Homebrew Trouble with SnezziDS

[Bip22]

I have a cyclo evolution (firmware 1.51) and an ez flash 3 in 1 V, and I'm unable to get snezzids v .25a to work.

I believe I'm doing everything correctly. I run snezzi.exe blahblah.smc (I've tried several known-good roms) from a command line, it outputs a file, I copy that file to the DS and try to load it with gbaexploader.

But whenever I try to load any game, regardless of whether it's in PSRam or NOR, the screen just goes white and stays that way.

I've gotten gbaexploader to work with many other things, including snezziboy. But as snezziboy has no sound and slower emulation, it's less desirable than snezzids.

I'm aware of and use snemulds, but as snezzids is compatible/more compatible with some things snemulds is not and vice versa, I'd like to have both working.

I've seen a version .28a of snezzids floating around that I know some people have used, but it's riddled with malware according to virustotal.com (something like 24/37 scanners detect something).

With all the malware detections and the fact that there's no mention of it on the developers homepage at http://www.forwardcoding.com/projects/snezzids/snezzids.html, I'm assuming it's bogus.

But does anyone know any differently, or could anyone point me towards an explanation for why so many scanners detect malware in it, or any place where the developer has vouched for it's legitimacy?

Anyway, if anyone could help me get this working, I'd appreciate it.

Let me know if there are any additional details I can provide to help you help me with this. In short, I followed the instructions in the readme, and as I've gotten snezziboy to work and the process seems the same I assume I'm doing things correctly.

 

[granville]

Before you read the rest of this, first tell us what SNES games you are trying to use. Many of them don't actually work. You can check some of the working games here:

http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/SnezziDS_Compatibility_List

And next, none of the games listed here will work due to special chips that aren't able to be emulated:

http://wiki.pocketheaven.com/SNES_games_with_special_chips

First, you have to have the rom in .gba format. I assume you've gotten this far since you said you actually got GBAexploader to recognize and partially load it.

Version 0.28a is indeed the latest version. You can get it here:

http://snezzi.pocketheaven.com/snezzids-v0.28a.zip

I've found NO malware or any bad things in that file. Sometimes virus scanners detect non-existent viruses in perfectly safe EXE files, so that might be your problem if you've downloaded from the link I posted.

As for getting it to work, I suggest you first try you built rom in no$gba. Just to see if it's a problem with your rom, or if it's the card's fault.

Lastly, have you tried SnemulDS? It's the best SNES emulator on DS. You probably wouldn't need to use any other emulator since it does pretty much everything SnezziDS does only better.

 

[Bip22]

Thanks for all the info.

Unfortunately, pocketheaven has been down for a while now, so clicking on any of those links gives me an internal server error page.

Which sucks, because I visit there a lot.

So I'm unable to check out the compatibility list.

From what I can recall, I've tested super mario world, brandish, actraiser2, demon's crest, one of the nhl hockey games (97?), and maybe a couple others that I can't recall right now.

I'm pretty sure I've read that actraiser2 and mario world both at least boot on snezzi. I know that demon's crest plays almost perfectly on snemulds (aside from a save glitch), but I suppose that's no guarantee it works on snezzi.

All the files I've patched with snezzi.exe/tried on my ds have ended with the .gba extension. gbaexploader loads them just fine, but once they begin the screen goes white and doesn't change.

Hmm...I understand about false positives and all. But usually, if it's a false positive, some scanners will flag it and some won't.

Another case is when a setup file will come packaged with a toolbar and some such, and will get flagged even though it's not technically spyware.

