Hacking WARNING!!! SX OS 2.9 BETA: Major issues reported including black screen after 9.0.0 update attempt

[SaggyBeans]

Fellow gbatemp users,

It has been reported by many SX OS users that SX OS 2.9 BETA and the latest SX OS 2.9.1 BETA are causing several different types of issues. This thread is to help warn others who may see an available update and quickly jump to SX OS 2.9 BETA or the latest BETA 2.9.1 release without realizing the potential issues at hand.

1) SX OS 2.9 BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Upgrading firmware with ChoiDuJourNX version 1.0.1 freezes, resulting in black screen. **Issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.1**
2) SX OS 2.9(.1)(.2) BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Loading into firmware 9.0.0 causes a Game Cart Fuse burn preventing you from using game carts on firmware lower then 9.0.0. **Unknown if issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**
3) SX OS 2.9 BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Breaks custom XCI loading. **Issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**
4) SX OS 2.9 BETA on firmware 9.0.0: In docked mode when exiting the album using the "B" button, causes error 2168-0002. **Issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**
5) SX OS 2.9 BETA on firmware 8.1.0: ChoiDujourNX ver. 1.0.2 freezes on "Testing for BIS Protection" when updating firmware. **Issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.1**
6) SX OS 2.9(.1)(.2) BETA on firmware 9.0.0: No longer allows you to install incognito. **Unknown if issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**
7) SX OS 2.9(.1)(.2) BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Lock screen themes no longer work, SX OS 2.9 does not currently have IPS patching. **Issue still present in SX OS 2.9.2**
8) SX OS 2.9(.1)(.2) BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Attempting to use cheats when using XCI from external SSD/HDD will cause an error. *Cheats work when used with XCI via MicroSD. ***Unknown if issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**
9) SX OS 2.9 BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Attempting to use Homebrew apps while docked causes error 2168-0002. **Issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**
10) SX OS 2.9.1(.2) BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Attempting to use controller buttons within some Homebrew apps fail to work. **Issue present in SX OS 2.9.2 with full ram access**
11) SX OS 2.9.1 BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Stealth mode is not filtering all traffic from within SX OS as intended and system updates are not being blocked. **Issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**
12) SX OS 2.9.1(.2) BETA on firmware 9.0.0: Users reporting when turning stealth mode off for online play it breaks XCI loading. **Unknown if issue corrected in SX OS 2.9.2**

I realize that there may be more issues I am unaware of. Some of the mentioned issues may only affect certain users. There may be more workarounds for some of these issues and many of these issues may be resolved by an update by TX.

TX did make a post on their discord warning the following, quote:
"@everyone There have been enough reports of people having trouble upgrading to 9.0 with choidujourNX... Please just stay on 8.1.0 until further notice while we look into what is going on. If you insist on upgrading it seems the 2.8 boot.dat file is not showing the same problems.
Remember

1: ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR NAND BEFORE CHANGING FIRMWARE VERSIONS. ALWAYS - NO EXCEPTIONS!

2: Disable any themes before upgrading firmware.

3: Always enable the exFAT driver when upgrading.

4: Pay attention to the AutoRCM option if you are using ChoidujourNX. Choose wisely."

Update #1:
TX are aware of the bugs. They are working to resolve these issues and will be releasing a new SX OS revision that will include many bug fixes. Please note that this is a BETA version and users are encouraged to take the proper precautions including making backups prior to attempting firmware updates and/or any other major changes to their consoles. Users are also encouraged to wait until other community members have fully tested new BETA versions in order to ensure a smooth update. TX has also been providing a warning on the update page within SX OS which states, quote: "Note: Beta updates contain latest features but may have degraded stability.".

Update #2:
TX Presents SX OS v2.9.1 BETA:

• Fixed Issues With ChoDuJourNX
• XCI Compatibility Improved

Remember: Please always have a recent NAND backup available! And we always recommend using an emuNAND. We know you are waiting for some other big features in SX OS, they are coming… But we needed to get this compatibility bug fix out for v9.0.0 first though.

