Hacking Noob here: Few questions before I use a CFW

[vMasked]

Hi guys, I have a few questions, tbh some of them are probably stupid but I'm the type of person to have peace of mind even if I think it's right lol. I will be backing up the sysnand before installing the CFW.


1) If I download Kosmos package (Atmosphere), put the switch in sleep mode does the battery drain?? I heard this is an issue but not sure if that's only with OX-OS? If it still does drain the battery because it's in Auto-RCM is there a way to stop it draining without turning the whole thing off?

2) If I want to go to the Hekate menu, is there an option in Kosmos toolbox to do this? (i read somewhere it could be possible)

3) I want to install Android but understand it's not that easy (if possible at all) to have Atmosphere and Android as a dual boot, i.e boot to Hekate and choose Android. So my question is this: If I'm on Atmosphere and done playing a game and I think, right let me use Android... Can I just boot to Hekate menu and change the SD card there and then boot to Android? IF yes, once I'm on Android how do I boot back to the Hekate menu so I can then put in my CFW SD card?? Because I won't have an option on the android SD card to reboot to Hekate will I?

4) Not sure if you can tell me but where's the best place to get 1st party games, torrents? If so I can try find them and then check a YouTube video on how to run them. Is there a decent app or is it tinfoil & Goldleaf?

5) I ain't too fussed if I get banned, however if I load up the switch in airplane mode, does Kosmos come with Incognito or do I install it myself manually?

6) Really silly question but gonna ask it anyways, does the CFW switch work in the dock? So I can use it to connect to the TV and play? Same with Android actually can I dock the switch and watch a film on a android app using the dock?

7) Once a game has been installed, will I always need to use an app to run the game or once it's installed that's it? Just select the game and play.

8) How are the game saves? Does the custom atmosphere by Kosmos come with an app of some sort to save games to the SD card? I'd hate to get far on Pokémon and I lose my saved data lol. Or do I just click save and that's it?

9) Does Atmosphere have an option to power off but book back up to Hekate?

10) LAST QUESTION! What's the difference between the CFW sysnand and CFW Emummc ?

11) Last last question; If I want to use internet browser and YouTube on the switch etc. is it best to use the Android SD card I created? If I do use Android on the Switch, will I most likely get banned?



So sorry for all the questions, if you can even answer just 1 of them you know the answer too, that will still be a great help!

I'm just weighing up the pros and cons tbh. Money isn't an issue so I could just buy the games, but if I can get them for free and turn the switch into an android tablet, it's a lot more ideal.

Thanks so much in advance if you can help a noob like me out!

 

[bad361]

Hi guys, I have a few questions, tbh some of them are probably stupid but I'm the type of person to have peace of mind even if I think it's right lol. I will be backing up the sysnand before installing the CFW.


1) If I download Kosmos package (Atmosphere), put the switch in sleep mode does the battery drain?? I heard this is an issue but not sure if that's only with OX-OS? If it still does drain the battery because it's in Auto-RCM is there a way to stop it draining without turning the whole thing off?

2) If I want to go to the Hekate menu, is there an option in Kosmos toolbox to do this? (i read somewhere it could be possible)

3) I want to install Android but understand it's not that easy (if possible at all) to have Atmosphere and Android as a dual boot, i.e boot to Hekate and choose Android. So my question is this: If I'm on Atmosphere and done playing a game and I think, right let me use Android... Can I just boot to Hekate menu and change the SD card there and then boot to Android? IF yes, once I'm on Android how do I boot back to the Hekate menu so I can then put in my CFW SD card?? Because I won't have an option on the android SD card to reboot to Hekate will I?

4) Not sure if you can tell me but where's the best place to get 1st party games, torrents? If so I can try find them and then check a YouTube video on how to run them. Is there a decent app or is it tinfoil & Goldleaf?

5) I ain't too fussed if I get banned, however if I load up the switch in airplane mode, does Kosmos come with Incognito or do I install it myself manually?

6) Really silly question but gonna ask it anyways, does the CFW switch work in the dock? So I can use it to connect to the TV and play? Same with Android actually can I dock the switch and watch a film on a android app using the dock?

7) Once a game has been installed, will I always need to use an app to run the game or once it's installed that's it? Just select the game and play.

8) How are the game saves? Does the custom atmosphere by Kosmos come with an app of some sort to save games to the SD card? I'd hate to get far on Pokémon and I lose my saved data lol. Or do I just click save and that's it?

9) Does Atmosphere have an option to power off but book back up to Hekate?

10) LAST QUESTION! What's the difference between the CFW sysnand and CFW Emummc ?

