Hacking I might have bricked my 3DS XL. Help :(

[Xerterion]

Alright, so I had an OLD 3DS XL laying around that I didn't really played from a long time (busy days) and I decided to look into all the "Hacking 3DS" stuff. Yeah, I am a complete NOOB when it comes to this stuff. So first I did some research and found that the first thing to do is to install Homebrew launcher. I did that and it turned out fine. I could run the launcher from the 3DS sound app. The second thing to do was to install a CFW and I really made a mistake of not doing any research what-so-ever and just started following a Youtube video guide. Here's the link to the guide:






As far as I know in the first part of the video, he downgrades the firmware to 2.1.0 or something. I originally had 11.2.0-35E. Yeah I had not updated in a long time as I didn't used it recently. The first part went really smooth, the 3ds was downgraded successfully and I could see the "Ver 2.1.0" in settings. So the next part is some browser exploit. I did that exactly as he did with downloading all the same files and placing them exactly like he does but when I typed the link "http://rxsaa.3ds something :/" my lower screen went blank and upper screen froze, basically the 3DS froze. So I turned it off and turned it back on only to see some wierd options like SysNAND and stuff. I guess it was asking me for "booting options" or something, I have a slight Idea that it might be due to "LUMA" or not, Idk :/. So there were a list of different options to select from, the first one was something about "SysNAND". Being the idiot that I am, I thought that selecting nothing and then pressing start would boot the device normally, lol. I did that and everything went blank. Now when I turn On the 3DS with the SD card both screens turn on but remain blank. The 3DS doesn't even turns on without the SD card, the blue light flashes on and then off and that's it (without the SD card). I can't even boot into safe mode because it gives error that safe mode is not available in Ver 1.x/2.x

I know, I should have done some research :/

Finally, if anyone can come up with a solution, please go easy on me as I am a complete noob.

Thank you all.

why do people follow outdated video guides? now were seeing the same post like every 5 min or so .

just use 3ds.guide its always updated with the latest content

 

[Knifegash]

Do you have the GodMode9 bin file in luma/payloads? Did you rename it like I suggested?

Yes, I looked back and saw your edit, changed the name, and now I got somewhere. I did all of the steps up to "Press (Start) to reboot your device'', #15 for the CTRT tool steps. When I reboot, I am STILL met with black screens. I wasn't able to update to complete the next step. I decided to move forward and inject the FBI one, and it still remains black. Thank you so very much for bearing with me, I'm really trying here, but this is so complex. It's just not like the good days of the PSP.

 

[Quantumcat]

"I think I bricked my console"
"I was watching a video guide"
every time

why do people follow outdated video guides? now were seeing the same post like every 5 min or so .

just use 3ds.guide its always updated with the latest content

If you have nothing constructive to say then keep it to yourselves.

Yes, I looked back and saw your edit, changed the name, and now I got somewhere. I did all of the steps up to "Press (Start) to reboot your device'', #15 for the CTRT tool steps. When I reboot, I am STILL met with black screens. I wasn't able to update to complete the next step. I decided to move forward and inject the FBI one, and it still remains black. Thank you so very much for bearing with me, I'm really trying here, but this is so complex. It's just not like the good days of the PSP.

So the CTR transfer was successful? Do you get the luma config screen if you hold Select before and during booting up? If so what version does it say it is?

Edit: try Luma 7.0.5 (copy the arm9loaderhax.bin to the root of your SD card and overwrite the one that is there)

 

[Knifegash]

If you have nothing constructive to say then keep it to yourselves.


So the CTR transfer was successful? Do you get the luma config screen if you hold Select before and during booting up? If so what version does it say it is?

Edit: try Luma 7.0.5 (copy the arm9loaderhax.bin to the root of your SD card and overwrite the one that is there)

Alright, so I was able to update Luma, and pushing the start button with nothing held suddenly took it to the new Luma, which was thrilling because it's finally looking good. So I proceeded with the steps, got to the last step, reboot, and now I've got Failed to mount CTRNAND. I looked it up and it appears I need Hourglass. Well, I downloaded the latest Hourglass9, but I don't know how to install that..

 

[Quantumcat]

Alright, so I was able to update Luma, and pushing the start button with nothing held suddenly took it to the new Luma, which was thrilling because it's finally looking good. So I proceeded with the steps, got to the last step, reboot, and now I've got Failed to mount CTRNAND. I looked it up and it appears I need Hourglass. Well, I downloaded the latest Hourglass9, but I don't know how to install that..

Failed to mount CTR NAND usually happens if your NAND is too low of a firmware.

