microsd card making 3ds/2ds not work?

[natakuy]

So I just got my (homebrewed) New 2DS XL back from an official repair from Nintendo, and it works, but not when the microsd card is in. When trying to turn it on while the microsd card is in, the blue light goes on but nothing happens. When inserting the microsd card after I already turned it on, it just freezes. I thought at first that it was just due to the repair being faulty or whatever, but I put the microsd card into my original 3DS XL and the same happened. I don’t have a computer on me right now so I can’t check whats in the card on there but I’m scared that they did something to the card because it was homebrewed.
also there was tape on the bottom of the 2ds that just said “SD”
so does anybody know why this is happening/any fixes?

 

[raxadian]

The old website seems to be gone so try here:

https://m.majorgeeks.com/files/details/fat32format.html

 

[natakuy]

There are programs that will format a card to "fat32", but there is no program named "fat32", sir. What program did you use?

No clue, it was 2 years ago. But I think it's the same one i used for my 3ds sd card which still works fine

 

[natakuy]

So I’ve given up on trying to fix the microsd card and got a new 128 gb one, the exact same down to the brand. I’m ready to format it to fat32 again and transfer the files over so I just have 3 questions:
Will moving all the files to the new card mean that I can once again access my save data for all my games?
Do I have to use the same program to format the card to fat32? Somebody asked about this earlier in the thread so I’m wondering how important it is, since I don’t really remember which one I used.
Are there any other complications/things that I need to know?

 

[Kwyjor]

Do I have to use the same program to format the card to fat32? Somebody asked about this earlier in the thread so I’m wondering how important it is, since I don’t really remember which one I used.

If you don't really remember the one you used, then how will you know whether you're using the same one?

Formatting an SD card is discussed in https://3ds.hacks.guide/formatting-sd-(windows) , but you should use Godmode9 if you can, as in https://3ds.hacks.guide/godmode9-usage#format-an-sd-card , as it is by far the most reliable.

Will moving all the files to the new card mean that I can once again access my save data for all my games?

That is how it works, yes. Make sure your SD card is completely blank before you start copying the files to it. Roadkil's Unstoppable Copier is recommended, but not required.

 

[CoolMe]

So I’ve given up on trying to fix the microsd card and got a new 128 gb one, the exact same down to the brand.

Make sure to check it for errors with h2testw, as it could be a fake..

Will moving all the files to the new card mean that I can once again access my save data for all my games?

Yes, if the data from your old sd card isn't corrupt in some way..

Do I have to use the same program to format the card to fat32?

Use Guiformat to format it as FAT32 64kb clusters (Or 32kb if you don't plan on playing GBA games).

Are there any other complications/things that I need to know?

Nope, apart from checking that it's a genuine sd card, and it actually has the storage capacity it claims it has.

 

[natakuy]

If you don't really remember the one you used, then how will you know whether you're using the same one?

Well yeah, that’s why I’m asking, since that means it’s an issue if I do need to use the same one.

Yes, if the data from your old sd card isn't corrupt in some way..

Well, there seems to be some problem with the microsd card considering I had to make this thread, but I couldn’t identify what it is which is why I made this thread in the first place and settled on getting a new card.

 

[natakuy]

Soooo should I go through with copying the data from the microsd card to the new one even though I’m still not quite sure if the data on it is corrupt? I mean, something has to be wrong with it considering that, as I said, the card wouldn’t work specifically on my 3DS systems and I had to make this thread. Sorry if it feels like I’m spamming the thread by the way, I’m not sure how people here feel about double posting, I’m just kind of in a rush to finally get this over with.

 

[Kwyjor]

I’m just kind of in a rush to finally get this over with.

So do it already. What else do you think you're going to do?

Roadkil's Unstopable Copier should tell you if there is any data on your old card that cannot be retrieved for some reason.

 

[natakuy]

I finally got around to moving the files to a new microSD card. I put it in my 2DS and it actually works with the new card in which is an improvement, but upon turning it on, it says “Could not detect a microSD Card. The software on the microSD Card could not be displayed.”

 

[a_username_that_isnt_cool]

I finally got around to moving the files to a new microSD card. I put it in my 2DS and it actually works with the new card in which is an improvement, but upon turning it on, it says “Could not detect a microSD Card. The software on the microSD Card could not be displayed.”

I smell a faulty MicroSD port.

 

[natakuy]

I smell a faulty MicroSD port.

I thought about this a while back and tested and nope, that’s not it. I actually just realized that I was in a hurry and forget to format the card, so now I’ll remove the files, format the card, and try again. Hopefully, it will work after that.

