Hacking Switch online, sorting the mess and understanding it all

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

Morning all, firstly I know a lot of this is covered elsewhere but struggling to fully get my head round it all and looking to open a discussion for what I'm after in one place please...

So background, I purchased a pre modded switch about 12 months ago, it came with an sxos dongle and licence pre installed and all working fine. I have since updated my switch to 9.2.0 and sxos to latest beta 2.9.5 ... No issues really with any of this, running CFW and tinfoil fine and offline gaming working lovely.

Ok now my dilemma, basically I am wanting to purchase a legit copy of FIFA 20 and maybe other games in future to play online. So wanting to somehow get to a way of switching between OFW and CFW to play safely online (if possible). I have read a lot about sysnand emunand cleannand etc etc but to be honest I've got lost in it all. So many terms and not a lot of simple steps or guide as I can fine, more about checking what I currently have etc than anything.

I made a nand backup when I updated my switch to 8.2.0 previously but I assume this is not classed as a clean nand backup?

As far as I am ware my sxos has stealth mode on and running emunand (what ever that is or means) but wanting advice on how to check exactly? All these where on the day I got the switch so can only assume always been on.

So in a nutshell I get I need to buy a new SD card and boot to OFW with that new clean sd card in but is it that simple? Can anyone give me some steps of things to check or do first please?

Thanks an advance
Richard

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Nashan67 · Apr 29, 2020

So you bought a hacked Switch and now you expect to be able to play online ?

You realise your switch has a chance to be banned already ?

Anyway: I thihnk what you want is to create a partition on your SD ( with a EXT3 file system) and install there an emunand (with hekate) without internet connection (90dns). Then you may start your sysnand's OFW (as stock) and delete every non official games and/or channels.
Finally connect this sysnand to internet and cross fingers for not having a banned switch ..

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

Nashan67 said:
So you bought a hacked Switch and now you expect to be able to play online ?

You realise your switch has a chance to be banned already ?

Anyway: I thihnk what you want is to create a partition on your SD ( with a EXT3 file system) and install there an emunand (with hekate) without internet connection (90dns). Then you may start your sysnand's OFW (as stock) and delete every non official games and/or channels.
Finally connect this sysnand to internet and cross fingers for not having a banned switch ..

I don't believe it to be banned but you're right I can't be sure...

Ok so although I almost get what you're saying I'm confused even more as this is the first time I've heard about a partition?

I am happy to get a new SD card to have an obvious OFW card and a CFW card. I want to be able to switch between the two?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Nashan67 · Apr 29, 2020

No, you don't need to switch SD card.

All you need is to partition your current SD card (or you might want to do that on a new one if you have a spare one).

One partition will be a regular FAT32 or exFAT file system (which means you can read it on windows) with your regular switch folders and datas (sxos, nintendo, etc..) while the other partition will be a linux file system partition (called EXT3 and not readable with windows because switch is a linux system). This is the partition where you will copy your nand and use it as emuMMC.

~~Detailed step-by-step howto: https://switch.homebrew.guide/emummc/windows~~ (I don't think a SXOS can follow this tutorial as is, you have to find a tutorial to make an emunand with SXOS)

Don't forget to backup your SD before anything else. (partitionning should erase data from your SD)

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

Ok thanks but still confused, what is the emummc? What is that doing and why do I need it?

Is it different from the emunand currently running via my sxos?

And I am willing to buy a new SD card for a definite separation but why would I then still need to partition it?

Sorry for the questions I am wanting to get a full understanding of it all and why etc

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Nashan67 · Apr 29, 2020

Sorry for the confusion. emuMMC and emuNAND is the same: emulating the switch's internal memory from a SD (MMC) support. Emunand being the SXOS naming while Hekate names it emuMMC.

You don't have to change your SD. You can put the firmware on its own partition (like I mentionned above) or even drop the firmware as a file on your usual card's partition.

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

ok starting to get some understanding now, i am running EMUnand via SXOS. So i assume when ever i boot to my CFW that always uses the EMUnand as i have it enabled?

Checked my SD card and i have a EMUTENDO folder and a NINTENDO folder which i believe is correct, but also assume this means that my EMUnand is not in a hidden partition and just on my SD card? Is there a way for me to check this for certain?

Also i have gone into air plane mood and spotted my OFW is on firmware 7.0.2 while my CFW is on 9.20 which i updated to via choirjournx yesterday.

Ok so i get i can use the same SD card but im guessing it doesn't have the hidden partition? If this is the case to save me messing around with a new EMUnand, am i now just best with a new SD card to save time and me losing everything? Also my current card is 128gb and would rather save space for games on my CFW.

Also if i get a new SD card how do i then boot into my OFW?

Technicmaster0 · Apr 29, 2020

Did you or anyone else install something into the OFW? Did you use piracy in OFW?

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

Technicmaster0 said:
Did you or anyone else install something into the OFW? Did you use piracy in OFW?

I dont believe i have ever done anything on my OFW, i only booted to it like two times to check it would, never did a thing while in it. Therefore dont believe i have ever used piracy in it. The only thing i can think is that i did have my SD card in that does have my EMUnand and all my SXOS files when i booted to OFW?

Not sure how to boot to OFW without an SD card?

Nashan67 · Apr 29, 2020

NoddyRams said:
ok starting to get some understanding now, i am running EMUnand via SXOS. So i assume when ever i boot to my CFW that always uses the EMUnand as i have it enabled?

Ok. Yes you're actually booting from emuNAND which is installed on your SD card.

