Hacking Formatting to get a flashcart working again

[Shazzo]

Hey all, a few weeks ago I bought myself an R4 clone (which links to r4i-sdhc.com) that was able to run on the 3DS pretty well.
I played with it for a week or so, and it was fine, although it had to be pushed in very hard in order to be taken out or inserted, but then something happened that made it stop.

I'm not really sure what the cause is, but now when I insert the card, no matter what I do, the cart doesn't register as a game in the 3DS menu. I've tried updating it but that didn't do anything. I also tried playing the cart on a DS Phat but it didn't show up on that either.
I'm not sure if this is an issue with my 3DS getting updated (even though I turned off automatic updates and deleted my internet connection in the system menu) or if the cart has broken from having to be inserted and removed so forcefully. If it was from an update, it would somehow have to have come from my copy of RE The mercenaries 3D, since it seemed to stop working after I played that for the first time.

What I'm considering now is formatting my 3DS, so that the system updates that may have blocked the cart will be gone. The issue though is that I don't know if that will work.

Will formatting my 3DS stop the cart from being blocked?

What will I lose by formatting the 3DS? Plaza hits? Game saves? Anything else?

I also have a gold R4i v1.4 (r4igold.cn) that will appear on the menu but does nothing when booted. Is there a way to get that to work?

Thanks in advance... and my apologies for making such a long post

 

[Arisotura]

I don't think that formatting your 3DS will remove system updates. More like it just resets the firmware settings (your name, birthday and all that) to the factory defaults. And perhaps it erases data on the SD card, too.

 

[shawnanastasio]

Ya it dosen't downgrade, i tried

 

[The Catboy]

If you updated 3DS and didn't update your flashcard(s) to work on the update, then your shit out of luck if you have no other means of updating your flashcard(s)

 

[Fishaman P]

Guys, I'd say that since it didn't work in a DS Phat, he physically broke it.

So get something proper like an AK2i.

 

[Shazzo]

So it's actually broken. That figures. I just knew having to be so rough when taking it out and inserting it would break the darn thing. I'm going to have to have a word with the guy who sold it to me.

Thanks for the help everyone. Just one more question though.

I have another R4, a gold (cart and sticker) R4i v1.4 (which links to r4igold.cn) that does show up on the 3DS menu, but goes to a white screen when I boot it. Is there a way to get it to work?