Hacking Bios with new SD card question

[AIRic82]

Hi GBATemp members,

I have a simple question for all of you. I bought a CycloDs with a SD card and I've been extremely happy with my purchase that I've decided to buy another MicroSD card for it. My question is : Do I have to put the CycloDS Bios (1.31) on it, even if I already use it on my other card. I saw a hidden folder on my first SD card called CycloDS, which make me think that the .evo file created that folder.

Do I have to put the .evo file on, copy the hidden folder to my new card, or I could simply put my stuff on the new card and it will be ok?

Thanks,
Eric

 

[johnchan]

You dont need to copy the CycloDS folder to your new card, just copy the ROM's etc.

 

[AIRic82]

Thanks for the fast response! So that mean that the firmware/bios is in the CycloDS itself, instead of the MicroSD card?

 

[Sticks]

Yep, the firmware is seperate from the microSD, unlike all the other carts out there.

 

[daisun]

is the firmware and bios the samething?

 

[Fat D]

not explicitly, but on many devices, they function as each other.

 

[daisun]

How about in the cyclo's case? Is there a bios built into the card? What happends when you dont put a sd card in and just run the cyclo?

If an error shows up this would mean that there is software (bios) installed on the card. Now can this software or bios be updated?

[hehe thread hiijacking...]

 

[FrankSinatra]

The CycloDS card has what could be called a BIOS built in, which is separate from the firmware; this is what runs the firmware and allows you to upgrade it. The BIOS is stored in nonmodifiable memory, and cannot be changed. The firmware, which is like the OS that runs the games, is stored in modifiable memory; while this allows new features to be added, bugs to be squashed, etc, it also has the potential to be corrupted or otherwise broken. Say you're halfway through a firmware update, and your battery dies; all of a sudden, you no longer have a working Evo. However, the BIOS is untouched. You can then boot up the cyclo while holding select or down+B to put the BIOS in emergency mode. This allows you to flash the firmware again, hopefully without incident this time.

To directly answer your question, the Evo comes with firmware already installed. It is stored in memory on the Evo itself, and not the card. If you boot up without an SD card it will still run, although it just shows a window helpfully informing you there's no SD card. The firmware will continue to stay the same no matter which card you have inserted at the time. As an aside, the actual firmware updates come as files named update.evo. You place this on your microSD card and boot up the Evo; it will flash the firmware, then delete the file from your card.

While the firmware itself is stored on the Evo, preferences, cheat files, and skins are not. This is what the CycloDS folder is for, and is automatically created the first time the microSD card is used. This allows you to have multiple cards with said items tailored to the particular user (if shared among multiple people, such as siblings) or game collection.

I'm horribly sleep deprived, so this is a bit wordy and confusing, but I hope I was able to help at least a little bit.

 

[Tanas]

How about in the cyclo's case? Is there a bios built into the card? What happends when you dont put a sd card in and just run the cyclo?

If an error shows up this would mean that there is software (bios) installed on the card. Now can this software or bios be updated?

[hehe thread hiijacking...]

When you run the cyclods without a mem card it says that the MicroSD is not found.

 

[daisun]

Ahhh thx guys. I now know the major difference between the cyclo and other cards. Most other cards the firmware is just stored on the SD and only a bios is stored on the cart.

Wouldn't the cyclo's method of storing firmware mean that theres a max size for firmware? ie. the max physical memory on the cyclo cart.

 

[Minox]

Ahhh thx guys. I now know the major difference between the cyclo and other cards. Most other cards the firmware is just stored on the SD and only a bios is stored on the cart.

A firmware is a program that is embedded in a hardware device, for example a microcontroller. It can also be provided on flash EEPROMs or as a binary image file that can be uploaded onto existing hardware by a user.

Other flashkarts still need firmwares, but they can store their OS (Operating System) on a memorycard.