As the pocketheaven download link for .28a was down, I downloaded it somewhere else (dev-scene, I believe), and uploaded it to virustotal. The following are the results of the scan:


File snezzids-v0.28a.zip received on 01.07.2009 21:07:47 (CET)

Result: 27/39 (69.24%)

Antivirus;Version;Last Update;Result
a-squared;4.0.0.73;2009.01.07;Trojan-Dropper.Agent!IK
AhnLab-V3;2009.1.8.0;2009.01.07;-
AntiVir;7.9.0.45;2009.01.07;BDS/Agent.ezx
Authentium;5.1.0.4;2009.01.07;W32/Backdoor2.AMEU
Avast;4.8.1281.0;2009.01.07;Win32:Agent-WQD
AVG;8.0.0.199;2009.01.07;BackDoor.Agent.SKC
BitDefender;7.2;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Generic.47960
CAT-QuickHeal;10.00;2009.01.06;Backdoor.Agent.ezx
ClamAV;0.94.1;2009.01.07;Trojan.Agent-25200
Comodo;891;2009.01.07;-
DrWeb;4.44.0.09170;2009.01.07;-
eSafe;7.0.17.0;2009.01.06;-
eTrust-Vet;31.6.6296;2009.01.07;-
Ewido;4.0;2008.12.31;Backdoor.Agent.ezx
F-Prot;4.4.4.56;2009.01.07;W32/Backdoor2.AMEU
F-Secure;8.0.14470.0;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Win32.Agent.ezx
Fortinet;3.117.0.0;2009.01.07;-
GData;19;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Generic.47960
Ikarus;T3.1.1.45.0;2009.01.07;Trojan-Dropper.Agent
K7AntiVirus;7.10.581;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Win32.Agent.ezx
Kaspersky;7.0.0.125;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Win32.Agent.ezx
McAfee;5488;2009.01.07;Generic BackDoor
McAfee+Artemis;5487;2009.01.06;Generic BackDoor
Microsoft;1.4205;2009.01.07;-
NOD32;3747;2009.01.07;probably a variant of Win32/Agent
Norman;5.99.02;2009.01.07;-
Panda;9.0.0.4;2009.01.07;Trj/Downloader.MDW
PCTools;4.4.2.0;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Agent.EDQZ
Prevx1;V2;2009.01.07;-
Rising;21.11.22.00;2009.01.07;-
SecureWeb-Gateway;6.7.6;2009.01.07;Trojan.Backdoor.Agent.ezx
Sophos;4.37.0;2009.01.07;Mal/Generic-A
Sunbelt;3.2.1809.2;2008.12.22;Backdoor.Win32.Agent
Symantec;10;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Trojan
TheHacker;6.3.1.4.210;2009.01.07;-
TrendMicro;8.700.0.1004;2009.01.07;-
VBA32;3.12.8.10;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Win32.Agent.ezx
ViRobot;2009.1.7.1548;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Win32.Agent.507904.B
VirusBuster;4.5.11.0;2009.01.07;Backdoor.Agent.EDQZ


27/39 scanners detecting something is quite a lot, in my experience, and a fair indication that the file could be garbage.

Maybe this is a case where there's a legit version floating around, along with one someone's repackaged/distributed with a bunch of crap?

Would someone who has a copy of snezzids v.28a which they know isn't infected with malware check it's md5 sum and compare it to this one to see if it's the same as the one I downloaded?

The md5 sum of the copy I downloaded is: 4a2a5fe247e300e0e07d58979c60e5f5

I use snemulds too, but I've heard that some things work better on snezzids. I'm really interested in getting Der Langrisser to work, for example, and I read a post from a guy who got it going pretty well under snezzi but not under snemulds.

Thanks again for your help, and sorry for such a long post.

 

[Bip22]

Update:

I bit the bullet and tried snezzids v.28a.

Just in case the copy I downloaded was bad, I ran it and patched the roms in a sandbox (if you're not familiar with sandboxie, is an awesome program you can find at sandbox.com).

Anyway, no dice on v.28a either.

I get the same thing as on v.25a. If I run it in psram, both screens go white and nothing else happens.

If I run it in NOR, the gameboy advance start screen shows up, and then it doesn't move beyond that point.

The files that v.28a output end in .nds, which is different from .25a, which end in .gba.

