Hacking RD SDHC can't save JP games

[wohdin]

So I've had no real problems playing anything with my shiny new R4 SDHC (yet). HOWEVER, with several Japanese game I've tried (which includes Taiko no Tatsujin DS, Ketsui and Ouendan 1+2 - strangely enough it works with Gyakuten Kenji), it will NOT retain saves. When I launch it will say "Create save file" [sic] and act as though it's 'initialising' the battery data, when I quit playing it doesn't stay.

These are all "autosave" games, but I don't think that's the probem - Elite Beat Agents has worked, as well as other (US-version) auto-saving games. I don't know what the problem is, can anyone help?

...Hell maybe it's not even an issue of region, idk 8V

[e] In case this information will help with the diagnosis, I have an 8GB Sandisk SDHC card in it, that I just recently formatted with that Panasonic formatter thing in hopes of fixing this problem (it didn't, obviously). I'm using a phat DS. R4's kernel is 1.09b.


(Also, because I've been wondering for a while, can anyone tell me what the little icons below ROM files mean? Two of them are graphics stolen straight from Windows XP... I've figured out that the "Nintendo Wireless" icon probably means that there's a save file for it - it only appears after I've launched a ROM for the first time and the save has initialised, and the ones with the above problem never display this.)

 

[Maz7006]

what's an RD

mind stating:

a.Which kernal your using.
b. Mirco SD (size and Type)

Possible solutions:

a. Update to latest Kernal
b. Format Micro SD (note this will delete everything on the card)
c. You may have a bad dump of those games, try another source (and don't ask where)

 

[wohdin]

what's an RD

mind stating:

a.Which kernal your using.
b. Mirco SD (size and Type)

fffff mind my mindless typing.

first post updated with requested info.

 

[Maz7006]

Ok thanks.

well if possible try another Micro SD. If that fails, then try a DS Lite, if possible.

 

[wohdin]

Tried it with a different microSD (non-SDHC, 2GB Sandisk, which could possibly be bootleg but I don't know) with a few files that didn't work at first, and they still crapped out. Others that work still worked on this one, so it's definitely not the integrity of the 8GB causing this issue.

Okay here's a list. These are only ROMs I have actually booted. It always displays "Create save file" when I launch files without save data (shows this every time for these that do not save) and seems to have no problems; I can only tell when something has been saved after I quit and check the ROM again.
All files are US, or JP if it's something not out in US, obviously.

Spoiler

DOES save:
Ace Attorney 1-4 as well as Gyakuten Kenji
Castlevania OoC
Elite Beat Agents
Final Fantasy 12 Revenant Wings
Final Fantasy 3
Final Fantasy 4
Hoshigami Remix
Hotel Dusk
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (JP, obviously)
LifeSigns
Lunar Knights
Magical Starsign
MegaMan ZX/ZX Advent
Pokemon Platinum (shock!)
Puyo Pop Fever (US)
Rhythm Heaven
Rondo of Swords
Rune Factory
Sonic Rush Adventure
Suikoden Tierkreis (both normal US and JP-base undub version)
Summon Night Twin Age
Tales of Innocence (JP)
Tales of Tempest (JP)
Time Hollow
Trauma Center 1+2
The World Ends With You
Zelda Phantom Hourglass
Arkanoid DS
ASH - Archaic Sealed Heat (JP)
Children of Mana
Chrono Trigger DS
Front Mission DS
Heroes of Mana
New SMB
Resident Evil
Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor
Trace Memory
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
My Japanese Coach (lol yeah yeah)

does NOT save:
Ketsui Death Label (JP)
Professor Layton 1
Ouendan 1+2 (JP) (strange, since EBA works perfectly)
Rhapsody (undub version, not tried regular rip)
Taiko DS 1+2 (JP)
Ys Books 1&2
Draglade
Korg DS (lol renders this app totally useless)
Legendary Starfy
Mario 64 DS
Theresia - Dear Emile

 

[Maz7006]

Ok thanks for thew info. I'm assuming your running on the latest firmware. Correct ?

well by the looks of things, i think that there is something wrong with your specific R4-SDHC (maybe with some googleing around you will strike luck) my help stops here, i mean another micro SD didn't help, (which usually fixes the save issue problem mind you)

the last thing you can try is trying another DS (highly unlikely it will make a diff.)

and just for the note, the R4-SDHC is a clone of the original R4, which is now sort of dead. Everything out there that has R4 on it is FAKE!!!

if problems persist, get a new card from a more repectable team like AceKard, Team Cyclops, EDGE, M3 to name a few.

Sorry but you may JUST be out of luck.

 

[wohdin]

Ok thanks for thew info. I'm assuming your running on the latest firmware. Correct ?

well by the looks of things, i think that there is something wrong with your specific R4-SDHC (maybe with some googleing around you will strike luck) my help stops here, i mean another micro SD didn't help, (which usually fixes the save issue problem mind you)

the last thing you can try is trying another DS (highly unlikely it will make a diff.)

and just for the note, the R4-SDHC is a clone of the original R4, which is now sort of dead. Everything out there that has R4 on it is FAKE!!!

if problems persist, get a new card from a more repectable team like AceKard, Team Cyclops, EDGE, M3 to name a few.

Sorry but you may JUST be out of luck.

Firmware... like, DS firmware? I'm not sure, I have an old Phat... With the card's firmware, yes, it's the most recent.

I'm aware that my card's a knockoff, I was well aware of that when I bought it - but I wasn't complaining, I paid, what, 6 bucks from DX for it? Super cheap. Really, this thing's just temporary until I can get a better card and get deeper into the DS scene. (It's a lot simpler than working with PSP CFWs. XD)

Thanks for the help, though~ I'll be looking into different cards sooner than I thought, apparently. What's the most popular out there? What's the best value? I'm just looking for something that can run nds files, doesn't really need anything special. I have my PSP as a media device/emulator, so I don't need anything like that.

 

[Maz7006]

Firmware...as in flashcard firmware, in this case the R4 kernal

as for best flashcard, well go for the AK2, great price, well supported.

you might as well get the AK2i, same as the normal AK2, but if you ever happen to upgrade to a DSi for example it will work on it as well. It also works on the DS Lite.

 

[wohdin]

oh my god I am miserable failure at this



apparently the problem was with how the cart initializes saves - specifically, how it names the files. I had never actually bothered to go LOOK at them, because I'm a moron. For some reason - presumably due to capital letter mixing - certain ROM saves would initialise as, for instance, Ketsui.nds > KETSUI.SAV, or KorgDS.nds > KORGDS.SAV; save files are allcaps, and therefore cannot be linked to the original ROM because hurr R4 not smart. FML only I could overlook such an OBVIOUS issue.