NoddyRams said:
Checked my SD card and i have a EMUTENDO folder and a NINTENDO folder which i believe is correct, but also assume this means that my EMUnand is not in a hidden partition and just on my SD card? Is there a way for me to check this for certain?

Ok, the nintendo folder is where your installed games and other datas (like pictures and captures from the album) are stored. This nintendo folder always has 3 folders: albums-contents-save. The EMUTENDO is either the same as the nintendo folder but for the emunand or it can be the emunand itself.

To check this: you can look inside the emutendo folder and check if you have these 3 folders: albums, contents and save. If you have this, then this folder is your "nintendo" folder but for the emunand. If you have something else: it must be the emunand file itself.

Another way to check if your SD is partitionned: you can check your SD's drive capacity within windows explorer. If the size match the total size of your SD, then there is not other partition and your emunand is a file within this drive. If the size doesn't match your real microSD capacity, then you certainly have another drive (which should be unreadable by windows and windows might offer to format this one everytime you insert your card) containing the nand.

NoddyRams said:
Also i have gone into air plane mood and spotted my OFW is on firmware 7.0.2 while my CFW is on 9.20 which i updated to via choirjournx yesterday.

Then you should be able to boot stock sysnand (OFW) and turn your wifi on and simply update from nintendo's server.

If you're running OFW nintendo is not supposed to ban you and you can go online even though your microSD contains "hacking contents". You definitely don't need another microSD.

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

Nashan67 said:
The EMUTENDO is either the same as the nintendo folder but for the emunand or it can be the emunand itself.

So my EMUtendo folder just has the three folders, where is the emunand itself now then?

Nashan67 said:
Another way to check if your SD is partitionned: you can check your SD's drive capacity within windows explorer. If the size match the total size of your SD, then there is not other partition and your emunand is a file within this drive. If the size doesn't match your real microSD capacity, then you certainly have another drive (which should be unreadable by windows and windows might offer to format this one everytime you insert your card) containing the nand.

I have put my sd card in my laptop and windows only shows 89.9gb capacity yet the card itself states 128gb? Does this mean i do have a hidden partition for the emunand? Even though i have the emutendo folder? What is held in the hidden partition, is there no way of every seeing this hidden partition?

Nashan67 said:
Then you should be able to boot stock sysnand (OFW) and turn your wifi on and simply update from nintendo's server.

Does it matter if my OFW is a higher version than my CFW?

Nashan67 · Apr 29, 2020

NoddyRams said:
So my EMUtendo folder just has the three folders, where is the emunand itself now then?

It's in a separate partition.

NoddyRams said:
I have put my sd card in my laptop and windows only shows 89.9gb capacity yet the card itself states 128gb? Does this mean i do have a hidden partition for the emunand?

Yes

NoddyRams said:
Even though i have the emutendo folder? What is held in the hidden partition, is there no way of every seeing this hidden partition?

Yes, you can install an EXT3 file system driver but there is really no point in that (and please don't touch anything or you might need to restore your backup nand). It's only switch's firmware, config files and internal memory for games and updates. Nothing interesting there.

NoddyRams said:
Does it matter if my OFW is a higher version than my CFW?

No, they're really two different independant systems.

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

Nashan67 said:
Yes, you can install an EXT3 file system driver but there is really no point in that (and please don't touch anything or you might need to restore your backup nand). It's only switch's firmware, config files and internal memory for games and updates. Nothing interesting there.

Sorry my intrigue always gets the better of me, so i installed the software but still cant see that partition at all? I have manage to see the space in windows disk management another ext3 reader for windows but they both just state unallocated space and nothing on them? Wants me to format? Is this right or just a bad setup on my SD card? just want to confirm exactly where my EMUnand is thats all?

Nashan67 · Apr 29, 2020

Your emunand is within that space. Not sure why your windows can't see it....Maybe it's not EXT3 (I'm pretty sure it is) anyway just leave it alone and upgrade that sysnand

NoddyRams · Apr 29, 2020

Nashan67 said:
Your emunand is within that space. Not sure why your windows can't see it....Maybe it's not EXT3 (I'm pretty sure it is) anyway just leave it alone and upgrade that sysnand

HAHA sorry for being such a pain and thank you for the help...

So basically im now good to boot to OFW and update straight from nintendo servers regardless of what version etc?

Only other things ive noticed are:

1. on my CFW, i go to data management and look at software, a few games appear to be installed on the system memory and not the sd card? is this a problem? - just to note though i have noticed that when i went on OFW these didnt show on data management and i had loads more space on the system memory?

2. When i have booted to OFW today the main home screen has loads of empty boxes where my game pictures would be if on CFW? Is this just how OFW looks or is this a problem also?

Nashan67 · Apr 29, 2020

All that you're mentionning is absolutely normal.

On a stock switch (OFW) there are 2 spaces to install games:
- internal memory: limited to 32Gb and shared with the firmware (this is the sysnand)
- external memory: on the microSD, within a folder named "nintendo"

When you make an emunand (or emuMMC), the software copies the sysnand on the microSD (it can be on it's own partition or as a file on the main partition): this will be emunand's internal memory. And it also create a folder on the microSD for this emunand's external memory. This folder is named "EMUTENDO" for SXOS or "emummc" for Hekate.

From there, these two systems will live their own lives and evolve each one their side. One can be upgraded while the other is not (as you actually are with your sysnand being 7.2 and emunand 9.2 or 10 if I remember correctly) they can have different games installed or removed, different captures in the albums, different settings (wifi etc...).

Your sysnand being never used that's why its 32Gb are almost empty and all the game's square are empty boxes.

Hacking Switch online, sorting the mess and understanding it all

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