Newbie has 2 DSi XL and 2 different R4 cards, and is clueless :)

Hi all

I've just bought 2 DSi XLs, and with them I was sent (for free):
Card 1: R4i 1.4 Upgrade Revolution for DS (I assume I can type the web address, apologies if not) - R4i-SDHC.com
Card 2: R4i 1.4 Revolution for DS - R4i-GOLD.com

The 2 DSi XLs are both firmware version 1.4.4E and I assume the cards were working with them, but I don't have SD cards so I have to start that from scratch.
I've been to the websites and I'm pretty unclear on what I should put on the SD cards.
From the website for Card 1 I've downloaded R4i V1.63b English, which is recommended for my card. I the card itself has been updated already it might be straightforward.
From the website for Card 2 though I'm less sure. I've downloaded R4i-goldEnglishV1.72b

Does that sound like what I should be using, or with these cards should I try Wood R4 instead (http://forum.romulation.net/index.php?topic=39701.0)?
Reading that thread, on Page 1 it says:
"Flashcard Compatibility List
R4i SDHC (Wood for M3) (Wood for DSTT)
R4iDS Gold (Wood for R4iDS Gold) (Wood for DSTT)"
(I'm not sure if those are the cards I have, but they sound similar)

But on the last page it says:
"I was wondering if the R4i-SDHC v1.4.3 should be able to use wood"
"No it won't, not supported. But if you want to read compatibility list further, see in page 1."

So I'm a bit confused by that. Although that shouldn't be surprising, as the whole thing is new to me.


Any advice on what firmware I should use, and exactly what I need to put on an SD card would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

Thanks for the reply.

"For the first flashcart, r4i sdhc V1.4 from r4i-sdhc team, download the firmware from the official site here: r4i-sdhc.com/downloade.asp make sure download the correct one for V1.44 version. i think this one: r4i-sdhc.com/R4i%20V1.63b%20English.zip after you download it, extract and then put all the files/folders in the root of your sd card. and then try the sd card the r4i sdhc card on your DSi, see if it is working."

That's the firmware I downloaded, I'll give that a try, thanks (when the micro SD card arrives in the post).

"For the second card, never used this card before, but it should be the same, go to the official site, download the correct firmware"
I think I've got the right one, but it's less clear than the other site.

"To be honest, those cards are really nor very good cards, but its free from them, so we can not ask too too much."
Indeed, and if they work they're good enough. I'm not after playing the latest games, they're for young children and will save them losing all their ds carts.
"if you plan to buy another better card for your DSi, make sure buy r4i gold 3ds dsflashcart.com/r4i-gold-3ds-wood-r4i-3ds-flashcard-for-ds-dsi-3ds-p-248.html or supercard dstwo instead."
Thanks, if it comes to that I'll find out whether I want to buy from the US or the UK.

"Tell me the update if you can or can not make them work."
Will do, thanks.

 

Ok, it turns out the flash carts hadn't been used with the DSis for a while, and I've tested them with an SD full of the latest firmware, and they're not working.

What's my next step?

Thanks

 

Thank you for the reply, much appreciated.

When I switch on, the console behaves as usual. The first selection item is settings, and without a cartridge the second item is blank, and I get the no card inserted message. With the cartridge in, the second item says 'Star Wars Lethal Alliance Ubisoft' (that's not something I've tried to add, it's just what comes up). If I click on it, I get the message:
An error has occurred. Press and hold the POWER Button to turn the system off (etc)

EDIT - actually, I just tested it with no SD card in, and get exactly the same result. It's possible my flash carts can't read my SD card. My SD is a new Kingston 8gb card. I also tested with an old 128mb card, and same result. I could try buying a 4gb card, although I assume the carts need updating anyway?

Yeah I did that right. I tried the firmware from one in the relevant cart, then started again and tried in the other cart (with the relevant firmware). I got the same result from both cartridges.

The first time I tried it I hadn't formatted the SD card, so I then tried formatting the card with the Panasonic SDFormatter. Same results.

The panasonic formatter it recommends is a more recent version than the last I used, and the format includes overwrite etc, so I'm doing that now. But isn't the advice on that page just so yuou can play the latest games etc? I'm not sure if that will help a cart that's not working at all?

I'm assuming the answer to that is no. Does this require finding an old DS or DS Lite, or can I simply install the items on the link you posted?

Many thanks

 

Any advice please? Do I need to update my flash carts, and do I need an older DS to do it?

Thanks

 

Thanks Ethan

I'm not quite sure what you mean by 'pre updated'. I know that the cards used to work on the DSi XLs I have, and the cards are v1.4 cards, but I don't think they've been used since the consoles were updated to 1.4.4.

Does that mean they now need updating again (with a DS lite) or if they worked at 1.4 is it just the micro SD that needs updating?

 

Got hold of a DS, and tried to update the Gold cart, and it said the cart wasn't compatible.
With the SDHC cart, I couldn't even find an update on the website (only the final firmware).

I'm assuming I'll have to buy new carts