Swapping SD Cards

[rcpd]

I'll go through what I've got first so you all know what I'm working with. I recently had my Switch OLED modded. Worked perfectly. I've got Hekate, Atmosphere 1.8.0, and I'm on firmware 19.0.1. This is all on my emuMMC, which is on my SD card. So if I want to boot into custom firmware and have homebrew, I've got to boot from emuMMC on the SD card. When I had this done, I figured a 512Gb SD card would be fine. But boy howdy am I wrong. I've purchased a LOT of Switch games from the eShop. I'd like to continue to boot into stock firmware and install all of those purchased games so I can keep playing online with my saves.

Problem is, emuMMC is ruining this. I'm totally out of space both on stock firmware, the partition of the SD card for stock firmware, and emuMMC with its SD card's partition. I can't install my games on stock firmware because I'm out of space. I can't even install any on emuMMC without uninstalling games and the saves associated with it. I don't want to do this. So, this brings me to my question.

Can I replace that 512Gb card with a 1Tb card? Literally just copy everything over? Only thing I'd be worried about is pulling everything off the stock firmware side of that SD card. I've only got Windows, and Windows doesn't even see anything at all on that SD card. So lets make things even more strange, because I'd also like to add an Android 15 setup on it too, so at least 32Gb of that 1Tb is gone.

Can what I want to happen actually happen or do I have to format the stock firmware to remove everything from the SD card, then start over with CFW and Android? Thanks, guys! Been a while and I definitely miss this place!

 

[thesjaakspoiler]

The stock partition isn't the problem. That is just literally copying everything over.
Windows should see all files as there are no hidden files on your SD card when you use the stock firmware.
What windows doesn't like is the partition for the emummc (if you use a partition based emummc opposed to a partition with a file based emummc)..
You need to dump that with another tool if you want to use it again.
Note that the save games are also stored in the partition of the emummc.
Afaik you can also enlarge the partition for the emummc to get more space than the 32GB.
Then you can just install everything on the 'internal' memory on the emummc.
I don't know how to set up Android on yet another partition...

 

[rcpd]

The stock partition isn't the problem. That is just literally copying everything over.
Windows should see all files as there are no hidden files on your SD card when you use the stock firmware.
What windows doesn't like is the partition for the emummc (if you use a partition based emummc opposed to a partition with a file based emummc)..
You need to dump that with another tool if you want to use it again.
Note that the save games are also stored in the partition of the emummc.
Afaik you can also enlarge the partition for the emummc to get more space than the 32GB.
Then you can just install everything on the 'internal' memory on the emummc.
I don't know how to set up Android on yet another partition...

Fired up a Linux virtual machine and sure as you say, I could see all partitions of that SD card. I've now copied it all over to my Linux VM and then to a USB hard drive for backup. I think I'm just going to format everything and start over. It'll be annoying having to re-download all of my games from the eStore, but I'll get over it.

Thanks!

Post automatically merged: Feb 19, 2025

Done. My stock MMC now has a 512Gb SD card partition, my emuMMC now has a 460Gb boot/SD partition on that card, and Android has 40Gb to play with on its partition. It wasn't hard, but now I've got to spend all day installing my games back on it this weekend. Should have went with 2Tb so I could have also installed Linux (I've read GameCube actually mostly plays there). Oh well. Next time. Now I know its not hard, it won't be as awfully scary thinking about it before I run through it again. If the Switch even can take a 2Tb card lol

 

[MustangBE]

Fired up a Linux virtual machine and sure as you say, I could see all partitions of that SD card. I've now copied it all over to my Linux VM and then to a USB hard drive for backup. I think I'm just going to format everything and start over. It'll be annoying having to re-download all of my games from the eStore, but I'll get over it.

Thanks!

Post automatically merged: Feb 19, 2025

Done. My stock MMC now has a 512Gb SD card partition, my emuMMC now has a 460Gb boot/SD partition on that card, and Android has 40Gb to play with on its partition. It wasn't hard, but now I've got to spend all day installing my games back on it this weekend. Should have went with 2Tb so I could have also installed Linux (I've read GameCube actually mostly plays there). Oh well. Next time. Now I know its not hard, it won't be as awfully scary thinking about it before I run through it again. If the Switch even can take a 2Tb card lol

hallo,

i have the same problem, could you help me with how you did it ?
I think the Sd card is corrupt but I am not familiar with linux and VM.

 

[JetPack__Composer]

Hello Everyone,

I have a problem here with my 128GB SD Card that I have been using on my Nintendo Switch Lite (unlocked/CFW).
I changed from 128GB SD card to a 256GB card, but my old card stopped working after I format the SD card from Windows 11.

Any one had this problem? Is it because I didn't format it on Linux? To kill all hidden partitions created by Nintendo Switch Lite Hekate v6.2.2 ?

When I put the SD card on:
1. PC it doesn't show,
2. Nintendo Switch (locked/official OS - OFW) it says that the SD card couldn't be read, and asks to turn off and turn on the device (doing so, it restarts and stops for a long time on a dark screen, and then the device boots, SD card continues not reading),
3. Nokia N79, it says that Memory card corrupted.

Is there a software to repair it on Windows or Ubunto?
A CDM/Terminal command?
Tried to boot to Hekate and removed the new SD card to try to use the emuMMC function but once I remove the card Hekate also goes away (with the card, but I think it shouldn't, so that we could use Hekate to format old SD card and the partitions created by it).

 

[l7777]

If the card doesn't work in multiple devices that's a pretty good indication that the card has a hardware failure. No magic will resurrect it.