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Ok before I go on, I only make this because the original guide is confusing & outdated. I hope this guide makes users who were hesitant to install it think about it again before denying it. The original guide is <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?s=&showtopic=97615&view=findpost&p=1302463" target="_blank">here</a> by Spec2k. YSMenu was created by Yasu. Ok here we go.
<b>PLEASE keep in mind that if your flashcard is a clone, and it isn't based on the r4 firmware, this guide will NOT work. If your r4 clone's firmware is based on the dstt or acekard firmware, use their respective guides for installing ysmenu onto them.
</b>
List of r4 clones that ysmenu DOES NOT work on:
1. R4 Neo.
2. R4 SDHC.
3. R4i Pro Gold.
Advantages of using YSMenu over regular R4 firmware:
1. R4 firmware is VERY outdated. Only recently has some group started working on the r4 firmware, but it still pales in comparison to the ysmenu firmware.
2. Native support of the EZ 3in1 (all current models) so you don't need to use 3rd party loaders.
3. Ysmenu is actually updated every few weeks or so.
4. Can delete files, so no need to take your sd card out of your r4 and into your computer ONLY to delete something.
It also retains the nice R4 gui too, which is a plus, as well as the brightness switching (tap the top-left part of the screen). Only drawback is that soft reset does not currently work. You have to turn off your ds and back on to get to your menu.
<!--sizeo:3--><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><b>FAQ</b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
I've made this section due to some common questions... This section will be ever growing.
Q. Games start loading but then the loading bar freezes. What's up?
A. It's a simple solution. Reformat you sd card with <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=4003" target="_blank">this tool.</a> Be sure to back everything up!
Q. Games take forever to load!
A. Yes, certain games take forever to load. You can fix this by downloading the latest infolib.dat file from <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/weeklyinfolib/" target="_blank">here</a>. Be sure to show denieru7 some love!
Q. Where can I get the latest cheats?
A. At <a href="http://cheats.gbatemp.net/" target="_blank">http://cheats.gbatemp.net/</a> and make sure you download the appropriate file for your flashcard. If it is the original r4, choose cheat.dat. If it is a r4 clone, choose usrcheat.dat. (I explain cheats thoroughly at the end of my second guide)
Q. Can I play Mario & Luigi: Bower's Inside Story, Pokemon Heart Gold & Soul Silver, and other problematic games?
A. Yes, with the newest update to the dstt kernal, you can. You shouldn't have problems with any nds game at the moment. (original r4 only)
UPDATE: Now clones can play M&L:BIS as well! <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?s=&showtopic=164359&view=findpost&p=2297922" target="_blank">Thanks to bluelaserman, that is!</a> Only downside is that you must run ysmenu as a secondary firmware/.nds file as opposed to replacing the firmware altogether. Still, this is for people who want to play this game.
Q. The backgrounds for YSMenu aren't working!
A. Open them up in paint and save them as a 24-bit bitmap (.bmp) file and it should work.
Q. What if all else fails?
A. Honestly, get an <a href="http://www.kickgaming.com/acekard-ak2i-p-374.html" target="_blank">Acekard.</a> Big bang for your buck or euro or whatever.
If there are other things you think I should put here, let me know by PM.
<!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><u><b>GUIDE TO INSTALLING YSMENU ON THE R4 + CLONES</b></u><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
0. First of all, make 2 folders on your desktop. Name one "YSMenu" and the other "r4crypt" (without quotes)
1. First, go to <a href="http://home.usay.jp/pc/etc/nds/" target="_blank">Yasu's page</a> and hit ctrl + f. search for "t_t" (without quotes).
2. Click on the latest date below (at time of writing, it is 2009/03/27). It will prompt to download.
<img src="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/241/30323260.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
(btw, the reason we do this, and not post a direct link is because supposedly the author/creator of ysmenu, yasu, does not want direct linking OR hosting of it. If he finds out, he will drop ysmenu all together and will not longer support/update it and I'm sure we don't want that)
3. Extract the contents of the download to the YSMenu folder.
4. If you don't have the dldi patching tool already, get it <a href="http://chishm.drunkencoders.com/DLDI/downloads/dlditool-win32-gui.zip" target="_blank">here.</a>
5. If you don't have the r4dldi file already, get it <a href="http://chishm.drunkencoders.com/DLDI/downloads/r4tf.dldi" target="_blank">here.</a>
6. Now, put both the dldi tool and the r4dldi file on the desktop.
<img src="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/986/48490233.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
7. Now open the dlditool file. For the dldi file, click the ... button and choose r4tf.dldi and for the binaries click the ... button and choose the YSMenu.nds file that's in the ysmenu folder. Now click Patch at the bottom left. It should say it was patched successfully.