So to confirm, the 9.2.0 CTR transfer was successful, and you are using version 7.0.5 of Luma? If that's the case then I am out of ideas sorry :-/

Hourglass9 won't help you unless what you want to do is restore a NAND backup.

 

[Alkéryn]

First using youtube video as a tutorial is a bad idea
second using OUTDATED youtube video as a tutorial is an even more bad idea

Though you could unbrick it with a magnet and a ds flashcard in a soon future
or hardmord it now

Also in the future you might be able to unbrick it using nothing but a dorito and some beer

 

[Knifegash]

Failed to mount CTR NAND usually happens if your NAND is too low of a firmware.

So to confirm, the 9.2.0 CTR transfer was successful, and you are using version 7.0.5 of Luma? If that's the case then I am out of ideas sorry :-/

Hourglass9 won't help you unless what you want to do is restore a NAND backup.

Really? I feel like we're so close, this is awful. I was filled with so much hope. Yes, the 9.2.0 CTR was done and I'm on 7.0.5. Should I update to a much later Luma?

 

[Quantumcat]

Really? I feel like we're so close, this is awful. I was filled with so much hope. Yes, the 9.2.0 CTR was done and I'm on 7.0.5. Should I update to a much later Luma?

No, 7.0.5 is the most recent one that will support a9lh :-/
Did you update to b9s? If so then you can try 7.1 or 8.0.

 

[Knifegash]

No, 7.0.5 is the most recent one that will support a9lh :-/
Did you update to b9s? If so then you can try 7.1 or 8.0.

How do I go to b9S?

 

[Bu2d85]

Really? I feel like we're so close, this is awful. I was filled with so much hope. Yes, the 9.2.0 CTR was done and I'm on 7.0.5. Should I update to a much later Luma?

I would also recommend just updating to b9s. You are doing all this work to get a9lh working but you will just have to update anyways.
https://3ds.guide/a9lh-to-b9s

 

[HaloEffect17]

If you have nothing constructive to say then keep it to yourselves.

Thank you. A reminder that it is very easy to point the finger and call someone out for making a mistake when we've all have made mistakes ourselves before with something new. The OP had a legitimate problem, recognised the mistake made, and shared specific details to maximum the amount of users who would be willing to help.

This was not the typical thread that was a single sentence long and provided no insight into the situation (we've all seen those before). This was a GBAtemp user asking for help and detailing as best as possible what had happened with their device. Any mockery for a sincere and carefully written thread by an OP is something I will never understand.

 

[Knifegash]

I would also recommend just updating to b9s. You are doing all this work to get a9lh working but you will just have to update anyways.
https://3ds.guide/a9lh-to-b9s

Well, I followed the guide as best as I could, until I got to the part about Luma 3DS showing NAND or user string in settings, when I changed it it would give me that error again. I restarted it, got back into Luma, and I do see that the setting has been toggled, so I continued forward until the part about starting FBI. I believe it's referring to launching it from my homebrew launcher, but I don't have access to that. Every time I restart the machine, it throws up the error to write to CTRNAND, and I can't proceed from here, as far as I know..

 

[Bu2d85]

Well, I followed the guide as best as I could, until I got to the part about Luma 3DS showing NAND or user string in settings, when I changed it it would give me that error again. I restarted it, got back into Luma, and I do see that the setting has been toggled, so I continued forward until the part about starting FBI. I believe it's referring to launching it from my homebrew launcher, but I don't have access to that. Every time I restart the machine, it throws up the error to write to CTRNAND, and I can't proceed from here, as far as I know..

Try the ctrnand transfer again. Maybe it didn't work the first time and you are still on 2.1.

 

[OblivionReign]

Well, I followed the guide as best as I could, until I got to the part about Luma 3DS showing NAND or user string in settings, when I changed it it would give me that error again. I restarted it, got back into Luma, and I do see that the setting has been toggled, so I continued forward until the part about starting FBI. I believe it's referring to launching it from my homebrew launcher, but I don't have access to that. Every time I restart the machine, it throws up the error to write to CTRNAND, and I can't proceed from here, as far as I know..

Fbi will be started from cia installed on your home menu, not via the homebrew launcher. Heck not going to lie i didnt think anyone ever used that form of fbi since its so useless.

