Hacking [Guide] Install a9lh without buying anything in 11.2

[Iro3]

No.

Ok. I thought I need to update the a9lh

 

[Bryan547]

/Nintendo 3DS/(32 Character ID)/(32 Character ID)/extdata/00000000/00000008f.

Nope, nothing. Just a black screen, both Sd card in and out.

 

[Onsonj]

i am still trying to figure out all the different terminology and stuff. After following this guide will I be using a Sysnand or Emunand?

 

[GaleWindscar]

Great guide! I'm a noob in all these CFW hacking and I understood the guide easily.
Just a question. If I want to upgrade to a bigger SD card since my old SD card has no space for the games I want to install.
Do I just copy all the contents of my old SD to the new one?

 

[potatoes828]

i am still trying to figure out all the different terminology and stuff. After following this guide will I be using a Sysnand or Emunand?

It will use sysnand.

Great guide! I'm a noob in all these CFW hacking and I understood the guide easily.
Just a question. If I want to upgrade to a bigger SD card since my old SD card has no space for the games I want to install.
Do I just copy all the contents of my old SD to the new one?

After finishing everything and making sure you installed A9LH+Luma properly, you can just copy all the files to your new SD Card.
Mabuhay

 

[GaleWindscar]

It will use sysnand.



After finishing everything and making sure you installed A9LH+Luma properly, you can just copy all the files to your new SD Card.
Mabuhay

Cool, so it's just drag and drop? I'm pretty sure I have A9LH+Luma since I did everything in the guide. But is there any way I can check for sure?
Thanks btw and mabuhay

 

[potatoes828]

Cool, so it's just drag and drop? I'm pretty sure I have A9LH+Luma since I did everything in the guide. But is there any way I can check for sure?
Thanks btw and mabuhay

I recommend doing using this step:
old sd card> copy to computer > copy to new sd card. Also, copy, don't cut. in case it fails, your original files will still be intact.

You can check if you have A9LH and Luma properly installed:
Try to boot without SD card. It should boot normally

 

[GaleWindscar]

I recommend doing using this step:
old sd card> copy to computer > copy to new sd card. Also, copy, don't cut. in case it fails, your original files will still be intact.

You can check if you have A9LH and Luma properly installed:
Try to boot without SD card. It should boot normally

Yeah, that's what I was planning to do.
It booted normally. Guess I did fine. Thanks!

 

[TDAdvocate]

So I finally got my n3ds on 11.2.0-35U and get to Step 7 but the Sounds app will not let me access the microSD. Any ideas what could be causing this?

 

[potatoes828]

So I finally got my n3ds on 11.2.0-35U and get to Step 7 but the Sounds app will not let me access the microSD. Any ideas what could be causing this?

Do you have the m4a file?
You can download it here: http://soundhax.com/
Be sure to select the proper one for your device

Yeah, that's what I was planning to do.
It booted normally. Guess I did fine. Thanks!

You're all set! Go to bed xD

 

[TDAdvocate]

Do you have the m4a file?
You can download it here: http://soundhax.com/
Be sure to select the proper one for your device

Supposedly I did have the right one. I will download and try this file now. Hopefully it will work this time. I just used the zipped file at the top of the original post.

 

[potatoes828]

Supposedly I did have the right one. I will download and try this file now. Hopefully it will work this time. I just used the zipped file at the top of the original post.

You did extracted the contents to the root of your SD card right?

 

[TDAdvocate]

You did extracted the contents to the root of your SD card right?

Yup. I extracted the file to "Safehax N3DS" folder and then just copied the files in that folder to the root of my microSD. I also tried the directly downloaded m4a file and it did not work. The Sounds app just gives me the option of "Record & Edit Sounds" and no option to select the microSD.

 

[potatoes828]

Yup. I extracted the file to "Safehax N3DS" folder and then just copied the files in that folder to the root of my microSD. I also tried the directly downloaded m4a file and it did not work. The Sounds app just gives me the option of "Record & Edit Sounds" and no option to select the microSD.

Weird. Can you post a screenshot here? that's the easiest step.

