Hacking AKAIO with EZ Flash 3in1Plus

[shattering]

Here's my Hardware:
NDS Lite
Acekard 2i
EZ Flash 3in1Plus
I'm using AKAIO 1.4.1 PROPER for Firmware

I tested using EZ3in1 for playing 3 games.
1. Ryhthm Tengoku (J)
2. Kingdom Hearts (U)
3. Yggra Union (U)

The first one runs ok, I just press A and the game loads to the PSRAM just fine.
Now the problem occurs with the second and third game, which is using NOR.
Kingdom Hearts won't run at all. It runs to the gameboy screen, and after the bios faded I can hear 2 beep sound and the screen freeze in white.
Yggdra Union runs after I flash it to NOR, but there are graphical issues when running the game.

I also tested another method for running the second and third game. After I flash it to NOR, I reset the NDS and run it straight from the DS (by holding B while running) and both games run just fine. No freeze, no graphical issue. The problem is, the game won't save.

All ROMs are not trim or tempered in anyway.

My question is:
1. Is this an issue with AKAIO? Or am I just doing something wrong?
2. Does using GBAexploader going to help? Do I put the GBAexploader.nds and ini in the root directory or in a folder? The readme on the download section is confusing. And where do I put the GBA games? I read that I have to put it in GBA_backup and also I have to make the folder GBA_SAVE and GBA_SIGN. Is this correct?

Oh, and how do I make the GBA skin for GBAexploader? What size, etc.? Thanks.

Thank you.

 

[Another World]

this has been discussed many times, next time use the forum search button.

both akaio and gba exploader appear to have issues with nor flashing on the 3in1+. you need to flash using the app and then boot in the ds firmware. your games will save to the 3in1 as long as the battery works. you will not be able to dump the save without doing some edits to akaio's globalsettings.ini. this is because the game failed to run, the right bit of data may or may not be stored in the globalsettings.ini, so akaio will not know to dump the save on the next reboot. akaio adds an akaio specific 16byte header to each save file. those saves will not work on gba exploader and vice versa, unless you hex edit them.

if you can play a psram game, save it, dump the save using akaio, and reload the save for later... the save issue is with those roms. can you verify they are clean dumps by crc?

please tell me what is confusing about the following?

Please patch the DLDI on GBA_ExpLoader.NDS.
(If your flash card supports auto DLDI patch, you need not to do this.)

*Create "/GBA_SAVE" and "/GBA_SIGN" folder on the root of your SD card.
*Copy GBA files into your SD card.


Make sure you put this file into the root of SD card.

here is the gba frame template: http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=5330

-another world

 

[shattering]

this has been discussed many times, next time use the forum search button.

both akaio and gba exploader appear to have issues with nor flashing on the 3in1+. you need to flash using the app and then boot in the ds firmware. your games will save to the 3in1 as long as the battery works. you will not be able to dump the save without doing some edits to akaio's globalsettings.ini. this is because the game failed to run, the right bit of data may or may not be stored in the globalsettings.ini, so akaio will not know to dump the save on the next reboot. akaio adds an akaio specific 16byte header to each save file. those saves will not work on gba exploader and vice versa, unless you hex edit them.

if you can play a psram game, save it, dump the save using akaio, and reload the save for later... the save issue is with those roms. can you verify they are clean dumps by crc?

please tell me what is confusing about the following?

Please patch the DLDI on GBA_ExpLoader.NDS.
(If your flash card supports auto DLDI patch, you need not to do this.)

*Create "/GBA_SAVE" and "/GBA_SIGN" folder on the root of your SD card.
*Copy GBA files into your SD card.


Make sure you put this file into the root of SD card.

-another world


I read about the issue from other people, I already search, but all the topic doesn't answer any of my question.

The confusing is not on that part. I recall the download is in rar and there is another readme that read like this

English:

This software has been downloaded form http://nds.scenebeta.com data base.
You can find any info as you need about the RAR archive on those address.

Instalation:
Copy all folders to root directory of your Flash Card. Rewritte when demand.

For doubts or tutorials on this one or other applications homebrew visit our web page
http://www.scenebeta.com/ or our community http://nds.scenebeta.com

This one told me to put all folders on the flash card. So is it the root or with folders? The rar contains the GBA exploader in a folder. That's what confusing me. If it say to put all FILES, then I won't be asking this question.

And on the download site http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=5158 someone post a msg saying I should put the game in a folder name GBA_Backup

QUOTE

Comment by: 82535 · Posted on: Sun, Mar 29 2009 5:12 pm
~~~~~~~~~~~A NOOBS GUIDE TO GBA ExpLoader~~~~~~~
1.YOU NEED THE 3 IN 1 EXPANSION PACK TO USE
2.DLDI patch the program because you have a crappy R4
3.Put it where your home-brew Apps go
4.make a new folder in the root directory of the card named "GBA_Backup"
5.put GBA games in that folder
6.run program it will make 2 new folders in the root directory; one for game saves, one for rom image info.
7.press the "R" button to load ROM into the non volatile NOR RAM choose a rom with the D-pad then press the "A" button to load ROM (game starts automatically when loaded)

So where should I put the games? On Root? Or on a folder named GBA_Backup?

I don't have any problem with PSRAM, only with NOR.

If I put the game on NOR then run it from the ds firmware, could you explain more as to how to dump the save game? Does using the dump sram on the AKAIO will do? And where should I put the saves?

One more thing, suppose I want to load the game just to NOR without running it, how do I do that with AKAIO?

Thanks.

PS: If I could, I would have test it myself (I mean which folder to put etc.) but I'm not with my DS right now, and when I do, I just wanna do it right. Thanks.

 

[jruschme]

Is the problem that the OP needs to patch the two games in question to save to SRAM, rather than NOR? (As in the same thing one needs to do to run a Pokemon GBA ROM?)

 

[shattering]

Is the problem that the OP needs to patch the two games in question to save to SRAM, rather than NOR? (As in the same thing one needs to do to run a Pokemon GBA ROM?)

Save games always go to SRAM.
As stated in the other thread, PSRAM for game less than or equal to 16MB, NOR for 32MB games.
SRAM is only for save games.

I have tested using my DS, and have succesfully run the second and third game using NOR via DS firmware after loading it from GBAexploader.
I think I'll be using exploader rather than AKAIO for GBA games.

PS: Someone should remove the comment and the other readme in the download for gbaexploader. It's really confusing...

 

[shattering]

Update: I'm using GBAldr now. It's better than AKAIO or GBAExploader. No freeze or anything using this. It also support skining. Can only use NOR though, but that's enough for me. I prefer NOR than PSRAM anyway.

I can boot NOR straight from GBAldr and don't have to boot from DS firmware anymore

with skins

 

[Tokiopop]

I might try it. Does it support multiple saves like GBAExploder?

 

[Another World]

here is the original post of cory's tool. check it out.

http://ezflash.sosuke.com/about4749.html

-another world

 

[shattering]

I might try it. Does it support multiple saves like GBAExploder?

You can create any number of saves you like.
http://ezflash.sosuke.com/viewtopic.php?p=33653#p33653

QUOTEUse a program like notepad to create an empty file, rename it to "gamname.sav" where gamename is whatever thame you want, basically. In the GBALdr menu, select the .sav file you created and press A to bring up the menu, then select write to file.