Ultimate guide to upgrade your firmware/Atmosphère

Sometimes you need to upgrade your console, upgrade the firmware or upgrade Atmosphère, using the @l7777 's guide (https://gbatemp.net/threads/updating-hekate-atmosphere-and-hos.631739/) as base I hope to create a list of necessary steps to successful upgrade your console.

This guide uses Hekate, if you don't want to use Hekate skip the steps about it. You may loose some features.





Make a backup.​

Always make a full backup of your console, so if something goes wrong you have a know working restore point.

If you are going to update your SysNAND you can create a backup using Hekate's NYX, It's the easy way.

For your EmuNAND there are two paths:
  • If your EmuNAND is RAW based, you can use a tool like EmuTool (EmuTool GitHub) to backup the RAW partition to a set of files on your PC. That backup can be used later to restore the RAW partition or you can convert your setup to File based EmuNAND using that files.
  • If your EmuNAND is file based, making a backup is so easy as copying the SDMC:/emuMMC folder to your PC.

Also is advisable to backup all files on your SD Card, You can Use Hekate's UMS for that task, so you don't remove the SD from Console and avoid the problem associated to manipulating the SD card.

Preparation.​

Before you start the process you need some steps:
  • Download latest Atmosphère files, download again from the GitHub repo no matters if you think you have it, sometimes the repo is silent updated.
  • Download latest Hekate files, download again from the GitHub repo no matters if you think you have it, sometimes the repo is silent updated.
  • Download latest Sigpatches from the GBATemp Thread no matters if you think you have the newest, they might be upgraded.
  • Download latest Sys-Patch Sysmodule some people tells is redundant but is better be safe than sorry
  • If you are going to upgrade your firmware, remove any theme you have installed! NX-Themeinstaller now have a option to remove all installed themes.
  • You can get a legally acquired firmware files:

Starting the process.​

Restart your console to Hekate's NYX and load UMS tool, or remove the card and put on your PC, is up to you, Hakate may be a little bit slower but you do not risk physically your console.
  • Delete SDMC:/atmosphere/contents or SDMC:/atmosphere/titles, you should have backed up this folder before.
  • Delete the next folders, that's because the first time you load new Atmosphère that folders will emptied and that can take a lot of time so you could think your console got frozen, so in order to avoid that false alarm it's better to delete them before start console.
    • SDMC:/atmosphere/crash_reports
    • SDMC:/atmosphere/erpt_reports
    • SDMC:/atmosphere/fatal_reports
  • If you had used INCOGNITO_RCM, is advisable to remove incognito from yours *NAND, having PRODINFO blanked via Incognito RCM can create problems on the new firmware/atmosphère versions.
  • Extract Atmosphère zip file and copy to the root of your SD, overwrite all files.
  • Edit your SDMC:/exosphere.ini file and add/change the next values to «1» in order to enable Atmosphère incognito on telemetry:
blank_prodinfo_sysmmc=1
blank_prodinfo_emummc=1

[*]Enable DNSMiTM, by editing the SDMC:/atmosphere/config/system_settings.ini and be sure the parameter enable_dns_mitm have the value u8!0x1:
[/LIST]
enable_dns_mitm = u8!0x1
Be sure you remove the «;» at start of the line.​
  • Extract the downloaded Hekate zip file, and copy to the root of your SD, overwrite all files.
  • Upgrade your payload.bin file, if you use a injector on the injector, if you use a modchip replacing the file SDMC:/payload.bin file, if you use Hekate rename the file hekate_ctcaer_X.Y.Z.bin to payload.bin and copy to root of your SDCard.
  • Extract the sigpatches file and copy to the root of your SD Card, overwrite all files.
  • Etract the Sys-Patch zip file and copy to the root of your SD Card, overwrite all files.
  • Create a folder on your SD Card and copy on it the extracted files for the firmware.

Testing the console​

Put the card or turn off the console, then start your console as usual and let the HOS to load.
If everything load fine you can now upgrade your firmware or go to next step.
In order to upgrade your firmware, load Homebrew Loader (HBmenu) and run Daybreak. it's better to select «install (FAT32 + exFAT)» option, on this way if anytime you insert a SD card formatted on exFAT you will avoid an error. This option only install additional drivers but DO NOT modify your card. Be sure of select «Preserve settings» if you like to preserve your games and configuration.
Your console will restart once the process end.
Test your installed titles and verify some games to run OK.

Finishing the setup.​

After you know your console boots correctly and everything is fine now you can reinstall SYSMODULES, cheats, and modifications. you can choose restore them from your SDMC:/atmosphere/contents backup or I do recommend to look if there is any newer version.

By example you can use the post TESLA and Overlays to find the most recent version of Tesla and overlays, also if you like there is a tutorial for build the latest code available https://gbatemp.net/threads/how-to-build-overlays-from-code.659331/, it's for advanced users.

