Hacking A9LH vs Menuhax - Is the risk worth it?

[Bu2d85]

[A9LH]

Profits
- Faster and 100% stable coldboot because of no emuNAND

Merits
- Currently no more uses than coldboot
- Difficult to get OTP - the needed key file
- High brick-rate when writing built A9LH file to SysNAND - but in order to use A9LH you must write it into SysNAND
- Install bad tickets to SysNAND due to no-emuNAND
(Every CIA installation adds bad ticket to the ticket.db and it's ETERNALLY UNABLE TO BE REMOVED unless you have a ticket.db/NAND backup)

[Menuhax]

Profits
- Up to 95% stable coldboot
- Multiboot for more uses than launching CFW
- No fear about installing bad tickets to SysNAND when you use emuNAND
- No brick issues

Merits
- 5% less stable coldboot than A9LH

---------------------------------------------

You can still use emunand with a9lh and get a 100% boot rate, so that and the invalid tickets are not big issues.

The only things that a9lh has going for it are the boot rate and decrypt9 before the system loads. It's almost as good as a hardmod as long as you don't jack-up the firms.

 

[MelonGx]

CTRBM is what lowered it to like 15%.
I actually made it a practice to interrupt coldboot to go to Homebrew Launcher and manually select the 3dsx for my CFW. It was way better, but still bad.

Check the franken things what I edited.
If your 3DS is not frankenfirmware, then it's unique. Exchange one if available.

 

[Halvorsen]

Check the franken things what I edited.
If your 3DS is not frankenfirmware, then it's unique. Exchange one if available.

No, frankenfirmware is one of the first things that is checked after downgrade. Anyway, it's not like my case was unheard of; it's pretty common. There was an entire other boot manager that was made since NTRBM kept hanging. Anything better than 80% menuhax success rates don't... exist.

 

[Jiro2]

What symptoms do people actually get when Menuhax fails? What happens to me is that it gets stuck on the Menuhax splash screen, but this seems odd since if it's on the splash screen, it obviously has managed to start and do things. I have a really low boot rate, maybe 50%, and the symptom is almost always putting up the Menuhax splash screen and then not doing anything. I am also using ctrbootmanager and lesshax--is one of those failing instead?

 

[Halvorsen]

What symptoms do people actually get when Menuhax fails? What happens to me is that it gets stuck on the Menuhax splash screen, but this seems odd since if it's on the splash screen, it obviously has managed to start and do things. I have a really low boot rate, maybe 50%, and the symptom is almost always putting up the Menuhax splash screen and then not doing anything. I am also using ctrbootmanager and lesshax--is one of those failing instead?

>lesshax. lol
Anyway, it can freeze in three places; menuhax splash, boot manager, or the CFW loader (.dat or .3dsx). Three chances of failing, so a low boot rate is expected.

 

[Quantumcat]

[A9LH]

Profits
- Faster and 100% stable coldboot because of no emuNAND

Merits
- Currently no more uses than coldboot
- Difficult to get OTP - the needed key file
- High brick-rate when writing built A9LH file to SysNAND - but in order to use A9LH you must write it into SysNAND
- Install bad tickets to SysNAND due to no-emuNAND
(Every CIA installation adds bad ticket to the ticket.db and it's ETERNALLY UNABLE TO BE REMOVED unless you have a ticket.db/NAND backup)

[Menuhax]

Profits
- Up to 95% stable coldboot
- Multiboot for more uses than launching CFW
- No fear about installing bad tickets to SysNAND when you use emuNAND
- No brick issues

Merits
- 5% less stable coldboot than A9LH (which sounds like nothing)

A merit means a good thing, for example a merit certificate. Is that what you meant?

 

[nickwhit]

I have some questions about trying out this A9LH business.. I apologize if theyve already been asked, and for not creating my own thread. This one already sounded pretty similar.

My questions:
1) Im currently set up with menuhax booting rxTools emunand. Every guide I see for this uses CakesFW instead. Can rxTools be used or do I have to switch to Cakes.. and what are the differences if any?

2) The guide assumes you are coming from clean stock practically. I already have FBI and things like that installed to my Sysnand and Emunand. Do I need to repeat this steps as well? Like are the versions of any apps included special or if I already have them do I just use them as instructed?

Once I have these questions answered I think im gonna brave it. My bootrate lately has been killing me.
Go big or go home, is how I feel.

 

[Raylight]

According to the geniuses over in the dev department, no. Unless a cop shows up at your door, demands you to hand over your 3ds, and gives it to Nintendo to change its hardware, Nintendo can't do anything update-wise.

What if they made the otp irrelevant and messed with it like in the 3.0 update

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

I have some questions about trying out this A9LH business.. I apologize if theyve already been asked, and for not creating my own thread. This one already sounded pretty similar.

My questions:
1) Im currently set up with menuhax booting rxTools emunand. Every guide I see for this uses CakesFW instead. Can rxTools be used or do I have to switch to Cakes.. and what are the differences if any?

2) The guide assumes you are coming from clean stock practically. I already have FBI and things like that installed to my Sysnand and Emunand. Do I need to repeat this steps as well? Like are the versions of any apps included special or if I already have them do I just use them as instructed?

Once I have these questions answered I think im gonna brave it. My bootrate lately has been killing me.
Go big or go home, is how I feel.

Be aware that rxTools is no longer a tool its just a CFW now all its features have been stripped away

 

[gkoelho]

What if they made the otp irrelevant and messed with it like in the 3.0 update

Impossible. the otp keys grant code execution on all levels, and as the Firm0\Firm1 updates are blocked during the process of setting up a9lh ,is actually impossible to change it, Nintendo itself dont have the access to do it software-only.

