Hello, please, i'm new into running GBA games on my DS. sorry if this is described somewhere else, but I searched the topics and I couldn't find any thread talking specifically about GBA saves... I have an R4DS and so far I've been running only DS games and never had a problem with savegames. Now i'm trying to play GBA games with the EZ Flash V Slot-2 Card, and I'm losing my savegames every time I load a new game into the slot 2 cartridge. For example, I run Final Fantasy 1&2 in PSRAM mode, play for a few hours, save, A SAV FILE GETS CREATED, and then I run Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, which is bigger than 16 MB, so I use NOR Mode. A SAV FILE GETS CREATED, and then I want to play FF1&2 again, the SAV file is empty. wtf? Can someone please explain the process of backing up SAV files from SRAM to SAV and viceversa, because I'm tired of losing all my savegames... I flashed all my roms with EZ4Client and I'm using 3in1_ExpPack_Tool_19 to run the GBA ROMS. Thanks. XP
idk this problem...i think you should just take the R4DS out when you're playing with GBA games.that would allow it to save properly.
Hmm, do I have to backup and restore the savegames from SRAM to SAV and viceversa every time i play a different game? if so, how's exactly the process?
sadly,i don't know.as you can see,i'm a psp kind of guy.my sister has the r4 and i play it sometimes.i don't know what u mean sorry.just wait for ds pro's to answer.sorry -_-" EDIT:some spelling mistakes.
ok, no problem. while we wait for the DS gurus, can I ask you something? Is it difficult to modify a PSP to play backups? and can you play PS1 games? and can i run SNES and Genesis ROMS too? Because I was thinking of getting a PSP, but then I decided to get the DS because the PSP is so much harder to hack. I heard you have to downgrade it several times before you can get anything running, and if you get a version 3.50 or above, you're screwed. The DS is so much easier, I just got the R4 to play DS games and the EZFlash to play GBA RoMS and that's it. With the combination of the two and some emulators, I can play DS, GBA, GBC, GB, SNES, NES, and Sega Genesis games (although emulators still don't work 100%).
I assume the 'EZFlash V Slot-2 Card' your refering to is the EZFlash 3-1 Expansion Pack? Have you tried running FF in NOR mode, then switching the game to see if it keeps the save, i know it takes longer to load, but just limiting variables atm. When you say a sav file is created, do you mean only on the ezflash, or there is definetly one on the MicroSD too? I tend to only play 1 GBA game at a time so just stick then in NOR, so i havn't come across this problem, I might try to replicate it later. Another thing you can try is manually backing up the save in the EZFlash tool (should be an option on shown on the bottom screen) before loading kingdom hearts, then manually copying the save back after to see if it is a problem with it doing it automatically. -------------- Now onto PSP... The PSP is reasonably easy to hack, you just need patience and the ability to follow simple guides, most cases invlove simply dragging the relevent files onto your memory stick where your told to, and then running them using some kind of exploit to downgrade the firmware (TIFF/GTA/Lumines/Pandora) once downgraded you can either leave it like that, or upgrade to one of the now many custom firmwares (again using drag and drop, and following simple guides) One of the main fears people use to have is there was always a risk of bricking the PSP while doing this, however now this is basically impossible as you can get a hacked battery+memory card to restore the PSP (I have made one and left it in my drawer for emergencies) Once your PSP is downgraded to 1.50 or installed with a custom firmware you can then just drag and drop your homebrew into the game folder on your mem stick and run it. I would highly recommend it for SNES emulation. As per my sig, I curently have my original jpn psp running 3.52 M33-4 (with DNA² theme and LE vsh) EDIT: Just realied it's quite a long and slightly messy post...sorry
Yes, it's the 3-in-1 expansion pack that can be used as RAM expansion, Rumble pack and GBA player. Well, I tried downloading a SAV file for Zelda:LTTP and restore it in NOR mode, and it worked, but then I played another game in SRAM mode, and when I wanted to continue playing Zelda, the savegame had mysteriously disappeared. (The SAV file was still there, but it contained nothing. I tried restoring the save again, but it contained a save with 3 empty slots.) I mean in the MicroSD, I don't know how to check files on the ezflash memory. Yes, that could be a temporary solution, but what if you finish playing a game that took you 10 hours to finish, and you want to save the savegame? How do you backup this savegame and then restore it? Because it's not just a matter of copying the SAV file on the MicroSD; sometimes the SAV file doesn't actually contain the savegame. I think the savegame is actually stored in the cartridge's SRAM, EVEN THOUGH A SAV FILE IS CREATED. And that is really confusing, because I don't know when the SAV file is updated with the latest save or not. hmm, i tried, but every time I screwed up and lost my savegames. Can you explain exactly what means to backup and to restore? Does this copy the data from where to where? SRAM to SAV? SAV to SRAM? What is SRAM.BIN used for? Where is the savegame stored when playing in PSRAM mode? And in NOR mode? I just need somebody to explain the process thoroughly so I can understand where savegames go Oh, and thanks for the PSP tips, I may try it someday.
ok, since nobody replied, I've been making some research on my own. Here's what I learned about 3in1_ExpPack_Tool version 1.9: PSRAM MODE: ------------- * When you run a game, SAV file gets created, but data is not saved in SAV file. Data is still in SRAM!!! * SAV file's default name is the ROM's native name. * You can backup data in SRAM, but CANNOT EVER load data from SAV file to SRAM. NOR MODE: ----------- * NOR MODE doesn't create SAV files. Data is saved in SRAM. * If a savegame exists, SRAM data can be tranferred to SAV file. * SAV file's default name is ROM's filename. * Data can be loaded from an existing SAV file. (this is good if you want to download a savegame from Gamefaqs, for example) MAJOR FAULTS: -------------- * THERE IS NO WAY TO CREATE A SAV FILE IN NOR MODE. * THERE IS NO WAY TO RESTORE A SAVEGAME IN SRAM MODE. * IF AFTER PLAYING A GAME IN NOR MODE, YOU ACCIDENTALLY START A GAME IN SRAM MODE, ALL YOUR SAV FILES WILL BE OVERWRITTEN AND YOU CAN NEVER GET THEM BACK!!! (I cannot explain why this happens, but I swear that happened to me more than once and made me really angry >_< @#%#$^!!$!) SOLUTION: --------- If you want to use 3in1_ExpPack_Tool, NEVER USE SRAM MODE!! or Use NDS STATION 1.1 and DO NOT SELECT PSRAM. So far I've been using NDStation 1.1 and it's working perfectly in NOR mode. I haven't lost one single savegame so far. NDStation 1.2.1 has been giving me some problems, though. XP
I came to the same conclusion, just hadn't got round to posting it, i tested with kingdom hearts and wario land, and just couldn't get them to play nice :-( Just as well I only use NOR mode anyway.