Other common SYSmodules are, Emuiibo, Mission Control, FTPD, etc.

Remember to restart your console once you upgraded any SYSMODULE

Take a time and look for updated version of your Homebrew.

If you use themes look if there are new versions of NXThemesInstaller and the patches needed to install them, after update all components, reinstall your themes.


Important note for Mac Users:​

Macintosh OSes and IOS have a disgusting tendency to no adhere to standards so if you handle your card on a Mac, be sure to boot in to NYX and on tools tab select «Unset archive bit» AND «Fix archive bit - Nintendo»


More information about the upgrade process:​


https://gbatemp.net/threads/super-m...needs-system-update-help.641589/post-10273387
https://gbatemp.net/threads/updating-hekate-atmosphere-and-hos.631739/
https://gbatemp.net/threads/firmware-and-nand-questions.612782/post-9835101
https://rentry.org/UpdateCFWAndFW
 
Last edited by impeeza,

Aurelia

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Once you do something non-saint on a xNAND that NAND MUST BE KEPT OFFLINE FOREVER once you reconnect that NAND to the net and having communication with ninja's servers YOU WILL BE BANNED and there is no way to clean a dirty NAND. PERIOD.

that's why you must kept a UNTOUCHED NAND and an EmuNAND, do any you like on the EmuNAND AND DO ONLY LEGAL things on your Untouched NAND.
I get that, but it doesn't answer my question. Shouldn't I just upgrade firmware via OTA on my (mostly, I ran applet mode JKSV) untouched sys or is there a specific thought behind upgrading via Daybreak with prodinfo blanked? Or is that comment about "if you're gonna upgrade sysNAND" meant for people who run offline sys anyway?
 

coturd

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hi, and thanks for the really useful guide
I used it to update my atmosphere and the switch fw to 19.0, which should be supported on atmosphere

still, after upgrading the firmware, i get the error "a fatal error occurred when running fusée, unable to identify package1"

Could you help me?

Thanks

EDIT: I don't know why but after an attempt to re-install atmosphere (simply copy-pasting again) via hekate UMS, now the micro-sd won't be recognized by the pc anymore. I also tried putting the SD directly into the pc port but the error now is:

"Impossible accessing to D
Volume does not contain a recognized file system
Check every driver required for file system is loaded and that volume is not damaged"

(in English the message may be a little different, I just translated it from the italian error message sorry)

Can i format and then make a fresh SD for my cfw switch? ANd how? Don't really care about files and such, would just love having a clean SD for this switch as it will be my gf's from now on

EDIT 2:

Managed to solve both. Plugged the SD into the PC and used crm/chkdsk to correct errors

then deleted atmosphere folder and pasted it again
then updated fusee.bin in payloads (had it pasted in the wrong folder)

now it works

I still ask your kindness in helping me out: if I want to format the SD and make it a fresh start, what should I paste in order to make it work? No worries about games and such. Just want to start new with the switch cfw

thanks

Thanks
 
Last edited by coturd,

impeeza

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still ask your kindness in helping me out: if I want to format the SD and make it a fresh start, what should I paste in order to make it work? No worries about games and such. Just want to start new with the switch cfw
Hello there I really recommend to test the card using h2wtest https://gbatemp.net/posts/9885418/. Maybe a dying or corrupted card.


For working you need hekate and Atmosphère then any sysmodules you like including SYS-Patch
 
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Nynrah

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Hi @impeeza, there's one part of your guide that I don't get:

Upgrade your payload.bin file, if you use a injector on the injector, if you use a modchip replacing the file SDMC:/payload.bin file, if you use Hekate rename the file hekate_ctcaer_X.Y.Z.bin to payload.bin and copy to root of your SDCard.

I use a Switch with a modchip and I use hekate, but I do have a payload.bin in the root of my SD card. I don't remember having done something specific with this file on previous upgrades. Admittedly I forget the details most times because I don't do CFW upgrades often. Do I understand correctly that I'm supposed to just rename my hekate_ctcaer file in this case?
 

SkullHex2

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Hi @impeeza, there's one part of your guide that I don't get:

Upgrade your payload.bin file, if you use a injector on the injector, if you use a modchip replacing the file SDMC:/payload.bin file, if you use Hekate rename the file hekate_ctcaer_X.Y.Z.bin to payload.bin and copy to root of your SDCard.

I use a Switch with a modchip and I use hekate, but I do have a payload.bin in the root of my SD card. I don't remember having done something specific with this file on previous upgrades. Admittedly I forget the details most times because I don't do CFW upgrades often. Do I understand correctly that I'm supposed to just rename my hekate_ctcaer file in this case?
if you do that, the modchip will load Hekate upon boot. That's the most flexible configuration because you can chainload whatever after Hekate (including Atmosphere of course).
 
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