Setting up Gateway + Luma3DS on 11.17 (Guide)

mrmagicm · Oct 15, 2023

Yep, that's it, so please give more info in prerequites and more explanation so everyone can have a try in it....Isn't that the point?

zekro94 · Oct 15, 2023

mrmagicm said:
Ok so please tell it from the start to newbie like me and put it somewhere allows to launch 3DS file, and give advantages compared to another flashcard that can do the same, oh, and also give a link, no? I'm searching for something like this but for newcomers, it's rather complicated to understand all those things and historical issues.

I see your point, for someone who gets into console modding right now they may not know of the history of modding certain consoles. Well, after the 3ds launched people couldn't play backups of 3ds games, but flashcarts used for ds games worked. Nintendo blacklisted flashcarts with each update. After a while the 3ds got a "cfw" of sorts, it was the mset exploit. It was unstable and you had to launch it every time you booted the 3ds, some times it would take like 7 or 8 tries other times 2 or 3. The mset exploit was only available for 4.5 3ds so if you updated there was no way to play backups, it also had something called emunand, or "emulated nand" which made a copy of the system os on the sd card and all titles were installed there so if something happened you could avoid bricks and also could delete the emunand and make another easily. After a while came Gateway, a flashcart for the 3ds that would let you play 3ds backups using the red card and ds backups using the blue card. Since it was a flashcart people liked it because they wouldn't have to install the games on the internal sd card, if I remember right you didn't need an emunand (my memory is foggy about that). Anyway, the gateway card was convienient to use but the creators were so evil they put a code to brick 3ds's if it detected something weird. Remember how I said nintendo patched ds flashcarts with each update? same happened with gateway but after a while the dev would release an update to the kernel of the card and you could use it again. After that with the bricks and things like that people reverse engineered gateways menu in order to downgrade from 9.2 to 4.5, you could do it without having the card (I did) and slowly custom firmwares started to appear:reinand, pasta(not remembering well), rxtools if I remember right. After some time people made arm9loaderhax, which helped having a full cfw, then bootstrap and in betweend Luma was born. Since luma has different levels of protection and no malicious code people use it instead of gateway, also the devs behind gateway were arrested if I remember right so no more updates after nintendo blocked it. If anyone remembers it differently feel free to correct me
tl;dr: gateway:you don't have to install the games on internal sd, so more space and nostalgia
luma:safer, up to date and regularely updated, with more features

SylverReZ · Oct 15, 2023

zekro94 said:
I see your point, for someone who gets into console modding right now they may not know of the history of modding certain consoles. Well, after the 3ds launched people couldn't play backups of 3ds games, but flashcarts used for ds games worked. Nintendo blacklisted flashcarts with each update. After a while the 3ds got a "cfw" of sorts, it was the mset exploit. It was unstable and you had to launch it every time you booted the 3ds, some times it would take like 7 or 8 tries other times 2 or 3. The mset exploit was only available for 4.5 3ds so if you updated there was no way to play backups, it also had something called emunand, or "emulated nand" which made a copy of the system os on the sd card and all titles were installed there so if something happened you could avoid bricks and also could delete the emunand and make another easily. After a while came Gateway, a flashcart for the 3ds that would let you play 3ds backups using the red card and ds backups using the blue card. Since it was a flashcart people liked it because they wouldn't have to install the games on the internal sd card, if I remember right you didn't need an emunand (my memory is foggy about that). Anyway, the gateway card was convienient to use but the creators were so evil they put a code to brick 3ds's if it detected something weird. Remember how I said nintendo patched ds flashcarts with each update? same happened with gateway but after a while the dev would release an update to the kernel of the card and you could use it again. After that with the bricks and things like that people reverse engineered gateways menu in order to downgrade from 9.2 to 4.5, you could do it without having the card (I did) and slowly custom firmwares started to appear:reinand, pasta(not remembering well), rxtools if I remember right. After some time people made arm9loaderhax, which helped having a full cfw, then bootstrap and in betweend Luma was born. Since luma has different levels of protection and no malicious code people use it instead of gateway, also the devs behind gateway were arrested if I remember right so no more updates after nintendo blocked it. If anyone remembers it differently feel free to correct me
tl;dr: gateway:you don't have to install the games on internal sd, so more space and nostalgia
luma:safer, up to date and regularely updated, with more features

