Hacking SWITCH NOOB PARADISE - Ask questions here

[CraftyRighty]

If I were to get into modding/exploits, is there a certain version Switch I need to purchase?

Getting close to buying one now but worry new consoles are shipping that will hamper future modding.

Looking to just grab one off the Target site this week though unless I learn otherwise to find another version

 

[wizra]

I’m on 5.0.0 using SX Pro, SX OS 1.4

Sonic Mania Plus, Celeste, Pokken DX (latest patch) wants me to update to latest firmware 5.1.0. I’ve never connected to WiFi since hacking my console.

I can't update online from OFW, because I'll be banned. Maybe I'll be able to update to 5.1.0 but after I'm banned, I won't be able to update ever again next time games require a firmware update...

I can't run ChoiDujourNX because that apparently doesn't work on SX OS.

So how do we stay up to date with latest firmware so latest games can work?

 

[yacepi15]

I've been out from the Switch scene and im completely lost. Where do you start? There's any way to avoid bans, for example, using CFW only offline and then using OFW online?

 

[ReDEyeDz]

Is there difference in battery drain between official OS sleep mode and autorcm (sx 1.4) sleep mode?

What's the best way to preserve the battery? Should I even use autorcm?

 

[Draxzelex]

Is there any reason hbmenu would just stop recognizing any homebrew added to it? It recognizes two homebrew I put there a while ago, but it doesn't recognize any of the new files I just added. It's an exFAT-formatted SD card, formatted using Disk Utility on Mac. I'm using a Mac to transfer files as I don't have an easily usable (i.e., it's not mine) Windows machine. Also, I've tried changing flags with Terminal in Mac and disabling archiving in Windows. Those methods actually stopped the console from letting it recognize the SD card at all and made me reformat it. I have lots of games on this SD card and would really prefer not to reformat it again...so help is appreciated!

Make sure you are adding them properly by making a subfolder under switch then placing the .NRO in that subfolder. Other than that, it could be an issue with your SD card such as closing in on the end of its life or being a fake.

How likely is it that there will be a payload to launch lakka from the sd card with SX pro or a different dongle?

Natinsula told me in 5 hours.

I am afraid of doing something wrong and i didn´t follow switch scene recently.
So i am overwhelmed with all the different information, guides, prerequisites, things to be carefull of, bricking risks, auto rcm risks, nand backups, file formats of backups etc etc etc

So i would like to kindly ask for putting me in the right direction please, not every single step of a guide, but maybe a small sumarry with an order what to do first and so on.
I will happily search for the information within the board, but the start is very complicated for me since too much information available.

My switch is on 3.02 unfortunately, was never connected to the internet and i plan on formatting my 64gb micro sd as exfat.
My goal is obviously to have a solution "like" xecuter functions which is easy to use and mostly install free of risks.
I will receive an original xecuter rcm jig the following days and want to give this a shot this weekend.

so i really don´t know if i should update and to which firmware and how (game card or internet) ?
Preferably without burning efuses if possible ? and i also read something about game card slot update should be prevented ? how do i achieve all this ?

and what about the exfat update ? which guide is preferable to use and somewhat safe to follow without or with minimum risk ?

do i really need to preserve efuses and game card slot firmware for being future proof ? or does it not matter at all for my goals ?
what about games requiring newer firmwares ?

or should i just wait until atmosphere is available with emunand ?

and after i have or have not updated, what do i have to do then ? there is raj, rei etc etc... which is the best, easiest to use and has least brick risk when following correctly ?
from what i have already read i would like to prefer not having autorcm, because i know myself and my battery will drain fully and i think this ist not good.
i want to shut my switch off fully and do mod it so it does not drain battery when switched off.

which cable is preferred ? is it really a must to have an usb 3 a to c cable which has the 56k ohm resistor inside ?
i would prefer a usb c female to usb c male cable which has that resistor, but it seems nearly impossible to find such a cable.
my phone has usb c and until maybe reswitched brings their dongle i want to use my phone for sending payloads.
also this would give me the possibility to attach the switch to the dock while being outside of the dock.

and also which backup file format is the best to use ? i guess i have to consider this too when choosing what to do ? i mean to choose which "cfw"

and in all of this, i want to stay as future proof as possible

so you see, i feel really lost in between all these things to pay attention too and really don´t know where to start and need a guideline which steps i need to do in which order.