 

[AllenHirai]

Alright, so I had an OLD 3DS XL laying around that I didn't really played from a long time (busy days) and I decided to look into all the "Hacking 3DS" stuff. Yeah, I am a complete NOOB when it comes to this stuff. So first I did some research and found that the first thing to do is to install Homebrew launcher. I did that and it turned out fine. I could run the launcher from the 3DS sound app. The second thing to do was to install a CFW and I really made a mistake of not doing any research what-so-ever and just started following a Youtube video guide. Here's the link to the guide:






As far as I know in the first part of the video, he downgrades the firmware to 2.1.0 or something. I originally had 11.2.0-35E. Yeah I had not updated in a long time as I didn't used it recently. The first part went really smooth, the 3ds was downgraded successfully and I could see the "Ver 2.1.0" in settings. So the next part is some browser exploit. I did that exactly as he did with downloading all the same files and placing them exactly like he does but when I typed the link "http://rxsaa.3ds something :/" my lower screen went blank and upper screen froze, basically the 3DS froze. So I turned it off and turned it back on only to see some wierd options like SysNAND and stuff. I guess it was asking me for "booting options" or something, I have a slight Idea that it might be due to "LUMA" or not, Idk :/. So there were a list of different options to select from, the first one was something about "SysNAND". Being the idiot that I am, I thought that selecting nothing and then pressing start would boot the device normally, lol. I did that and everything went blank. Now when I turn On the 3DS with the SD card both screens turn on but remain blank. The 3DS doesn't even turns on without the SD card, the blue light flashes on and then off and that's it (without the SD card). I can't even boot into safe mode because it gives error that safe mode is not available in Ver 1.x/2.x

I know, I should have done some research :/

Finally, if anyone can come up with a solution, please go easy on me as I am a complete noob.

Thank you all.

do u have he boot.firm file for luma if not u need it for the device to boot

 

[3XTR3M3Z0N3]

Thank you everyone! I was able to recover my 3DS and now it is on 9.2.0-20E firmware. The last step of the first part in the guide says that go to settings and update to latest firmware, Should I do that now considering that my I probably have a9lh and not b9s (if somehow during the guide, I've actually installed b9s, Idk)

Thanks everyone!!

 

[Quantumcat]

Thank you everyone! I was able to recover my 3DS and now it is on 9.2.0-20E firmware. The last step of the first part in the guide says that go to settings and update to latest firmware, Should I do that now considering that my I probably have a9lh and not b9s (if somehow during the guide, I've actually installed b9s, Idk)

Thanks everyone!!

You can update fine - Luma 7.0.5 supports 11.4. However if 11.5 comes out, check in the forum before updating to see if 7.0.5 supports it, if it doesn't you'll have to update to b9s.

 

[3XTR3M3Z0N3]

You can update fine - Luma 7.0.5 supports 11.4. However if 11.5 comes out, check in the forum before updating to see if 7.0.5 supports it, if it doesn't you'll have to update to b9s.

Alright so I am following this guide to install b9s: https://3ds.guide/a9lh-to-b9s

I have completed the first part, in second part it says to hold start to boot to LUMA 3DS chain menu, I did that and it did booted to the menu but options like Autoboot SysNAND and several others came up, I didn't knew what to do so I just pressed start and the 3DS booted. So I wasn't able to complete further steps of the second part. Now whenever I boot with START pressed it shows GodMode9 instead of LUMA3DS chainloader menu, how can I get to the LUMA menu again so I can complete further steps?

EDIT: So when I press SELECT during boot, it shows LUMA3DS v8.0 configuration, which means that I have installed Luma3DS correctly, right?

 

[FateForWindows]

Alright so I am following this guide to install b9s: https://3ds.guide/a9lh-to-b9s

I have completed the first part, in second part it says to hold start to boot to LUMA 3DS chain menu, I did that and it did booted to the menu but options like Autoboot SysNAND and several others came up, I didn't knew what to do so I just pressed start and the 3DS booted. So I wasn't able to complete further steps of the second part. Now whenever I boot with START pressed it shows GodMode9 instead of LUMA3DS chainloader menu, how can I get to the LUMA menu again so I can complete further steps?

EDIT: So when I press SELECT during boot, it shows LUMA3DS v8.0 configuration, which means that I have installed Luma3DS correctly, right?

Press SELECT instead of start.

 

[3XTR3M3Z0N3]

Alright, so everything went really smooth. GodMode9 is installed. Luma3DS V8.0 is installed. FBI and LumaUpdater are all installed but the problem is hat I have pretty much lost all of my previous data, although it is still on the SD card (the data was not important at all, there wasn't much either) but now my Homebrew launcher isn't working from the sounds app, it says "Cannot play file". So now that I have installed CFW, I just wanted to ask that is there a need for Homebrew now and how can I install one, just like I did before? Thank you.

EDIT: I figured it out. Installed Homebrew launcher through FBI. Thanks.