Hacking Question EmuMMC SD Format : trying to get from FAT32 to ExFAT

[Deleted User]

Hi !

I have a hacked Switch since about 2 months now. I followed the the online NH Switch Guide to hack my console with the EmuMMC setup, with a 128 GB SD being split in 2 partitions, to have both a SysNAND and an EmuNAND.
Right now both partitions are using FAT32 format, it works absolutely fine. There's one obvious issue though : i cant use 4 GB+ files in my EmuNAND part. It causes backups to split in multiple files (not a great issue but annoying when trying to edit SysNAND game saves), and it prevents me from installing and playing multiple games.

That's why I want to reformat my EmuNAND partition to ExFAT, as i saw many people saying that it's works pretty fine.
So today i tried, using the simplest method i could think of. I plugged my SD into my PC, moved everything from the EmuNAND part to a safe place in another disk, and refomatted the SD partition to ExFAT using Windows Disk Manager. Then i placed all my files back into the fresh formatted SD partition, and plugged the SD back into the Switch.

After launching Hekate and attempting to boot on EmuMMC, Atmosphere doesn't go futher spash screen and i get this error on a black screen :

A fatal error occurred when running Atmosphère.
Title ID: 010041544d530000
Error Desc : std::abort() called (0xffe)
Report saved to /atmosphere[...]/report_[some numbers].bin

Press POWER to reboot​

If i reboot the same error appears, it's a dead loop. To get out of the issue i pressed POWER for several seconds, and went back with a FAT32 setup, which is working as before.

So I'm searching for a solution, i suspect some games to not like switching from FAT32 to ExFAT, so i wonder if i have to uninstall all my games (install with NSPs, XCIs, etc.), or if it's more complicated.

Note that my console is in 10.0.4 (for both SysNAND and EmuNAND), with Atmosphere 0.12.0.
I also have done the ExFAT switch update before ever hacking it (but maybe i need to do it again in EmuMMC).


Maybe there's someone in this forum who knows how to solve this issue, i thank you in advance !



PS : I'm new to these forums (though i know them since long, you guys form a great community !) so if i did something wrong in my post, i'll be glad to learn from my mistakes ! Also i'm not a switch hacking expert so i maybe used specific vocabulary in a wrong way, though i tried to be as understandable as i could.

 

[Jayinem81]

You most certainly can use files greater than 4 gb using Fat32, you just have to learn to install through usb. It's not difficult at all. Also if you plan on using any emulators like Retroarch Exfat can cause corruption of your sd card.

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Install Tinfoil on your sd card https://tinfoil.io/Download

and scroll down to the bottom and install Nut you run this on your computer. You can install games directly from your computer to your Switch doing this, and it bypasses the 4 gb limit.

No need to switch to Exfat at all. This is easier than pulling out your sd card all the time and putting the file on the sd card, then putting the sd card back in to install the game, you dont have to do any of that. It also can damage the card reader doing this too much. There's also nxmtp for file transfer through usb so you don't ever have to remove your sd card.

 

[Deleted User]

You most certainly can use files greater than 4 gb using Fat32, you just have to learn to install through usb. It's not difficult at all. Also if you plan on using any emulators like Retroarch Exfat can cause corruption of your sd card.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Install Tinfoil on your sd card

and scroll down to the bottom and install Nut you run this on your computer. You can install games directly from your computer to your Switch doing this, and it bypasses the 4 gb limit.

No need to switch to Exfat at all. This is easier than pulling out your sd card all the time and putting the file on the sd card, then putting the sd card back in to install the game, you dont have to do any of that. It also can damage the card reader doing this too much. There's also nxmtp for file transfer through usb so you don't ever have to remove your sd card.

Hi ! Thanks for your reply ! As you said, installing from USB is a great technique. The thing is, i don't know if i can install those heavy games inside the SD even with USB install (i want to keep internal memory as clean as possible).

Tinfoil is great, though i'm using Awoo Installer, which feature USB install as well !

I know ExFAT is not as stable as FAT32, but i'm not even able to make ExFAT work. And as I said, ExFAT would make my life easier when i save edit on SysNAND, as it requires a unique backup.bin file, and FAT32 makes a splitted backup, that i need to join, then edit, then split again, which takes me 1 hour longer than if i had a unique backup file already.

 

[Deleted User]

Ok, i found the solution. I post it for anyone who had trouble with getting ExFAT SD work on EmuMMC.

When I updated my EmuMMC firmware with ChoiduJourNX, I had to choose between "10.0.4" or "10.0.4 (exfat)". I thought that choosing the exfat option was impossible as i was on fat32. But in order get an ExFAT SD card working on my switch, i had to choose exfat. So here is the guide :
(i assume you start this guide with a fat32 SD)

0_ On PC : create an "update" folder at the root of your SD, find the right firmware version on Internet (don't worry if you don't want to change your Switch firmware version, you can update to the same version as your current one, like i.e. from 10.0.4 to 10.0.4), move all the files from archive to your "update" folder. Download ChoiduJourNX as well and put it into the "switch" folder in the root of your SD. Then plug SD into your Switch.
1_ Update your switch firmware with ChoiduJourNX. When you install the update, choose the "exfat" option when ChoiduJourNX asks.
2_ Reboot to EmuMMC to finish the update procces.
3_ Turn off, plug SD on PC
4_ Copy all SD files (from the partition that mounts) on a safe place (a drive).
5_ Format SD to ExFAT (format only the patition where all the files you moved were).
6_ Copy back SD files from the safe place to the SD.
7_ Plug SD back into the Switch, boot on EmuMMC.
8_ Enjoy