Thanks for reading and help in advance.

• If you're going to be using the SX Pro (not SX OS since you indicated you are getting the jig which only comes with the Pro), you can just follow their manual for hacking the Switch as its pretty self-explanatory and gets you to what the rest of us can do but at a price. What I mean is, if you have the SX Pro, you can pretty much ignore the rest of the scene because it does piracy and homebrew already.
• There are multiple ways to update with and without burning fuses. The whole point of fuses are to prevent downgrades so if you update without burning them, you preserve a path for downgrading. Now the whole reason you want to downgrade is because firmwares 4.1 and below have access to a softmod that lets you boot hacks/CFW without the need of a jig and USB cable. If that doesn't interest you, you can just update normally and burn fuses in the process. And the whole cartridge slot update is an update for the gamecart controller chip found in firmware 4.0. This update prevents the console from playing carts on firmwares below 4.0. The reason you want to salvage it is in case there is an exploit that involves a cart on firmwares below 4.0
• You used the word minimum risk so I'm just gonna state it now: Any hacks to your console will risk you getting banned. The only ways of avoiding ban are staying offline, buying a second console, or restoring a hack-free NAND before going online
• The exFAT update can be obtained numerous ways. The first is by being on the latest firmware. The second just involves using SX OS because it has exFAT support built in. The third involves installing it offline which you can find several guides on how to do perform under Tutorials
• Atmosphere 0.7 is coming sometime this month but it won't feature EmuNAND. Eventually, it will give us EmuNAND but we have no idea on when that will happen. Also those softmod exploits I was talking about earlier are possibly tied to the release of Atmosphere so until its fully completed, we may not see those for a while.
• Ease of use is completely subjective and dependent on how well you can follow instructions. There are people who have messed up even the simplest of installation procedures so I will not guide you towards the "easiest" solution because it doesn't exist. However, when it comes to bricking risk, none of the hacks carry any more bricking risk than the other. In fact, thanks to the RCM exploit, we can easily recover from a brick provided you have a made a backup of your NAND prior. That is why I highly recommend you follow this tutorial on how to backup your NAND before you start hacking your console.
• Any USB-C cable is good enough but if you want a more robust point of reference, this is the cable I personally use.
• SX OS supports both .XCI and .NSP files while the alternatives, namely RajNX/ReiNX, only support .NSP format

If I were to get into modding/exploits, is there a certain version Switch I need to purchase?

Getting close to buying one now but worry new consoles are shipping that will hamper future modding.

Looking to just grab one off the Target site this week though unless I learn otherwise to find another version

Read up in this thread for exploitable serial numbers. There are newly patched Switch units that are no longer vulnerable to our RCM exploit.

I’m on 5.0.0 using SX Pro, SX OS 1.4

Sonic Mania Plus, Celeste, Pokken DX (latest patch) wants me to update to latest firmware 5.1.0. I’ve never connected to WiFi since hacking my console.

I can't update online from OFW, because I'll be banned. Maybe I'll be able to update to 5.1.0 but after I'm banned, I won't be able to update ever again next time games require a firmware update...

I can't run ChoiDujourNX because that apparently doesn't work on SX OS.

So how do we stay up to date with latest firmware so latest games can work?

Two things:

1. You can still update your system AND games after being banned. You are only restricted from updating both if you are superbanned which has so far only been triggered if you conduct excessive CDN downloading using your Switch's certificate or abuse a Freeshop-esque tool. If you don't understand what those are, then you will probably never be superbanned.
2. You can run ChoidujourNX with Hekate (its free of course) instead. The only thing that won't cooperate with SX OS is the nogc patch which is only relevant if you are updating from a firmware below 4.0 to one above meaning you can ignore it in your case. Everything else though will work fine with SX OS.

