Homebrew Question Transferring individual saves

[PatrickD85]

Since it's been quite a while that I checked, I thought perhaps the best thing to do was to simply ask.

Situation I am in atm; Two Nintendo Switches
1] A superbanned Switch (cert ban) with a linked Nintendo account and on 8.x with access to CFW of choice.
This one contains a lot of savegames which I still want to transfer over (among others a 400+ hour BOTW save)
So in short; no normal Nintendo online.

I have those saves backed up with Checkpoint and on PC.
2] An ipatched Switch (latest fw) with the same linked Nintendo account.
So in short; no CFW at this point.

I would like to do individual save transfers of them. But there is a small catch to that as most of you will probably now.
When you start up a save transfer it does an online check on the both consoles.
Switch 2 is all systems go.
Switch 1 will fail ... due to the superban.

Is there a way we can bypass the auth check on a local save transfer on any CFW?
If only someone could stub that (d)auth check for use with CFW that would mean that superbanned people could get their saves over.
(yeah I am probably over simplifying things here to some extent)

What is worth noting is that the local software share option does not have that. Both of the consoles can start or join those just fine.

PS: Please dont suggest get a third Nintendo Switch
Having two is enough ... and chances are likely it would be another ipatched one at this stage.

If anyone has any pointers well I am all ears ofcourse.

 

[Draxzelex]

Probably not.

 

[PatrickD85]

Thanks for getting back to me @Draxzelex I must have missed your reply earlier on. Still appreciated though.

I do want to share one thing I found out just yet.
This is something which seems to be 'working' on OFW 9.0 on my ipatched Nintendo Switch.

Normally when you try connecting to any obvious port, like ftp (21), ssh (22), http (80) etc. on the IP of your Nintendo Switch it would always come back instantly with; Connection refused
Which would make perfect sense right?

But when you do this;
Any Game > Data Management > Transfer Your Save Data > Receive Save Data > your console will then give you a screen noting it is waiting till it gets offered appropriate data for the selected game.
So far everybody is probably with me right?

But if you do try connecting to those while the system is in the above state it will not directly deny it. Kinda suggesting that some port / access must be then openend up.

Which port? What data it accepts? Or other caveats I dont know ... But it is still worth noting.

Perhaps someone more into the inner workings can tell if this can mean anything at all for getting saves there. (@XorTroll @SciresM i'm including you guys as you probably can tell best if this has any merit / use to it, if not well then sorry up front for tagging you but hey who knows.)

 

[PatrickD85]

Let me come back to this;
Talked with multiple people (SciresM, WereWolv, and others) around the scene and reverse engineering my findings would be rather hard to impossible. Nintendo indeed has checks present there (dauth / tokens).

So if you are in the same boat as me ... a third Switch really is the only feasible option.

In regard to that a small guide.

1 - On the clean / third Switch put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
2 - Get RCM Mode ready
3 - Make a Nand Backup (Reallllly adviceable)
4 - Reboot to OFW
5 - Disable Airplane Mode / add Internet (OFW)
6 - Setup your user on the third Switch (OFW)
7 - Make sure saves have been created for the games you want to restore (OFW)
If not make the title you want to backup available there (in my case it are only actual games I own ... so your mileage might vary (ps dont be stupid here please people)). and launch the games to the point a save gets created under your user from step 1.
8 - Put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
9 - Get RCM Mode ready
10 - Trigger Atmosphere (using fusee-primary) to access CFW
11 - Make sure to not use Applet mode (keep holding R on a game, this can also be a physical one (if inserted)) (CFW)
12 - Launch Checkpoint form HB Menu
13 - Touch the user icon to select your user, so you are sure you are restoring to the correct user.
14 - Once done restoring the saves to the user, reboot the Nintendo Switch so it can go back to OFW.
15 - Disable Airplane Mode / add Internet (OFW)
16 - Restore each save file individually (OFW)
17 - Put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
18 - Get RCM Mode ready
19 - Restore NAND backup
20 - Reboot back to OFW
21 - THANK the one lending you a Nintendo Switch as much as you can ... REALLY ....

Then you should be good
It's a hassle but the most safe way you can approach this.

 

[Engezerstorung]

Let me come back to this;
Talked with multiple people (SciresM, WereWolv, and others) around the scene and reverse engineering my findings would be rather hard to impossible. Nintendo indeed has checks present there (dauth / tokens).

So if you are in the same boat as me ... a third Switch really is the only feasible option.

In regard to that a small guide.

