Tutorial  Updated

From SX OS to Atmosphere

This is outdated. It works in its basic ideas, but has no updated links whatsoever anywhere. Look - if you want to migrate from SX to Atmos and don't have Emunand, just grab Atmos files and sigpatches, and boot Atmos with fusee-primary using your favorite means of launching payloads. That's it.

If you're on SX emunand, have a look at this tutorial. That is what I used myself to migrate to Atmos and emummc, and it works just fine. Contains links to everything you need. It also covers the problem of having an SX dongle, but wanting to boot another CFW with it.


This tutorial does absolutely not cover anything Ipatched-unit, Mariko or SX Core/Lite Modchip related. Please don't ask any questions about that here. I can and will not help you with that.


How to migrate from SX OS to Atmosphere
This short guide will show the basic steps to move from SX OS to Atmosphere, or have them both next to each other. I won't boast it up with images or even videos, since it's mostly only dragging and dropping files around. It's very straightforward and should be done in maybe ten to fifteen minutes.
It is especially relevant to users who boot their console with the SX Pro Dongle, because with it come certain limitations and issues when trying to boot Atmosphere or even dual-boot. This guide also provides a solution for that.

Why would I want to switch to Atmosphere and what are the ups and downs?
Pros:
  • Most up-to-date CFW support for newer Firmwares
  • KIP Support (external modules, 'add-ons' if you want)
Cons:
  • No XCI Loading
  • No USB Loading
  • No installing games from USB media
To put it in other words: if you don't need or want
  • XCI Loading
  • USB HDD support,
then there are no sensible reasons to hold on to SX OS.

Regarding EmuNAND/EmuMMC
Given that I do not use EmuNAND/EmuMMC, I can neither tell you how to move that nor provide support for it. There is already a guide that covers this, so if you are looking to move your EmuNAND as well, take a look at this guide by thaikhoa.

Basic Atmosphere Setup for existing SX OS users
  • Get the latest Atmosphere files (zip and fusee-primary.bin), put the contents of the zip on the root of your MicroSD
  • Get Sigpatches if needed (to run unsigned code), put the contents of the zip on the root of your MicroSD
  • SX Installer does not work on Atmosphere, so get another title installer like Goldleaf, Tinfoil or Lithium and put it into your \Switch folder
  • Since 0.8.5, Atmosphere supports cheats as well and they are compatible with the format that SX uses. User KuranKu already described what you need to move to make it happen, so have a look at this guide if you need this
  • If you have any XCI files left, you will either have to install them with the latest versions of Tinfoil or Lithium or grab them again as NSPs from your most favourite source. Don't install them via the SX menu, they won't work on Atmosphere
  • If you don't have or use the SX dongle, just use whatever loader you were using before but instead of pushing the SX payload, push the Atmosphere fusee-primary.bin payload
That is basically it. Now when in Atmosphere, launching any app while holding R (standard config) will open the Homebrew menu and allow you to run Homebrew from there.

All of the below is not necessary if you use any other dongle or payload launcher besides the SX Dongles! If you have a different method of launching payloads, just push the payload of your choice to go into SX or Atmosphere!

Booting Atmosphere with the SX Pro or Gear Dongle
If you want to use your existing SX Dongle to boot Atmosphere or to have a choice between Atmosphere and SX OS, there are some additional steps needed. SX actively blocks loading fusee-primary.bin through their launcher (boot.dat) since SX OS 2.6, so you need to install a little workaround and that is Hekate. I will show you how to set this up properly for both options - either having the dongle boot Atmosphere automatically, or leaving you a choice between Atmosphere and SX OS.

Setting up HekateOptional: Autoboot into Atmosphere

  1. Setting up Hekate
    For both options, we need Hekate.
    You can optionally set Hekate up as the Payload that the Reboot to Payload Homebrew boots into. Now when you use this Homebrew or your console crashes, the console will boot into Hekate, allowing you to dump your NAND, choose between SX OS and Atmosphere (if wished) etc.
    • Get the latest Hekate files and put the contents of the zip on the root of your MicroSD
    • Rename hekate_ctcaer_*.bin on the root of your MicroSD to payload.bin
    • Optional (if you want to have your console reboot into Hekate): Make a copy of the hekate_ctcaer_*.bin Payload, rename it to reboot_payload.bin and put it into the \atmosphere folder, overwriting the existing one. If you use the Reboot to Payload Homebrew, it'll now go into Hekate
    • Optional (if you want to continue using SX): Get the SX OS Payload, put it into \bootloader\payloads
    • Put the Atmosphere Payload fusee-primary.bin into \bootloader\payloads
  2. Optional: Have Hekate autoboot into Atmosphere
    You can set up Hekate so that you do not have to navigate its menu, but boot into Atmosphere directly. To achieve this, do the following:
    • Boot up Hekate at least once, so that the file hekate_ipl.ini in the folder \bootloader is created
    • Open hekate_ipl.ini and append the following lines at the end:
    Code:
    [Atmosphere]
    payload=bootloader/payloads/fusee-primary.bin
    { }
    • Change the value autoboot=0 to autoboot=1
    • This will make Hekate show a splashscreen for some seconds, and then autoboot into Atmosphere. During the splash screen, you can press one of the volume buttons to override the autoboot process and get into Hekate's menu.
    • Optional (if you want a longer time to be able to override): Change the value bootwait=3 to another time (in seconds)
    • Save the file
    If you go into Hekate now, it will show a splashscreen for the time specified in bootwait and then boot Atmosphere.