I've been out from the Switch scene and im completely lost. Where do you start? There's any way to avoid bans, for example, using CFW only offline and then using OFW online?

Uh not sure what exactly you are asking here so I'll cover a few broad topics. Bans started being spread around the end of June and so far they have been related to LayeredFS and SX OS. You can read up on that here. As always, you can be banned for anything so either keep the console offline, buy a second Switch, or restore a hack-free NAND backup prior to going online (which can be found in the thread I linked).

As for the current state of affairs, we have a free CFW by the name of ReiNX that can allow us to play backups. More specifically, NSP files aka Nintendo Switch digital titles. You can follow this guide on how to set it up.

Is there difference in battery drain between official OS sleep mode and autorcm (sx 1.4) sleep mode?

What's the best way to preserve the battery? Should I even use autorcm?

There is no difference in battery drain in sleep mode whether you are using AutoRCM or not. With AutoRCM, either use sleep mode (like a console without AutoRCM) or power it off properly such as through Hekate's power off option SX OS' power off option actually does not fully turn off the console.

 

[ReDEyeDz]

There is no difference in battery drain in sleep mode whether you are using AutoRCM or not. With AutoRCM, either use sleep mode (like a console without AutoRCM) or power it off properly such as through Hekate's power off option SX OS' power off option actually does not fully turn off the console.

But doesn't Switch charges slower with autorcm?

 

[Kapaya]

Hey, so my SD card should be arriving tomorrow and I'll probably mod it to install ReiNX, but I wanted to do some checks before I start working. My current system is 4.1.0

What do I start with? Can I make a nand-backup with just a normal Fat32 or is it recommended to get exFAT first? If I need to install the exFAT support I've been told that I should follow https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-...nofficially-without-burning-any-fuses.507461/ all the way to update to 5.1 so I can install exFAT support and continue past step 5. Is there a specific reason why I can't just do the easier route and install the homebrew? Is there perhaps an easier way to deal with exFAT installation without upgrading so I can downgrade later on and simply stay on 4.1? So far, the only game I'm interested in that require a higher FW is Octopath Traveler but it seems to have a workaround to be played on 4 .1, and wouldn't mind waiting a bit to see if the FW upgrades get a bit easier

 

[Draxzelex]

But doesn't Switch charges slower with autorcm?

The Switch charges slower in RCM with AutoRCM installed. It charges identically to a Switch without AutoRCM in every other scenario. But since RCM looks identical to a powered off Switch, it is advised not to charge the Switch when it is turned off as you won't know whether its charging in RCM or not. Therefore charge while the Switch is on, either during sleep mode or active usage.

Hey, so my SD card should be arriving tomorrow and I'll probably mod it to install ReiNX, but I wanted to do some checks before I start working. My current system is 4.1.0

What do I start with? Can I make a nand-backup with just a normal Fat32 or is it recommended to get exFAT first? If I need to install the exFAT support I've been told that I should follow https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-...nofficially-without-burning-any-fuses.507461/ all the way to update to 5.1 so I can install exFAT support and continue past step 5. Is there a specific reason why I can't just do the easier route and install the homebrew? Is there perhaps an easier way to deal with exFAT installation without upgrading so I can downgrade later on and simply stay on 4.1? So far, the only game I'm interested in that require a higher FW is Octopath Traveler but it seems to have a workaround to be played on 4 .1, and wouldn't mind waiting a bit to see if the FW upgrades get a bit easier

You can install exFAT without updating by using this tool. All you will need to do is find an exFAT version of 4.1 as indicated in the last FAQ. There are hints at where to find one closer to the beginning of the OP.

 

[Kapaya]

You can install exFAT without updating by using this tool. All you will need to do is find an exFAT version of 4.1 as indicated in the last FAQ. There are hints at where to find one closer to the beginning of the OP.

