Hacking Arg. (DS Linker saving issues)

[groovysan]

So I recently purchased a DS Linker 8Gbit, and so far about half the games I've tried on it have no problems when it comes to saving, while the others outright refuse to.

Specifically, Lunar Knights, Big Brain Academy, and Castlevania: PoR save fine. Meanwhile, Jump Ultimate Stars, Phoenix Wright 2, Hotel Dusk, SNK Card Fighters, Pokemon Diamond, Ouendan, and Clubhouse Games each boot up as a new game every time I play them. What gives? I've got the updated save database, I'm using the correct save format for each game, and when I do save, none of the games have given me error messages or corrupt data or whatever.

I tried reading the DS Linker FAQ, but I'm not terribly fluent in moon-speak, so it's of no help. From lurking around the forums here, it seems like other DS Linker owners have save problems too, though there doesn't seem to be any one solution.

Help, guys! If I have to play the first mission in Ouendan, only to boot up the game to the same goddamn training mission screen again, I'm liable to injure somebody.

 

[thegame07]

Try formatting it.

 

[groovysan]

Try formatting it.

Forgot to mention that I tried that already, also upgraded the firmware, etc.

 

[thegame07]

Does this only happen with games that use flash 2mbit for saving?

 

[groovysan]

Does this only happen with games that are flash 2mbit?

Nope. Jump Ultimate Stars, Phoenix Wright 2, SNK Card Fighters, Ouendan, and Clubhouse Games are all EEPROM 64/512kbit.

 

[thegame07]

Try putting one rom on the card at a time. also if you wish i could supply you with a pokemon diamond save file and you can see try to see what happen when you load it?

 

[groovysan]

Try putting one rom on the card at a time.

Sounds awfully inconvenient, but sure. I'll try it.

thanks!

 

[thegame07]

when somethings broke i always run stupid tests that dont make sence and ussaully it leads to it working again.

 

[groovysan]

Try putting one rom on the card at a time.


Sounds awfully inconvenient, but sure. I'll try it.

thanks!

Hot damn, that seems to have worked! Though having to swap out roms every time I want to play something else sounds like a huge pain in the ass, at least I can finally play through Ouendan. Thanks!

 

[thegame07]

me and my shit tests really work all the time for some reason lol. I suggest sending it back if you just got it.

 

[groovysan]

me and my shit tests really work all the time for some reason lol. I suggest sending it back if you just got it.

Nevermind, I spoke too soon. Evidently it kept the save file for JUST THAT ONE TIME, and when I turned the damn thing on just one hour later, it was gone. All gone.

inasmuch as I'm not a terribly big fan of netspeak, but this is truly deserving of a wtf.

 

[Kniteshade]

Sounds like the FORCEBACKUP is on 0 rather than 1.

Tell me, when you boot up DS Linker and select your .nds ROM does it give you a list of "save slots"? And when you click the one you use the above screen is like "Save updating..." then the game starts. That bit there is when the card updates your Save file. It only happens when you've got FORCEBACKUP enabled. Which is through the global.ini file in your DSSYSTEM folder on the card.

 

[Elbega]

It's a testament to human ignorance that you all speak before you even have an inkling as to what the problem is. You're all wrong, and if any of you did some actual research befitting of the 'experts' you believe youselves to be, then you'd know what's actually wrong with groovysan's card.

I've had the same problem for about a week now, and after some investigation I found that the battery on the 8G card itself is bad. Practically speaking, it means the card can't store any SRAM data, which equivocates to bad save files. Other people have had similar problems with their cards, though infrequently, and I think a really crude method could be popping open the card and physically replacing the battery. I'll be trying to fix this problem over the next few days so I'll keep you posted. Needless to say, if you screw up then the jig is up, but the card is basically a piece of trash if it can't save anyway, right?

A hint you've probably already figured out: What I've been doing on games like Chocobo Tales is just shutting the lid on the DS without turning the power off. This puts the game in pseudo-sleep mode and you can just continue where you left off another time by reopening the DS. You can only play one game at a time like this, but it's better than nothing. Until you figure out how to safely fix the bad battery, that's all you can do with your DS without killing the DS Linker card.

 

[Dirtie]

It does indeed sound like it's either a battery issue or a FORCEBACKUP=0 issue.

Formatting the cart usually resets the configuration file though, so if you have done so it rules the latter out.

Short of replacing the battery, what you can try and do is turn the DS back on really quickly after you turn it off (when you're done playing) - that way there is more chance for the cart to retain the save so it can back it up to the NAND memory.


Elbega, it may be "crude", but many many carts for handhelds and home consoles - official and flash cart alike - have used SRAM (ie. battery-backed) saves for years. This trend has only recently been abolished thanks to optical media and the exclusive use of EEPROM and flash chips in NDS carts. The SRAM in the DS Linker is only for storing the save files temporarily until they can be backed up. It makes me wonder if the battery is recharged while the DS is on though - the later GBA carts did this, it would be a step backwards not to do so for a NDS cart.

The only thing that annoys me personally about the DS Linker's save system is that it doesn't clear the SRAM once the save has been backed up - annoying when you want to copy over a save file from your PC since it overwrites it when the cart is booted up (if that is the last game you played). It possibly also means that there is some unnecessary battery drain.

 

[Elbega]

Dirtie, I wasn't talking about SRAM when I mentioned 'crude'. I'm currently trying to pry open my tiny G8 card, that's what's crude, really.

I had clocked over 12 hours on Chocobo Tales before my friend accidentally turned off my DS and made me lose my save file. Most irritating.

Progress report: The card seems to be glued together, but I can clearly see two distince pieces making up the shell. My grubby Asian fingers can't get it open... yet.

 

[Dirtie]

Dirtie, I wasn't talking about SRAM when I mentioned 'crude'. I'm currently trying to pry open my tiny G8 card, that's what's crude, really.

My apologies. I agree, and it makes me wonder even more (if it is in fact the case) why they didn't design it so the battery is recharged while the DS is on.

 

[Elbega]

Ooookay, after two hours of intense prying, I have deemed opening a slot 1 NDS card impossible without wrecking what's inside. Gah, the only thing for poor saps like me and groovysan is to play on a faulty card or just buy a new one. I guess it doesn't really pay to be a pirate after all.

 

[Dirtie]

Have you tried what I suggested earlier - turning the DS back on as soon as you turn it off?

 

[groovysan]

Short of replacing the battery, what you can try and do is turn the DS back on really quickly after you turn it off (when you're done playing) - that way there is more chance for the cart to retain the save so it can back it up to the NAND memory.

Tried this earlier with Card Fighters. No good.

Can myself and Elbaga make it any clearer that the DS Linker is to be avoided? Like some kind of horrid, penis-destroying plague? "Oh," but I naively thought, "this will be a lot cheaper, considering I won't have to buy any kind of storage, such as an SD or CF card!"

Fifty bucks, plus twenty shipping, that are now probably in the syphilitic cooch of a Taiwanese whore instead of safely in my pocket.

 

[thegame07]

Elbega we where trying to help him out. How the fu** where we acting like experts. I never once said i knew what was wrong with his card. Also do you know for a fact its his battery there may be more than one option.

How long did you have your card before this started to happen groovysan(you should listen to me im an expert) Also may i point out he only recently purchased it how would the battery be dead already. I have had mines for around 3 months now i use it everyday and no problems with saving(n card)



There a battery test for the ds linker on thier site in the faq section. The so called expert it posted about the battery problem should have told you this.