Homebrew ARM9Loader -- Technical Details and Discussion

[Just Passing By]

Think of it this way: If you have friends or family come over, take the SD out so it looks like it's bricked. Then they can't possibly update it or screw it up otherwise (physical damage being the exception of course).

I guess you're right. Makes me feel like I've lost a friend though. But I guess I'll never have to worry about anything anymore.

 

[daxtsu]

I guess you're right. Makes me feel like I've lost a friend though. But I guess I'll never have to worry about anything anymore.

If you decide that you really don't want it, you can always install AuReiNand and a CIA of Decrypt9 (yes, it's a thing for A9LH) on sysNAND, then boot sysNAND with 9.0 FIRM so you can use it to restore your initial NAND backup.

 

[JacksonS]

If you decide that you really don't want it, you can always install AuReiNand and a CIA of Decrypt9 (yes, it's a thing for A9LH) on sysNAND, then boot sysNAND with 9.0 FIRM so you can use it to restore your initial NAND backup.

Booting with the 9.0 FIRM doesn't work in the latest release of AuReiNAND. It's an issue with the payload. I'm not sure if it works in lower versions.

 

[Just Passing By]

I mean it's not like it'll never work again... you could always flash one of your original backups that doesn't have the hack. Or update unprotected.

Sssshhhhh don't ruin the moment...

If you decide that you really don't want it, you can always install AuReiNand and a CIA of Decrypt9 (yes, it's a thing for A9LH) on sysNAND, then boot sysNAND with 9.0 FIRM so you can use it to restore your initial NAND backup.

Lol that'd be nice, but after 4-5 days of this bs, I'm gonna stick around with this for a while.

 

[daxtsu]

Booting with the 9.0 FIRM doesn't work in the latest release of AuReiNAND. It's an issue with the payload. I'm not sure if it works in lower versions.

Works fine for me on my N3DS.

 

[JacksonS]

Works fine for me on my N3DS.

And you're using the latest version? I've heard everyone else say it doesn't work, and it didn't work for me. It did work with a modified payload.

 

[daxtsu]

And you're using the latest version? I've heard everyone else say it doesn't work, and it didn't work for me. It did work with a modified payload.

Yeah. Downloaded from her Github, and using FIRMs from that zippyshare link.

 

[hippy dave]

About the booting with no sd card thing: would it be feasible to change a9l's behaviour when no payload is found, so instead of shutting down, it firmlaunched sysnand with no patches? I understand the firm partitions are corrupted, but could it use the copy from the nand filesystem? Or would that be all too much code to squeeze in?

 

[JacksonS]

About the booting with no sd card thing: would it be feasible to change a9l's behaviour when no payload is found, so instead of shutting down, it firmlaunched sysnand with no patches? I understand the firm partitions are corrupted, but could it use the copy from the nand filesystem? Or would that be all too much code to squeeze in?

The corrupted firm partitions are the only firm partitions. It IS from the NAND filesystem, and there's nothing else without an SD card. Still, I wonder if there's any way to make it work like that.

 

[hippy dave]

I mean in the fat16 partition, as an installed title.

 

[hippy dave]

I mean in the fat16 partition, as an installed title.

 

[JacksonS]

I mean in the fat16 partition, as an installed title.

Oh okay, that sounds pretty realistic. Probably could be done if the right person attempted it.

 

[Sgt. Lulz]

Or update unprotected.

Absolutely not. (On a N3DS, anyway.) The only way out of it would be flashing a previous NAND backup, at least partially, to restore the 0x96 keystore and the FIRM partitions back to their original state.
A system update would make both your FIRM partitions technically valid, but since your keystore is still unhealthy and you've just updated past 9.6 (The exploit edits the 9.6.0 keyslot as part of the exploit), both your FIRMs will decrypt to garbage and the console won't be able to boot either of them, i.e. Brick.

O3DS would be able to survive an update (and lose the exploit with it), as stated below, since it doesn't use the N3DS 9.6+ FIRM keyslot, and NATIVE_FIRM would get replaced with the O3DS version again. That said it's still recommendable to flash that backup instead, just in case.

To be fully safe, you would have to protect the keystore (for good measure), the FIRM partitions (already done, mostly) and the 0x5C000 sector.

The corrupted firm partitions are the only firm partitions. It IS from the NAND filesystem, and there's nothing else without an SD card. Still, I wonder if there's any way to make it work like that.

Some sort of FIRM2 partition would do the trick, theoretically.

 

[Apache Thunder]

Only the o3DS would survive an unprotected update without bricking. (as o3DS firm did not use the n3DS keystore). But updating sysnand unprotected on n3DS will brick it because of the modifications A9L did to the secret keystore.

 

[Svaethier]

Booting with the 9.0 FIRM doesn't work in the latest release of AuReiNAND. It's an issue with the payload. I'm not sure if it works in lower versions.

version 3.4 of aureinand boots the 9.0 firm patch with sysnand by holding L+R at boot.

 

[Sgt. Lulz]

Only the o3DS would survive an unprotected update without bricking. (as o3DS firm did not use the n3DS keystore). But updating sysnand unprotected on n3DS will brick it because of the modifications A9L did to the secret keystore.

Oop, forgot about that. I'm so used to N3DS being able to run any NATIVE_FIRM now that I completely forgot about the whole 9.6 keyslot ordeal.

 

[JacksonS]

version 3.4 of aureinand boots the 9.0 firm patch with sysnand by holding L+R at boot.

Okay, so I guess it's jsut the 3.5 payload that's broken. I haven't tried 3.4.

 

[Trill Spector]

im using a9lh to load my emunand through reinand-mod, and it boots fine but it wont run games that require reboots for some reason. Does anybody know a fix for this? I do have a reboot folder in my /rei

 

[Svaethier]

im using a9lh to load my emunand through reinand-mod, and it boots fine but it wont run games that require reboots for some reason. Does anybody know a fix for this? I do have a reboot folder in my /rei

update your emunand to 10.5, ssb3d didn't work on 9.2 so I reupdated to latest and it works now.

 

[runetoonxx2]

update your emunand to 10.5, ssb3d didn't work on 9.2 so I reupdated to latest and it works now.

How do I compile arm9loader :/