While this thread is potentially unnecessary, due to the nature of forums in general I still felt like someone should touch on the subject of 3DS updates and backups.
As we all know, updates continue to be pushed until the EOF of the console. And while the majority of people use a sig patcher (CFW) to protect their FIRM from being overwritten and removing A9LH, they seem to forget that patches may break regarding new updates.
As soon as you receive the update nag, even if you have not come here to check what works and what doesn't make a backup of your NAND. This should be a staple process anytime there are new updates so that you will be able to return to a working FIRM with no hassle and no loss of content. I cannot stress how important it is to have your OWN NAND backups. Anyone using these type of hacks need to get into the habit of dumping their firm before even considering pushing "A" on "Ok". Not only will it give you a cushion to revert if something breaks, but also if you hard brick your DS it can still be restored but only if you have your OWN NAND backup.
When you create these backups, you should not only copy them to your PC, but also to a cloud drive, EHD or another peripheral for additional storage. These backups should be named appropriately to identify what firmware it contains and exactly what console it was for. My suggestion is to create a directory called A9LH/Systemmodel/Serial/NAND. For the actual NAND backups, I label them as follows: "N3DSXL-11.3.0-36-US-5/16/17". That way when you go to restore these files you know exactly what console they are from and what firmware. No more "Um, I'm not sure when my backup is from!"
That said, the number one reason people refuse to create backups is either sheer laziness or no storage space. That is a very poor excuse to skip a step that can save your DS from most software malfunctions/incompatibilities as well as prepare you for a hardmod if you experience a hard brick later. Too many of you think that skipping this step is trivial until the day comes when you "updated on accident" and now half your games/apps aren't working. Enter collections like "3DOWN", AKA the safety net for ignorance and people find backups even less of a priority. Wouldn't you rather be able to revert back to your last working setup with all your games/saves/apps etc?
TL;DR: NAND backups are quite necessary, it only takes a minute, will save you later and allow hardmod restores. Quit being lazy.
As we all know, updates continue to be pushed until the EOF of the console. And while the majority of people use a sig patcher (CFW) to protect their FIRM from being overwritten and removing A9LH, they seem to forget that patches may break regarding new updates.
As soon as you receive the update nag, even if you have not come here to check what works and what doesn't make a backup of your NAND. This should be a staple process anytime there are new updates so that you will be able to return to a working FIRM with no hassle and no loss of content. I cannot stress how important it is to have your OWN NAND backups. Anyone using these type of hacks need to get into the habit of dumping their firm before even considering pushing "A" on "Ok". Not only will it give you a cushion to revert if something breaks, but also if you hard brick your DS it can still be restored but only if you have your OWN NAND backup.
When you create these backups, you should not only copy them to your PC, but also to a cloud drive, EHD or another peripheral for additional storage. These backups should be named appropriately to identify what firmware it contains and exactly what console it was for. My suggestion is to create a directory called A9LH/Systemmodel/Serial/NAND. For the actual NAND backups, I label them as follows: "N3DSXL-11.3.0-36-US-5/16/17". That way when you go to restore these files you know exactly what console they are from and what firmware. No more "Um, I'm not sure when my backup is from!"
That said, the number one reason people refuse to create backups is either sheer laziness or no storage space. That is a very poor excuse to skip a step that can save your DS from most software malfunctions/incompatibilities as well as prepare you for a hardmod if you experience a hard brick later. Too many of you think that skipping this step is trivial until the day comes when you "updated on accident" and now half your games/apps aren't working. Enter collections like "3DOWN", AKA the safety net for ignorance and people find backups even less of a priority. Wouldn't you rather be able to revert back to your last working setup with all your games/saves/apps etc?
TL;DR: NAND backups are quite necessary, it only takes a minute, will save you later and allow hardmod restores. Quit being lazy.
Last edited by Majickhat55,
