Homebrew Question about primary entry point for homebrew on old 3DS

[ClubShrimp]

Hi, I wanted to ask this question in the Ask section, but apparently I need to have 100+ posts to use it (is this true?).

I have an old 3DS with version 3.0.0-6E firmware on it. I used that well-known (I think) "3DS Hacks Guide" to get boot9strap and Luma3DS on it, and it all went smoothly (except I seemingly bricked my Acekard 2i, but luckily I had an old phat DS and a CycloDS Evolution lying around, as well as a guide on the GBATemp wiki, with which to reverse the damage).

I should say, this was my first time doing anything like this, and it was pretty hard to find a good source of information for noobs. There's so much stuff out there and often it seems to assume so much other knowledge. Because of this, I failed to realize that actually running homebrew on my CFW 3DS wouldn't be as easy as I thought it would be, mainly because of its version.

So, my question is: what are my options for installing homebrew? I don't really want to update past 4.3.0 if I don't have to, because I'd like to be able to retain the use of my Acekard. Are there any hacks available to me that don't require both 1. updating past 4.3.0, and 2. buying a specific game? (EDIT: What's the lowest firmware version at which browserhax is possible?)

Thanks for reading, and apologies for being a noob and possibly saying stupid things (please be gentle).

 

[zoogie]

Just install ntrboot on that ak2i, install b9s on 3ds, update the 3ds and enjoy.
ak2i should work fine on a cfw system.

 

[ClubShrimp]

Just install ntrboot on that ak2i, install b9s on 3ds, update the 3ds and enjoy.
ak2i should work fine on a cfw system.

My Acekard 2i stopped working after the ntrboot installation process. I had to reflash it. But, that didn't stop me from getting b9s and Luma3DS onto my 3DS, as I mentioned. My Acekard 2i works fine now. I know it's supposed to work fine with ntrboot on it so long as you have cfw, but it didn't for me. I don't know why. I removed ntrboot from it, which is okay isn't it? It's only needed for the installation process - or am I mistaken? (remember, I'm a noob).

Wait though, do you mean that my Acekard will work on my 3DS regardless of my 3DS' firmware version just so long as I have cfw on it? Could I update it to a higher version and not lose the ability to use my Acekard because of the cfw? I only own a couple of games - Dream Drop Distance, A Link Between Worlds, and Soul Hackers, but I only ever got around to playing Dream Drop Distance (which is why my firmware version isn't higher - pretty sure the other two games come with firmware updates). Point being, I'd probably use one of them to update rather than getting an update from Nintendo (the latest firmware version messes everything up hacking-wise, doesn't it?)

 

[Joom]

Once you have custom firmware installed you can safely update to the latest firmware. No need to stay on a lower firmware.

 

[SkillFeed]

I installed cfw on my N3DS XL on 11.6 with the help of a R4i Gold RTS

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[ClubShrimp]

Actually, I've since figured everything out and got everything up and running. Sorry for my ignorance, and thanks!

 

[SkillFeed]

Actually, I've since figured everything out and got everything up and running. Sorry for my ignorance, and thanks!

Maybe you should share how you fixed ur problem so other ppl who have the same problem can fix it like u did.

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[ClubShrimp]

Maybe you should share how you fixed ur problem so other ppl who have the same problem can fix it like u did.

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My bad. I guess I kind of just figured out stuff that most people know already, and probably have known for a long time. Being a rank noob, I didn't realize that with boot9strap and Luma3DS installed, I could just update to the latest official firmware version without any problems (i.e. doing so doesn't make my Acekard 2i useless), which I proceeded to do. From there I just followed the "Finalizing Setup" part of the 3ds.hacks guide. Now I have FBI for installing CIAs acquired from the internet if I need to, and I also download and install games from freeshop, the .tmd files of which I have been dumping as CXIs via godmode9 so that I can play them on Citra. I also have CIAngel installed so that I can download / create CIAs of update and DLC files, also for use with Citra (although I don't think DLC works with Citra just yet). Does this forum mind if I mention all this piracy stuff?

In other words, there wasn't really a problem. If you have an old version of the official firmware and one of the DS flashcards listed by the 3ds.hacks guide, just use the ntrboot method described by said guide to get custom firmware on your 3DS. From there, update the official firmware to your heart's content (though it's a good idea to backup the sysNAND, which is where the official firmware stuff is, using godmode9, before updating, just in case). The "Finalizing Setup" part of the guide I keep mentioning will get the Homebrew Launcher onto your system, among other things, at which point you're good to go.