I tried both just tacking on .gba after .nds (so the file would look like romname.smc.nds.gba), and I also tried removing the .nds and replacing it with .gba (so the file would look like romname.smc.gba).

No luck either way.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has gotten this to work with my setup exactly, which is with cyclods evolution firmware 1.51, and an ez flash 3 in 1 V?

I know there seems to be a little wonkiness with cyclo using the current firmware regarding slot 2 stuff, at least in my case. It's supposed to have some native support for it, such that files ending in .gba will be displayed in the file explorer...But if you select them, you'll get a message saying that a compatible slot 2 device is not found, at least with the ez flash 3 in 1 V I'm using.

I know that both cards work, however, and most things work peachy using gbaexploader.

I don't know. I'd love to get this working, so if anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears...Or eyes, as it were.

 

[DanTheManMS]

SnezziDS v0.28a should be legit. My virus scanner has flagged every instance of snezzi.exe (for multiple GBA and DS versions) but I'm almost 100% sure those are false positives so I ignore them.

You should be able to change the file extension of the file you get to *.gba and it should work with GBA ExpLoader. The trick is to make sure it launches in DS mode after it's loaded to the 3in1, not GBA mode. For instance, after flashing the game to NOR, use your CycloDS Evo as a NoPass to boot the 3in1 into DS mode, which should let it work. I don't know how to do the same thing for PSRAM, though I know it's possible.

 

[Bip22]

Is cool that snezzi should be legit. I scanned the roms outputted by it and they didn't find anything. My computer is fine and my DS is fine, so it appears that all is well.

I apologize if the following question sounds really dumb:

How do I launch the rom in ds mode after it's loaded to the 3 in 1?

Just to simplify things a bit, I'll list the different ways I've tried to load it:

1. Loaded into psram using gbaexploader, tried to run from within gbaexploader which was launched from cyclods menu
2. Copied to NOR and tried to run the same way as above
3. Loaded into NOR using gbaexploader, rebooted and selected "start gba game" from ds startup menu (the default that comes up if you have no ds game/gba cartridge inserted)
4. Loaded into NOR using gbaexploader, turned ds off, removed cyclods, selected "start gba game" from ds startup menu
5. Tried loading it without gbaexploader by selecting rom in cyclo file menu: says "compatible slot 2 card not found"
6. Cursing and exasperated sighs (completely ineffective)

I've also tried renaming the roms three different ways.

One way would look like *.smc.nds.gba, another would look like *.smc.gba, another would look like *.gba

Same results regardless.

I'm really beginning to wonder if this isn't some compatibility issue between cyclods and snezzi, the 3 in 1 V and snezzi, or the combination of cyclods/3 in 1 V/snezzi

I would ask about it on the cyclods forums, but registration has been locked to new users for a while, and none of the logins on bugmenot appear to be working.

Anyway, and I apologize if it's a silly question, but what do you have to do to launch the rom in ds mode after loading it into the 3 in 1?

I've tried loading it every way I know how, so I imagine I may have tried that incidentally already...But if I haven't, and you can tell me how, that'd be great.

 

[granville]

I actually have no trouble viewing any of the pocketheaven links I've posted. I think it's just the forum that's down. At any rate, I'm sure your version of SnezziDS is clean. All virus scanners seem to flag it as a threat.

It's important that you try the rom you created in no$gba to see if it works. You can get it here:

http://nocash.emubase.de/no$gba-w.zip

Like I said, this will tell us if it's a problem with the rom or your card. Just see if it boots the games at all.

As for what you have to do to launch the game in DS mode, I've never had a problem. I loaded SnezziDS successfully in both PSRAM and NOR using GBAexploader. It seems to automatically detect when a game needs DS mode. I do think on the newer versions of GBAexploader, when you highlight a rom that needs passme, it will tell you that it recognizes it as passme.

