The simplest way to achieve what you desire is by creating an emuMMC partition using Hekate then updating it to the latest firmware to go online with using Atmosphere.
So, I finally managed to put my hands back on that Switch console, and I am trying to recollect everything before making any mistakes here
It still has AutoRCM installed, and I believe it is a good thing in order not to accidentally upgrade OFW on it. Since I do not remember very much and I do not know what changed in time, the first question is: can I boot to OFW from Hekate to check its current status without any risks (i.e. burning fuses, etc.)
The second question is: should I just wipe the sd card and start "from scratch", putting in it all the latest releases (hekate, atmosphere, etc.)? Many releases happened during this time and I am not sure if keeping old config files would create problems.
Third question: what is today's best way to update firmware inside CFW? Also, I probably will not want to go to the current 17.0 but just upgrade to 16.1.0, can you point me to the safest way to do so?
I still have to find an adapter to read the microSD now, so I while I am waiting I am trying to collect most informations. In the meantime I have been able to check that the console is indeed working, tried booting into Hekate using my android phone but probably the files in the sd card are so old that I only get a basic text-mode menu and I get errors about missing bootloader config files etc. This also adds to my doubts about keeping any files in it or just trying to reset it the most that I can
Also, I have been thinking... I used to be convinced that keeping low firmware and/or burned fuses in order to be able to downgrade would have been useful for something "in the future" that I think never came. So, the real question now is: should I just forget about "caution" and just go for the latest firmware in order to be able to go online and use Nintendo servers, eshop, multiplayer etc. with OFW, and keep CFW for homebrew / emulators / running backup games (everything offline)?
What could go (if anything) wrong with this scenario?
- edit - I added a screenshot of the root folder of the microSD, as you can see very old stuff