMode9 v2.0.0 properly to SD:/luma/payloads/.
  5. Tried installing CIAs via GodMode9 — got "This system is missing one or more .db files" error (known GodMode9 limitation when no CIA has ever been installed via FBI first).
  6. My L button doesn't work, so I edited SD:/luma/config.ini to change rosalina_menu_combo from L+Down+Select to a working combo, accessed Rosalina, switched hb title to hblauncher_loader, launched Homebrew Launcher, installed FBI.cia successfully. This resolved the .db error temporarily and let me install titles via GodMode9.
  7. While cleaning up a leftover/orphaned Nintendo 3DS/<ID0>/<ID1> folder on the SD (left over from restoring an old backup, which had created a duplicate ID folder), I accidentally deleted the ACTIVE id folder instead of the orphaned one. This wiped FBI, all reinstalled titles, and apparently broke something used by system apps (Health & Safety, System Settings, etc. — all now crash on open with the ARM9 data abort above).
  8. Discovered R also doesn't work (not just L) — both shoulder buttons are unresponsive on this unit, likely a shared ribbon/flex cable issue (New 3DS/XL hinge).
  9. Used a community-built GodMode9 remap (L=SELECT, R=START, from GodMode9_lr_swap.firm.zip on GBAtemp) to regain access to R+A-dependent functions.
  10. Ran "Fix CMACs for drive" on [1:] SYSNAND CTRNAND via START+A — did not resolve the crash (same PC/LR as before).
  11. Tried renaming [1:]/data to data2 (per the Hacks Guide wiki ARM9 exception page) to test for a broken NAND system save — reverted after no change, crash persisted identically.
  12. Checked [2:] SYSNAND TWLN for missing shared2 folder — it exists, so that wasn't the cause either.

What I need help with:


  • I have not yet saved a crash dump (SD:/luma/dumps/arm9/) — will do this next time and can upload the .dmp file if that helps analysis.
  • Given the crash predates the SD reformat entirely (same PC/LR from my very first crash screenshot before touching anything), I suspect this isn't SD/data related at all — possibly a boot9strap/Luma3DS incompatibility, or ARM9 firmware-level corruption unrelated to the later SD/title issues.
  • Any guidance on what PC=08064FE0 / LR=08039455 might correspond to, or what else to check, would be hugely appreciated.

Let me know if you need more screenshots or the crash dump file.
 
If you have ruled out SD card problems, then it is distinctly possible the SD card slot itself is defective, and will have to be replaced.

and apparently broke something used by system apps (Health & Safety, System Settings, etc. — all now crash on open with the ARM9 data abort above)
Do those crashes go away if you remove the SD card?
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum