Guide_3DS/_pages/DSiWare-Downgrade.md

title	permalink
DSiWare Downgrade	/dsiware-downgrade.html

If you are on 11.0.0 or 11.1.0, do NOT update to 11.2.0. A new update will be coming soon that allows for DSiWare NFIRM Downgrading without a second 3DS or hardmod for versions under 11.2.0. {: .notice--primary}

If you are between versions 11.0.0 and 11.2.0, you must follow this guide to downgrade your NATIVE_FIRM using DSiWare and a second 3DS which has already has a Custom Firmware installed on it in order to dump and restore your NAND. {: .notice}

If you are below 11.2.0 on either device, then you should do the ctr-httpwn steps (when prompted) on each device under 11.2.0 to allow you to System Transfer with them. {: .notice--info}

This takes advantage of an oversight which allows DSiWare titles to read and write anywhere in NAND. {: .notice--info}

This is a currently working implementation of the "FIRM partitions known-plaintext" exploit detailed here. {: .notice--info}

This guide will assume the CFW 3DS is running arm9loaderhax and was setup with this guide, but will work (with slight modifications such as doing all SysNAND steps on EmuNAND) on systems running an EmuNAND. Note that the terms EmuNAND and RedNAND refer to slightly different implementations of the same concept. {: .notice--info}

{% capture notice-4 %} This exploit requires you to System Transfer from a CFW 3DS to a stock 3DS as part of the steps. System Transfers will work in the following directions only:

• New 3DS -> New 3DS
• Old 3DS or 2DS -> Old 3DS or 2DS
• Old 3DS or 2DS -> New 3DS
  {% endcapture %}

{{ notice-4 | markdownify }}

Both systems MUST be from the same region. {: .notice--warning}

3DS #1's NNID will be stuck on 3DS #2 unless you either system transfer back or call Nintendo! (details in the instructions) {: .notice--danger}

System Transfers can only be performed once a week. {: .notice--danger}

What you need

• Two 3DS systems
  • 3DS #1: the 3DS running some kind of custom firmware (arm9loaderhax or some form of EmuNAND/EmuNAND) on the latest version
  • 3DS #2: the 3DS on stock firmware between 11.0.0 and 11.2.0
• Purchase one of the following exploitable DSiWare games (a pirated copy of the game will not work) on 3DS #1
  • Fieldrunners: Works for USA + EUR (never released for JPN)
  • Legends of Exidia: Works for USA + EUR + JPN (game has been pulled in JPN region, you must have installed it already)
  • Guitar Rock Tour: Works for USA + EUR (game has been pulled in all regions, you must have installed it already)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords: Works for USA + EUR (game has been pulled in all regions, you must have installed it already)
• The latest release of 3ds_dsiwarehax_installer
• The latest release of 3DSident
• The latest release of FBI
• The latest release of dgTool
• The Homebrew Starter Kit
• The NFIRM zip corresponding to the device and version of 3DS #2:
  • New 3DS 11.0.0 to 10.4.0 -
  • Old 3DS 11.0.0 to 10.4.0 -
    ~
  • New 3DS 11.1.0 to 10.4.0 -
  • Old 3DS 11.1.0 to 10.4.0 -
    ~
  • New 3DS 11.2.0 to 10.4.0 -
  • Old 3DS 11.2.0 to 10.4.0 -
• Download a legitimate copy of Steel Diver: Sub Wars (the game is free, but any copy of the game not from the eShop will not work) on 3DS #1
• The previous release of steelhax
• If 3DS #2 is below 11.2.0, you will also need the following
  • The latest release of ctr-httpwn

Instructions

Section I - Prep Work

1. Create a folder named files9 on the root of 3DS #1's SD card if it does not already exist
2. Use a save manager to backup any saves you care about on 3DS #2 (it will be formatted!)
3. Copy the relevant public.sav from the /dsiware/(8 Character ID)/ folder in the 3ds_dsiwarehax_installer zip to the root of 3DS #1's SD card

• Fieldrunners USA Region: 4b464445
• Fieldrunners EUR Region: 4b464456
• Legends of Exidia USA Region: 4b4c4545
• Legends of Exidia EUR Region: 4b4c4556
• Legends of Exidia JPN Region: 4b4c454a
• Guitar Rock Tour EUR Region: 4b475256
• Guitar Rock Tour USA Region: 4b475245
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords EUR Region: 4b513956
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords USA Region: 4b513945

