Hacking "What is a legit cia?" (and other noob CIA questions ANSWERED)

cearp

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Thanks! I want to install a new SD card for my console. How should I format it? And should I just copy everything that's on the current card over?
fat32, yes copy everything over.
I can't reply for a while, find the noob thread they will help you there
 

Youser

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Am I able to transfer the games downloaded from freeshop to another memory card to avoid downloading them all again on a second console?
 

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Am I able to transfer the games downloaded from freeshop to another memory card to avoid downloading them all again on a second console?
No, not unless you extract the moveable.sed from the first and inject it to the second, which I don't know how to do. You could instead turn your games into cia files (as long as the SD card in the first console is less than half full) then install them with FBI in the second console. See https://3ds.guide/godmode9-usage
 
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Youser

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No, not unless you extract the moveable.sed from the first and inject it to the second, which I don't know how to do. You could instead turn your games into cia files (as long as the SD card in the first console is less than half full) then install them with FBI in the second console. See https://3ds.guide/godmode9-usage

'Convert a .3ds to .CIA', is that what I should be looking at?
 

Hipeopeo

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please link to this thread when people (noobs) don't understand something, or think they have a 'great idea' about a 'legit' oot cia, ha.

What is a CIA?
Packed content, that can be installed on your 3ds to give the game/app/content.
A CIA contains the contents, a TMD, and a ticket.
CIA files are only really for eshop/digital content.
Although, some people do like to convert 3ds game card dumps to 'cia'/eshop format, because they want them on their home menu etc.

What is a legit (clean/perfect) CIA?
A 'legit' CIA means that the signatures are valid.
A legit cia will work in sysnand, without needing hacks to load it (like gw, cfw etc) -- although we need hacks to INSTALL the cia. :)
The ticket will have a signature, the TMD will have a signature, I'm sure there are more signatures too in the CIA.
When you buy a game/download an update, nintendo generates YOU (ONLY YOU) a signature for the file.
If you edit the file, the signature will not be valid anymore.
If you remove your console id, so that the cia will install on other people's 3DSs, the signature is not valid.
If you patch the demo play count so you can remove the 5, 10, 30 play limit from the demo, the signature is not valid.
If you patch the dlc permissions to set that you have permission for all the dlc, the signature will not be valid.
If you decrypt the contents and edit the game, make it region free, or translate the game it etc, and then re-encrypt, the signature will not be valid.
Only nintendo can create these signatures.

What is a universal/preinstalled legit CIA?
Preinstalled content is special, the signature generated by nintendo is for every console.
If I buy a game from eshop, I can make a legit cia, but it will not be 'universal', in sysnand, it would only work with my 3DS.
For the universal CIAs, they will work on sysnand for everyone. (naturally, region lock still exists)


My tool FunkyCIA lets you create CIAs from your eshop content.
You can make 'warez' CIAs, for sharing etc.
You can make personal legit CIAs, that will work without hacks ONLY on your console.
-- keep in mind at the moment we still cannot use these cias... they just don't install :(
You can make universal legit cias that work on sysnand for everyone (only from preinstalled content)
If I have a preinstalled game (Super Mario 3D Land) will it still be universal *after* reinstallation through the eShop?

Also, might there be a way to use a universal ticket to sign CFW installing software, just shown as the universal game?

(For one, I can get a universal ticket from my brother ‘s 3DS, hasn’t been uninstalled.)
 

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No, dumping a title.

Thanks for this. I'll be giving this a go over the weekend. Is it OK to make a CIA file using this method of a preinstalled game (Super Mario) that came with the 2DS?

Are the CIA files the same size as the installed version from Freeshop?

I have a 32GB card of which I have around 19/20GB remaining. Should be enough to make CIA files of all the games installed, right?

If I didn't have a memory Card that was half full, is it possible to convert two games at a time and then export them before converting another two?
 

Quantumcat

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Thanks for this. I'll be giving this a go over the weekend. Is it OK to make a CIA file using this method of a preinstalled game (Super Mario) that came with the 2DS?

Are the CIA files the same size as the installed version from Freeshop?

I have a 32GB card of which I have around 19/20GB remaining. Should be enough to make CIA files of all the games installed, right?

If I didn't have a memory Card that was half full, is it possible to convert two games at a time and then export them before converting another two?
  1. Yes
  2. Probably not exactly, but similar (one is the installed version, the other is an installable package)
  3. Yes probably
  4. Yes because you can choose one title at a time to export

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

If I have a preinstalled game (Super Mario 3D Land) will it still be universal *after* reinstallation through the eShop?

Also, might there be a way to use a universal ticket to sign CFW installing software, just shown as the universal game?

(For one, I can get a universal ticket from my brother ‘s 3DS, hasn’t been uninstalled.)
I don't think so, but try it out and report back. Legit cias are special because they're installed on loads of consoles and work in all of them, but once deleted and redownloaded from the eShop I suspect it would be tied to your particular console/NNID.

If you're asking whether you can sign other games as legit cias, definitely not. As soon as you change one bit of a cia the signature is invalid.

You can of course export the legit cia on your brother's console and install it on yours, but all legit cias are out there and able to be downloaded, so there's no need to except for the convenience factor or if you don't have much internet allowance.
 

TheLastOfUs

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1. Why would legit CIAs be so imporant? Why not just use "unclean/unlegit" CIAs? The point is to play the games on another console without the cart right? Considering .cia's are region free...wouldn't they be the superior choice?

2. Unrelated to CIA but I'll ask here! Flash carts that support 3ds games - what does this mean exactly? They support .cia's or .3ds without CFW? Or with? I'm so confused. I thought one can run a .3ds file on a CFW without a flash cart once boot9strap is on it (from my research)?
 

Hunter

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1. Why would legit CIAs be so imporant? Why not just use "unclean/unlegit" CIAs? The point is to play the games on another console without the cart right? Considering .cia's are region free...wouldn't they be the superior choice?

2. Unrelated to CIA but I'll ask here! Flash carts that support 3ds games - what does this mean exactly? They support .cia's or .3ds without CFW? Or with? I'm so confused. I thought one can run a .3ds file on a CFW without a flash cart once boot9strap is on it (from my research)?
legit CIA can be installed and ran on a 3DS without CFW they are games that game preinstalled on 3ds/2ds's etc

flashcard can run .3ds not .cia (cia is an installable container) flashcards for 3ds are a waste of money
 

cearp

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1. Why would legit CIAs be so imporant? Why not just use "unclean/unlegit" CIAs? The point is to play the games on another console without the cart right? Considering .cia's are region free...wouldn't they be the superior choice?

2. Unrelated to CIA but I'll ask here! Flash carts that support 3ds games - what does this mean exactly? They support .cia's or .3ds without CFW? Or with? I'm so confused. I thought one can run a .3ds file on a CFW without a flash cart once boot9strap is on it (from my research)?
Cias aren't region free. Region has nothing to do with this.
 
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cearp

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Thank you - makes sense. I read more on legit vs nonlegit CIAs and as you said, one doesn't need CFW :) But I do wonder why someone wouldn't just do a CFW....console ban risk?
Before, sometimes we could exploit the 3ds enough to install legit cias, but not enough to install illegal ones.
Eventually that fw got hacked more, etc, it repeated etc.
 

Xwzdrl

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You can convert .3ds file format with Decrypt9 very easy and then use 3dsconv.exe software on your pc to convert your modified 3ds file to actual cia.
Just read more about this stuff and you'll be pro =)). Place .3DS file into D9Game folder on your SD card before you do that.
 
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Keir

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so if a cart is inserted and a game is updated, then a dump of that game is produced and installed as a CIA... the ticket is?
 

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