Homebrew What's the highest FW for downgrades without a hard-mod?

[Reaga]

My wife has an old purple 3DS that she doesn't keep up to date. She hasn't even connected it to wifi in months. I just checked, it has 10.7.0-32U.

Assuming I got her permission, could I apply CFW to it?

And would it be reversible? I would primarily do this with the intent of using the DS exploit to add CFW to my own which is on 11.0, and I doubt she'd want a permanent change.

I also need to know any risks before I ask her to let me do this.

Edit: Besides the obvious risk of potentially bricking her 3DS, which I need to know the odds of.

 

[Lacius]

You can very easily downgrade and install A9LH and CFW by following this guide: https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki/Homebrew-Launcher-(Browser)

Just about everyone on GBATemp will recommend this. The risks are almost nonexistent as long as you follow the instructions perfectly. As far as being reversible, it technically is. However, I don't know why you would want to reverse it.

If the goal is to just get CFW working for your own 11.0 3DS, you don't need to go as far as to install A9LH on her 3DS. You could get by with menuhax/CFW on her 3DS.

 

[LongTimeLurker]

Yes 10.7 is downgradable, see my signature for homebrew entrypoints, as well as Plailect's guide.

Risks are potential brick I guess. It's not going to explode (probably). I haven't seen a permabrick as a result of the guide yet.

Good luck!

 

[Reaga]

You can very easily downgrade and install A9LH and CFW by following this guide: https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki/Homebrew-Launcher-(Browser)

Just about everyone on GBATemp will recommend this. The risks are almost nonexistent as long as you follow the instructions perfectly. As far as being reversible, it technically is. However, I don't know why you would want to reverse it.

If the goal is to just get CFW working for your own 11.0 3DS, you don't need to go as far as to install A9LH on her 3DS. You could get by with menuhax/CFW on her 3DS.

How far do I need to go?

As for reversibility, my wife likes things as they are. She would prefer her 3DS is not tinkered with permanently. In fact, she'd probably like it updated if anything

 

[Bu2d85]

Yes to all. Her system should be able to be downgraded using browserhax.

If you don't want anything too permanent on her system you could go with menuhax and an Emunand. You will have to downgrade her system to 9.2 first before you do anything. If you are going that far you may as well just finish the full a9lh install. She would not even notice it if done correctly and it can be updated normally.

The most likely risk is a softbrick during the downgrade process but that can be fixed with the recovery mode.

Read the guide. Start with part 1.

https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki

 

[LongTimeLurker]

How far do I need to go?

As for reversibility, my wife likes things as they are. She would prefer her 3DS is not tinkered with permanently. In fact, she'd probably like it updated if anything

a9lh protects the FIRM so after it's installed, you can update to 11.1 (latest) safely.

There's not really a reason to reverse it, but it can be removed.

 

[Lacius]

How far do I need to go?

As for reversibility, my wife likes things as they are. She would prefer her 3DS is not tinkered with permanently. In fact, she'd probably like it updated if anything

It is highly recommend that you not update her 3DS unless you follow the guide and install A9LH first. By installing A9LH, you're actually giving her brick-protection as well as an entry point for CFW and hacks in the future, if the need were to ever arise. A9LH can be removed, but I don't recommend you do it. Instead, I recommend you set her 3DS up with A9LH (with her permission) as if it were going to be a permanent modification to her system. You can also update to the latest version (11.1) after you follow the full guide and install A9LH. You can reassure her that the modifications can be removed later if that's what she really wants.

Regardless, you need to follow the guide below at least until after you finish the part where you downgrade to 9.2.

https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki/Homebrew-Launcher-(Browser)

 

[Reaga]

It is highly recommend that you not update her 3DS unless you follow the guide and install A9LH first. By installing A9LH, you're actually giving her brick-protection as well as an entry point for CFW and hacks in the future, if the need were to ever arise. A9LH can be removed, but I don't recommend you do it. Instead, I recommend you set her 3DS up with A9LH (with her permission) as if it were going to be a permanent modification to her system. You can also update to the latest version (11.1) after you follow the full guide and install A9LH. You can reassure her that the modifications can be removed later if that's what she really wants.

