3DS sd card turned to RAW -- HELP !!!

[MO35AB]

So it has been a long time since i used my 3DS, and trying to turn it on, the light turns on , then off, i plugged the sd into my pc, and it shows the windows "format disk" message, from disk part, the sd shows as RAW, how can i recover files ? i used disk drill , and some files are still there, is there a way to backup the whole sd before doing anything dangerous ? smth like "dd" on linux, i don't wanna lose my Pokémons

 

[Lun4ria]

Have you tried using a data recovery program to recover the files? Also are you able to boot into the godmode payload, if so you might be able to back it up using that.

I found a method that might work with Command line:
1) Connect the not formatted SD card to PC.


2) Click Start menu.


3) Type Command Prompt into Start.


4) Right click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.


5) Type chkdsk [drive letter:] /r, and then press Enter.


For example, if your SD card reader is f:, you can use the following command: chkdsk f: /r.


6) Type exit and press Enter.

 

[MO35AB]

can't boot to godmode, i tried disk drill, it got some random files, but was able to display some images, now trying "test disk"

 

[Lun4ria]

If

can't boot to godmode, i tried disk drill, it got some random files, but was able to display some images, now trying "test disk"

it doesnt work it will just give a error, had a few problems with USB drives corrupting and it worked for my USB's so hopefully it works for your SD card.

 

[MO35AB]

Have you tried using a data recovery program to recover the files? Also are you able to boot into the godmode payload, if so you might be able to back it up using that.

I found a method that might work with Command line:
1) Connect the not formatted SD card to PC.


2) Click Start menu.


3) Type Command Prompt into Start.


4) Right click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator.


5) Type chkdsk [drive letter:] /r, and then press Enter.


For example, if your SD card reader is f:, you can use the following command: chkdsk f: /r.


6) Type exit and press Enter.

chdsk says disk is raw.

 

[Lun4ria]

chdsk says disk is raw.

Usually that means dats on the SD card is corrupted, not 100% sure how to recover the files, I know theres a lot of programs available that could help but I'm not sure which ones are good or are just cheap cash-grabs, can't lie might have to wait for someone on here who knows more about this than me, I'm sorry i wasn't much help, hope someone can help soon.

 

[Hayato213]

chdsk says disk is raw.

You may as well test the card empty under h2testw.

 

[MO35AB]

thank god i was able to do a full sd backup in its current raw state, into a single file using rufus, so now i can start testing tricks on it, and see what happens

Post automatically merged: Jul 24, 2023

Can i use another sd card to boot to godmod, then eject and swap sd ??

 

[Lun4ria]

thank god i was able to do a full sd backup in its current raw state, into a single file using rufus, so now i can start testing tricks on it, and see what happens

Post automatically merged: Jul 24, 2023

Can i use another sd card to boot to godmod, then eject and swap sd ??

Unfortunately no, just tried this on my own 3DS, it just crashes.

 

[MO35AB]

Test disk got the folder structure, but many folders were not readable some are, and the Nintendo 3ds folder is empty

Post automatically merged: Jul 25, 2023

@Cyan i need your help once again
I have the backup image, so if anyone feels like helping, i can upload it somewhere.

 

[Kwyjor]

There have been reports that Easeus can succeed sometimes when Testdisk does not.

 

[MO35AB]

There have been reports that Easeus can succeed sometimes when Testdisk does not.

i got these !!
most photos and voice files work perfectly, the camera folder was amazing, i even found the PKhex bank file, and the jksave manager files,
i m really tired today, maybe later i ll check what i found, for now, i ll just get them all.
any idea the other backup manager ... CTR ??? smth , what file format is the backup ?
i remember making a full backup of all installed games before.
for the saves i left inside, are they lost as well ?
i mean , what is stored in the 3DS, and what is on the SD card ?
Thanks guys !

 

[Latiodile]

i had a similar problem when connecting my switch sd card to my pc, it absolutely refused to read under windows but read fine under linux, so i backed up my sd card with my steam deck, try booting a linux VM and forwarding the usb reader and see what happens?

except in my case windows still recognized that it was exfat, but kept saying "the system could not find the file specified" when i tried mounting the card
worth a try though

 

[Kwyjor]

any idea the other backup manager ... CTR ??? smth , what file format is the backup ?

I have no idea what this sentence is supposed to mean.

i mean , what is stored in the 3DS, and what is on the SD card ?

Everything is stored on the SD card except for system titles and their save data (as well as save data from virtual console GBA games).

If you don't have any of the folder data, then it is going to be difficult (but by no means impossible) to determine what particular game is associated with any particular save game data.

 

[MO35AB]

I like to finish good stories lol, so i used "Easeus data recovery wizard", was able to get all files back, but they were scrambled.
what i did is keep them for a month or so, was busy, today i decided to try again, the 3DS didn't turn on !! after desassambling it to pieces and putting it back, still nothing, so i started trying anything, i went back to the first method, putting boot.firm in the root, and by using luma 12.0.0 it worked !! somehow !!
later i put the "Nintendo 3DS" folder back , it was stuck at boot.
i renamed the folder to "Nintendo 3DS old" and the 3DS just created a new one,
i dragged the new one's content inside the old one, and turning on the 3DS ....

Post automatically merged: Sep 6, 2023

Everything is back in place ... save states save backups , pokemons, icons, every single thing ...

Post automatically merged: Sep 6, 2023

To those having data troubles out there, don't lose hope, keep a backup image of the raw sd somewhere safe, and keep trying !

 

[theninjagamer]

I like to finish good stories lol, so i used "Easeus data recovery wizard", was able to get all files back, but they were scrambled.
what i did is keep them for a month or so, was busy, today i decided to try again, the 3DS didn't turn on !! after desassambling it to pieces and putting it back, still nothing, so i started trying anything, i went back to the first method, putting boot.firm in the root, and by using luma 12.0.0 it worked !! somehow !!
later i put the "Nintendo 3DS" folder back , it was stuck at boot.
i renamed the folder to "Nintendo 3DS old" and the 3DS just created a new one,
i dragged the new one's content inside the old one, and turning on the 3DS ....

Post automatically merged: Sep 6, 2023

Everything is back in place ... save states save backups , pokemons, icons, every single thing ...

Post automatically merged: Sep 6, 2023

To those having data troubles out there, don't lose hope, keep a backup image of the raw sd somewhere safe, and keep trying !

Can you tell me step by step what all you did. It happend to me when I put my SD card into my pc

 

[MO35AB]

Sorry, i just saw your message, is this still an issue for you ?

 

[theninjagamer]

Sorry, i just saw your message, is this still an issue for you ?

No, I got it to work again using testdisk. Thank you for replying