Hacking Creating a "legit" downgrade/upgrade firmware

[drfsupercenter]

So basically, I have this 3DS I was given where I have no idea what firmware it originally had. The seller used Gateway's downgrader to put it on 4.2.0-9U.

But I know what that downgrader does is essentially overwrite system CIA files with older versions, it's not 100% the same as if you bought a system actually on that FW

So I noticed in the UpdateCDN.py folder I had downloaded a while back, there's a zip file with CSVs for each set of firmware. So let's say I take the 9.2.0-20.csv file, since it's the newest fully exploitable firmware and also has the right Spider version for eShop spoofing and all that.

If I run it, it eventually makes me folders of each region. Some of them have obfuscated names, and things like "***** DON'T WORRY about this message: "[!] Caution, Ticket and TMD Title Versions do not match"

I'm somehow thinking if I just boot up sysNAND in Gateway mode, run Title Manager and import all CIAs in the USA folder, it will appear to be 9.2.0-20U but will not actually be "legit", there will still be fragments of titles installed by newer/older firmwares. Am I correct in thinking that?

So I was thinking... maybe if I took something like BigRedManager (since it doesn't hide the system titles) and delete everything, then import all the CIAs? But I'm also thinking that'll brick it.

Any thoughts? Just thought it would be nice to be able to do this so my system runs as stable (haha, I know) as it can, given that I got it in a bit of a messy state where it was dowgraded from who knows what and actually crashed a lot when trying to configure settings until I upgraded it with a retail cart to 4.3.0-9U...

Edit: installing all the 4.5.0-10U ones over 4.2 worked, but installing the 9.2 ones bricked it. Flashing back to my 9.2.0-9U NAND backup which was upgraded using a cartridge from the Gateway downgrade...

 

[hippy dave]

If you've got a stable 9.2.0-9 then stick with that, you can just install newer eshop and browser from cia, which seems unlikely to cause any problems.

 

[palantine]

A brick would be incredibly likely.

-palantine

 

[gamesquest1]

downgrade back to 4.x, then use a reatil cart to update to 9.2, that's the easiest way to get it all back to default, everything that has been updated since 4.x-9.2 would be included on the on cart update and overwrite any older versions (except the browser version....but that's true for a legit updated console too) and 9.2 could only be the highest version someone could of downgraded from so its not like there will be any odd newer versions installed unless they had manually installed files from 9.2+ which wouldn't be likely

 

[drfsupercenter]

Yeah, the browser version is the big thing. Even installing the 9.2 version of the browser and eShop, it still shows -9U.

What I'm getting at is, when I install all the CIA files from whatever firmware, does it replace 100% of the contents of the 3DS? Or are there titles that get left behind? I just can't help but thinking that if I install all the CIAs for 4.5.0-10U, and compare it with a console that came from the factory on that version, there are going to be differences.

 

[gamesquest1]

not really, and updating via cart will never update the browser, so a system updated via cart to 9.x would also have the -9 as its browser version as the browser is only updated if you run a online update

 

[drfsupercenter]

I know, but what exactly gets updated? As in, what is different between updating via cart and installing the newer browser and updating online back when 9.2.0-20 was the most current? Surely just installing whatever other files were updated would make it show the proper version.

 

[gamesquest1]

Cver deals with the X.X.X number iirc, and Nver for the -X part, so updating the browser and Nver should get it to pretty much stock 9.2.0-20U

and on a side note, thats where the "partially updated" consoles come from, afaik Cver and Nver are the last things to be installed during an update, so if it stops half way through all the other titles can be updated, and Cver & Nver show their un-updated numbers in system settings

 

[drfsupercenter]

Is Nver something I can make a CIA of? I have a huge folder of them, if you could tell me what title ID I'd try it

 

[gamesquest1]

yeah
titleID = 000400DB00016302 for US version 320 for -20

 

[drfsupercenter]

So basically, installing the 9.2 browser version and that nver would make my system identical to if I had gotten it from the factory at 9.2.0-20 after updating it to 9.2 with a cart?

 

[gamesquest1]

....pretty much yeah, only the system apps and FIRM was downgraded by the GW downgrader, so *theoretically* that would be as stock as stock gets as all titles that where downgraded will be updated, and installing the matching browser and Nver will make it as close to fresh from the factory as possible......but ofc if it was second hand there could potentially of been "bad tickets" installed (non-legit cia files) to sysnand, but i think after you have it updated a system format will remove those....also you may want to just install the whitelist manually as if they used flashcardtimewarp.cia that will avoid being updated as its version number is spoofed higher than the latest version.....so that will have to be manually downgraded if it has

 

[drfsupercenter]

I haven't ever installed the whitelist so it should be legit. And yeah, doing a system format would remove the tickets I'm pretty sure. So the system apps and FIRM get upgraded by the on-cart update?

 

[gamesquest1]

yeah only thing missing is the browser and Nver afaik, which can both be installed afterwards as cia

 

[hippy dave]

And eshop.