So my step would basically look like this:

1. Enter RCM mode
2. Follow the guides to install Homebrew
3. Backup nand
4. Install Choi
5. Follow the steps (in my case I use Kirby)
6. Update exFAT while still beaing on 4.1
7. Enable autoRCM? (I think I've read that it's dangerous or something, is it fine to enable it so I don't have to worry about shutting down the console?)
8. Install ReiNX
9. Enjoy?

 

[BlissfulZane]

Sent a support ticket to Nintendo to get my NNID unlinked/deactivated on the old banned system. Don’t know how long it takes for them to respond. Should I call them now or wait a few?

 

[wizra]

1. You can run ChoidujourNX with Hekate (its free of course) instead. The only thing that won't cooperate with SX OS is the nogc patch which is only relevant if you are updating from a firmware below 4.0 to one above meaning you can ignore it in your case. Everything else though will work fine with SX OS.

Thanks for this. I’ll try it out today.

 

[Draxzelex]

So my step would basically look like this:

1. Enter RCM mode
2. Follow the guides to install Homebrew
3. Backup nand
4. Install Choi
5. Follow the steps (in my case I use Kirby)
6. Update exFAT while still beaing on 4.1
7. Enable autoRCM? (I think I've read that it's dangerous or something, is it fine to enable it so I don't have to worry about shutting down the console?)
8. Install ReiNX
9. Enjoy?

You don't need to step 2 for two different reasons. Number one is ChoidujourNX will install AutoRCM by default unless indicated otherwise. Number two is because you don't need AutoRCM since you're not changing your firmware. Everything else you listed is correct.

Sent a support ticket to Nintendo to get my NNID unlinked/deactivated on the old banned system. Don’t know how long it takes for them to respond. Should I call them now or wait a few?

You can try calling Nintendo and telling them you lost/sold your Switch to someone else and want it un-linked ASAP.

 

[Kapaya]

You don't need to step 2 for two different reasons. Number one is ChoidujourNX will install AutoRCM by default unless indicated otherwise. Number two is because you don't need AutoRCM since you're not changing your firmware. Everything else you listed is correct.

Sorry, I don't completly follow. By saying installing Homebrew, I meant more making able to run payloads (as seen in the ReiNX guide). After I've enabled my Switch to install Payloads, do I simply just copy the files onto my SD and follow the instructions in the thread? Or is there a step before putting Switch into RCM and enabling the ability to run payloads I have to do before this to ensure that I can load said homebrew?

 

[BlissfulZane]

You don't need to step 2 for two different reasons. Number one is ChoidujourNX will install AutoRCM by default unless indicated otherwise. Number two is because you don't need AutoRCM since you're not changing your firmware. Everything else you listed is correct.
You can try calling Nintendo and telling them you lost/sold your Switch to someone else and want it un-linked ASAP.

I could call then and say that but on the ticket I said that it's been broken. Telling them that I "sold/lost" will go against what I said in the ticket. Unless they can't track that kind of stuff.

 

[Ranshiro]

I'm on 4.1.0 and i primarily want exFat support. I'm pretty sure that I've read everything ever written on here in the past month, so my plan was to use ChoiDuJourNX to go up to 5.1.0 with exFat. However just today I found read two things i'd never seen before (which i'm 100% sure is my fault)...

The exFAT update can be obtained numerous ways. The first is by being on the latest firmware. The second just involves using SX OS because it has exFAT support built in. The third involves installing it offline which you can find several guides on how to do perform under Tutorials

How does this work? Does it only allow exFat when using the sx os, or does it allow for using exFat when using Horizon as well?

I also saw this....

You can use ChoiDujourNX on any firmware to update to 5.1.0 or other without burning fuses.

• Updating is safe as long as you use AutoRCM, which means you will have to boot using a payload over USB from PC or Android Phone (that supports it.)
  • You can downgrade as long as your fuses meet the requirement for that firmware.
    