Update #3:
Nintendo Releases Firmware Ver. 9.0.1 (Released September 30, 2019)
General system stability improvements to enhance the user's experience, including a solution for the following:

• Resolved an issue that may have triggered errors during game play.
• Resolved an issue that may display an instruction to remove the Joy-Con during the initial setup of Nintendo Switch Lite.

**SX OS 2.9.1 is working with firmware 9.0.1. Please WAIT for official TX confirmation prior to updating!**

Update #4:
TX makes announcement about stealth mode issues, quote: "@everyone It has come to our attention that stealth mode is not filtering all traffic from within SX OS as intended. Please be cautious and STAY OFFLINE if you can while a fix is being worked on. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused."

Update #5:
TX makes announcement about stealth mode issues, quote: "@everyone Update on Stealth Mode issue: We investigated the rumour that stealth mode is broken on SX OS 2.9(.1). So far it seems this is NOT entirely the case. If you have an eShop account linked to your console, and go into eShop some HTTPS traffic will flow in the direction of bugyo and Google analytics and such. The bugyo server is an unauthenticated frontend for eShop. Endpoints like dauth are fully blocked which can be observed by seeing that any such connections exhibit the SYN-SYNACK-FIN sequence, and no actual SSL/TLS frames pass through the connection. Which has always been the behavior of stealth mode with SX OS. We will see what we can do about blocking these other SSL connections. But it appears there's no imminent big risk, especially not if you simply don't access the eShop."

Update #6:
TX Presents SX OS v2.9.2 BETA:

• Local Multiplayer over the internet (LAN play) is working again.
• Extended scope of Stealth Mode
  
• Improved XCI game compatibility
  
• Rebooting SX OS

 

[Vagos]

Thank you for the info.
For the ones that tried to upgrade to 8.1 using choi and sx2.9, is there a workaround?
I have also tried to boot into atmosphere but again i have black screen after boot screen.

Is there any way to properly complete firmware update somehow?

 

[rmorris003]

After using 2.9 and it failed at flashing firmware 0/6 I managed to get my system back by using the downgrade method here https://switch.homebrew.guide/usingcfw/manualchoiupgrade#step-0-before-starting also someone had provided me with the 6.1 exFAT fw mod that you need to create in step 4. The file I also had been given did not have the USER/SAFE folders and still worked for the downgrade with skipping them.

I had no NAND backup but I do now after I got it to boot on 9.0.

Just make sure to upgrade to 9.0 using 2.8 before you put 2.9 back on.

 

[Aglae Pheryl]

I can confirm this is all correct. I put the latest SX OS boot.dat file and tried to update to 9.0.0 with Choidujour and it hanged at the "flashing firmware 0/6" screen forcing me to reboot to a black screen.
Had to follow a couple of tutorials ( & ) to finally be able to install the 9.0.0 update with Choidujour 1.0.1.
Replaced the boot.dat to be able to boot into SX OS again only to find that most XCI files I am using (apparently those using a lower tha 9.0.0 FW) do not work anymore.

The only Nand backup I have is the one I initially made when getting the SX OS. I was unaware that I should have created one each time I upgraded FW on the Switch. This was also my first attempt at using Choidujour to update firmwares. I had been 'officially' updating firmwares using the regular way up until 8.1.0

So is there anyway I could rollback to FW 8.1.0 and be able to run my formerly working XCI files? If not, is there a way to make all of the xci files 9.0.0 compatible?

Thanks.

 

[Vagos]

Check the fuses, the only way to rollback is if the nand backup matches the efuses.

 

[Aglae Pheryl]

I can confirm this is all correct. I put the latest SX OS boot.dat file and tried to update to 9.0.0 with Choidujour and it hanged at the "flashing firmware 0/6" screen forcing me to reboot to a black screen.
Had to follow a couple of tutorials ( & ) to finally be able to install the 9.0.0 update with Choidujour 1.0.1.
Replaced the boot.dat to be able to boot into SX OS again only to find that most XCI files I am using (apparently those using a lower tha 9.0.0 FW) do not work anymore.

The only Nand backup I have is the one I initially made when getting the SX OS. I was unaware that I should have created one each time I upgraded FW on the Switch. This was also my first attempt at using Choidujour to update firmwares. I had been 'officially' updating firmwares using the regular way up until 8.1.0

So is there anyway I could rollback to FW 8.1.0 and be able to run my formerly working XCI files? If not, is there a way to make all of the xci files 9.0.0 compatible?

