Hacking How to access your Switch's eMMC or microSD card as an USB disk on your PC

rajkosto

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
819
Trophies
1
XP
2,775
Country
Get my memloader payload from https://switchtools.sshnuke.net
Extract the contents of the "sample" folder in the zip to the root of your microsd, before inserting it into the Switch
Run the memloader.bin payload using your preferred launcher (fusee-launcher, TegraRcmSmash, NXLoader, whatever)
On the screen, choose ums_emmc.ini to have the eMMC appear as a USB disk, or ums_sd.ini to have the microSD appear as a USB disk on your PC (with volume buttons), then press the Power button to launch selection

WARNING: RUNNING U-BOOT UMS MODE ON eMMC MIGHT MAKE YOUR SWITCH NOT BOOT ANYMORE (works for me but if they're being truthful, happened to a user), MAKE SURE TO HAVE A RAWNAND BACKUP AND A WAY TO RESTORE IT IF YOU ARE TO DO THIS

The screen should clear (but the backlight should still be on) and you should hear a device plugged in notification, and the disk drive should appear (in windows, eMMC does not get a drive letter because there's nothing to mount)
This is going to be quite slow (3-6MB/s) as it doesn't run the switch memory at its high frequency (because this requires a non-redistributable proprietary blob), and also u-boot does not use UHS-I modes of the microSD (keeps the IO at 3.3v only), however it's still quite useful for adding/replacing some files on your microSD, or exploring the eMMC partitions via HacDiskMount (the USB disk device is openable as a Physical Drive inside of it)

(On Windows, if after launching the ums ini, in device manager you see a device with a yellow exclamation mark, right click and uninstall it, then click the Scan for Hardware changes button to get it to appear properly)

Memloader source code available at https://github.com/rajkosto/memloader
 
Last edited by rajkosto,

Gren22

Well-Known Member
Newcomer
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Messages
63
Trophies
0
Age
27
XP
220
Country
United States
Very cool, thanks. Just out of curiosity, is it possible to mount the switch's SD card to computer through USB via homebrew as well?
 

PatrickStarSb

Member
Newcomer
Joined
May 8, 2018
Messages
14
Trophies
0
XP
155
Country
United States
Does this mean we can backup our nand using a computer? I tried using hekate but it failed with a write error half way though for some reason.
 

Ronhero

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die
Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2014
Messages
3,470
Trophies
1
Location
Arizona Bay
Website
127.0.0.1
XP
2,087
Country
United States
Get my memloader payload from https://switchtools.sshnuke.net
Extract the contents of the "sample" folder in the zip to the root of your microsd, before inserting it into the Switch
Run the memloader.bin payload using your preferred launcher (fusee-launcher, TegraRcmSmash, NXLoader, whatever)
On the screen, choose ums_emmc.ini to have the eMMC appear as a USB disk, or ums_sd.ini to have the microSD appear as a USB disk on your PC (with volume buttons), then press the Power button to launch selection

The screen should clear (but the backlight should still be on) and you should hear a device plugged in notification, and the disk drive should appear (in windows, eMMC does not get a drive letter because there's nothing to mount)
This is going to be quite slow (3-6MB/s) as it doesn't run the switch memory at its high frequency (because this requires a non-redistributable proprietary blob), and also u-boot does not use UHS-I modes of the microSD (keeps the IO at 3.3v only), however it's still quite useful for adding/replacing some files on your microSD, or exploring the eMMC partitions via HacDiskMount (the USB disk device is openable as a Physical Drive inside of it)

(On Windows, if after launching the ums ini, in device manager you see a device with a yellow exclamation mark, right click and uninstall it, then click the Scan for Hardware changes button to get it to appear properly)

Memloader source code available at https://github.com/rajkosto/memloader

Thanks steve, hope the boneitis clears up
 
  • Like
Reactions: Garfovsky

rajkosto

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
819
Trophies
1
XP
2,775
Country
So the eMMC appear as a USB disk right? how will I see it on Windows or you just flat out can't? I waned a nice easy way to back up my stuff. Will I have to use Linux to see it?

It's visible as a Physical Disk, just not as a drive letter (since no partitions from it can be mounted outright), you can explore it with HacDiskMount and the Physical Drive option, or just use tools like dd/Hex Workshop/whatever can open physical disks to save/restore
 
  • Like
Reactions: re.lax

PatrickJr

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2017
Messages
270
Trophies
0
Age
33
Location
Bridgwater
Website
grimtech.co.uk
XP
752
Country
It's visible as a Physical Disk, just not as a drive letter (since no partitions from it can be mounted outright), you can explore it with HacDiskMount and the Physical Drive option, or just use tools like dd/Hex Workshop/whatever can open physical disks to save/restore

I tried HacDiskMount using the Physical Drive option already, I'll try again though!
When running it as Admin, clicking Open Physical Drive it crashes.
 
Last edited by PatrickJr,

rajkosto

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
819
Trophies
1
XP
2,775
Country
It should show up here or something's wrong
2018-05-12_02-59-54_hZmuQPAsi.png
 

PatrickJr

Well-Known Member
Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2017
Messages
270
Trophies
0
Age
33
Location
Bridgwater
Website
grimtech.co.uk
XP
752
Country
upload_2018-5-13_1-3-59.png

I see that it works here, but when running HacDiskMount as Admin, clicking Open Physical Drive it crashes.

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

Ohh it's working now, ignore me!
 

rajkosto

Well-Known Member
OP
Member
Joined
Apr 6, 2017
Messages
819
Trophies
1
XP
2,775
Country
Sure ? just mount your USER partition, find the game's NCA, copy it to your computer and then decrypt/extract it using hactool
 

Site & Scene News

Popular threads in this forum

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    If Superman has diarrhea would it come out at super speed?
    +1
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Super farts lol
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Cryptonite laced Taco Bell?
  • Kirbydogs @ Kirbydogs:
    *Look at all these cool toys!
    *They don't interest you at all.
  • Kirbydogs @ Kirbydogs:
    WEAPON: Stick
    ARMOR: Bandage
    lol I fell down and all I need is bandages
  • Kirbydogs @ Kirbydogs:
    ohh I don't like this song anymore..
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Far cry 3 get shot 37 times a bandage wrapped around your hand fixes everything
    +2
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I'm playing far cry 5 now, is same thing, heal is just wrap bandage around hand and I'm good.
    +1
  • Kirbydogs @ Kirbydogs:
    ohh wow undertale is already so good and I barely even played it!
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Lol, look at this from far cry 5...
    img_20241010_175606-jpg.464011
    +3
  • Kirbydogs @ Kirbydogs:
    owie
  • Kirbydogs @ Kirbydogs:
    game over!!
  • Kirbydogs @ Kirbydogs:
    *Ah! Wow! Woah!
    *It's a "
    Hole".
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    When you get older, you'll be saying that again.
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Hopefully not a hole you didn't know you had
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Perfect quote for a gravestone also.
    +1
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    A hole is a goal.
    +2
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    A hole in one is best
    +1
  • cearp @ cearp:
    fractured, but whole
    +1
  • cearp @ cearp:
    (probably the only game that's actually made me "lol")
  • S @ salazarcosplay:
    @BigOnYa is iso faster than JB folder for
    ps3?
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I think they the same, as far as read speed on the ps3
  • SylverReZ @ SylverReZ:
    For any Green Day fans, the Dookie album being played on various formats.
    SylverReZ @ SylverReZ: For any Green Day fans, the Dookie album being played on various formats.