With this done, there is now two ways to continue, depending on whether you want to move to Atmosphere completely without being able to boot SX OS anymore, or whether you want to dual-boot. Since the whole SX OS CFW is written into the boot.dat, and the SX Dongle does not allow anything but starting boot.dat, both options require slightly different setups.

Atmosphere onlyAtmosphere and SX OS

  1. Using the SX Pro or Gear Dongle to boot Atmosphere without the possibility to load SX OS
    Utilizing the SX Gear boot.dat (which is just a chainloader), you can force the dongle to boot Hekate directly. As with the SX OS boot.dat, it will not launch Atmosphere directly and just blackscreen if you try to, and you'll also have to use Hekate to achieve getting into Atmosphere.
    • Follow all the steps above to set up Hekate
    • Get the SX Gear boot.dat, put that on the root of your microSD, overwriting any existing boot.dat
    • If you use the dongle to boot your console now, it will bring you into Hekate, where you can navigate to Launch > Payloads and choose fusee-primary.bin to launch Atmosphere
  2. Using the SX Pro or Gear Dongle while being able to run both Atmosphere and SX OS
    You cannot just use another boot.dat if you want to be able to run both Atmosphere and SX OS, because the boot.dat contains the whole SX OS CFW. So in that case,
    • Follow all the steps above to set up Hekate
    • Start your SX OS as usual
    • For SX OS, just launch the CFW as usual
    • For Atmosphere, go to Options > Payloads and launch payload.bin (this will bring you into Hekate)
    • Navigate to Launch > Payloads and choose fusee-primary.bin to launch Atmosphere
 
Last edited by wurstpistole,

vgplayer54

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Atmos will not be able to mount your .xci's, but it will recognize the updates and DLCs. Both CFW access the same content folder.
What you can try is to install the .xci with the SX OS installer (or Tinfoil), chances are Atmos will run them just fine. There's a handful that won't work or cause issues, you would have to install those from a clean nsp source.

If you install games as clean nsps, you can run both SX OS and Atmosphere and play games on both of them.
Fantastic, thank you so much for that answer! I'm unsure why the guide mentions that anything installed via the SX Installer will not show up in Atmosphere then...but I'm not complaining. Thanks again for that detailed response!
 

wurstpistole

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Fantastic, thank you so much for that answer! I'm unsure why the guide mentions that anything installed via the SX Installer will not show up in Atmosphere then...but I'm not complaining. Thanks again for that detailed response!
XCIs that you install via the SX album menu don't work on Atmosphere. SX Installer is just rebranded Tinfoil, everything you installed there will work. Just use standard Tinfoil and it'll probably work
 

Robopilingui

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I followed the guide and managed to load Atmosphere but now some of the games crash with message "The software was closed because an error occurred".

Any idea?
 

jos90

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Hello guys,

first of all, very interesting guide, it seems to be fit for my case.
I have a SysNAND SX OS 3.1.0 on FW 11.0, since SX OS isn't updated as often as Atmosphere is, I'm thinking to install Atmos in the emuNAND (which I don't have right now...). Basically, if i partition the nand with emuMMC, i can install there Atmos and then upgrade it to FW 11.0.1 while keeping SX OS on SysNAND and FW 11.0, right?

Thanks!

EDIT: P.S.: I didn't understand well how can I choose to boot into SX OS or atmosphere: the payload inject will be enough to launch one of either?
 
Last edited by jos90,

aerios169

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Hello guys,

first of all, very interesting guide, it seems to be fit for my case.
I have a SysNAND SX OS 3.1.0 on FW 11.0, since SX OS isn't updated as often as Atmosphere is, I'm thinking to install Atmos in the emuNAND (which I don't have right now...). Basically, if i partition the nand with emuMMC, i can install there Atmos and then upgrade it to FW 11.0.1 while keeping SX OS on SysNAND and FW 11.0, right?

Thanks!

