Hacking Question Which is 'safer' for emunand a FAT32 partition or unformated partition?

[bird333]

Or does it even matter?

 

[CMDreamer]

An unformatted partition is useless, because you can't store anything on it, even though it is "clean" as in empty.

Any storing device needs a file format to be able to store something on it, which file format (cluster size) depends on what will you store on it and on which device you will use it.

As you try to use it on a Switch, as far as I know, the only supported file formats are FAT32/exFAT. But I might be wrong on the latter.

 

[strider009]

Follow this guide for partitioning

nh-server.github.io/switch-guide/user_guide/emummc/partitioning_sd/

 

[tabzer]

An unformatted partition is useless, because you can't store anything on it, even though it is "clean" as in empty.

Any storing device needs a file format to be able to store something on it, which file format (cluster size) depends on what will you store on it and on which device you will use it.

As you try to use it on a Switch, as far as I know, the only supported file formats are FAT32/exFAT. But I might be wrong on the latter.

This is misleading. Space that an OS recognizes as unformatted, or even empty, may have data. For example, after I create my emummc, and look at its partition on Linux, it sees "no data". So the act of copying files into that space will overwrite the unseen data that my switch uses for emummc. It doesn't matter if the partition is FAT32 or Unformatted, as long as the emunand/emummc creator can recognize where it going to start writing the data.

Partitioning the area off on a disk is a good way to recognize the data area on a disk. It's just a wrapper though. Personally, I would prefer that my OS didn't recognize or mount the emummc partition at all, so if unformatted partition is a possibility, then go for it.

 

[pLaYeR^^]

I use emuMMC on an unformatted partition and everything works fine.

 

[duckbill007]

AFAIK the only thing that matter for emuMMC is starting sector and size. So, you can create emummc even on unpartitioned space, so any PC OS won't corrupt it because it won't even try to mount.

 

[tabzer]

AFAIK the only thing that matter for emuMMC is starting sector and size. So, you can create emummc even on unpartitioned space, so any PC OS won't corrupt it because it won't even try to mount.

If they are creating emummc with hekate/nyx, then they need a recognizable partition. If you are DDing the Boot0/1/nand img, then you don't need a partition. You just have to take note of the starting partition and configure your emummc.ini accordingly.

 

[bird333]

BTW, this is about using Hekate. It sounds like it doesn't matter if the partition is formated or not. Is checking the formating something that Nintendo could do to detect an emunand being used? Is the original sysnand using a certain format?

 

[pLaYeR^^]

BTW, this is about using Hekate. It sounds like it doesn't matter if the partition is formated or not. Is checking the formating something that Nintendo could do to detect an emunand being used? Is the original sysnand using a certain format?

Nintendo hasn't checked for EmuNAND yet, doesn't matter which type you use.

 

[JotaBarba]

Its safer and faster to have it in a partition.

If you format it before create a emummc, this filesystem will be overwrited by sysnand.

So, format partition that you'll use as a partition emummc is useless


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Engezerstorung]

he is not talking about unaloccated versus partitionned
but about the partition type raw versus fat32

so in the tutorial it is said to leave it raw (but still partitionned)
and if i understand correctly hekate will search a RAW partition to install it, so it doesnt seem to be a question about the better, but a necessity to have it raw

 

[bird333]

he is not talking about unaloccated versus partitionned
but about the partition type raw versus fat32

so in the tutorial it is said to leave it raw (but still partitionned)
and if i understand correctly hekate will search a RAW partition to install it, so it doesnt seem to be a question about the better, but a necessity to have it raw

Not true. I had mine formatted to FAT32 and it installed fine. Is it better for it to be RAW vs. FAT32? BTW, can you post a link to the tutorial you are referring to?

 

[Engezerstorung]

https://nh-server.github.io/switch-guide/

hope we are authorized to link this one (if its not i will remove it, dont kill me ;_; )

 

[Viri]

I use emuMMC on an unformatted partition and everything works fine.

This. I formatted and made a Fat32 partition, and it fucked up and didn't recognize one of my partitions, wasting 32gb of my SD card. I had to redo it over again, this time with an unformatted partition, and it detected both partitions.

 

[bird333]

https://nh-server.github.io/switch-guide/

hope we are authorized to link this one (if its not i will remove it, dont kill me ;_; )

Thanks!

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

This. I formatted and made a Fat32 partition, and it fucked up and didn't recognize one of my partitions, wasting 32gb of my SD card. I had to redo it over again, this time with an unformatted partition, and it detected both partitions.

I didn't have any problem with both of my partitions being FAT32.

 

[Viri]

Thanks!

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


I didn't have any problem with both of my partitions being FAT32.

I have no idea why I did. I just know it couldn't find one of my partitions, so, 32gb was going to waste. I had to redo everything, which meant redownloading all my games, lol. It worked perfect, when I left 32gb unpartitioned.

 

[CMDreamer]

Actually, unformatted, doesn't necessarily means that it doesn't has a file format.

Most of the time it means that the OS doesn't recognizes such one.

Like Windows, that doesn't recognizes EXT2/3/4/XFS formatted partitions, and when you connect a device with such file format, it asks you to give a file format (NTFS) to it before being able to use it with Windows.

A real unformatted partition is an uninitialized one that hasn't been given any "ordering" for storing files.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Actually, unformatted, doesn't necessarily means that it doesn't has a file format.

Most of the time it means that the OS doesn't recognizes such one.

Like Windows, that doesn't recognizes EXT2/3/4/XFS formatted partitions, and when you connect a device with such file format, it asks you to give a file format (NTFS) to it before being able to use it with Windows.

A real unformatted partition is an uninitialized one that hasn't been given any "ordering" for storing files.

Windows will actually recognize EXT as a partition, it'll just ignore it since it can't do anything with it.
Not the same with emuNAND, which shows up as unpartitioned space, meaning it could accidentally be overwritten.

 

[JoshN]

Should work with both, I would format FAT32 always when doing any writing or reading with NSW

 

[tabzer]

The partition format doesn't matter when it comes to writing or reading emummc/emunand. It doesn't follow the rules of the partition table. The switch manages it as if it were nand.