Hacking Confused newbie

[Paladiex]

Hi guys!

I've been looking to hack my console but I feel confused reading all of the available articles. I know I have Raj, Rei, Atomosphere, and SXOS to choose from. I was planning on installing Rei. I purchased a R4s Dongle while I was in China. I just got a 128gb SD card in the mail today. Here is where I get confused, I am running version 4.0.1 and the update to 6.1.0 is pending.

My SD card isn't supported since I am below version 6.x.x, so I need to update. Some guides reference updating to 6.0.1 then making a NAND copy to revert to; other guides warning that switches burn "fuses" during updates so I need make sure I don't boot into an older/newer FW. Tons of guides warn me not to update my console; but if I don't then I cannot use this SD card and I cant play many games since loading NAND of a 4.0.1 console after I've updated the CFW to 6.1.0 could brick my console. Also, I see references of nogc for 4.x.x consoles? I'd really just like to know if I can update to 6.1.x and be able to play xci and nsp files offline, then restore a nand backup of before I hacked if I wanna go online.

Next question. Several guides reference free firmwares having the ability to play XCI content now; however the only guides I found referenced converting XCI to NSP which defeats the purpose. Can free firmwares actually play XCI content?

Are free firmwares able to setup emunand? So I can just choose not to boot into emunand and be safe online, or boot into emunand and stay offline?

Sorry guys, I legitimately read a ton of guides and stickies but I am still very confused. I've hacked 3ds's and flashed/soldered xbox 360's np; it's just the information on the switch is hard to follow.

 

[Kubas_inko]

You can update via choidujourNX to get the ExFAT update. Or format your SD to fat32.

Fuses are burned in each major update to prevent later downgrades. Updating via choidujourNX, however, won't burn your fuses, because of autoRCM, which bypasses fuse check.
Also, update 6.1.0 was just released and I have no idea if it has broken something.

And the reason why you want to keep unburned fuses is, that you can later downgrade for possible cold/warmboot.
If you have a dongle and don't mind using it, you can probably update without losing any functionality. Right now, there is no difference in FWs (except 1.0.0 which is supper broken)
Also, restoring old NAND won't brick your console. It would just refuse to boot cause the fuse count. You can always bypass it by butting thru RCM.

XCI is an image of game cart. You can install XCIs, but you can't directly load them on free CFWs. And you probably never will, because nobody wants to look into it when we already have NSPs.

SX OS EmuNAND is just an image of your NAND, which sits inside your NAND. It is safe now. But nintny just needs to start looking for .bin files on your NAND and everyone using SX OS's emunand will be screwed. Also, it can brick your Switch, if an error happens during "installation".

 

[Paladiex]

You can update via choidujourNX to get the ExFAT update. Or format your SD to fat32.

Fuses are burned in each major update to prevent later downgrades. Updating via choidujourNX, however, won't burn your fuses, because of autoRCM, which bypasses fuse check.

Okay, so boot into Rei, run hbmenu, load choi, and install 6.0.5? I use a 32gb sd card I can use for the initial boot into cfw and update to 6.0.5, then switch to my ExFat sd card; right? Then later I can load my 5.1.0 NAND for a full wipe and not run into issues?

Is there any benefit to ExFAT over fat32 if I am using NSP's and not XCI's?

Edit 1: Sorry, I forgot to thank you for taking the time to help a newbie out.

 

[Kubas_inko]

Do a backup now, update via choidujourNX to 6.0.1, choose exfat to get the exfat update.
Also don't forget, how autoRCM works. It is automatically enabled by default when updating via choidujourNX, in order to keep the fuse count. But, whenever you power off your Switch, it will automatically boot to RCM. So you have to either force shut it down from horizon, or from the RCM, or push payload and power it down thru the payload.
The benefit is that you can actually fit the NSPs (and XCIs) on the SD to later install them (although I think that there is NSP and XCI splitter)

 

[Paladiex]

whenever you power off your Switch, it will automatically boot to RCM. So you have to either force shut it down from horizon, or from the RCM, or push payload and power it down thru the payload.

So essentially I will always need something to push the payload if I have autoRCM enabled? I can push a payload using my phone if my R4s dongle dies; right?

 

[Kubas_inko]

So essentially I will always need something to push the payload if I have autoRCM enabled? I can push a payload using my phone if my R4s dongle dies; right?

yes.

 

[Paladiex]

Do a backup now

Sorry to keep bugging you but I am a bit lost again...
Im trying to follow the
Backup/Restore your Nand + Get your biskeys+tseckeys+keys.txt Guide
But it says that 32gb of free space on the sd card is required.... I have a 64gb sd card I can format but fat32 isn't an option. Does the author really mean 32gb free? Or min 32gb sd card?

Excluding that it is asking me to use "TegrasmashGui " which is a pc program to push a payload. Do I have to use my pc if I have a jig and the r4s?

Is there a better guide for this?

 

[Kubas_inko]

Sorry to keep bugging you but I am a bit lost again...
Im trying to follow the
Backup/Restore your Nand + Get your biskeys+tseckeys+keys.txt Guide
But it says that 32gb of free space on the sd card is required.... I have a 64gb sd card I can format but fat32 isn't an option. Does the author really mean 32gb free? Or min 32gb sd card?

Excluding that it is asking me to use "TegrasmashGui " which is a pc program to push a payload. Do I have to use my pc if I have a jig and the r4s?

Is there a better guide for this?

32GB of free space. And the SD card can be fat32 or exfat. Hekate reads both.

 

[Paladiex]

Hekate reads both.

If I am on 4.0.1 Hekate will still work when the switch doesn't support it? Or I have to follow the bottom portion of the guide first?

Also, will I need to be connected to the pc? Or can I just use my R4s dongle? I'll add questions to that thread too.

 

[Kubas_inko]

If I am on 4.0.1 Hekate will still work when the switch doesn't support it? Or I have to follow the bottom portion of the guide first?

Also, will I need to be connected to the pc? Or can I just use my R4s dongle? I'll add questions to that thread too.

Hekate works on any Switch, unless it is ipatched.
You don't have to be connected to a PC, but you need to push hekate somehow.

 

[Paladiex]

you need to push hekate somehow.

Can I push Hekate with the R4s dongle?

 

[Kubas_inko]

Can I push Hekate with the R4s dongle?

Yes.

 

[Paladiex]

Yes.

Okay, any idea on how to do that? Links to any guides that outline that process?

 

[Paladiex]

Yes.

Just quoting you so you get the ping. Thanks for your help,I enabled airplane mode then cleared my update prompt in recovery mode, after that I backed up using the custom loader on the r4s website. Then I upgraded using choi on rei, now I'm installing nsp's; and converting nsp's with the converter posted on the r4s website. Good stuff.