<img src="http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3513/94849406.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
8. Now, download the latest DSTT kernal (currently it's 1.17a12) <a href="http://filetrip.net/f9076-DSTT-Unofficial-Firmware-%5BNo-Fake-Killer%5D-1-17a12.html" target="_blank">here.</a>
9. Extract the contents in the YSMenu folder. Your folder should now look like this:
<img src="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/5965/90430190.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
(Note: The YSMenu and YSMenu_eng text files contain a summary of ysmenu and its features, a basic install guide, and a changelog. You can delete these as they aren't necessary for YSMenu to work. I forgot to delete them myself.)
10. Now, what you want to do, is delete the file akextract.exe as we don't need it.
11. Open the english folder and take everything out of there, and put it in the YSMenu folder. Then delete the eng folder.
12. Now make a copy of r4tf.dldi that you have on your desktop and put it in the YSMenu folder. If you did everything correctly, it should come out like this:
<img src="http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/539/34833982.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Remember, you have one copy of r4tf.dldi in the folder above and one on your desktop!!
13. Download r4crypt <a href="http://chishm.drunkencoders.com/NDS_Projects/r4crypt.zip" target="_blank">here</a> and ONLY extract the r4crypt.exe file to the r4crypt folder we made earlier.
14. Open notepad and copy & paste this:
@echo off
cls
:menu
echo ---------------------
echo Action Menu
echo ---------------------
echo [1] Decrypt Firmware
echo [2] Encrypt Firmware
echo [3] Decrypt Cheats
echo [4] Encrypt Cheats
echo [5] Close
echo ---------------------
echo.
set INPUT=
Set /P INPUT= Action:
if "%input%" =="" goto menu
if "%input%" =="1" goto decryptf
if "%input%" =="2" goto encryptf
if "%input%" =="3" goto decryptc
if "%input%" =="4" goto encryptc
if "%input%" =="5" goto close
:decryptf
r4crypt.exe -d _DS_MENU.DAT OUTPUT.DAT
goto close
:encryptf
r4crypt.exe -e YSMenu.nds _DS_MENU.DAT
goto close
:decryptc
r4crypt.exe -d CHEAT.DAT USRCHEAT.DAT
goto close
:encryptc
r4crypt.exe -e USRCHEAT.DAT CHEAT.DAT
goto close
:close
cls
15. Click file -> save as. This will come up:
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4961/83899335.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Change the "save as type" option to "All files". Type in GUI.BAT and then save it in the r4crypt folder.
16. Now take YSMenu.nds file from the YSMenu folder and move (as in, don't leave a copy) it to the r4crypt folder.
17. Double-click gui.bat that's inside the r4crypt folder.
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/480/18139709.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Type 2 and press enter to encrypt firmware. This will output a file called _DS_MENU.DAT
17a. (ONLY FOR CLONES) After you have typed 2 and it has created the file _DS_MENU.DAT, reopen gui.bat, type 1 and press enter. This will output a file called OUTPUT.DAT. Delete _DS_MENU.DAT file and rename OUTPUT.DAT to _DS_MENU.DAT.
18. Now, go back to your ysmenu folder and double-click the ttextract.exe file.
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4075/66621285.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
(You'll get an error with the creation of r4dldi.dat. It will become a 0 byte file. This is because ttextract.exe does not recognize the unofficial dstt firmware. Replace r4dldi.dat with this one <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zm42j24fziu" target="_blank">here.</a>)
19. As you can see, four new files were created in your ysmenu folder. However, all we need is 2. Delete the ttdldi.dat file and the ttpatch.dat file. We do not need these. Also be sure to delete the ttextract.exe file afterwards.
20. After this, we go back to the r4crypt folder and move the _DS_MENU.DAT file to the ysmenu folder. Be sure to delete the ysmenu.nds file from the r4crypt folder. Your ysmenu folder should be looking like this:
<img src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4743/51904192.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
21. Take the r4crypt folder and keep it somewhere safe (in your documents folder or something) as you need it for the future to update ysmenu. Also, take the dldi tool and the r4dldi file and put them somewhere safe as well.
22. Now in your ysmenu folder, open the file ysmenu.ini. It should look like this:
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9053/19652820.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
The letters in the black circle is what we wanna change. Depending on your preference, you can leave it at JPN to have ysmenu in japanese, or change it to either ENG for english, FRA for french, ITA for italian, or SPA for spanish. Choose your option then click file -> save.
23. Go into the ttmenu folder that is in your ysmenu folder and delete the folder titled "skin". We do not need it nor can we use it.
24. Now, we are done with all the downloading and editing! You are ready for ysmenu! HOWEVER, be sure to backup your original firmware files that are on your sd card to your computer before hand. Backup all your games and everything else as well.
25. Now we format your sd card. Format your sd card by going to my computer and right-clicking your sd card. Click "Format...".