  • Before you downgrade, always System Initialize/Format or you'll get a bootloop.

Is this true and I just never noticed it before (a high possibility). I thought that with ChoiDuJourNX you could just go up and down at will without having to do anything else. but if it requires wiping the system every time you downgrade, then i might just go with getting 4.1.0 with exFat support instead of upgrading to 5.1.0

 

[keven3477]

I keep hearing people worrying about bans, but when I heard backups where finally available I heard it only bans you from the internet network from that game. Is that true now or does it ban the whole system?

 

[PT333]

Question about backup and restore - if I update to higher FW and do most basic stuff like install and play games (DevMenu method), and then downgrade by restoring BOOT and eMMC SYS partitions of older FW, will it be able to read data in eMMC USER? I mean, will the old restored FW see the games I installed on higher FW and will saves work properly?

 

[Draxzelex]

Sorry, I don't completly follow. By saying installing Homebrew, I meant more making able to run payloads (as seen in the ReiNX guide). After I've enabled my Switch to install Payloads, do I simply just copy the files onto my SD and follow the instructions in the thread? Or is there a step before putting Switch into RCM and enabling the ability to run payloads I have to do before this to ensure that I can load said homebrew?

Your Switch is technically enabled to run payloads however it must be in RCM to do so. If you turn the console off, you must reboot into RCM to send payloads again. If you want to avoid doing this, you can install AutoRCM. However if you are using ChoidujourNX, it will install AutoRCM for you so your original Step 7 was redundant because you'll already have AutoRCM according to the steps you laid out.

I will repeat that all of your other steps are perfectly fine to follow as long as you don't do Step 7 as explained above.

I'm on 4.1.0 and i primarily want exFat support. I'm pretty sure that I've read everything ever written on here in the past month, so my plan was to use ChoiDuJourNX to go up to 5.1.0 with exFat. However just today I found read two things i'd never seen before (which i'm 100% sure is my fault)...




How does this work? Does it only allow exFat when using the sx os, or does it allow for using exFat when using Horizon as well?

I also saw this....



Is this true and I just never noticed it before (a high possibility). I thought that with ChoiDuJourNX you could just go up and down at will without having to do anything else. but if it requires wiping the system every time you downgrade, then i might just go with getting 4.1.0 with exFat support instead of upgrading to 5.1.0

I believe SX OS only allows exFAT when you are running SX OS so its a temporary effect. Also I think that warning applies to downgrading with ChoiDujourNX. You can just downgrade by restoring a NAND backup of your original firmware. And don't dwell too much on the system formatting as you can backup all of your files with homebrew and redownload any updates/DLC.

I keep hearing people worrying about bans, but when I heard backups where finally available I heard it only bans you from the internet network from that game. Is that true now or does it ban the whole system?

There's around 4 different types of bans, but there are 2 particularly interesting ones that can answer your question. The typical console ban restricts access to the eShop and online play whilst retaining game and system updates. However, there is a ban level above that colloquially referred to as the superban which restricts access from everything online related. However superbans have been triggered so far due to excessive CDN downloading with a Switch's unique console certificate.

Question about backup and restore - if I update to higher FW and do most basic stuff like install and play games (DevMenu method), and then downgrade by restoring BOOT and eMMC SYS partitions of older FW, will it be able to read data in eMMC USER? I mean, will the old restored FW see the games I installed on higher FW and will saves work properly?

It depends on what firmware those files needs. For example, a game/update that requires 5.X won't work on firmwares below 5.X

 

[PT333]

It depends on what firmware those files needs. For example, a game/update that requires 5.X won't work on firmwares below 5.X

So there isn't any other restricting factor than required FW version?

 

[Draxzelex]

So there isn't any other restricting factor than required FW version?

Firmware is the only thing changes from downgrading/updating right? I guess the other factors would be if you installed stuff onto your SD card however that shouldn't matter so long as you keep track of your SD cards.