Regardless, you need to follow the guide below at least until after you finish the part where you downgrade to 9.2.

https://github.com/Plailect/Guide/wiki/Homebrew-Launcher-(Browser)

As stated, she would not like her 3DS tampered with permanently. So anything I do to hers should be reversible. In fact, she is not interested in CFW or hacks whatsoever. I'm primarily asking these things to leave her informed on how far I would take it and the odds that her 3ds will be the same when she gets it back.

I am aware that things will not damage her 3DS if I follow guides, but she is in no way a techie and likes the first-party support.

So, with the intent on downgrading my 3DS through hers and reversing everything I do to hers after, I want to know how far I should go with hers. I can install Homebrew on hers easy, since my 11.0 has Menuhax and I have OoT but how far must I go with hers after that, and what steps can be taken after to undo her changes?

 

[LongTimeLurker]

As stated, she would not like her 3DS tampered with permanently. So anything I do to hers should be reversible. In fact, she is not interested in CFW or hacks whatsoever. I'm primarily asking these things to leave her informed on how far I would take it and the odds that her 3ds will be the same when she gets it back.

I am aware that things will not damage her 3DS if I follow guides, but she is in no way a techie and likes the first-party support.

So, with the intent on downgrading my 3DS through hers and reversing everything I do to hers after, I want to know how far I should go with hers. I can install Homebrew on hers easy, since my 11.0 has Menuhax and I have OoT but how far must I go with hers after that, and what steps can be taken after to undo her changes?

I already answered this. You can install a9lh, and remove it whenever you want.

How far? As far as installing a9lh I guess, because that's reversible. You do a NAND backup before you begin so it's identical after.

 

[The Catboy]

10.7 is the perfect OFW for downgrading since it was the last OFW to still be exploitable with homebrew downgraders.
I really suggest installing A9LH and SaltFW. It's basically the closest you can get to stock, well still running a CFW.
To revert A9LH, just keep the NAND backups from before A9LH and you can flash them back on using decrypt9 to remove A9LH. I suggest keeping the 9.2 NAND so you can always have the exploitable NAND.

 

[Lacius]

As stated, she would not like her 3DS tampered with permanently. So anything I do to hers should be reversible. In fact, she is not interested in CFW or hacks whatsoever. I'm primarily asking these things to leave her informed on how far I would take it and the odds that her 3ds will be the same when she gets it back.

I am aware that things will not damage her 3DS if I follow guides, but she is in no way a techie and likes the first-party support.

So, with the intent on downgrading my 3DS through hers and reversing everything I do to hers after, I want to know how far I should go with hers. I can install Homebrew on hers easy, since my 11.0 has Menuhax and I have OoT but how far must I go with hers after that, and what steps can be taken after to undo her changes?

As I said, you can remove A9LH when you're done. There really is no reason not to have A9LH installed. You can install it and forget it's even there. Assuming for a second, however, that A9LH is out of the question:

You need CFW on her 3DS in order for you to be able to downgrade yours, which means you need to downgrade her 3DS to 9.2 no matter what. You should follow this guide all the way until you succeed in downgrading to 9.2. Once her 3DS is on 9.2, you can install menuhax, setup Luma3DS 11.1 emuNAND, and proceed with the process of downgrading your 11.0 3DS. When you're done, you can remove menuhax from her 3DS.

Again, it is highly recommended that you install A9LH on her 3DS, particularly if she wants it updated to 11.1. While I'm not saying you should install it without her consent, it's fair to say that she won't even notice it's there. There's no reason not to. It's also simpler than going out of your way to do a convoluted menuhax/emuNAND setup for the purposes of downgrading your own 11.1 system.

 

[Reaga]

Thank you guys. I will bookmark this and if given permission I thank you for the information

 

[qq12345]

Thank you guys. I will bookmark this and if given permission I thank you for the information

Good luck! I think it's worth noting that cfw/homebrew also gives you access to backing up of saves that can be restored on another console. Which is beneficial even for completely legit users since nintendos implementation is garbage imo.(saves are locked to ds...).

