You'll have to forgive me, I'm knowledgeable with computers but flashcarts is new to me. I bought a NDS on Craigslist and it came with a R4i cartridge with 2GB microSD card. I know it works, because I played it for several days when I first received it. Eventually, I wanted to delete some games on it (the owner had it for his daughter, so it was filled with The Backyardigans and other such games) and add some more, so I began to do research on how. I also went out and bought a microSD reader and a new 4GB SDHC card. I tried finding the right firmware for the new SDHC card, but couldn't. After several tries, I thought that I would simply plug in the original card, copy the firmware over to the computer and then copy it again over to the new card. Now that I have done that though, neither of them will read and I get a white screen when I try to boot them. I doubt anything is faulty, considering one of the SD cards I just bought yesterday and as of two days ago, I was using the other to play successfully on the R4i. I'm just missing some step in the process. Here's what I know-- -The card is this one, to a tee. -Previously, when entered into my DS, it would read it as the game "Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker" then proceed to a black "Loading..." screen then load the firmware up. Since, either SD card running on any firmware will read as "Star Wars Lethal Alliance" then proceed to a white screen. -I've tried reformatting both cards and different firmware from different websites (including the one listed on the R4i card). I've tried throwing the files on the card myself, and I've used the Happy Box software. -The 2GB card that worked originally is a Starjade 2GB microSD card. The 4GB I bought new is a Transcend 4GB microSDHC. -EDIT: The PCB is red, if that matters at all. Also, if you try to insert the R4i cartridge without any SD card in it, it will still show "Star Wars Lethal Alliance" and load to a white screen. And I can't seem to use the Panasonic SD Formatter on either SD card since it tells me the drive isn't supported for either of them. I can format with Windows, though. -EDIT #2: Recalling to the best that I can, the original firmware included on the 2GB card had folders like "moonmemo", "moonshl2", and "R4iMenu" along with at least one .DAT file (and some files like DEMON0.sys and such). These are very similar to the files and folders included on the kernel downloaded from the website listed on the cartridge itself (which leads me to think that it isn't a clone cart).
There is really no reason to own an R4, they have a dead dev team, iffy game support, and a plethora of unreliable clone carts. I suggest buying an acekard 2i if you are only looking to play ds roms and simple homebrew, it has great compatibility and a VERY active dev team. zhuzhuchina is a reliable place to buy and its a very cheap card for how good it is.
I agree, and when I receive my next check in a week or so, I was going to immediately purchase an Acekard 2i then (since I have seen overwhelming recommendation for it from my research); but until then, I would like to be able to play something on it.
i think there are developers that make firmware specifically for clone carts (if you have one, not entirely unlikely considering you dont know where the previous owner got it) i would google that
Well I'm pretty sure I have a clone R4, and it has worked fine for 3 years or me. Just load WoodR4. Also, feel free to ask any questions: that's why these forums exist!
Thought I would include my process here, in case somebody notices that I'm missing something or not doing something correctly (and if I am doing it correctly, going through steps will at least help for future readers trying to obtain help from this). Firstly, I'm using the 2GB card. I format the card from My Computer, with File System set to FAT (FAT32 isn't available on this card, only on the 4GB). I obtained the firmware from this site and downloaded the first file listed (which was Wood R4 V1.31). I extract it to my Desktop, and move the folder '__rpg' and '_DS_MENU.dat' to the formatted SD card. I throw on a random .NDS file to try out in the event that it works (in this case, "Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth"). I use "Safely Remove Hardware", and throw the card into the R4i cartridge, then power up the system. The game still shows as 'Star Wars Lethal Alliance' and is still going to a white screen when loaded. Hmm...