That's true. Gateway was the ONLY method for playing 3DS backups before Luma3DS existed. If you have Gateway, you can have all of your ROMs internally on the red card, so you can have much more space and freedom on your SysNAND. But I totally get the poster's point, Luma3DS is much more regularly updated and has far more advanced features than the competition.

mrmagicm · Oct 16, 2023

zekro94 Very nice story just before going to sleep, It was at long story but really liked it, like a fairy tale to me ^^ Was wondering,....Why were gateway people evil and bricking systems? That was just bad for their reputation.. As a newcomer to 3DS world, I bought a Ace3DSX flashcard and thought once the system is CFW, I would be able to use the card inside like a game and reboot...The card would launch a menu, and I would be able to launch any *.3ds files like in an emu. I only discovered you could install cia files with fbi but doing that is quite risky (if something occurs when installing, it can create a pb to your nand, it's slow, and so small you cannot put much and it, so luma is "usable" but questionnable for a young kid to understand all this "shit".

@]SylverReZ Also, why do you say Gateway was the only method? why use the past? At the moment, I'm wondering why you cannot put the cia file on the SD card and create a kind of shortcut on the nand of the 2DS/3DS (a bit like on the wiiu). I don't really see the point of 3DS games having to be connected to internet so why do people update? (joke...for os ugrades!) I only see 3DS games as offline games (I do see the point for a ps4) so why ever update a 3DS? Gamers: Why update a console? did we had to update Snes and Genesis?? All should resist to this shit!! we want the nineties easyness back!! Now you spend so many time not playing, but losing time and having a headache with newest console because of loading time/time to understand/updates/online players competing with unknowns persons like two IAs playing with themselves instead persons in reality....

Think a moment, haven't gamers become brainless accepting this somehow?

zekro94 · Oct 16, 2023

mrmagicm said:
zekro94 Very nice story just before going to sleep, It was at long story but really liked it, like a fairy tale to me ^^ Was wondering,....Why were gateway people evil and bricking systems? That was just bad for their reputation.. As a newcomer to 3DS world, I bought a Ace3DSX flashcard and thought once the system is CFW, I would be able to use the card inside like a game and reboot...The card would launch a menu, and I would be able to launch any *.3ds files like in an emu. I only discovered you could install cia files with fbi but doing that is quite risky (if something occurs when installing, it can create a pb to your nand, it's slow, and so small you cannot put much and it, so luma is "usable" but questionnable for a young kid to understand all this "shit".
@]SylverReZ Also, why do you say Gateway was the only method? why use the past? At the moment, I'm wondering why you cannot put the cia file on the SD card and create a kind of shortcut on the nand of the 2DS/3DS (a bit like on the wiiu). I don't really see the point of 3DS games having to be connected to internet so why do people update? (joke...for os ugrades!) I only see 3DS games as offline games (I do see the point for a ps4) so why ever update a 3DS? Gamers: Why update a console? did we had to update Snes and Genesis?? All should resist to this shit!! we want the nineties easyness back!! Now you spend so many time not playing, but losing time and having a headache with newest console because of loading time/time to understand/updates/online players competing with unknowns persons like two IAs playing with themselves instead persons in reality....
Think a moment, haven't gamers become brainless accepting this somehow?

They were doing it because after gateway gained a little fame some manufacturers made clones, the brick would occur on clones using the gateway firmware.
I see your confusion but when installing with fbi you're not installing to nand, you're installing to the sd card so you can get a larger card. Luma is the most noob friendly one of the bunch. Nowadays bricks are rare, if you don't uninstall system files or don't delete partitions there are no risks. Installed cia always went to the sd card but the emunand was a separate partition, you didn't install games to the nand. You could install with devmenu if I remember right (it was a leaked program from nintendo, so it was risky. It was alse very simple UI, only after that people made fbi which is miles better)
So basically you are installing to the sd card and making a shortcut to the home menu. Also, people still play online on the 3ds, there is a custom mario kart with custom tracks and all https://gbatemp.net/threads/mario-kart-7-custom-track-grand-prix-7-ctgp-7.396936/
Some people update in order to get that annoying update out of the way, others by accident. Some people just like to do things their way.
So nowadays you can use either Luma, gateway or ace3dsx or othe flashcarts. Remember what I said, mset was available for 4.5 and gateway came when the 3ds had 9.2, so it was really the only way to play backups on that firmware. @SylverReZ is right

mrmagicm · Oct 16, 2023

Ha ok, I thought Gateway were bricking their own customers.....That was not exactly the case, but indeed they were Evil.
"if you don't uninstall system files or don't delete partitions there are no risks" is it possible to know what the system files are?
Can some of these be uninstalled??