 

[Raylight]

Impossible. the otp keys grant code execution on all levels, and as the Firm0\Firm1 updates are blocked during the process of setting up a9lh ,is actually impossible to change it, Nintendo itself dont have the access to do it software-only.

That seems unlikely How stupid would you have to be to lock yourself out of a very importent file. They made the saftware im sure they have a few tricks.

 

[nickwhit]

Be aware that rxTools is no longer a tool its just a CFW now all its features have been stripped away

What does this even mean though?
Basically what I need to know is can I run this guide from Step 4 onward using rxTools emunand 10.7 and sysnand on 9.2?
Or will I end up having to replace it with Cakes?
How have the tools been stripped from rx?

 

[gkoelho]

That seems unlikely How stupid would you have to be to lock yourself out of a very importent file. They made the saftware im sure they have a few tricks.

Ur are getting the situation wrong. This keys are what actually "secures" the system, they are what decides if u are blocked or give permissions to reard, writte and exec code. Since they are on your control, nintendo can not bypass that.

There are a lot of information here if u want:

 

[Raylight]

What does this even mean though?
Basically what I need to know is can I run this guide from Step 4 onward using rxTools emunand 10.7 and sysnand on 9.2?
Or will I end up having to replace it with Cakes?
How have the tools been stripped from rx?

You should be able to use rx with the guide. rxtools had all sorts of bells an whistles with it but since decrypt9 does it better there taking those features out and just leaving the cfw

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Ur are getting the situation wrong. This keys are what actually "secures" the system, they are what decides if u are blocked or give permissions to reard, writte and exec code. Since they are on your control, nintendo can not bypass that.

There are a lot of information here if u want:

interesting

 

[nickwhit]

My main worry has been the FBI portion thats included in part 4.
Like I said, my sysnand and emunand both have FBI installed, though it doesnt run on sysnand without running in rxmode.
Is this ok? Do I just skip these steps and use FBI normally if I already have it?
I know it seems like a dumb question.. I just dont wanna take any more risks than I have to.. But also trying to eliminate steps if possible.

 

[gkoelho]

My main worry has been the FBI portion thats included in part 4.
Like I said, my sysnand and emunand both have FBI installed, though it doesnt run on sysnand without running in rxmode.
Is this ok? Do I just skip these steps and use FBI normally if I already have it?
I know it seems like a dumb question.. I just dont wanna take any more risks than I have to.. But also trying to eliminate steps if possible.

U do everything as he says, everystep. Also, I cant see where it says to open FBI at sysnand on part 4

 

[nickwhit]

But I really cant do EVERY step without undoing my previous emunand, which I refuse to do.

And it doesnt instruct you to open FBI on part 4, it asks you to install it.
However it does ask you to run HBL from sysnand using any method. The part where youre making backups. But...
How am I to access homebrew launcher from sysnand? I used to use the now-dead browserhax, and I could always install the HBL app to sysnand - but it wont boot unless im using rxmode sysnand. Is that considered an acceptable entry method for this portion of the guide?

 

[gkoelho]

But I really cant do EVERY step without undoing my previous emunand, which I refuse to do.

And it doesnt instruct you to open FBI on part 4, it asks you to install it.
However it does ask you to run HBL from sysnand using any method. The part where youre making backups. But...
How am I to access homebrew launcher from sysnand? I used to use the now-dead browserhax, and I could always install the HBL app to sysnand - but it wont boot unless im using rxmode sysnand. Is that considered an acceptable entry method for this portion of the guide?

No.

U need ninjahax, oot3dhax, ironhax, menuhax, or any valid 9.2 entrypoint.

 

[Raylight]

My main worry has been the FBI portion thats included in part 4.
Like I said, my sysnand and emunand both have FBI installed, though it doesnt run on sysnand without running in rxmode.
Is this ok? Do I just skip these steps and use FBI normally if I already have it?
I know it seems like a dumb question.. I just dont wanna take any more risks than I have to.. But also trying to eliminate steps if possible.

if you already have fbi you can skip that step unless its an old ver fbi then update it

 

[nickwhit]

No.

U need ninjahax, oot3dhax, ironhax, menuhax, or any valid 9.2 entrypoint.

I have menuhax. But to me that isnt going through sysnand. So you mean I can use menuhax to access HBL and OTPHelper for the backups I need to make before I start the actual downgrading process? Thats basically my only concern left at this point lol. The guide clearly says to do it from sysnand. But if going through menuhax to HBL and OTPHelper works.. then im cool with that. Just need some validation.

Nvm - I guess technically my definition of sysnand isnt accurate enough haha. When I think about it.. Its not emunand until rx boots. So yeah the wording just confused me a bit. Backing up everything now - then hopefully taking the plunge soon

Sorry for the edits... But one thing thats had me worried :

Every time ive previously formatted my Emunand/SD card, Ive lost my menuhax. Which led to me having to reinstall it through HBL.. but currently menuhax is my only access method. Will I lose my menuhax during any of this process?

 

[gkoelho]

Sorry for the edits... But one thing thats had me worried :

Every time ive previously formatted my Emunand/SD card, Ive lost my menuhax. Which led to me having to reinstall it through HBL.. but currently menuhax is my only access method. Will I lose my menuhax during any of this process?

I really dont use menuhax cause I have cubic ninja, so I dont know how to answer you. Plailect's guide used to be done using menuhax, but it had several changes since I did this, so I can not guarantee u.