 

[a_username_that_isnt_cool]

I thought about this a while back and tested and nope, that’s not it. I actually just realized that I was in a hurry and forget to format the card, so now I’ll remove the files, format the card, and try again. Hopefully, it will work after that.

Use GUIFormat.

 

[anotherthing]

you should use Godmode9 if you can, as in https://3ds.hacks.guide/godmode9-usage#format-an-sd-card , as it is by far the most reliable.

Well, Hell. I never knew GodMode9 could do that!

Use Guiformat to format it as FAT32 64kb clusters (Or 32kb if you don't plan on playing GBA games).

I've had trouble getting GUIFormat to work on some larger SanDisk cards. Instead, I use HPUSBDisk.exe which has yet to fail me. If GUIFormat works for you every time, great. If not, here's a link to what I've been using since I got tired of GUIFormat telling me that the SD card I was trying to format was in use:

https://download.cnet.com/HP-USB-Disk-Storage-Format-Tool/3000-2094_4-10974082.html

 

[natakuy]

Finally got around to moving the files from the original microSD Card to a new, formatted one. Put it in my New 2DS XL system, turned it on, and it finally actually boots up instead of just getting stuck on a black screen but says “Could not detect a microSD Card. The software on the microSD Card could not be displayed.” The wording confuses me because it evidently did detect a microSD Card, but I get what they mean.
I used a microSD Card adapter to try the card on my original 3DS XL and the same thing happened with the same message (except it says SD Card instead of microSD because that’s what this model uses, hence me needing an adapter), and that system is very much modded, so I can now confirm that it isn’t a matter of the New 2DS XL needing to be modded again or anything, there was something done to the microSD Card. What do I do now? Is there some way I can see which files in the card were last tampered with (although this wouldn’t help if it was a matter of something simply being deleted)?
Edit: Alternatively, is there a way that I can just recover game saves on the card that weren’t properly backed up and ditch everything else in favor of a new card with new files

 

[Kwyjor]

Here we go again. Are you sure the new card is formatted correctly?

There's no point in worrying about a new card with new files if you can't get any card to work at all.

 

[anotherthing]

I used a microSD Card adapter to try the card on my original 3DS XL and the same thing happened with the same message (except it says SD Card instead of microSD because that’s what this model uses, hence me needing an adapter), and that system is very much modded, so I can now confirm that it isn’t a matter of the New 2DS XL needing to be modded again or anything, there was something done to the microSD Card.

The card with the files from the New 2DS XL wouldn't work on the 3DS XL because the files would be encrypted to be specific for the New 2DS XL. You can read and write to it with Windows, but any 3DS model other than the one that originally put those files on there can't load those files.

Are you sure the new card is formatted correctly?

This is probably the best question which will lead to the solution. Put the card in your computer and check the properties of the card. Make sure it's FAT32. If not, you'll need to format the card with something like guiformat or HPUSBDisk.

http://ridgecrop.co.uk/index.htm?guiformat.htm
https://hp-usb-disk-storage-format-tool.en.softonic.com/

It could also be the files that you copied to the SD card are corrupted.

 

[natakuy]

I... can't believe that I forgot to format the microSD Card to FAT32 again. Sorry.
I formatted it, put the files back in, and booted up the New 2DS XL with the card inside. After taking an unusually long time to boot up, it did happen, but the system is functioning as if there is no software on the inserted card. normal things such as my old photos and AR Games data are still there (which is expected, I just never thought to check until now), there's just no trace of homebrew.

 

[Kwyjor]

there's just no trace of homebrew.

As explained above, any data installed to the SD card (i.e. using FBI) on another unit will not be readable on this unit.

If you want to start over with a fresh install, follow https://3ds.guide/restoring-updating-cfw .

 

[natakuy]

As explained above, any data installed to the SD card (i.e. using FBI) on another unit will not be readable on this unit.

The 2DS XL I just tested on is the unit that the data was originally installed for. It's the repaired one I mentioned in this thread's original post, I'm trying to get the data from the card I used to run homebrew on it back so I can get the save data from the games I played on it back.

 

[Kwyjor]

At this point I am completely confused as to what is going on.

The important thing is that If you have old data specifically from this unit, then the SD card should be completely empty (or at least have no "Nintendo 3DS" folder) before you copy any of the old data back to the card. (Otherwise, you will end up with multiple "ID1" folders.)

(This also assumes you haven't done a System Format or System Transfer in the meantime, which would change the encryption key.)