Health and Safety Information
Nintendo 3DS Camera
Nintendo 3DS Sound
Mii Maker
StreetPass Mii Plaza
Nintendo eShop
AR Games: Augmented Reality
Face Raiders
Activity Log
Download Play
3D Visual Experience (only on New Nintendo 3DS/New Nintendo 3DS XL)
Friend list
Game Notes
Internet Browser
Miiverse ??

How is it possible to know what space is Left on the Nand? How to install a app to the Nand if it installs itself by default on SD card? How to cleanup your Sd card when you don't know what some directories are which app?

SylverReZ · Oct 16, 2023

mrmagicm said:
Ha ok, I thought Gateway were bricking their own customers.....That was not exactly the case, but indeed they were Evil.

Incorrect. Gateway purposely bricked consoles by adding a piece of malicious code starting from v2.0b2. If it detected that the checksum was wrong, then it would lock the e-MMC with a password, therefore rendering the console inoperable. The code can also trigger if your SD card was corrupted when transferring files over.

SylverReZ · Oct 22, 2023

If Nintendo ever releases a 11.18 update or so, then I'll update this thread. It should still work with Gateway by then, since the only thing changed is by patching the current system modules with older ones.

bjaxx87 · Oct 24, 2023

FlareReZ said:
snip

Thank you very much for all the work, I really appreciate any effort to keep Gateway alive (and I'll never understand why people will keep being so aggressive about telling that it's obsolete and one should "just use Luma" - I mean, why not both? It's cool to have an additional flashcart where you can easily drag and drop ROMs.)

There's just one thing about your guide that really confuses me. You're telling us to pick the "updates" folder from the 123AB package and install it after installing the full FW update, you're even calling those files "patches". In the original 123AB tutorial it's the complete opposite. He suggests to first install the files found in "updates" and then install the files found in "updates (update!)". So he basically tells us to overwrite the files which you suggest to install last.

I always thought those "patches" were just a quick downgrade before installing his modified files.

I tried your guide (or at least step 3 since I'm already on GW + B9S / FW 11.15.0-47) but unfortunately I only end up with a black screen. The same thing happens when updating via System settings (which someone claimed to be safe if you're on my FW version). I might try it again with a full downgrade beforehand (according to your step 1).

SylverReZ · Oct 24, 2023

bjaxx87 said:
There's just one thing about your guide that really confuses me. You're telling us to pick the "updates" folder from the 123AB package and install it after installing the full FW update, you're even calling those files "patches". In the original 123AB tutorial it's the complete opposite. He suggests to first install the files found in "updates" and then install the files found in "updates (update!)". So he basically tells us to overwrite the files which you suggest to install last.

I always thought those "patches" were just a quick downgrade before installing his modified files.

The "updates (update!)" folder contains an old system update, where as "updates" contain the patches to allow Gateway to run.

bjaxx87 said:
I tried your guide (or at least step 3 since I'm already on GW + B9S / FW 11.15.0-47) but unfortunately I only end up with a black screen. The same thing happens when updating via System settings (which someone claimed to be safe if you're on my FW version). I might try it again with a full downgrade beforehand (according to your step 1).

I recommend you update your system to 11.17 since that is the system firmware that I have tested this fully on. Try clearing the HOME Menu management cache. If that doesn't work, do a system downgrade to sanitise the NAND.

bjaxx87 · Oct 24, 2023

FlareReZ said:
The "updates (update!)" folder contains an old system update, where as "updates" contain the patches to allow Gateway to run.

Thanks for the explanation. I still wonder, though - why did he tell to first install the patches and then the system update?

FlareReZ said:
I recommend you update your system to 11.17 since that is the system firmware that I have tested this fully on.

That's exactly what I'm trying to do.

GW runs perfectly fine on 11.15.0-47 but I want to update so I can get back online before the service ends in April.

FlareReZ said:
Try clearing the HOME Menu management cache. If that doesn't work, do a system downgrade to sanitise the NAND.

Thank you, I will try that. Never heard about the Home Menu management cache, though. Is it the CacheD.dat file which is explained to delete here?

SylverReZ · Oct 24, 2023

bjaxx87 said:
Thank you, I will try that. Never heard about the Home Menu management cache, though. Is it the CacheD.dat file which is explained to delete here?

