Hacking R4i Gold upgrade

[duckysd]

Hello,

I bought an R4 card recently, and I wanted to use it. I went to download the kernel from the webiste, but it was down. On the box and on the card it says:
'HTTP://WWW.R4I-G.COM'. I am really in need of the kernel, as I bought 10 of these cards. I tried to llok for the kernel on linfoxdomain and here on GBATemp, but I was out of luck. The box of the card looks exactly like this:

The card itself looks like this:

Please, I am in real need of this kernel.

Thank you in advance.

 

[exangel]

If it's not on linfox domain or FileTrip & the official site is broken, you got screwed.
There's probably no way to contact the team for any kernel information.
There doesn't even appear to be any archived info for that URL/Domain on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

If it's possible for you to at least find out the Kernel's archive filename by looking at search engine caches of the flashcart's official site, that's the last thing you can do. Then scour the internet for the archive itself.

 

[duckysd]

Thank you for your quick reply. The wayback machine website does not have the website. As for linfox domain, I may have not looked properly. I decided to look again, and I am still confused. There are more than 10 different R4i cards. Is it possible that my card is one of those?

Thanks again.

 

[jimmyemunoz]

I've been looking and am still looking right now.

I honestly believe the firmware for your card is on the www.r4i-net.com website I'm not going by the picture only. Take a look at the strange font. It matches your cart. I have a link here . Run it and report back.

 

[exangel]

There are no apparent cards on the linfox domain that look the same, without further research that would've really been helped along by the official website existing.
If you have a flatbed scanner by chance, and could scan (the exterior) or even consider disassembling one of the flashcarts (to scan the board with enough detail to read chip(s)), there may be people in our community that would be able to identify what it's most likely a clone of. Which MIGHT help you find an alternative kernel if you simply can't find the original.

edit:
I hope you understand that the linfox domain archive doesn't list all the flashcarts that are out there, and that the administrator has had a backlog to keep the carts that ARE there updated for quite some time.
Clones are big, easy, fly-by-night business.

edit2: Came across http://www.r4i-net.com/indexen.html which looks extremely similar to your kit @ The FlashcartClassification project YSMenu + Tools section -- http://leafmoon.user...cation#x55c0747
Probably as good as anything that could've been found by scanning your flashcart in!

I came back to edit my post before I even saw that jimmy found the same thing

 

[CannonFoddr]

I've had a google for 'r4i-g download' - came up with a few results that linked back to that site for the download...
however 1 post I found (in chinese) had 2 web links in it - one of which was was the link above [source]
(same one as jimmyemunoz and exangel found)

Looking @ the other site mentioned - it claims to use 'Wood' so I'm wondering - Have you tried the Wood kernel ??

 

[duckysd]

Hi,

Thank you both for replying. It didn't work. I get a white screen when I tried that kernel.
Is there anything else I can do?

There must be some place that has the kernel. A lot of sites are still selling this card.

 

[exangel]

There must be some place that has the kernel. A lot of sites are still selling this card.

This isn't a business that is known for shops taking personal responsibility when manufacturers pull a con job (...presuming their site vanished because they don't care to support the product, hey, running a website costs money!).

Did you try the Wood version of the kernel on the site as CannonFoddr suggested (instead of the official)?
If that doesn't work, you could have a look at other carts/sites also @ http://leafmoon.users.sourceforge.net/xenonnds/pukiwiki/?FlashcartClassification#x55c0747

 

[duckysd]

Thanks exangel,

I tried one of wood r4. The other one seems to be for Acekard. Should I try that one too or is it a waste of time?
As for the site, should I simply try the ones listed under:
YSMenu+Tools Type †


Thanks again.

 

[exangel]

Thanks exangel,

I tried one of wood r4. The other one seems to be for Acekard. Should I try that one too or is it a waste of time?

http://www.r4i-net.com/downloaden.html
Try both "Wood for R4i Gold 1.36 - 2011-09-01" and "R4iGold Official Kernel English - v2.51 2011-09-01"
If one of them works, make sure to use an older game to test the cart.. recent games will be practically guaranteed to have problems.

If you're satisfied that one of them works, a corresponding "Update pake" can be downloaded and installed over it to update game compatibility up to Scene Release 5853

As for the site, should I simply try the ones listed under:
YSMenu+Tools Type †

As those are most similar to what you have, those are probably the only ones that stand a chance of shared compatibility beside the site me and jimmy found

 

[duckysd]

Bump, any more suggestions, please, I really need it.

 

[duckysd]

Please, only post helpful comments. I am still looking for the kernel.

 

[duckysd]

Do you guys think that if I ask a website that is still selling these cards about the issue, they will provide me with a download link for the kernel?

 

[exangel]

If you haven't found it by now that has got to be the only thing left that has any promise
Or you could even ask the site that sold you them for a refund if they dont have any way to provide kernel since they sold you non-operational product.
If you paid using PayPal you could attempt to have it enforced if they deny it.

 

[duckysd]

Yesterday the website I bought it from gave me this link:
https://rapidshare.com/files/1767272732/ENG.rar
I tried to extract the things from ENG.rar, then there was an ENG folder.
From that folder I took all the folders and files out and placed them into the root of the MSD card.
When I try to boot the card, get get a white screen.

Anything else I can try to make it work. I did send them an e-mail and say it doesn't work.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Hmm - saw you posted recently - reminded me to try that website again [http://www.r4i-g.com] ....
Seems like the main page is back, but the download links still don't work

Also I'm a bit confused - I don't think that link you gave IS for your card

Looking in the file it shows 'TTMENU.SYS' - which I think is usually included for DSTT clones, but the Website instructions [r4i-g] tell you to update the game kernel by 'Copying the R4.DAT' file across - & the file link you were given doesn't HAVE a 'R4.dat' file in it

I can only guess you may have to try all the R4 card to see if any have a R4.DAT file - then try it out, otherwise you may have to wait until they fix the download links on the r4i-g webpage

 

[Buleste]

As has been suggested earlier you should try the files from www.r4i-net.com as at the bottom of the www.r4i-g.com page there is this

Copyright© r4i-net.com All Rights Reserved 2009-2010

which means it is almost certainly a clone of the R4i-net.com cart.

EDIT: TRy downloading the EOS for R4i Gold 1.37 and then the EOS Update Pake

 

[azure0wind]

Umm... down?
I can go to the website.

EDIT: All of the download link are down.

 

[Buleste]

Umm... down?
I can go to the website.

Yes the website opens but you cannot download the kernel.

 

[CannonFoddr]

As has been suggested earlier you should try the files from www.r4i-net.com as at the bottom of the www.r4i-g.com page there is this

Copyright© r4i-net.com All Rights Reserved 2009-2010

which means it is almost certainly a clone of the R4i-net.com cart.

Actually I missed that bit, but I even Googled for any v2.51 R4 kernels (as stated on the r4i-g page as the latest firmware) & guess what .... it took me back to the same site [r4i-net]