Hardware Need help recovering old save files from bricked 3DS

[TheCortex_]

As the title says, I used to have a 2ds ages ago that came preinstalled with Pokemon Y. After a while, the 2ds bricked itself and I had to buy a new one. I have the SD card and can still access the DCIM file, however the system was unmodded and I do not have a backup of the system. Is there any way at all I can recover the save file from the old game, even if I cant recover the game itself?

 

[XFoxPrower]

DCIM? Isn't that the folder for photos taken by your system? Anyway, Pokemon saves are complex in that the system stores a hash on the NAND or something to prevent restoring a save to recover trraded Pokemon. Whether further measures exist, such as saves by a conse or accout ID exist (like Vita), I'm not sure. But recovering your save seems unlikely unless you can unbrick your 2DS.

 

[Kwyjor]

As the title says, I used to have a 2ds ages ago that came preinstalled with Pokemon Y. After a while, the 2ds bricked itself and I had to buy a new one. I have the SD card and can still access the DCIM file, however the system was unmodded and I do not have a backup of the system. Is there any way at all I can recover the save file from the old game, even if I cant recover the game itself?

Similar questions have been asked many, many times at this point...

As suggested in the other post, the "DCIM" folder is normally used for pictures taken with the camera and has nothing to do with your games. Everything game-related is stored in the "Nintendo 3DS" folder and is encrypted with a key unique to your old system.

You can only break the encryption at this point if you still have a Mii QR code generated on the unit – this should be stored in the DCIM folder as a file named HNI_xxxx.JPG (where xxxx will be some random number). Alternatively, you will need to access another 3DS that has this unit in its Friend list. (It needs to be fully registered in the Friend list with a Mii, not just "provisionally registered".)

If you do not have either of these things, then your save data is effectively unrecoverable. (It could take a decade of computing time to bruteforce the encryption without a starting point.) You would have to get your 2DS working again. I have no idea what you mean when you say "the 2ds bricked itself" as that's not something that just "happens".

Anyway, Pokemon saves are complex in that the system stores a hash on the NAND or something to prevent restoring a save to recover trraded Pokemon.

The "Anti Savegame Restore" is routinely defeated by Checkpoint or JKSM. That is a fairly trivial concern.

 

[TheCortex_]

You can only break the encryption at this point if you still have a Mii QR code generated on the unit – this should be stored in the DCIM folder as a file named HNI_xxxx.JPG (where xxxx will be some random number).

I managed to recover one of the Mii QR codes, I found it by chance in the DCIM lol, here it is attached.

Also, as for it being bricked, I'm going off of limited knowledge from around 11 years ago, I would've been 7 so I don't quite know the full story.

 

[Kwyjor]

Okay then! This doesn't happen very often.

The next step is to use Seedminer to bruteforce the encryption key. You will need a computer with a powerful GPU to do this, but someone on the Homebrew Discord might be able to help you if you are lacking.
https://wiki.hacks.guide/wiki/3DS:Seedminer/Mii_mining

 

[TheCortex_]

I was able to follow the instructions on the website you provided, and now have the moveable.sed file, only issue is that my 2ds is currently on version 11.17 and the next link says it requires 11.16. Is there a work around to that?

 

[Deleted member 702243]

I was able to follow the instructions on the website you provided, and now have the moveable.sed file, only issue is that my 2ds is currently on version 11.17 and the next link says it requires 11.16. Is there a work around to that?

you don't need to do that, now you just use ninfs to mount your sd card contents using your movable.sed to decrypt it

https://github.com/ihaveamac/ninfs

 

[Kwyjor]

I was able to follow the instructions on the website you provided, and now have the moveable.sed file, only issue is that my 2ds is currently on version 11.17 and the next link says it requires 11.16. Is there a work around to that?

The other stuff there concerns an old method for installing CFW. Don't worry about that.

Instead, follow the instructions at https://gbatemp.net/threads/restore-save-data-from-dead-3ds-2ds.606907/ . Be sure to read the first few posts in the thread,

(ninfs can be used for this too, but it's substantially more complicated and involves extra steps.)

To be clear, to use your save data again on another 3DS, you will probably have to install CFW in order to use Checkpoint, the save game manager. (There are ways around installing CFW, but they're kind of complicated.) To install CFW you should follow the instructions at https://3ds.guide. Or you can just use the data with Citra or another 3DS emulator.

 

[TheCortex_]

While boot9.bin is necessary, boot9.bin – unlike movable.sed – is completely the same for all consoles. You can either dump it from another 3DS or just download it from the Internet if you can find it.

Do you know where I can find a copy of boot9.bin on the internet? Im not as familiar with this stuff so that thread hurt my head to try and figure out lol. If not Im sure I can figure it out in a few hours

 

[Kwyjor]

Do you know where I can find a copy of boot9.bin on the internet?

It is trivial to extract it from a unit with CFW installed – and like I said, you're probably going to need to install CFW.

It's also flagrantly illegal to distribute, if that isn't already clear. (Not that some people are stopped by that.)

Im not as familiar with this stuff so that thread hurt my head to try and figure out lol. If not Im sure I can figure it out in a few hours

I'm afraid that's just about as simple as it gets. You're already past the hard part. Like I said, make sure you read the first few posts.

(I used to contemplate going back and writing a slightly more straightforward version, but eh.)