Yes. I also recommend doing this step too:

"If you want to find which <ID0> folder you are using, launch GodMode9 and go to SysNAND CTRNAND (EmuNAND CTRNAND if using EmuNAND)
1. Go to the data folder, the folder name will be the same as the <ID0> folder you are currently using

1. Launch GodMode9 and select SD Card (replace ** with correct name for the region)
2. Go into Nintendo 3DS/<ID0>/<ID1>/extdata/00000000/000000**/00000000/ [USA = 8F][EUR = 98][JPN = 82]
3. Delete "00000005" (it should be around 5MB)"

lazyguy · Oct 26, 2023

how do go about reverting my n3ds back to stock.
If i remember correctly, because the account/menu exploit is modified from the system, there were problems with updates and such.

thinking about taking one of my n3ds to the normal homebrew route to see what i'm missing.

SylverReZ · Oct 26, 2023

lazyguy said:
how do go about reverting my n3ds back to stock.
If i remember correctly, because the account/menu exploit is modified from the system, there were problems with updates and such.

thinking about taking one of my n3ds to the normal homebrew route to see what i'm missing.

https://3ds.hacks.guide/uninstall-cfw

lazyguy · Oct 27, 2023

FlareReZ said:
https://3ds.hacks.guide/uninstall-cfw

that's what i mean, i think with gateway, it falls under 'Installed a custom HOME Menu (not a custom theme)' where it says it will brick your console.
I think i might have nand backup somewhere though, but i'm going on the assumption it's gone

lone_wolf323 · Oct 27, 2023

lazyguy said:
that's what i mean, i think with gateway, it falls under 'Installed a custom HOME Menu (not a custom theme)' where it says it will brick your console.
I think i might have nand backup somewhere though, but i'm going on the assumption it's gone

Still. Go try the safety test. if it works you can uninstall cfw. i dont think gateway was ever a custom home menu

bjaxx87 · Oct 27, 2023

So, I tried a lot of things by now (of course including the full downgrade and the deletion of CacheD.dat) and I realized that my Gateway EmuNAND works fine (most of the time at least). It's Luma (which is my main FW) that is blackscreening after the update.

Do you use Luma next to Gateway or is your system GW-only? If yes, what version of Luma do you use? If I recall this correctly any Luma version from 8.0 onwards (when they introduced the Rosalina menu) didn't like the GW Franken-NANDs which is why I'm still using a very old Luma version (7.1).

EDIT: Just tried to go online in my GW EmuNAND and I'm getting error 002-0119 which means that it recognizes I'm on a lower firmware. So even if Luma wasn't blackscreening I still wouldn't be able to play online.

Spider_Man · Nov 4, 2023

FlareReZ said:
Yes. You can download the latest 3DS firmware for your model and region from the usual places. Extract the (.cia) files to an empty folder onto your SD card, and install them using GodMode9.

I wouldn't advise connecting to the internet to update as you can brick your 3DS installing another region firmware.

problem is, my JAP N3DSLL will not do anything at all, constant black screen (blue light), the only thing it can do is enter the official recovery mode from Nintendo to download the firmware but it wont get an active connection (it connect to my WiFi, but fails at the last part).

I have managed to find the other N3DS XL console that was set up EXACTLY the same as my JAP N3DSLL - It however was an AUS console I again had downgraded to 9.x.

Whatever exploit it was that I used years ago is EXACTLY the same, only difference is on my JAP 3DS LL I had it set to only run EXPLOIT if DPAD DOWN was held when turning the console ON, if nothing was held, the console boots as NORMAL.

The AUS 3DS XL EXPLOIT was set to AUTO trigger as soon as you turned the console ON, and after selecting GATEWAY 3DS and the console booting, I had set it to HOLD DPAD DOWN to prevent it from TRIGGERING THE EXPLOIT LOOP returning you back to the EXPLOIT again and then booting into GATEWAY 3DS MODE.

I haven't done anything to either 3DS consoles, the AUS one I had sold onto someone so I don't want to touch anything and RISK doing something to the AUS 3DS where Ill end up having to replace it with another MODDED 3DS as I haven't touched a 3DS in many many years, I have pretty much forgot everything.

But I am wondering, in THEORY, with me setting both consoles up using the same EXPLOIT, and the AUS one AUTO triggering the EXPLOIT - would it in THEORY do the same if I insert the console's SD Card from the AUS 3DS XL into my JAP 3DS LL.

