Homebrew RELEASE Firmware Dumper

[Cyan]

some users have 2 (or more) switch, one with official firmware to play online, and one for homebrew. it's useful to be able to dump the latest firmware from the updated one to install on the offline device with ChoixDuJourNX.
it also let you backup and keep different firmware versions, in case you want to downgrade it back one day (as long as you don't burn any fuse). say, you are on 5.1.0 and want to test 6.1.0, dump your current (not pending) 5.1 before updating so you can revert back to it if needed.

you might wonder why someone want to downgrade instead of using always the latest version, but it can be useful for example for homebrew developers to try their application on different firmware versions to be sure it works fine on all of them.

it's probably not useful for the end user, but choices and options are always welcome, even if it seems useless someone might want or need it
A lot of homebrew tools exists only because it's possible, not necessarily because it's useful.

 

[crimpshrine]

It’s extremely useful, you can download a pending update boot ChoiDujour straight up from your switch and update without burning fuses all at once! I would say that is very useful! It basically eliminates having to update officially anytime.

also you can back up a full firmware in .nca format straight from your switch without the hassle involved.

So could the full firmware .nca format be used to recover or go back to a previous state if needed? Like instead of backing up my rawnand as a step, I could use this to have something to flash back to later if needed? Or no?

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some users have 2 (or more) switch, one with official firmware to play online, and one for homebrew. it's useful to be able to dump the latest firmware from the updated one to install on the offline device with ChoixDuJourNX.
it also let you backup and keep different firmware versions, in case you want to downgrade it back one day (as long as you don't burn any fuse). say, you are on 5.1.0 and want to test 6.1.0, dump your current (not pending) 5.1 before updating so you can revert back to it if needed.

you might wonder why someone want to downgrade instead of using always the latest version, but it can be useful for example for homebrew developers to try their application on different firmware versions to be sure it works fine on all of them.

it's probably not useful for the end user, but choices and options are always welcome, even if it seems useless someone might want or need it

Sure, I understand. The more tools the better, not everyone uses a tool for the same purpose. I just wanted to make sure there was not something I was missing with this particular one.

 

[Cyan]

So could the full firmware .nca format be used to recover or go back to a previous state if needed? Like instead of backing up my rawnand as a step, I could use this to have something to flash back to later if needed? Or no?

yes, you can use it for that. but partially. If you want a full console state you need a full dump, not just the firmware.

For now, it can't be used as brick recovery as you need a way to launch ChoixduJourNX from the homebrew menu, and you wouldn't have access to it if it's bricked. You could inject it in a full dump from the computer.
but maybe another tool could be developed to (re)install the firmware from RCM, and in that case it could act as an unbricker without having to restore the entire NAND/eMMC dump.
Of course, that's only in case of issue on the firmware files, not the user's data or other partition content. that's all just supposition as for the moment there's no firmware brick. RCM firmware installer could be useful if someone has its console shutdown while updating and result in a non booting OS.
I don't know if RCM memloader can access firmware files.

 

[CVFireDragon]

@f0mey can you release the source code? I don't trust this...

 

[fOmey]

Sure, I understand. The more tools the better, not everyone uses a tool for the same purpose. I just wanted to make sure there was not something I was missing with this particular one.

The tool is quite simple: rather then having to depend on outside sources for firmware NCA's you can dump them yourself in a targeted efficient manner directly on your switch.. I wanted to cut out the middle man. A means to a end, a tool designed specifically for firmware dumps.

Example: I was dumping my entire nand to get my hands on the latest firmware, this was a huge waste of time.. or I'd have to patiently wait for the files to become available online, which again is another waste of time - expect delays.

What you do with the files is entirely up to you, development purposes? downgrade snapshots? latest firmware upgrade? Analysis? etc..

@f0mey can you release the source code? I don't trust this...

No one is forcing you to use it my friend.

 

[Shadowfied]

No one is forcing you to use it my friend.

Any particular reason you're reluctant to share the source?