1 - On the clean / third Switch put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
2 - Get RCM Mode ready
3 - Make a Nand Backup (Reallllly adviceable)
4 - Reboot to OFW
5 - Disable Airplane Mode / add Internet (OFW)
6 - Setup your user on the third Switch (OFW)
7 - Make sure saves have been created for the games you want to restore (OFW)
If not make the title you want to backup available there (in my case it are only actual games I own ... so your mileage might vary (ps dont be stupid here please people)). and launch the games to the point a save gets created under your user from step 1.
8 - Put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
9 - Get RCM Mode ready
10 - Trigger Atmosphere (using fusee-primary) to access CFW
11 - Make sure to not use Applet mode (keep holding R on a game, this can also be a physical one (if inserted)) (CFW)
12 - Launch Checkpoint form HB Menu
13 - Touch the user icon to select your user, so you are sure you are restoring to the correct user.
14 - Once done restoring the saves to the user, reboot the Nintendo Switch so it can go back to OFW.
15 - Disable Airplane Mode / add Internet (OFW)
16 - Restore each save file individually (OFW)
17 - Put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
18 - Get RCM Mode ready
19 - Restore NAND backup
20 - Reboot back to OFW
21 - THANK the one lending you a Nintendo Switch as much as you can ... REALLY ....

Then you should be good
It's a hassle but the most safe way you can approach this.

wait, you say in 19 to restore the nand backup made in 3 after having connected to nintendo servers in 15?
to my understanding its a big no-no, you will have mismatching telemetry reports with nintendo servers, restoring a nand backup to remove all traces of cfw is only if it never connected to the internet
it could be even more ban-able than just having used checkpoint in airplane mode

and in every case your method will work to put the saves on the ipatched unit but it could also flag the third one for a banwave later since you connected to internet after cfw use (even if the connection happen in ofw), so i if you "borrow a friend switch" its a totally dick move (except if he know, understand, and dont bother about a ban risk; but even so i wouldnt do it personnaly)

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Let me come back to this;
Talked with multiple people (SciresM, WereWolv, and others) around the scene and reverse engineering my findings would be rather hard to impossible. Nintendo indeed has checks present there (dauth / tokens).

So if you are in the same boat as me ... a third Switch really is the only feasible option.

In regard to that a small guide.

1 - On the clean / third Switch put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
2 - Get RCM Mode ready
3 - Make a Nand Backup (Reallllly adviceable)
4 - Reboot to OFW
5 - Disable Airplane Mode / add Internet (OFW)
6 - Setup your user on the third Switch (OFW)
7 - Make sure saves have been created for the games you want to restore (OFW)
If not make the title you want to backup available there (in my case it are only actual games I own ... so your mileage might vary (ps dont be stupid here please people)). and launch the games to the point a save gets created under your user from step 1.
8 - Put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
9 - Get RCM Mode ready
10 - Trigger Atmosphere (using fusee-primary) to access CFW
11 - Make sure to not use Applet mode (keep holding R on a game, this can also be a physical one (if inserted)) (CFW)
12 - Launch Checkpoint form HB Menu
13 - Touch the user icon to select your user, so you are sure you are restoring to the correct user.
14 - Once done restoring the saves to the user, reboot the Nintendo Switch so it can go back to OFW.
15 - Disable Airplane Mode / add Internet (OFW)
16 - Restore each save file individually (OFW)
17 - Put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)
18 - Get RCM Mode ready
19 - Restore NAND backup
20 - Reboot back to OFW
21 - THANK the one lending you a Nintendo Switch as much as you can ... REALLY ....

Then you should be good
It's a hassle but the most safe way you can approach this.

I sure hope people don't borrow friends' Switches to do this. That's basically sacrificing the cert just to transfer some saves over, the console will no longer be safe to use online.

 

[Engezerstorung]

second post to edit the method to a safest method (the ofw sysnand of the third switch will never boot in cfw or connect into cfw even if some tempering will happen)
i will not do a full step bytstep of all operation with all tool linked but it will give you the idea

tldr : you make a nand backup and then mount it to swap save files, then restore it

this method is based on a thread explaining step by step how to transfer saves from dfw to ofw, read it for detailed explanation of some steps
https://gbatemp.net/threads/edit-of...via-fusee-gelee-payloads.541081/#post-8679352

disclamer : dont do that for game with online function like smash/splatoon/etc, they detect and ban save tempering

0 - backup the saves you want to transfert to ipatched OFW switch from your banned switch with checkpoint

1 - Setup your user on the third Switch (OFW)

2 - Make sure saves have been created for the games you want to restore (OFW) on the third clean switch.
For that you will need to launch the games and and play it until a save is created (so obviously it only work with legit owned stuff...)

3 - On the clean / third Switch put on Airplane mode / remove internet connection. Just to make sure it does not call home (OFW)

4 - Get RCM Mode ready

5 - Make a Nand Backup (boot0/1+raw) with hekate and use lockpick_rcm to get prod.keys

6 - put nand backup and prod.keys on computer

7 - go again in hekate on third switch and setup emunand (you can do a file based one for conveniance, it will be slower but you dont plan to use it for longer than what we will do here)

8 - boot into emunand and restore saves with checkpoint (into emunand), check that they work

9 - navigate to saves location in the Save folder from the USER partition with a file explorer, and copy them into your sd card (not with checkpoint, use a file explorer to copy the raw saves)
Now the fun begin, you will need to determine what raw savefile is what :
- download extract_nand_gamesave.rar attached at the end of the op post here https://gbatemp.net/threads/tut-dealing-with-nand-emunand-safely.525274/ and extract it
- put the raw save you got from USER/saves into "extract nand gamesave\save", then run run.bat, all save will be extracted in the same way checkpoint do it
- now compare the content of what is in each named checkpoint folder to what is in the folder "extract nand gamesave\out" to determine what raw save is what
- select the raw save you want to inject in your clean switch on put them in a folder of your choice
(- if you are sure you are done you can delete the extracted saves and the raw saves you dont want to transfer, it was just to determine what save is what)