Would it AUTO trigger its EXPLOIT and bring me to its EXPLOIT menu (where I could select GATEWAY/LUMA/FREESHOP etc) but let me use what I HOPE is my NAND backup I created of my JAP 3DS LL and recover my console before I fucked it up (which I think I may have accidently deleted something SYSTEM RELATED when using FBI INSTALLER to remove JAP DEMO'S off the 3DS HOMESCREEN).

And sorry it has taken me a LONG time to reply back, my health/memory is fading (no thanks to cancer) so I keep forgetting things until days/weeks later it pops back again and GBATEMP notifications for me don't always show in the correct date order, but if anyone can help me, I would really apreciate if you could fire over an INBOX, that way it will display differently to a NOTIFICATION where I will be more prompted to CLICK and SEE what it is.

THank you.

SylverReZ · Nov 4, 2023

Spider_Man said:
And sorry it has taken me a LONG time to reply back, my health/memory is fading (no thanks to cancer) so I keep forgetting things until days/weeks later it pops back again and GBATEMP notifications for me don't always show in the correct date order, but if anyone can help me, I would really apreciate if you could fire over an INBOX, that way it will display differently to a NOTIFICATION where I will be more prompted to CLICK and SEE what it is.

I'm very sorry to hear about your health struggles. Get better soon, Spidey.

Spider_Man said:
problem is, my JAP N3DSLL will not do anything at all, constant black screen (blue light), the only thing it can do is enter the official recovery mode from Nintendo to download the firmware but it wont get an active connection (it connect to my WiFi, but fails at the last part).

I have managed to find the other N3DS XL console that was set up EXACTLY the same as my JAP N3DSLL - It however was an AUS console I again had downgraded to 9.x.

Whatever exploit it was that I used years ago is EXACTLY the same, only difference is on my JAP 3DS LL I had it set to only run EXPLOIT if DPAD DOWN was held when turning the console ON, if nothing was held, the console boots as NORMAL.

I would recommend you update your CFW setup to the latest before doing any of this: https://3ds.guide

Spider_Man said:
Would it AUTO trigger its EXPLOIT and bring me to its EXPLOIT menu (where I could select GATEWAY/LUMA/FREESHOP etc) but let me use what I HOPE is my NAND backup I created of my JAP 3DS LL and recover my console before I fucked it up (which I think I may have accidently deleted something SYSTEM RELATED when using FBI INSTALLER to remove JAP DEMO'S off the 3DS HOMESCREEN).

No. If you don't hold down D-PAD DOWN to run Gateway, then it will boot straight into Luma3DS where you can use your modded system normally. Do make sure you have a NAND backup prior to performing this like I mentioned, as it involves performing critical steps to your console.

Spider_Man · Nov 12, 2023

FlareReZ said:
I'm very sorry to hear about your health struggles. Get better soon, Spidey.

I would recommend you update your CFW setup to the latest before doing any of this: https://3ds.guide

No. If you don't hold down D-PAD DOWN to run Gateway, then it will boot straight into Luma3DS where you can use your modded system normally. Do make sure you have a NAND backup prior to performing this like I mentioned, as it involves performing critical steps to your console.

Sorry back then this was my JAP 3DS the exploit didnt have Luma installed, but now I think it has something system related I accidently deleted with FBI when deleting the JAP demos.

It would only boot exploit at power on if dpad down was held, if nothing was pressed the console boots into its normal mode.

I had the other 3DS i modded but had to return it, but this one because the owner didnt want to forget how to do it, i had set to auto boot into exploit, then they would have to select gateway mode then theyd know to hold dpad down after it for it not to be in a loop of entering the expliot over and over.

Mine was set up basically opposite, had to hold to trigger exploit.

but it is literraly dead, nothing at all will happen, the only thing that it will do is the official nintendo recovery mode to download firmware but wont get connected, so that is why i am thinking its semi bricked, hopefully.

the owner of the other one i did for them says they dont use it anymore but may consider selling it (but due to how i am and everything skint) i might try save to get it back but i have never seen anyone not look after their stuff as bad as this poor console has been treated, its shell looks like its been dipped in an acid pit and all its beutiful red shiny paint melted away to show a horrible gray rusty like metal surface

where my JAP 3DS is still crystal polished, even my AUS red (this one i may have to look at putting base 9.x FW back on and doing this guide to use GW to make cheat codes) or buy that one off him and follow the guide to update it.

this is all i plan on doing is firstly fixing the JAP using its NAND backup and making cheat codes again.

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