11) Last last question; If I want to use internet browser and YouTube on the switch etc. is it best to use the Android SD card I created? If I do use Android on the Switch, will I most likely get banned?



So sorry for all the questions, if you can even answer just 1 of them you know the answer too, that will still be a great help!

I'm just weighing up the pros and cons tbh. Money isn't an issue so I could just buy the games, but if I can get them for free and turn the switch into an android tablet, it's a lot more ideal.

Thanks so much in advance if you can help a noob like me out!

1. You confused sleep mode with rcm mode. Sleep mode is a regular sleep state, the same as for any other smartphone when you hit power button once. AutoRCM on other hand is a state when your console technically is powered off but it's in RCM state waiting for payload, and yes it drains battery slowly. If it dies, nothing scary will happen, just let it charge for some time, keep in mind it's in rcm mode, try holding power for 10-15 sec and you'll turn it off. But i can't imagine a situation where you can leave your switch in rcm mode, only by a mistake forgetting to push a payload may be?

2. Yes. there are options to launch any payload in CFW.

3. Yes, you can set up dual boot. And yes you can also swap sd in Hekate to launch android if you don't have dualboot set up. To jump from Android to HOS you will need to manually go into rcm (power switch off, then go into rcm) and push a payload cause there's no option for entering rcm right from Android (but there's one in the latest Linux iirc).

4. Google that, this is not a piracy-related forum.

5. You install it manually.

6. CFW works all the time, even in dock, yes. I'm not an Android switch user, but afaik you can dock it in Android too.

7. Just select and play (if you are using CFW). You can't play illegally installed roms on OFW of course, just to clarify.

8. I don't use Kosmos, but i think it comes with the app for managing saves (EdiZon)... Anyway, you can get it manually too. But you can't choose where to save. Nintendo games ALWAYS (unless you are using EMUNAND i guess) save to NAND, but EdiZon let's you backup to sd and restore etc...

9. Hekate is a payload, and any CFW has the ability to launch ANY payload from within (without rebooting and all that stuff).

10. Cmon, you can read about Emunand yourself. Its basically fake CFW NAND that you can boot from your SD card without even touching original NAND. Its used specifically if you want to keep your sysNAND clean (without CFW, e.g. to play online). So... You just do dirty CFW stuff in EMUNAND and play online and be law-abiding citizen in sysNAND. But in that case you don't want to use online on EMUNAND at all (well, that only applies for ninty servers).

11. I guess so, or you can use Linux as well. You won't get banned, cause these OS's are independent from your NAND or any other Nintendo related stuff (you don't use nintendo servers, accounts etc), you are completely safe using Android/Linux/Lakka.

 

[vMasked]

1. You confused sleep mode with rcm mode. Sleep mode is a regular sleep state, the same as for any other smartphone when you hit power button once. AutoRCM on other hand is a state when your console technically is powered off but it's in RCM state waiting for payload, and yes it drains battery slowly. If it dies, nothing scary will happen, just let it charge for some time, keep in mind it's in rcm mode, try holding power for 10-15 sec and you'll turn it off. But i can't imagine a situation where you can leave your switch in rcm mode, only by a mistake forgetting to push a payload may be?

2. Yes. there are options to launch any payload in CFW.

3. Yes, you can set up dual boot. And yes you can also swap sd in Hekate to launch android if you don't have dualboot set up. To jump from Android to HOS you will need to manually go into rcm (power switch off, then go into rcm) and push a payload cause there's no option for entering rcm right from Android (but there's one in the latest Linux iirc).

4. Google that, this is not a piracy-related forum.

5. You install it manually.

6. CFW works all the time, even in dock, yes. I'm not an Android switch user, but afaik you can dock it in Android too.

7. Just select and play (if you are using CFW). You can't play illegally installed roms on OFW of course, just to clarify.

8. I don't use Kosmos, but i think it comes with the app for managing saves (EdiZon)... Anyway, you can get it manually too. But you can't choose where to save. Nintendo games ALWAYS (unless you are using EMUNAND i guess) save to NAND, but EdiZon let's you backup to sd and restore etc...

9. Hekate is a payload, and any CFW has the ability to launch ANY payload from within (without rebooting and all that stuff).

10. Cmon, you can read about Emunand yourself. Its basically fake CFW NAND that you can boot from your SD card without even touching original NAND. Its used specifically if you want to keep your sysNAND clean (without CFW, e.g. to play online). So... You just do dirty CFW stuff in EMUNAND and play online and be law-abiding citizen in sysNAND. But in that case you don't want to use online on EMUNAND at all (well, that only applies for ninty servers).

