Hardware Tech support screwed me hard

[LeNoobio]

Greetings, please help me to calm myself down a bit.
So my N2DS XL System went nuts about the first week of the new year. SD-Card (16gb) reading error with blackscreen. Physical games worked perfectly.

First thing I tried was putting in a new SD (the original one packed with the system), same error with (N3DS-)games running from the SD.

The purchase of the system was less than a year ago, so i figured before disassembling it my self and stuff I simply consult customer support and my retailer for help.
Long story short: I got it back after 4 weeks of wait and "we tested all and didn't find a problem - take your thing back and gtfo"-attempt by them after the first two weeks. The SD is defunct, so they say after the second two weeks of "repair".
Which I hardly doubt. They seem to not know jack shit about their stuff.
Have to admit though, the games seem to work with the 4gb SD they gave me.


Problem now: They of course reset the system - and my save games are gone.
I've made a backup of the SD before - is there a way to import saves to games?
It's almost game breaking for me not to have my New Super Mario and Ocarina of Time save-files and need to start all over again.

Also - is there a known bug with Ocarina of Time that might have caused the issue?

 

[TurdPooCharger]

Format System Memory would change something called the KeyY found in a NAND file known as the movable.sed. That key is what controls encrypting and decrypting the contents of your Nintendo 3DS folder. Unless your n2DSXL had a System Transfer that imported *.sed from a different 3DS/2DS system, it is possible to reconstruct the original KeyY tied to your titles & saves + extdata.

Read about KeyY, movable.sed, and <ID0> folder and how these relate to recovery at:

• files on sd card not loading on 3ds

***

Perhaps tech support did not find anything wrong with the n2DSXL system. The problems may have arose from a fake or bad SD card. To test for this:

1. Copy everything off your SD card onto a computer.
2. Reformat in FAT32 + 32 KB cluster size with Windows File Explorer. If the card is bigger than 32 GB, use guiformat.
   
3. Full Write + Verify the empty card with H2testw. Do not skip this step.

Report the results or if an error was detected. Long term data reliability hinges on having a 100% functional card.

 

[LeNoobio]

Format System Memory would change something called the KeyY found in a NAND file known as the movable.sed. That key is what controls encrypting and decrypting the contents of your Nintendo 3DS folder. Unless your n2DSXL had a System Transfer that imported *.sed from a different 3DS/2DS system, it is possible to reconstruct the original KeyY tied to your titles & saves + extdata.

Read about KeyY, movable.sed, and <ID0> folder and how these relate to recovery at:

• files on sd card not loading on 3ds

***

Perhaps tech support did not find anything wrong with the n2DSXL system. The problems may have arose from a fake or bad SD card. To test for this:

1. Copy everything off your SD card onto a computer.
2. Reformat in FAT32 + 32 KB cluster size with Windows File Explorer. If the card is bigger than 32 GB, use guiformat.
   
3. Full Write + Verify the empty card with H2testw. Do not skip this step.

Report the results or if an error was detected. Long term data reliability hinges on having a 100% functional card.

Thanks a lot for the elaborate response!
I swear I always check my newly bought SDs.
It seems my old card is broken indeed, as it won't let me reformat it because its "read-write-protected".
Can't turn this off (tried several approaches). Also, before the repair-a-thon this was not the case, so idk...

Another thing: You say "Unless your n2DSXL had a System Transfer..."
Well I have done a system transfer from my old 2DS to my N2DSXL system. So I guess I'm ultimately screwed, right?

 

[TurdPooCharger]

Thanks a lot for the elaborate response!
I swear I always check my newly bought SDs.
It seems my old card is broken indeed, as it won't let me reformat it because its "read-write-protected".
Can't turn this off (tried several approaches). Also, before the repair-a-thon this was not the case, so idk...

That means your old card kaputt. Some people aren't as lucky because read-only / write protection is a safety feature if the card detects its NAND cells have failed. Some cards, even good ones, die without warning.

Another thing: You say "Unless your n2DSXL had a System Transfer..."
Well I have done a system transfer from my old 2DS to my N2DSXL system. So I guess I'm ultimately screwed, right?

Do you still have that o2DS? Because the KeyY changes by +1 for every Format System Memory and +2 for every System Transfer (for the source system, or o2DS), it's still possible to recreate that key.

 

[LeNoobio]

I don't have my old system anymore.

 

[TurdPooCharger]

I don't have my old system anymore.

Did you ever hack the o2DS and backed up these files?

• SysNAND image: ######_XX########_sysnand_000.bin
  • Might require: opt.bin
• essential.exefs

There's also if you have the o2DS original Friend Code: #### - #### - ####. Brute force the KeyY back into existence.

• [Question] Restoring save backup from before CFW [post #13]

 

[LeNoobio]

Thanks a lot again for your help.
I'm beginning to resign tbh.
I didn't hack either of my o2DS or n2DS, so I have no backup of the old SysNAND.

I guess I could get back my o2DS Friend Code somehow, but I would have to go up and beyond to achieve that I fear.

So just out of curiosity (whether I've understood it correctly): The system encrypts the safefiles I find on the SD depending on the key and therefore doesn't accept a simple copy of the safefile [that is encrypted differently]?

 

[TurdPooCharger]

Thanks a lot again for your help.
I'm beginning to resign tbh.
I didn't hack either of my o2DS or n2DS, so I have no backup of the old SysNAND.

I guess I could get back my o2DS Friend Code somehow, but I would have to go up and beyond to achieve that I fear.

Did you ever friend someone with your o2DS or n2DSXL after the System Transfer? If you did, they'll have your 12 digit Friend Code.

So just out of curiosity (whether I've understood it correctly): The system encrypts the safefiles I find on the SD depending on the key and therefore doesn't accept a simple copy of the safefile [that is encrypted differently]?

That is correct. No movable.sed or specifically 0x10 bytes KeyY, no retrieving those save files.

Edit - You're next best option is to either borrow a similar enough save from a save thread or try recreating it again with save editor. Also, follow the practice of backing up your saves + extdata using Checkpoint or JKSM.

 

[LeNoobio]

Thanks for all your help and motivation all over your posts!
I managed to put everything back together (except of the GB/GBC Pokemon saves).
Didn't count the hours it took me to pull this off, but anyways
Thanks again!