 

[Dracari]

im not certain Shadownand should even be suggested (as i dont think ist really that complete yet) but it is A9LH w/o the need to have an arm9loaderhax.bin on the SD card and its a verry minimalist CFW to like Salt, being closest to Stock to make it kinda a "Perma Modification hidden in plain sight" the only thing might be a Teeny teeeny Millisecond extra delay in bootup (i'd suggest looking into it or wait for people better known with it as i know only that ShadowNand is an A9LH installatin w/o the need for your SD card every time you boot up the 3DS. )

and you cant Hide a normal A9LH installation even w/ Salt because well, if she say one day swaps for a bigger SD Card. and suddenly notices it turns on then back off in an instant, yea your cover'd be blown.

 

[Roboman]

Guys, if she doesn't want it, she doesn't want it. He doesn't have to force it on her like a car salesman.
After it's on 9.2 make a nand backup and keep it safe somewhere safe. That's all the permanent hacking you should really do since she really doesn't seem into it.

 

[hacksn5s4]

well all firmwares can be downgraded with out a hard mod but 11.0+ require filed runners and another cfw if you don't want to hard mod

 

[Deleted User]

tl;dr
10.7 is the highest fw in which u can conviniently downgrade. Google for "plailect guide" and do it. Done. After the guide you will have cfw on 3ds. Less then 2 hours of work.

 

[DocKlokMan]

@Reaga This is what I would do in your position and my reasoning:

1. Remove your wife's SD card and use a spare. Any will do, but it makes things easier if you use a different one for now (4GB minimum)
2. With your wife's o3DS on v.10.7, follow Plailect's Guide to downgrade to v.9.2
3. When you get to v.9.2, the guide will have you use Decrypt9 to downgrade to v.2.1. In doing so it will make a backup of your wife's o3DS as it is on v.9.2.
4. Follow the rest of the guide to install A9LH and update to v.11.1. I suggest A9LH for now over emuNAND as it can be more difficult to system transfer with and you have a chance of messing up and accidentally updating sysNAND and ruining your chances.
5. Update your 3DS to v11.1 as well and make sure you're not using the DNS block on either 3DS.
6. At this point you'll get ready for the system transfer. This can take up to 7 days if you're transferring from your 3DS to hers and back again.
7. In order to prevent NNID mishaps that will be hard to repair later, it's at this point you will format your wife's o3DS using the built in System Format option in Settings. This will de-register the NNID from her console and bring it to initial setup. She will not lose any data since you're using a spare memory card that does not have her data on it and it also has a NAND backup that we'll restore at the end.
8. If you have an o3DS, purchase Fieldrunners and then System Transfer your o3DS to hers. Else set her 3DS up using your NNID, purchase Fieldrunners and continue knowing that all the data on your n3DS will be deleted.
9. Follow the DSiWare Downgrade steps to set up the Fieldrunners exploited save and then system transfer to your console.
10. At this stage you are done with your wife's o3DS and we can bring it back to stock. After system transferring your wife's o3DS will be at initial setup.
11. Proceed through the setup and sign into her NNID. This will re-register the NNID that we de-registered earlier.
12. Boot Decrypt9 and choose to restore her v.9.2 NAND backup WITHOUT A9LH.
13. After the o3DS reboots and is on v.9.2 again, simply update to v11.1 and put her original memory card back in and everything will be like normal.
14. Finish up with your console following the last of the DSiWare tutorial and then start at the beginning of Plailect's Guide to start hacking your own 3DS.

 

[Reaga]

What if I bought her Field Runners on her account? Could I skip the 7 day wait?

 

[Autz]

I would go for the A9LH CFW. Your wife won't notice that unless you explain her how A9LH works.

And also, you can wipe out the A9LH in the future with Decrypt9, so, why not? I don't think she would like to see that color show of MenuHax or something.