Hacking What does it mean to run a patch?

[ThatNPC]

Okay, I barely know much about flashcarts, things of that nature.
What does it mean to run a patch for the R4? I have an R4i Gold 3DS cart.

 

[Rydian]

Same thing as running a game, except it's a firmware update file instead of a game.

 

[ThatNPC]

Hi Thatnpc :different patch has different function, please read the readme text before you updating.some patch for the console firmware update some for your flash card update ,just like www.r4ids.cn you can see the patch for different use.The r4i gold 3ds patch is used for your cards firmware update to match your console firmware.

Thanks for the response, i was having troubles with the R4, but now I've got it running again on a DSL
But when I try to run the patches, they keep failing. Have any idea why?