11. I guess so, or you can use Linux as well. You won't get banned, cause these OS's are independent from your NAND or any other Nintendo related stuff (you don't use nintendo servers, accounts etc), you are completely safe using Android/Linux/Lakka.

Hi, let me start by saying thank you so much for replying so quick and answering every question.

In regards to question 1, I've seen posts lately where if they leave it in RCM there battery drains within a day. Then I saw someone say if you go to Hekate menu and select Power off from there it does a soft power down (if that makes sense?) then they just turn it back on and it boots back to Hekate without the need of using a jig and the battery life probably goes down by 1% in a day. Do you have any knowledge on this?

I'll look into dual boot as that will be ideal, however even with dual boot can you still exit out of Android and boot back into CFW? If not then I doubt I'll even bother with it, rather just have 2 SD cards separate.

For question 10 I see people have 3 options, EMUNAND & SYSNAND and StockNAND. I know the stock is the OFW but was just confused with EMUNAND and SYSNAND CFW, but I'll just use EMUNAND regardless.

Thank you so much for answering the questions, I've now got peace of mind!

Edit: Just seen there's Reboot 2 Payload, I may look into that.

If you don't mind, disregard the cost but what would you say is better, OX-OS or Atmosphere?

 

[bad361]

Hi, let me start by saying thank you so much for replying so quick and answering every question.

In regards to question 1, I've seen posts lately where if they leave it in RCM there battery drains within a day. Then I saw someone say if you go to Hekate menu and select Power off from there it does a soft power down (if that makes sense?) then they just turn it back on and it boots back to Hekate without the need of using a jig and the battery life probably goes down by 1% in a day. Do you have any knowledge on this?

I'll look into dual boot as that will be ideal, however even with dual boot can you still exit out of Android and boot back into CFW? If not then I doubt I'll even bother with it, rather just have 2 SD cards separate.

For question 10 I see people have 3 options, EMUNAND & SYSNAND and StockNAND. I know the stock is the OFW but was just confused with EMUNAND and SYSNAND CFW, but I'll just use EMUNAND regardless.

Thank you so much for answering the questions, I've now got peace of mind!

Edit: Just seen there's Reboot 2 Payload, I may look into that.

If you don't mind, disregard the cost but what would you say is better, OX-OS or Atmosphere?

You can't go straight into hekate from RCM, you have to push a payload with something like a pc, a smartphone or rcm loader). Powering off from hekate will just power your switch off and when you turn it on after that (with autoRCM) it will go into RCM mode and you'll have to push a payload to get into hekate or whatever you want.

Who said you couldn't exit out of Android and boot back into CFW? You can, but you have to do it manually since there's no option to launch payloads from Android. As i said earlier, to boot back into CFW you'll have to turn your switch off, get into rcm and push a payload. With linux it has got way more easier since it now supports reboot2payload, so you don't have to turn off the console and enter rcm manually.

Stock is stock OFW. SYSNAND CFW is basically stock nand with atmosphere (or any other CFW) applied on top of that. And EMUNAND is a completely independent CFW NAND that you boot from SD card without touching your SYSNAD at all. So, keep in mind that setting up EMUNAND will require you to have spare 33gb (that's the size of switch NAND).

As for CFW choice, its up to you. Look up the differences between them yourself and make a choice what to use. But just so you know, almost every CFW is based on atmosphere, atmos is open source and it's getting updated every now and then. Plus almost every homebrew is developed foremost to be supported by atmos (including emulation and other stuff). To put it simple, if you want ultimate piracy, go for SX, if you want every homebrew/sys-module support, emulation and on top of that the ability to play unsigned games (with 3rd party sigpatches), go for atmosphere (or kosmos, its the same thing, but a pre-made package with different stuff like homebrews and sys-modules).

i personally use vanilla atmosphere and decide what to use and what to install myself.

 

[Kafluke]

SX OS not OX-OS

 

[vMasked]

You can't go straight into hekate from RCM, you have to push a payload with something like a pc, a smartphone or rcm loader). Powering off from hekate will just power your switch off and when you turn it on after that (with autoRCM) it will go into RCM mode and you'll have to push a payload to get into hekate or whatever you want.

Who said you couldn't exit out of Android and boot back into CFW? You can, but you have to do it manually since there's no option to launch payloads from Android. As i said earlier, to boot back into CFW you'll have to turn your switch off, get into rcm and push a payload. With linux it has got way more easier since it now supports reboot2payload, so you don't have to turn off the console and enter rcm manually.