10.1 - DONT SKIP. make a copy of the nand backup (made in step 5) that you wont modify somewhere else just in case (so you will have a nand backup you will modify now, and one who will stay clean, if something goes wrong with the one you modified just delete it and copy the untouched one again to restart fresh)
10.2 - mount the nand backup copy you will modify on the computer with hacdisckmount (not in read only)

11 - replace the raw saves into the mounted nand backup with the one you copied and selected in step 9, once you are done unmount it

12 - copy this nand backup back on your sd card and restore it with hekate

13 - boot normaly into OFW sysnand, DONT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET, check that the saves are here and nothing is broken

14 - if something isnt okay, KEEP EVERYTHING OFFLINE (so in the worst case scenario if it definitively dont work, you can throw the towel and restore the original untouched nand backup). Try to redo the nand backup modification
if everything is okay (double check) connect to internet and transfer them to your ipatched switch (either with nintendo online or direct transfer)

15 - pray nintendo never detect and ban this kind of tempering

ps: in my opinion its still a risk, but it is a lesser one, and i still wouldnt risk it on a borrowed switch

 

[PatrickD85]

Thanks for the replies guys!

Lets clear some things up;

0] Anything what so ever in the regard of CFW is a potential flag / ban / etc. risk. That is something I know and have been preaching since the day I got superbanned; You are talking to one of the guys that only dumped and used their own games (go check my various reports etc on that)

1] Totally agree that you should not be doing this with someone's Switch without informing them about the ever impending risk. FYI; The persons (a close friend of mine) whose Switch im borrowing is aware of the actions and I noted that there always are some risks but he is ok with it ... he only plays physical games and none of the games are online. His words 'the worst case is I have no online access, which I dont have now or need in the future'. But still I want to thread as safe as can be, so thanks for the words of advice in the above posts.

2] Yeah I suggested restoring a NAND Backup after going online in OFW ... but I see your point about editing a NAND backup. Hmmm .... Good call there on how to approach that differently. Will look into that regard then before I take action.

3] For the saves I am restoring; none are games with online functions (like splatoon2 etc), none of them are edited or tempered with.

X] But the main problem is we don't know what telemetry there is and to what extent Nintendo can actually see anything.

 

[Engezerstorung]

about 1] and personnal dump
apparently nintendo are able to detect if the game is legit in a legit form or not, even if its a personnal backup, all game having aunique ID, linked to their form (cartridge or installed), some kind of on the fly integrity check integrity stuff and so on (but i think i heard that personnal xci backup are kind of safe if you are the only one to use it? nintendo rising the ban hammer if they detect the same game being used at the same time. but anyhow, i wouldnt go online in cfw at all, i prefer to use my cartridges than risking it)

about 2]
i noted this point because from my understanding restoring a nand that have older telemetry than the one already send is a big nono in term of ban risk if you want to go online (since they are apparently doing some telemetry coherance check to detect tempering)
(the idea of doing a nand backup before doing anything cfw wise and then restoring to go back online is precisely the fact that from nintendo point of view you just come out of online at some point and came back later without anything happening in between)
so, still from my understanding it seemed even worse to restore this old nand backup than letting things as they are (people claiming to havent be banned since the begining of cfw by doing only homebrew in cfw offline)

about X]
yeah thats why i said its "a little less risky" and not 100% risk free, we never know


edit : sorry i just noticed that i repeat myself in 2] from a previous message. I will leave it if someone only read this post, we never know

 

[PatrickD85]

About 1] I can confirm you are not safe using only self dumped games.
I have only ever used personal dumped games. (I wanted to have them in digital form for convenience)
Those ofcourse where not shared but ... Nintendo still issued a ban.

About 2] Nah I do see what you mean. Telemetry could be of ... and of is just not good.

In regard to ban risks; Yeah it's a black box still ... and well while that is a pain. It's good to see Nintendo step up their game. Im more then at peace with my superbanned and ipatched switch ... but I want the roughly 1000+ hours of saves moved over. And luckily a friend is ok with me attempting that even after the whole disclosure of risk.

Ah well lets call it luxury issues from before we had cloud saves. If those existed back then ... I would not have to go this route at all.

Once again thanks for thinking out loud with me much appreciated.

 

[PatrickD85]

Small update guys;

After my last update we underwent action.
All has gone well it seems as we are now almost 10 days further and both systems are still functioning great in regard to online etc.

BUT and I do want to stress that ... there simply ALWAYS is a risk. For people who where in the same boat as me, with saves stuck (due to no Cloud saves at all at that point of time) it CAN work.
But no guarantees on how your mileage will be.

So now we have a nice ipatched Nintendo Switch which is going to remain clean / original forever. And a superbanned Nintendo Switch on which we can do whatever the homebrew world comes up with.