GBA won't launch "alt" games

[Dreyz]

Hello everyone,

I apologize for my English, I used translators and correctors to help as it's not my native language.

A few months ago, I bought a purple Game Boy Advance (AGB-001). When I was eight, I sold one of the same color for cheap, and I've always wanted to buy another and upgrade it with an LCD screen and a USB-C battery mod.

I sold a few games but kept some others. I tested the GBA by playing official GBA and GBC cartridges and everything was working perfectly.


Then, I bought a cheap Supercard to add extra games. It didn't work at all, everything appeared buggy and corrupted with unknown language (like old signs lol) appearing everywhere. I tested the card on an NDS Lite and it worked perfectly there.

I started a bug hunt, I removed the USB-C mod and put in regular batteries, flashed better firmware onto the Supercard and changed the SD card. All failed.

Next, I bought two "copied" cartridges, not flashcards but full game. The first crashed instantly at the start menu. The second worked for a few minutes before crashing. Again, everything was visibly corrupted. And, predictably, they worked perfectly on the NDS Lite.


Last week, I bought the EZ-Flash Air. I had more faith in this one. I tried to write a game to the NOR memory to make it work on my GBA, but nothing happened. The game writes successfully, but it doesn't appear in the EZ-Flash menu to launch it. By now, you're starting to guess: the NDS Lite works perfectly to write the game and start it.

BUT, I had a weird idea: I used the NDS Lite to write the game to the NOR memory, and then I tried to launch it from the GBA. Once again, everything was corrupted, the unknown language appeared, and I couldn't do anything.

However, if I use the EZ-Flash Air B mode (which starts the latest written game directly, like a regular cartridge, without EZ menu), it works for some games (???) but some games are visibly corrupted (???)

So, the current "workaround" (worked for 2 games out of 10) is: Write the game to NOR on the NDS Lite, and then use B mode on the GBA. This is the furthest I've gotten with all these bugs.

I'd like to know if anyone here has a clue what is happening or what else I can do to fix this. It really feels like my GBA only accepts official cartridges lmao.

Thanks a lot for any help!

 

[Xdqwerty]

Bumping this

 

[squall1989]

Hello everyone,

I apologize for my English, I used translators and correctors to help as it's not my native language.

A few months ago, I bought a purple Game Boy Advance (AGB-001). When I was eight, I sold one of the same color for cheap, and I've always wanted to buy another and upgrade it with an LCD screen and a USB-C battery mod.

I sold a few games but kept some others. I tested the GBA by playing official GBA and GBC cartridges and everything was working perfectly.


Then, I bought a cheap Supercard to add extra games. It didn't work at all, everything appeared buggy and corrupted with unknown language (like old signs lol) appearing everywhere. I tested the card on an NDS Lite and it worked perfectly there.

I started a bug hunt, I removed the USB-C mod and put in regular batteries, flashed better firmware onto the Supercard and changed the SD card. All failed.

Next, I bought two "copied" cartridges, not flashcards but full game. The first crashed instantly at the start menu. The second worked for a few minutes before crashing. Again, everything was visibly corrupted. And, predictably, they worked perfectly on the NDS Lite.


Last week, I bought the EZ-Flash Air. I had more faith in this one. I tried to write a game to the NOR memory to make it work on my GBA, but nothing happened. The game writes successfully, but it doesn't appear in the EZ-Flash menu to launch it. By now, you're starting to guess: the NDS Lite works perfectly to write the game and start it.

BUT, I had a weird idea: I used the NDS Lite to write the game to the NOR memory, and then I tried to launch it from the GBA. Once again, everything was corrupted, the unknown language appeared, and I couldn't do anything.

However, if I use the EZ-Flash Air B mode (which starts the latest written game directly, like a regular cartridge, without EZ menu), it works for some games (???) but some games are visibly corrupted (???)

So, the current "workaround" (worked for 2 games out of 10) is: Write the game to NOR on the NDS Lite, and then use B mode on the GBA. This is the furthest I've gotten with all these bugs.

I'd like to know if anyone here has a clue what is happening or what else I can do to fix this. It really feels like my GBA only accepts official cartridges lmao.

Thanks a lot for any help!

my idea is that your gba have some problem, i myself has this kind of problem on 1 of my gbc:
1 gbc work perfectly with all catridge, ezflash junior, bootleg, and official catridges, and 1 other have problem: most are work, but some (pokemon tgc gbc, and pokemon crystal does not work, some goes for ezflash junior, when boot ezflash junior, it can't boot to menu, and got glitch out). Later other person point out to me that the 2nd gbc may have problem at catridge connecting, since some catridge doesn't use all the pin, some use extra pin that the other don't, so my 2nd gbc can read and play those catridge that don't use the pin it have problem, and fail if the catridge use that pin. He take a quick look and fix out one catridge pin that got trouble, then my 2nd gbc work perfectly again. I guess your gba must have the same kind of problem as that, check your catridge connector, see if there is any pin that got bench, or got rush, clean them and hope that everything will get back to normal