 

[DanTheManMS]

I know the CycloDS Evo should have some function to make it act like a NoPass. According to the GBATemp review:

Boot to slot-2
This allows you to use the CycloDS Evolution as a PassMe (or if you're getting technical; a NoPass) and boot to a slot-2 device.
Unfortunately it does not support booting of GBA games. This option appears in the 'Settings / Misc' screen, and can also be achieved by holding Up on the dpad when booting the CycloDS Evolution.

That was written before the CycloDS Evo added native support for the 3in1, so perhaps it has changed since then.

 

[Bip22]

Strange about pocketheaven links. None of them are working for me. I can sometimes succeed in pulling particular pages up by googling them and getting a cached version, but that's about it. Don't know what's wrong over there, but I hope they're back up soon.

I took your advice and tested the roms in no$gba.

I copied the exact roms I was trying to use from my microsd card onto my computer and tested them, and three out of four that I tried booted up just fine.

So it doesn't appear that the roms are the problem.

There is indeed a "boot to slot 2" option in the cyclods menu. I thought that might be the way to do it.

Unfortunately - and I have no idea why - selecting that options gives me a message saying "no compatible slot 2 device found."

It's as if programs I have in cyclods can recognize/access/make use of the ez flash 3 in 1 no problem, but cyclods itself doesn't seem to know it's there.

It does let me change the rumble option in the cyclods menu without any errors, though I don't know if it works as I have no carts that support rumble (that I'm aware of) so I haven't tested whether cyclods can set the rumble strength successfully or not.

I also tried holding up on the dpad when cyclods was booting (didn't know about that).

I don't know what's supposed to happen (boot to NOR?) but the cyclods menu shows up as normal, still says no compatible slot 2 device found when I select boot from slot 2, and gbaexploader still can't load the roms.

I've checked config.xml in the cyclo folder, and it says that gba support is enabled. I've also tried disabling it with the same results.

I'm feeling lost as to what to do at this point...Thanks a lot for everyone's help, and I eagerly welcome more if anyone has any further suggestions.

 

[DanTheManMS]

Strange about pocketheaven links. None of them are working for me. I can sometimes succeed in pulling particular pages up by googling them and getting a cached version, but that's about it. Don't know what's wrong over there, but I hope they're back up soon.

Just try again in a few minutes (CTRL+F5 is a forced refresh that may help). The boards themselves are the only things that are truly down, while other PocketHeaven pages still live. They just sometimes get connection errors.

 

[Bip22]

Whew...It's fixed now!

I didn't know what else to do, so I decided to go poking back around in the config.xml file in the cyclods directory on the root of the card.

I opened the file with xml notepad, and the line " was set to "1" (true).

So I decided, just for the heck of it, to set it to "0" to see what would happen, which I thought I had done before, and clicked save.

I decided that I wanted to verify that the file had indeed been updated, so I reopened it and found that it had not - was still set to "1".

So I changed it back to 0, went to file/save as/selected the config.xml on the card, and saved it.

Popped it back in my DS, and lo and behold, it works like a charm.

I went into the cyclods menu and selected boot from slot 2, and it gave me the option to do so in NDS or GBA mode...First rom I tried worked.

As a bonus, gbaexploader is working in conjunction with it. I say "as a bonus" because I had read that you had to pick either cyclods' native slot 2 support or gbaexploader but not both, for some reason.

So for some weird/completely unintuitive reason, when using cycloevo v.1.51 with ez flash 3 in 1 V (at least in my case), you have to turn OFF gba support in order to ENABLE gba support.

I thought I had tried that very thing before, but I guess it just wasn't updating the file after I made the change.

Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. Hopefully others who have this problem will stumble upon this thread.

 

[m.o.r.]

Bip22,

thanks for having someone over at teamcyclops threads point me over to your post here.

looks like your ez V 3in1 is the same batch as mine and the other guys experiencing the exact same problems on this thread. try browsing that thread out to verify your unit.