 

[fOmey]

Any particular reason you're reluctant to share the source?

Not really, just want to clean it up and organise things before hand.

 

[Fafner]

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Not sure I understand the instructions here. Basically, do I have to allow the Switch to download the firmware in OFW, not push the update button, switch to CFW and run this tool?

 

[Mrdx]

I've got a question, I am on 6.0.1 and my switch downloaded the update to 6.1.0.

After that I did a pending update dump with this tool.

When I opened the folder with ChoixDuJour, it prompted me to install 6.0.1 or 6.1.0, does it mean that I have a dump for both versions on my sdcard?

I mean, can I use that folder to update from 1.0.0 to 6.0.1?

 

[BDS]

I've got a question, I am on 6.0.1 and my switch downloaded the update to 6.1.0.

After that I did a pending update dump with this tool.

When I opened the folder with ChoixDuJour, it prompted me to install 6.0.1 or 6.1.0, does it mean that I have a dump for both versions on my sdcard?

I mean, can I use that folder to update from 1.0.0 to 6.0.1?

Yes. When you're installing from a dump of installed fw X(+ exfat) + pending fw Y, you can choose whether to install fw X or fw Y from the folder (and if exfat is installed with fw X, that doubles the options again since you can choose whether or not to install exfat; fw X without exfat, fw Y without exfat, fw X + exfat, fw Y + exfat).

 

[Mrdx]

Yes. When you're installing from a dump of installed fw X(+ exfat) + pending fw Y, you can choose whether to install fw X or fw Y from the folder (and if exfat is installed with fw X, that doubles the options again since you can choose whether or not to install exfat; fw X without exfat, fw Y without exfat, fw X + exfat, fw Y + exfat).

Oh ok thanks for explaining and thanks for the author, this tool is amazing!

I just hope that when we will eventually get a fw 6.1.1 or higher it will only dump the newest files without redumping all the already dumped versions.

 

[Reecey]

@fOmey I will be able to test your dumper out soon exciting times. Just to confirm to download the pending firmware does it have to say the pending firmware under the previous firmware update ready in system settings you click on it but not click on update and then you go back into firmware dumper to download pending firmware? Is that the correct procedure or not quite.

 

[oriam]

Yes, but pay attention. There is a new firmware out. So you can't update right now otherwise you will loose access to CFW!

 

[Reecey]

Yes, but pay attention. There is a new firmware out. So you can't update right now otherwise you will loose access to CFW!

I can test the pending update out though as long as I don't use the dump on ChoiDijour to update it. Do you have to go through the procedure in system settings to download the pending update or can you just click on download pending update in firmware dumper?

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I see the only way of grabbing a pending update is by not having the notification and forcing to find the system update in settings>
If you don't have the "system update ready" notification in settings.

So if it says "system update ready" in settings you cannot grab the pending update from firmwaredumper or you just go into fiirmaredumper instead and press A to dump it.
Is this correct? the instructions are a bit misleading to me, sorry.

 

[oriam]

I could dump the firmware using the dumper after seeing the message system update ready in system settings.

So, when the message is visible just open the dumper. Then it should ask you if you want to dump the current firmware or the pending one.

Nevertheless, the current firmware (6.2) is useless for CFW (at least for the moment). So i don't understand you when you say you can test it out. You mean analyzing at the PC?

 

[heyd_s]

can you add a line of code in a future update to prevent the console from entering sleep mode? thanks

 

[GizmoTheGreen]

Trying this pressing A (to dump 6.1-6.2) all I get is
UH-OH: failed to create destination directory: 106 - /FirmwareDump_6.1.0-6.2.0/placehld

Dump complete!
^it obviously didn't lol. any help?
used version 0.5

 

[shchmue]

try running the hekate archive bit fix

 

[GizmoTheGreen]

try running the hekate archive bit fix

didn't help

 

[shchmue]

would need to see the inexplicably unshared source code to troubleshoot lmao