 

[ItsKipz]

O3DS/2DS v11.2.0-35U with soundhax as entrypoint: https://mega.nz/#!a9EjiLha!KxGuk2QaEVYyDrXBaNjjQZ6EgIFlFyKJTDoD57kcCLw
N3DS v11.2.0-35U with soundax as entrypoint: https://mega.nz/#!b0kxURKB!GdMPmiDVC4Veg-ieyL9BZq5DDJAizSno89QjDjNUIhI

If you want a video guide, here's one, made by KanterZ:

If you have any error during the process, read this post entirely (the answer might be there). If the answer's not here, just ask (before voting on the poll).

Here are the instructions:

Requirements: uTorrent or Deluge.

WARNING: If you have a 3DS from a region other than USA, read the steps after the "Instructions" section first. IF YOU HAVE N3DS, DO NOT PUT YOUR CONSOLE IN SLEEP MODE WHILE IN 2.1.

Spoiler: Instructions

1. Go to the link above that contains the ZIP for your device.
2. Go to this link and download the SafeA9LHInstaller 7z. We'll get to it later.
3. Go to this link (Note: it's a torrent magnet link, you'll need a torrent client to open it), download the file for your region and extract the zip.
4. Go to this link and scroll down until you reach "Otherapp/ropbin payloads". Download the otherapp for your device and region, rename it to "otherapp.bin" and put it in your microSD root.
4. Extract the Safehax ZIP you downloaded to your microSD root.
5. Get the 2.1.0 ctrtransfer files and put them in your files9 folder in your microSD root.
6. Put your microSD in your console.
7. Open Nintendo 3DS Sound, press DOWN (d-pad) two times and press A two times.
8. Homebrew will boot. Scroll down and launch Safehax. (If you crash or get a black screen, go to the Troubleshooting Steps)
9. Decrypt9WIP will launch. Choose "SysNAND Options", "CTRNAND tranfer...", "Auto CTRNAND Transfer". Press LEFT, UP, RIGHT, UP and A. Press A twice. (one to select the downgrade file and the other to create a backup)
10. Press B and SELECT.
11. Put your microSD in your PC.
11. Now you can delete the 2.1.0 ctrtransfer files from your files9 folder.
12. Extract the SafeA9LHInstaller 7z and copy the "arm9.bin" to your microSD root.
13. Open the folder: "Nintendo 3DS/(32 Character ID)/(32 Character ID)/extdata/00000000" and delete the folder "0000008f".
14. Put the microSD in your console and press START.
15. Open your browser, do the initial setup, click URL and go to "http://dukesrg.github.io/2xrsa.html?arm11.bin". (If your screen glitches, refer to the bottom of the post)
16. It'll open a black screen with a few things written on it. Press SELECT, wait a few seconds and press any button to shutdown your console.
17. Power it on. The Luma3DS config screen will show. Press A at each one of the options (from "Autoboot SysNAND" to "Patch SVC/service/archive/ARM9 access). If you're on N3DS, also, Press A thrice at "New 3DS CPU". Press START and power off your console. If you get "Failed to Mount CTRNAND", just continue following the guide.
18. Power it on again. Exactly after you press the POWER button, hold START. It'll boot Houglass9.
19. Select "SysNAND Backup/Restore...", "SysNAND Restore (keep a9lh)". Now, press LEFT, UP, RIGHT, UP and A. Press A. After it successfully restores your 11.2 backup, just reboot your console. (If you don't have a backup, follow this)
20. Put your microSD into your PC and backup the "otp.bin" inside your "a9lh" folder.
21. Download this file, extract, rename the "Decrypt9WIP.bin" to "up_Decrypt9WIP.bin".
22. Put it in the folder "payloads" inside "luma" in your microSD root.
24. Go to here and download the "fbi-2.4.2-injectable.zip" in the "What you need" section. Extract the "fbi-2.4.2-injectable.zip" and put all the .app in the files9 folder.
25. Put the microSD back in your 3DS.
26. Press UP while booting your console and choose "SysNAND Options", "Miscellaneous", "Health&Safety Inject". Press LEFT, UP, RIGHT, UP and A. Press A and START to reboot into Home Menu.
27. Now open Health & Safety (which now is FBI), select TitleDB and install "hblauncher_loader v1.2" and "Luma3DS Updater".
28. Select SD, press A on arm9loaderhax.bin, Copy.
29. Press any button and press B.
30. Select CTR NAND, press A on <current directory> and Paste.
31. Press HOME, close FBI and wait a few seconds.
32. Power off your console and put your microSD in your PC.
33. Boot your 3DS and re-follow Step 17.
34. Now you can delete the "a9lh", "files9", "Themes" folders and the "arm9.bin", "arm11.bin", "SafeA9LHInstaller.dat" and "soundhax-usa-o3ds.m4a" (on O3DSes, on N3DSes it's "soundhax-usa-n3ds.m4a") files and put your microSD in your 3DS again.

