short guide on gamecarts

[barrowmanandrew]

before you post for help with your gamecart, please have a read here and make sure that you include all relevent information.

THE GAMECART:

there are many diffrent types of gamecarts available today.
the most popular of all seems to be the r4/r4i series.
it is important to understand that these cards are not made by any one single company.
this means that cards very similar in appearance, are in fact completley diffrent and require diffrent firmware for them to run.....
it is very important when posting for help with these cards that you give as much detail about the card as possible.


these two cards which look similar, are completly diffrent ,
both have own firmware which won't work on other.
please be as detailed as possible of what exactly is on the front of card.

THE SD CARD:

before you change ANYTHING on your sd card it is important to back it up.
simply create a new folder on your desktop and drag/drop the entire contents of your sd card into it. this will help restore your sd card if things go wrong.
most people (myself included) uses the windows formatter to format their sd card.
it is recommended to use a formatting tool.
i have uploaded a formatting tool for windows and mac.

http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums...ing-tool-1459/


if would be worth backing up your card, then formatting and copying files back before asking for help.
orginal r4 cards and their 1:1 clones do not support sdhc cards. if you are unsure whether your card is original, please use a 2gig card for testing purposes.
once it's working you can try transferring to a bigger card.

THE CONSOLE:

it is important to know which console you are using and in the case of the dsi, which version firmware it is running.
to check your dsi version:
a. start up consoile without gamecard in.
b. press settings.

your console version will be displayed on top screen (bottom right hand side).

GAMES(roms):

when testing your card please use an old game, some cards are not so well supported and just won't play newer games....
there are plently of older roms available.


ADDITIONAL INFO:

extra info can be helpfull.
when did the card stop working?
was anything done to card prior to problem?
any updates done to card prior to problem?
etc etc etc......

TO RECAP:

when posting for help include.

a. card type with a detailed description including any web address found on card and if possible a picture of card.
b. size of sd card.
c. console you have and version firmware its on (dsi.)
d. a full description of problem....
e. if problem with specific roms, please post details

also have a read through the section, chances are someone has had a similer problem.

keep your firmware up to date.
i post the latest unofficial firmware for acecards and original r4 cards.
if you have these cards make sure they are up to date....

http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums...-users-169389/
http://www.digital-kaos.co.uk/forums...rmware-175798/