4. On 3DS #1, hold Start on boot to launch Hourglass9
5. Go to SysNAND Options, then SysNAND Backup/Restore, then backup (min size) SysNAND to NAND.bin
6. Press (Select) on the main menu to eject your SD card, then put it in your computer
7. Copy NAND.bin and NAND.bin.sha from the /files9/ folder on your SD card to a safe location; make backups in multiple locations; this backup will save you from a brick if anything goes wrong in the future (Your backup should match one of the sizes on this page; if it does not, you should delete it and make a new one!)
8. Press (Select) on the main menu to eject 3DS #1's SD card, then put it in your computer
9. Put 3DS #2's SD card into your computer
10. Backup every file on both 3DS's SD cards to two separate folders on your computer (keep track of which is which)!
11. Reinsert each SD card back into their corresponding 3DS
12. Press (Start) to reboot

Section II - Installing the save

1. Purchase one of the following exploitable DSiWare games (a pirated copy of the game will not work)

• Fieldrunners: Works for USA + EUR
• Legends of Exidia: Works for USA + EUR
• Guitar Rock Tour: You must have already purchased this for EUR

2. Launch FBI on 3DS #1
3. Navigate to SD
4. Press (A) on public.sav and copy it
5. Press (B) to get back to the main menu
6. Navigate to TWL NAND -> title -> 00030004
7. Navigate to the folder for your game and region:

• Fieldrunners USA Region: 4b464445
• Fieldrunners EUR Region: 4b464456
• Legends of Exidia USA Region: 4b4c4545
• Legends of Exidia EUR Region: 4b4c4556
• Legends of Exidia JPN Region: 4b4c454a
• Guitar Rock Tour EUR Region: 4b475256
• Guitar Rock Tour USA Region: 4b475245
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords EUR Region: 4b513956
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords USA Region: 4b513945

9. Navigate to the data folder
10. Press (A) on the existing public.sav and delete it
11. Press (A) on the current directory and paste public.sav
12. Press (B) to get back to the main menu
13. Press (Start) to exit
14. Launch your DSiWare game on 3DS #1
15. Test if the save is functional

• Fieldrunners: Touch the 'Scores' button at the main menu
• Legends of Exidia: After pressing (A) or (Start) at the two title screens, select the first save slot and press continue
• Guitar Rock Tour: Scroll down and go to High-Scores -> Drums -> Easy
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords: Just start the game
• If your game has an error about boot.nds, then the exploit has been successful
• If your game behaves normally and does not give you this error, then you should stop and figure out what went wrong
• If you get a black screen, follow this troubleshooting guide

Section III - steelhax

This will allow you to enter the homebrew launcher after the System Transfer.

1. Copy the steelhax-installer folder from the steelhax zip to the /3ds/ folder on 3DS #1's SD card
2. Reinsert your SD card into your 3DS
3. Ensure that Steel Diver: Sub Wars does not have any updates installed using System Settings:

• Go to "Data Management", then "Nintendo 3DS", then "Downloadable Content"
• Select Steel Diver: Sub Wars, then select "delete"
• Exit the System Settings

2. Launch Steel Diver: Sub Wars

• Do not update the game

3. Press (A) to continue, then create / select a Mii
4. Exit the game
5. Launch the homebrew launcher on 3DS #1

• If it is an arm9loaderhax installed device, you can do that with hblauncher_loader

3. Launch steelhax installer
4. Press (A) to continue
5. Press (A) to confirm Steel Diver: Sub Wars's version
6. Press (A) to confirm 3DS #1's system version
7. Press (Start) to exit the installer
8. Press (Start) to open the homebrew launcher exit menu
9. Press (X) to Return to Home Menu (no reboot)

• You may get an "Error has occurred" message with the option to continue. This is fine, just hit (A)

9. Launch Steel Diver: Sub Wars to test the exploit

• Do not update the game
• The save game may be corrupted
  • Do not press "ok" to delete the corrupted save data, just exit with the home button
    • If you do press "ok" by mistake, you will have to recreate the Mii
  • Redo the installation starting with the homebrew launcher
  • This can take many tries
• If it is successful, the device will boot into the homebrew launcher

10. Once you are in the homebrew launcher successfully, launch steelhax installer
11. Press (A) to continue
12. Press (A) to confirm Steel Diver: Sub Wars's version
13. This time, change the version to match 3DS #2's system version

• Even though you will be downgrading its NFIRM, you should still select the system version it is on now

12. Copy the contents of the starter.zip to the root of 3DS #2's SD card, then put the SD card back into 3DS #2

Section IV - ctr-httpwn

This section is only required if 3DS #2 is under 11.2.0.

This will allow you to system transfer on versions other than the latest.