Thanks.

For those interested, I rolled back to 8.1.0 using the second video from my above message. Ran into the same issue hanging at flashing firmware, Booted using Fusee...completed the 8.1.0 downgrade using choidujournx 1.0.1 and replaced the boot.dat with 2.8 version and now I can launch the xci files again.

I will definitely wait for a fix before moving to 9.0.0 with SX OS.

 

[Vagos]

For those interested, I rolled back to 8.1.0 using the second video from my above message. Ran into the same issue hanging at flashing firmware, Booted using Fusee...completed the 8.1.0 downgrade using choidujournx 1.0.1 and replaced the boot.dat with 2.8 version and now I can launch the xci files again.

I will definitely wait for a fix before moving to 9.0.0 with SX OS.

Did you have a working OS before the downgrade?
How did you manage to download the sigpatches? The link is now removed

 

[snoofly]

Useful post.
Ran into issue 6 myself which I expect will only get resolved with a boot.dat revision

 

[Aglae Pheryl]

Check the fuses, the only way to rollback is if the nand backup matches the efuses.

Guess I got lucky. I am not sure what this fuses thing means but somehow was able to roll back.
Thanks.

 

[NANDoNumber5]

Help! I did it before I saw this post. I'm stuck at this screen. And I'm afraid I messed up. Please help me step by step. I do not have a nand backup.

 

[Aglae Pheryl]

Did you have a working OS before the downgrade?
How did you manage to download the sigpatches? The link is now removed

Link is still valid (just checked now... 1st link in the description of the video:



After I started downgrading it hanged. I had to again force reboot and could not boot again. I followed the video tutorial I finished the downgrade from there. All I had to do afterwards was to put the 2.8 SX OS boot.dat file at root (I actually removed all the packages from the tutorial first).

 

[Vagos]

Did you had an operational switch before the process?
THanks

 

[Aglae Pheryl]

Did you had an operational switch before the process?
THanks

Nope. It booted into a black screen. Had to boot into RCM using TegraRcmGUI_v2.6_portable and followed the whole process to the point I was able to complete the downgrade. It needs the Prod keys though, this is why I used the other video tutorial I posted.
Don't rely too much on what I am saying though, this is kinda magic to me...I do not understand how technically all of this is done. I wish but I don't.

Edit: Grammar

 

[Vagos]

Thank you, I am getting the prod keys and following the video very carefully.
I will post back.

 

[Aglae Pheryl]

View attachment 180934
Help! I did it before I saw this post. I'm stuck at this screen. And I'm afraid I messed up. Please help me step by step. I do not have a nand backup.

I can't guarantee this will work as I am not too technical but what I did did not require a nand backup.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Thank you, I am getting the prod keys and following the video very carefully.
I will post back.

Be sure to have all files ready and to your prod keys as well.

 

[Vagos]

Hm I am out of luck. After booting I have again black screen. Did you include anything else?

I have included all the files in the video, together with my prod.keys, I am injecting fusee, it boots, shows logo and then black screen

 

[fluggy2013]

Fix better be soon.

 

[Vagos]

After using 2.9 and it failed at flashing firmware 0/6 I managed to get my system back by using the downgrade method here https://switch.homebrew.guide/usingcfw/manualchoiupgrade#step-0-before-starting also someone had provided me with the 6.1 exFAT fw mod that you need to create in step 4. The file I also had been given did not have the USER/SAFE folders and still worked for the downgrade with skipping them.

I had no NAND backup but I do now after I got it to boot on 9.0.

Just make sure to upgrade to 9.0 using 2.8 before you put 2.9 back on.

I would appreciate some support on the process since I cannot boot even with atmo. I am following your guide but I will need your help on step 4.

On step 1 the keys.txt is the same are prod.keys (can I rename it, there are my keys from lockpick)
Can I use fw 8.1? It mentions that choi doesnt support it.

 

[MehMeh27]

I have minor issue 4, kind of annoying but good to know it should only be doing that in docked mode (well, that's how I read that). I'll try in a bit and see if that's true.

 

[NANDoNumber5]

What I did was delete my emunand and create it again. 9.0 working.