Installing boot9strap (Kartminer7)

For support in English, ask for help at Nintendo Homebrew on Discord.
If you appreciate this guide, we accept Donations.
Technical Details (optional)

To install boot9strap on your console, we derive your console’s unique encryption key. To accomplish this, we use a tool called Seedminer to calculate the data encryption key (movable.sed) for your console.

Once we have movable.sed, we can edit the SD card data of the game Mario Kart 7 to install menuhax67, which will allow us to get Homebrew Launcher access.

Once we have Homebrew Launcher access, we can run nimdsphax to install boot9strap.

See here for information about Kartminer7, here for information about menuhax67, and here for information about nimdsphax.

What You Need

  • A physical or digital copy of Mario Kart 7 updated to the latest version (v1.2)
    • You can update Mario Kart 7 from eShop or by following the update prompt when you launch the game
  • A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux
  • Your movable.sed file from completing Seedminer
  • The latest release of Kartminer7 (the release marked WINDOWS if you have a Windows computer, or the release marked LINUX-macOS if you have a macOS or Linux-based computer)
  • The latest release of boot9strap (direct download)
  • The latest release of SafeB9SInstaller (direct download)
  • The latest release of nimdsphax (direct download)
  • The latest release of menuhax67
  • The latest release of Luma3DS (the Luma3DS .zip file)

Section I - Preparing Mario Kart 7 data

In this section, you will have the 3DS generate some data in Mario Kart 7 that will be used to install the exploit in a later section.

  1. Reinsert your SD card into your console
  2. Open Mario Kart 7
  3. Tap the “Mario Kart Channel” button on the bottom
  4. If you are prompted to, hit “Next” and “OK” to all of the prompts that you see
  5. Tap the “StreetPass List” button on the bottom of the screen, in the middle
  6. Press the (Home) button to suspend Mario Kart 7
  7. Disable wireless connections by flicking the wireless switch on the side of the console or by navigating to HOME Menu Settings (top left) -> Wireless Communication -> OFF
  8. Power off your console

Section II - SD Card Prep Work

  1. Insert your SD card into your computer
  2. Copy boot.firm and boot.3dsx from the Luma3DS .zip to the root of your SD card
    • The root of the SD card refers to the initial directory on your SD card where you can see the Nintendo 3DS folder, but are not inside of it
  3. Create a folder named boot9strap on the root of your SD card
  4. Copy boot9strap.firm and boot9strap.firm.sha from the boot9strap .zip to the /boot9strap/ folder on your SD card
  5. Copy SafeB9SInstaller.bin from the SafeB9SInstaller .zip to the root of your SD card
  6. Create a folder named 3ds on the root of your SD card if it does not already exist
    • This folder stores homebrew applications and data; it is different from the Nintendo 3DS folder that the console automatically generates
  7. Copy the nimdsphax folder from the nimdsphax .zip to the /3ds/ folder on your SD card
  8. Copy menuhax67_installer.3dsx from the menuhax .zip to the /3ds/ folder on your SD card
  9. Copy Launcher.dat from the folder for your model and region inside the menuhax .zip to the root of your SD card
  10. Keep your SD card inserted in your computer, as it is still required in the next section

Section III - Installing Kartminer7

  1. Extract the Release_BETA_mk7 .zip to somewhere on your computer (i.e. your desktop)
  2. Copy your movable.sed file to the resources folder of the Release_BETA_mk7 folder
    • Ensure that the file is named exactly movable.sed
  3. Open the backup folder inside of the Release_BETA_mk7 folder
  4. Double-click on the BACKUP file corresponding to your console’s region (e.g. backup_USA if you have a USA copy of Mario Kart 7)
    • If you are unsure of your console region, you can check System Settings. U = USA; E = EUR, J = JPN
    • If you get a message from Windows Defender, click “More info”, “Run anyway”, then press any key to continue
    • If the backup was successful, you should see a new folder appear
    • If you wish to restore this data at a later date (after finishing this guide), insert your SD card and double-click on the RESTORE file corresponding to your console’s region
  5. Go back to the Release_BETA_mk7 folder, then double-click on the file corresponding to your console’s region (e.g. USA if you have a USA copy of Mario Kart 7)
  6. Reinsert your SD card into your console

Section IV - Kartminer7

  1. Power on your console
  2. Open Mario Kart 7
  3. Tap the “Mario Kart Channel” button on the bottom
  4. Tap the “StreetPass List” button on the bottom of the screen, in the middle
  5. Press (A) over and over again
    • You should eventually see the “Start Race?” prompt, then the colours on the bottom screen should change from red, to blue, to white
    • If you see the red/blue/white screens but the 3DS crashes, just reboot and try again
    • If you don’t see ANY colours, change your system language (if possible), then try the exploit again
  6. If the exploit was successful, the 3DS will have booted into the 3DS ROP xPloit Injector

Section V - Installing menuhax67

  1. Press (Y) + (D-Pad Down) to install menuhax67
    • The console will automatically power off
  2. Power on your console
  3. Tap on the small HOME Menu settings icon in the top left of the bottom screen ()
    • If the console freezes for a while and then crashes, make sure you have Launcher.dat on the root of your SD card
  4. If the exploit was successful, your console will have booted into the Homebrew Launcher
  5. Launch nimdsphax from the list of homebrew
  6. If the exploit was successful, you will have booted into SafeB9SInstaller
    • If your console freezes on a red screen, hold the POWER button until it turns off, then try running menuhax again by powering on your console and tapping on the HOME Menu settings icon

Section VI - Installing boot9strap

In this section, you will install custom firmware onto your console.

  1. When prompted, input the key combo given on the top screen to install boot9strap
  2. Once it is complete, press (A) to reboot your console
  3. Your console should have booted into the Luma3DS configuration menu
    • Luma3DS configuration menu are settings for the Luma3DS custom firmware. Many of these settings may be useful for customization or debugging
    • For the purpose of this guide, leave these options on the default settings (do not check or uncheck anything)
    • If your console shuts down when you try to power it on, ensure that you have copied boot.firm from the Luma3DS .zip to the root of your SD card
  4. Press (Start) to save and reboot

Section VII - Removing menuhax67

In this section, you will use the Homebrew Launcher to remove menuhax67, which will let you access the HOME Menu Settings option normally.

  1. Launch the Download Play application ()
  2. Wait until you see the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo DS buttons
  3. Press (Left Shoulder) + (D-Pad Down) + (Select) at the same time to open the Rosalina menu
  4. Select “Miscellaneous options”
  5. Select “Switch the hb. title to the current app.”
  6. Press (B) to continue
  7. Press (B) to return to the Rosalina main menu
  8. Press (B) to exit the Rosalina menu
  9. Press (Home) to suspend Download Play
  10. Press the “Close” button on the bottom screen to close Download Play
  11. Re-launch the Download Play application
  12. Your console should load the Homebrew Launcher
    • If your console is stuck on the loading splash screen, you are missing boot.3dsx from the root of your SD card
  13. Launch menuhax67_installer from the list of homebrew
  14. Select REMOVE menuhax67
  15. When you see “done.”, press (A), then press (A) on “EXIT to menu”

At this point, you can re-enable wireless communications.

At this point, your console will boot to Luma3DS by default.

  • Luma3DS does not look any different from the normal HOME Menu. If your console has booted into the HOME Menu, it is running custom firmware.
  • On the next page, you will install useful homebrew applications to complete your setup.

Continue to Finalizing Setup