Stock is stock OFW. SYSNAND CFW is basically stock nand with atmosphere (or any other CFW) applied on top of that. And EMUNAND is a completely independent CFW NAND that you boot from SD card without touching your SYSNAD at all. So, keep in mind that setting up EMUNAND will require you to have spare 33gb (that's the size of switch NAND).

As for CFW choice, its up to you. Look up the differences between them yourself and make a choice what to use. But just so you know, almost every CFW is based on atmosphere, atmos is open source and it's getting updated every now and then. Plus almost every homebrew is developed foremost to be supported by atmos (including emulation and other stuff). To put it simple, if you want ultimate piracy, go for SX, if you want every homebrew/sys-module support, emulation and on top of that the ability to play unsigned games (with 3rd party sigpatches), go for atmosphere (or kosmos, its the same thing, but a pre-made package with different stuff like homebrews and sys-modules).

i personally use vanilla atmosphere and decide what to use and what to install myself.

Thanks again for your reply.

Sorry for being frustrating on this reboot to payload topic. I looked online and it said Reboot to payload now works with Android on the Switch too. So lets say I got 2 SD cards, one for Android and one for Atmos. I manage to get to Hekate menu from Android, I put in my different SD card with Atmos on it, can I then launch the payload? Am I right in thinking, once you've removed the SD card and inserted it back in, you need to inject the payload, right?

So if that's true, my thinking is I might as well just buy an RCMloader and just power off from the switch, use the jig and an RCM loader? (So sorry, complete noob at this)

You've explained everything perfectly, thank you!

 

[bad361]

Thanks again for your reply.

Sorry for being frustrating on this reboot to payload topic. I looked online and it said Reboot to payload now works with Android on the Switch too. So lets say I got 2 SD cards, one for Android and one for Atmos. I manage to get to Hekate menu from Android, I put in my different SD card with Atmos on it, can I then launch the payload? Am I right in thinking, once you've removed the SD card and inserted it back in, you need to inject the payload, right?

So if that's true, my thinking is I might as well just buy an RCMloader and just power off from the switch, use the jig and an RCM loader? (So sorry, complete noob at this)

You've explained everything perfectly, thank you!

Yeah, you pretty much said everything right... Except i didn't quite get what you meant by that sd swapping thing.. You can only hotswap in Hekate. Once you inserted Atmos sd, then just select atmos payload and you're in Atmosphere CFW. If Android now supports reboot2payload, that's awesome, i missed that cause i don't really care about android on switch that much.

You don't have to use jig if you enable autoRCM. I mean, you use it once, then turn on autoRCM and then don't use it ever again.

RCMLoader is a great option, yeah.

 

[vMasked]

Yeah, you pretty much said everything right... Except i didn't quite get what you meant by that sd swapping thing.. You can only hotswap in Hekate. Once you inserted the one with Atmos, then yeah, just select atmos payload and you're in Atmosphere. If Android now supports reboot2payload, that's awesome, i missed that cause i don't really care about android on switch that much.

You don't have to use jig if you enable autoRCM. I mean, you use it once, then turn on autoRCM and then don't use it ever again.

RCMLoader is a great option, yeah.

Ah, I see! The only reason why I'd switch SD cards is because Android & Atmosphere on the same SD card is very complex and so many people have issues doing it lol. So I'd keep it separate.

Oh cool so even in the Hekate menu, if I take out the SD card for whatever reason, no matter... what you need to inject the payload again. RIGHT I finally got it, phew! (Defo getting an RCM loader)

Thanks bro, I appreciate all your help mate.

 

[bad361]

Ah, I see! The only reason why I'd switch SD cards is because Android & Atmosphere on the same SD card is very complex and so many people have issues doing it lol. So I'd keep it separate.

Oh cool so even in the Hekate menu, if I take out the SD card for whatever reason, no matter... what you need to inject the payload again. RIGHT I finally got it, phew! (Defo getting an RCM loader)

Thanks bro, I appreciate all your help mate.

I think you misunderstood a bit... When you hotswap sd in hekate, YOU DON"T LEAVE hekate, you stay in there. From your words it seems like you think that after swapping sd cards, you need to inject hekate payload again, but you don't.

 

[vMasked]

I think you misunderstood a bit... When you hotswap sd in hekate, YOU DON"T LEAVE hekate, you stay in there. From your words it seems like you think that after swapping sd cards, you need to inject hekate payload again, but you don't.

Oh yeah, duh... of course lol. Cool so I can just boot up Atmos once I insert the SD card back in, perfect perfect!

Thanks again man. I'll get there eventually lol.