EDIT: P.S.: I didn't understand well how can I choose to boot into SX OS or atmosphere: the payload inject will be enough to launch one of either?
You should use emunand on your micro sd, if you are worried about online, may e nity xsn detect the emunand on the switch memory.. Other think os that you should create a NEW emu and on 11.0
 

jos90

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You should use emunand on your micro sd, if you are worried about online, may e nity xsn detect the emunand on the switch memory.. Other think os that you should create a NEW emu and on 11.0

I should have known the emunand solution before I got banned.. :rofl: I think I have SX OS on sysnand because I can't see any info of being installed on emunand in the sx application (the gallery one). I'll try to create an emunand with two partitions so that i can have a clean fw on sysnand and SX + Atmos on the emunand (SD) that I can choose to launch with Hekate (if it's possible)
 

aerios169

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I should have known the emunand solution before I got banned.. :rofl: I think I have SX OS on sysnand because I can't see any info of being installed on emunand in the sx application (the gallery one). I'll try to create an emunand with two partitions so that i can have a clean fw on sysnand and SX + Atmos on the emunand (SD) that I can choose to launch with Hekate (if it's possible)
well I use hekate for launch it and gear pro
 

ucablca

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Thank you so much for this tutorial. I was easily able to get atmosphere working with SX pro dongle along with the latest firmware. A few of the download links no longer work though -- [removed sx os links -WeedZ]

I'm guessing that's because the xecuter related websites are all currently down. If there's an alternative site to download from, I'd really like to get those files as well. Thanks again!
 
Last edited by WeedZ,

lolcatzuru

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Thank you so much for this tutorial. I was easily able to get atmosphere working with SX pro dongle along with the latest firmware. A few of the download links no longer work though -- [removed]

I'm guessing that's because the xecuter related websites are all currently down. If there's an alternative site to download from, I'd really like to get those files as well. Thanks again!

me too!
 
Last edited by WeedZ,
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Thank you so much for this tutorial. I was easily able to get atmosphere working with SX pro dongle along with the latest firmware. A few of the download links no longer work though -- [Removed] and [Removed]

I'm guessing that's because the xecuter related websites are all currently down. If there's an alternative site to download from, I'd really like to get those files as well. Thanks again!
You aren't allowed to link to SX things in this forum because the SXOS boot.dat contains illegal keys (the files you linked are legal afaik but the rules still apply to them).

If you want to get those files you can check https://web.archive.org just paste the links in there. The Xecuter Discord also has mirrors of the files that you need.
 
Last edited by CompSciOrBust,

yonasz

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How i can fix boot0 boot1 to migrate from sx os to atmosphere? I have backup of emunand from fw 5.1 (my sysnad) . When i lunch atmosphere from sx os sysnad give me error failed to decrypt package2 header masterkey revision 4... Im on 11.0 fw emunand
EDIT fixed create new emunand on 2nd memory card update to 11.0 via daybrake and copy boot0 boot1 to emunand...
 
Last edited by yonasz,

Draxzelex

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How i can fix boot0 boot1 to migrate from sx os to atmosphere? I have backup of emunand from fw 5.1 (my sysnad) . When i lunch atmosphere from sx os sysnad give me error failed to decrypt package2 header masterkey revision 4... Im on 11.0 fw emunand
EDIT fixed create new emunand on 2nd memory card update to 11.0 via daybrake and copy boot0 boot1 to emunand...
You can make BOOT0/BOOT1 with ChoiDujour.
 

FriskyWhisky

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Hey guys. Bringing back up the old thread, I thought maybe this was the best place to ask?

Ok. So I've used Hekate to back up my NAND and I got things going pretty well with 12.0.2 following the tutorial in this thread with the Dongle. I plan on not using SX.

My problem is I get a red screen warning when I boot up Tinfoil after booting through Hetake to atmosphere after renaming hekate_ctcaer.bin to payload.bin. I think I need to boot through fusee primary to get it working? am I right? I'm just not sure how to.

Does anyone know of a solution?
 
Last edited by FriskyWhisky,

testdriver69

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I finally decided to give atmosphere a try.
I had a spare 128GB SD card lying around, it is formated in exfat, so lets try out atmosphere :)
Out of convenience I built an emunand dump with sxos.
Starting sxos via emunand -> working, nice !
Migrated emunand via hekate, YES ! so far so smooth.
When i boot atmosphere i get the atmosphere screen , the atmosphere logo , the nintendo switch logo and then a black screen
and that's it :(

reformated SD card and repeated the process ... same black screen :(

any ideas what i did wrong ? thank you !
 

Spirou1

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Whenever I try to launch fusee-primary.bin through the Hekate menu, my screen just goes black and nothing happens. Anything I could try?
 

Vendest

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Hi, I followed the tutorial to migrate from SX OS (emunand) to atmosphere (using SX core)
When I launch Atmosphere CFW thru Hekate I get a message "failed to to apply 'nosigchk'
I assume it is due to the fact that the patches "Hekate.zip" are missing as the download link seems to be dead.
Any idea where I could get the patches?
Thanks
 

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