1. Copy and merge the 3ds folder from the ctr-httpwn zip to 3DS #2's SD card
2. Reinsert your SD card into 3DS #2
3. Launch the homebrew launcher on the device using Homebrew Launcher (No Browser)

• Ensure menuhax is not installed, or you won't be able to return to Home Menu from the homebrew launcher

3. Launch ctr-httpwn on 3DS #2
4. Press (A) to continue
5. Press (Start) to exit ctr-httpwn
6. Press (Start) to open the homebrew launcher exit menu
7. Press (X) to Return to Home Menu (no reboot)

• You may get an "Error has occurred" message with the option to continue. This is fine, just hit (A)

8. Continue to the next section without rebooting

• 3DS #2 has been temporarily patched to allow network functions (such as System Transfer) without running the latest system version
• Keep in mind that exiting the System Settings will reboot the system
• If the system is rebooted, you'll have to re-run ctr-httpwn before System Transfer will work

Section V - System Transfer

1. Backup every file on both 3DS's SD cards to two separate folders on your computer (keep track of which is which)!
2. Reinsert each SD card back into their corresponding 3DS
3. If 3DS #2 has a Nintendo Network ID on it, you must format the device using System Settings:

• Go to the last page of "Other Settings" and select "Format System Memory", then follow all instructions

5. Read the following:

• Your CFW 3DS = 3DS #1 = "Source System"
• Your Stock 3DS = 3DS #2 = "Target System"
• Move DSiWare titles if prompted!
• Do NOT delete the source system's SD card contents if prompted
• Make sure neither device's battery dies during the transfer

6. Go to this link and follow Nintendo's official instructions for System Transferring from one system to another while keeping in mind what you just read

Section VI - Restoring 3DS #1

1. On 3DS #1, complete initial setup
2. Do one of the following (or neither if you don't mind 3DS #1's NNID being nonfunctional)
   • Do the rest of the sections and then the full guide on 3DS #2, then wait one week, then System Transfer from 3DS #2 back to 3DS #1 (remember you cannot transfer back from a New 3DS to an Old 3DS)
   • Call Nintendo and tell them you no longer have access to the device that your NNID is linked to (which is 3DS #2 in this case), and would like it linked to a different device (which is 3DS #1 in this case)
3. Reboot 3DS #1 while holding Start to launch Hourglass9
4. Go to SysNAND Backup/Restore and restore SysNAND from NAND.bin

Section VII - Backing up 3DS #2's NFIRM

1. Copy boot.nds to the root of 3DS #2's SD card
2. Create a folder named dgTool on the root of 3DS #2's SD card if it does not already exist
3. Copy the contents of the NFIRM zip to the dgTool folder on the root of 3DS #2's SD card
4. Launch your DSiWare game on 3DS #2
5. Launch dgTool using your DSiWare game

• Fieldrunners: Touch the 'Scores' button at the main menu
• Legends of Exidia: After pressing (A) or (Start) at the two title screens, select the first save slot and press continue
• Guitar Rock Tour: Scroll down and go to High-Scores -> Drums -> Easy
• If your game does not have the hacked save file installed, follow this troubleshooting guide

5. Use dgTool to backup 3DS #2's NFIRM

• New 3DS: select "Dump F0F1_N3DS.bin"
• Old 3DS or 2DS: select "Dump F0F1_O3DS.bin"

6. Make note of the NFIRM backup's location
7. Exit dgTool
8. Put your SD card in your computer, then copy F0F1_N3DS.bin or F0F1_O3DS.bin (depending on your device) to a safe location; make backups in multiple locations; this backup will save you from a brick if anything goes wrong

Section VIII - Flashing 3DS #2's NFIRM

Do NOT downgrade with dgTool on a device that already has arm9loaderhax installed or you will BRICK!

1. Launch your DSiWare game on 3DS #2
2. Launch dgTool using your DSiWare game

• Fieldrunners: Touch the 'Scores' button at the main menu
• Legends of Exidia: After pressing (A) or (Start) at the two title screens, select the first save slot and press continue
• Guitar Rock Tour: Scroll down and go to High-Scores -> Drums -> Easy

3. Select "Downgrade FIRM to 10.4" and confirm to flash the 10.4.0 NFIRM bin to 3DS #2
4. Exit dgTool
5. Reboot

Section IX - Exploit verification

1. Copy and merge the 3ds folder from the 3DSident zip to 3DS #2's SD card
2. Reinsert your SD card into 3DS #2
3. Launch the homebrew launcher on 3DS #2 using Homebrew Launcher (No Browser)
4. Launch 3DSident
5. Verify that the following:

• Kernel version: 2.50-11
• FIRM version: 2.50-11
• If either of these do not display the versions above, something has gone wrong and you should try again from the beginning

Continue to Homebrew Launcher (No Browser), using steelhax for your entrypoint instead of one of the ones listed. {: .notice--primary}

You can use another entrypoint if you want to, I just recommend steelhax because it is free. {: .notice--info}

3DS #2's version number will not have changed in the settings. {: .notice--info}

If, once transfered, steelhax only crashes to a black screen on 3DS #2, follow this troubleshooting guide. {: .notice--warning}