For all those of you getting something similar to this:
"arm11.bin loading.
Shows a black bottom screen for less then a second.
Glitched bottom screen.
Both black screens.
Turn off 2ds.
Turn on + start.
Normal startup."
Copy the contents of this zip to the root of your microSD, excluding the arm9loaderhax.bin and try again.



If you have a 3DS from other region than U, follow these steps.
1. Go to http://soundhax.com/ and select the right config for region and device.
2. Instead of going to "Nintendo 3DS/(32 Character ID)/(32 Character ID)/extdata/00000000" and deleting the "0000008f" folder, delete "00000098" if yours is EUR, "00000082" if yours is JPN and "000000A9" if yours is KOR.

Spoiler: Troubleshooting Steps

If you came here from step 8, put a game in the cartridge slot.



If you came here from step 15, just follow the guide imagining nothing happened.


If you can't get to Luma3DS screen after successfully following 16, get the arm9loaderhax.bin from this file and put in your microSD root.
If, after getting a glitched screen on step 15 and continuing like nothing happened you still don't see Luma's config, just re-start step 15.

CREDITS:
Smealum for homebrew: Twitter, GBATemp, Github
Ned Williamson for soundhax and fasthax: Twitter, GBATemp, Github (Couldn't find his profile)
AuroraWright for Luma3DS, SafeA9LHInstaller and her a9lh fork: Twitter, GBATemp, Github (Couldn't find her twitter)
Dark-Samus for the a9lh from which AuroraWright forked her version: Twitter, GBATemp, Github (Couldn't find his Twitter)
Jason Dellaluce, a.k.a Delebile, for the a9lh from which Dark-Samus forked his version: Twitter, GBATemp, Github
Andres Puel , a.k.a TiniVi for safehax: Twitter, GBATemp, Github (I think I got the right Twitter)
Plailect for teaching me the first time I installed CFW with his guide: Twitter, GBATemp, Github

Without each one of you, none of this would be possible.

Spoiler: People who reported mistakes or errors/Helped me

Zoogie and Tsumes for providing the zip with safehax+fasthax already compiled
Quantumcat and Zidapi for helping me when I was still a noob in this whole 3DS thing
KanterZ for the video guide

EDIT: Apparently, some entrypoints not working is luck. Just keep retrying it. A user reported success with soundhax after 50+ attempts. But change exploit first. Might be a time saver.

Maybe you should replace that video guide with 3ds.guide, in case the video becomes outdated.

 

[TDAdvocate]

Weird. Can you post a screenshot here? that's the easiest step.

I know right. That's why I am so confused. I will have to figure out how to add pictures but I will do that next. What do you want pictures of? The files in the microSD or the Sounds app display or both?

 

[Hyoretsu]

Maybe you should replace that video guide with 3ds.guide, in case the video becomes outdated.

That's a video version of this guide and I'll know when it get outdated, because this written guide'll get outdated too and I'll update it.

 

[potatoes828]

I know right. That's why I am so confused. I will have to figure out how to add pictures but I will do that next. What do you want pictures of? The files in the microSD or the Sounds app display or both?

Just the root of your SD card.

 

[Hyoretsu]

Actually following a video is a bigger risk. Video guides become outdated really fast. On this guide only in the past 4 days there have been dozens of updates. A video would t be able to keep up.

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Actually they were more like fixes than updates. Only real update there has been is to update the Safehax to the version that doesn't require a cartridge.

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

Yup. I extracted the file to "Safehax N3DS" folder and then just copied the files in that folder to the root of my microSD. I also tried the directly downloaded m4a file and it did not work. The Sounds app just gives me the option of "Record & Edit Sounds" and no option to select the microSD.

Care to check if the microSD isn't write-protected and inserted correctly?

 

[TDAdvocate]

Just the root of your SD card.

Here you go. https://www.dropbox.com/s/cxiobdqwwpsuf0q/microSD_root_n3ds.png?dl=0