Hacking M3 SD doesn't save

[Sonic220]

[I'm italian so I don't speak english well Y_Y]
Hi, I'm new, I know tha this is the best nds/gba forum ever so I come here because I need help.
Yesterday my sister was playing the sims2 pets and after power off I try to play castlevania, but I cannot because the game say that it can't save the game and try to power off.
I lost every save game and the m3 doesn't save the game

So... i try to update the firmware, i try to format my sd...
but the problem persist ç___ç
(strange, but the gba game save work)
What i suppose to do?
Please help me ç__ç

 

[tama_mog]

Check your configuration and make sure auto-save feature is on. Otherwise format the SD fat16 and make sure you're patching the games properly accoridng to the m3wiki.

 

[fantasymick]

Sometimes when games are patched with an old version of M3 Manager, when played on the DS with new firmware, it causes problems. Try using the latest game manager and re-patch the game. Just make a backup of your save file and overwrite the new one after.

 

[Sonic220]

I have inserted my sd in my friend's m3 and it work
I have try to insert my friend's sd in my m3 and it don't work.
The auto save fuction is ON and i use the m3 menager v32 whit v31 firmware.
No game save work.

And if is the m3 battery?

 

[tama_mog]

Can you be more specific to what doesn't work? When you restart does it say it's writing data? Either way you can always enable soft reset and soft reset out of the game to write the sram back to the sd.

 

[Sonic220]

When you restart does it say it's writing data?
Yes, it say: dont shout down before finish backup
I start the game and it say that is impossible to save.
QUOTEEither way you can always enable soft reset and soft reset out of the game to write the sram back to the sd.

How can I?

 

[tama_mog]

if it says unable to save, then it cannot find the .dat file the save to, so either your SD card directory structure is not right (aka having NDSSAVES in root) or something's wrong with the SD card. You enable soft reset by checking a box when you're patching the game with the game manager called "soft reset." Then it's L,R,A, B to soft reset out of a game back to the main menu.

 

[Sonic220]

no, the directory is NDSSAVES and the SD work correctly. i have tested it on my friend's M3

 

[tama_mog]

if that is the case, only 2 possibilities:

1) your m3 is defective
2) It's still continuously trying to flush its internal sram (battery save info) to a save file that doesn't exist and your friend's unit isn't because the saves have operated normally.

 

[Sonic220]

So, i must buy a new m3.

 

[tama_mog]

That or if #2 is correct from my post above, you need to create a save file in the correct place for it to write back to the SD whatever gamesave it's trying to write when you start your m3. Good luck.

 

[Sonic220]

That or if #2 is correct from my post above, you need to create a save file in the correct place for it to write back to the SD whatever gamesave it's trying to write when you start your m3. Good luck.

Ok, thx for help, but I have not understood well what i must try to do
I take a my firiend's save and put it in my NDSSAVE?

 

[tama_mog]

if you get a message when you start the m3 that says something like "cannot find save file, backup/saving failed," then you can see the save file it's trying to save to "the file name will be there, aka the save file it cannot find." Create a m3 .dat file with the same name as that file and stick it in NDSSAVE or GAMESAVE (pending on what kind of save game it is) so the sram can properly be deleted when it saves over the .dat file. Then from now on, just make sure this process happens regularly, play a game, restart to the main menu and let the m3 save the sram data to the sd card and then shut off your DS. Easy mainteance.

 

[Sonic220]

if you get a message when you start the m3 that says something like "cannot find save file, backup/saving failed,"

No, it seems to work perfectly
"Auto backup don't shout down before finish"
it says something about that.

 

[tama_mog]

If it says that, then saving onto the sd card technically is successful seen by the m3 cart. If your saves still aren't kept, then it's a hardware problem and I would proceed to exchange it.

 

[billyboblove]

I'm having a similar problemwith an m3 lite micro sd. It was working fine, but I believe what may have caused a problem was attempting to run a DS rom while in Moonshell, I think it messed up the FAT. I've had some success with my Phoenix Wright + RocketSlime saves, since those were created before I ran the NDS rom through moonshell, and can be written over , but new saves do not appear in the NDSSAVES directory (which I actually created myself after the borking of the FAT, in experimentation). I have a feeling that could be the problem. I don't particulary want to format but fear it may be the solution.

Any thoughts?

 

[Sonic220]

Save the ndssave folder and try to format the sd.

Also.. i have try to use the tester on the battery of m3.
It show me 2.8(normal=3.0 but it must show 3.2), so tomorrow i will try to exchagne the battery, if after that the m3 work I will come here to say how to exchange.

 

[billyboblove]

my solution has been to either make "fake" .dat files by copying and renaming otherones, so they can be successfully overwritten. more permanently, I just backed up all of my .dats,deleted the 2 different save dirs and recopied my roms. haven't had a problem since. I just think that running a nds rom through moonshell messed up some file pointer in the FAT.

no problems since.