<img src="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/854/14904893.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
When you click it, this screen comes up:
<img src="http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9241/48212079.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Be sure to leave the quick format box unchecked. Click start and wait.
26. After you have formatted your sd card, it's time to get ysmenu onto your sd card. Copy EVERYTHING that is in your ysmenu folder and move it to the root of your sd card.
27. (OPTIONAL) If you want moonshell, simply copy the moonshl folder into your root of your sd card as well as the _DS_MSHL.NDS file. You can access moonshell on YSMenu if you select the .nds file called _DS_MSHL.NDS. It will load up normally.
28. (CLONES ONLY) The original R4 uses 2 folders and 2 files to run properly. The 2 folders are "moonshl" and "_system_". The two files are "_DS_MSHL.NDS" and "_DS_MENU.DAT". If your clone card requires any other file or folder to run, INCLUDE it in your root as it is needed for your clone to run. I personally own a r4 clone called R4-III and it came with a file called _R4_III.DAT and ysmenu would NOT run without it.
If you followed everything on this guide, you should be up and running with ysmenu on your r4! Be sure to move all your games & homebrew back onto your sd card.
If anything is out-of-date, misspelled, or if you see any general mistake, PLEASE do not hesitate to PM me about it and I'll fix it. Please notify me if the pics get taken down as well.
I hope you guys liked my guide, I actually put effort in it. I used the original guide as a template. If you think ysmenu looks ugly as fuck (and who doesn't think that?), check out my next guide.
<!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><u><b>GUIDE TO MAKING YOUR YSMENU GUI PRETTY</b></u><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Ok, so if you followed my guide and started using ysmenu, you realize that it's plain. No background. However, it's customizable.
<u>To get a background that you want:</u>
1. Go to <a href="http://ndsthemes.com/" target="_blank">http://ndsthemes.com/</a>
2. Go to the R4 section.
3. Download a theme you want
4. When the .rar file opens, these are the 2 pictures that you want:
<img src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/7173/12036959.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
You extract only these 2 (preferably to the desktop) and rename them to YSMenu1.bmp and YSMenu2.bmp (respectively).
5. Put them into your TTMenu folder. Check it out, you now have those backgrounds on your r4 using ysmenu!
I use these btw:
<img src="http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/1175/ysmenu1.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3470/ysmenu2.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Now, you might have your favorite background on your ysmenu now, but the problem is, some of the font is hard to read, isn't it? If it is:
<u>To change font coloring:</u>
1. Open your YSMenu.ini file
2. Scroll down a bit until you see this:
<img src="http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5880/39685535.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Let me explain what each one does.
Color Path: The color of the font used on top of the top screen to show your current directory.
Color File: The color of the font used on files (an .nds file, a .gba file, a .sav file, etc...)
Color Folder: The color of the font used on folders. You MOST LIKELY have a folder where you keep your ds games. This is what I mean.
Color Select: The color of the highlighter. The highlighter is what you use to navigate. When you press up or down on the dpad, it's what moves.
Color Seltext: The color of the font used on a file or folder that is currently highlighted.
File Info is what is on the touch screen when you navigate through your games.
Color Text: The color of the text inside the frame on the touch screen. The frame that displays the icon and the title of the game you currently have highlighted.
Draw Frame: True shows the frame while False removes it. I suggest True.
You are able to edit the string of numbers and letters after the = sign on every option.
Go to <a href="http://www.conradshome.com/html2bgr15/" target="_blank">this website</a> and look for the colors that you may want to use. The website also features a handy html color code converter.
3. After you have edited, click save on your ysmenu.ini file and load up your r4. Look at your changes.
It may take a while to get the color(s) you desire. I know, as it took a while for me.
If you plan on using the 2 background pics I use, use these colors along with it.
<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->[FILELIST]
; COLOR = BIT15 | BGR(5bit x3)
COLOR_PATH=0xA108
COLOR_FILE=0xA108
COLOR_FOLDER=0x94B4
COLOR_SELECT=0xFFF9
COLOR_SELTEXT=0xA108
[FILEINFO]
COLOR_TEXT=0xCC00
DRAW_FRAME=true<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->
Eventually you will get the colors you desire, so keep trying 'til you get that sexy look.
Now, you got the background and the perfect font colors to go with it, BUT what about your brightness? Don't you hate having to always tap the top-left corner of your touch screen to brighten your screens up a bit? Then...
<u>To change the default brightness on bootup:</u>
1. Open your ysmenu.ini file
2. Look at where it says BRIGHT=
<img src="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1533/85826119.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Now as you know, the ds lite has 4 different levels of brightness. <strike>By default it starts on the lowest setting. You can change this by editing the digit after the word BRIGHT=. The 4 levels are -1 through 3 with -1 being the lowest (default) and 3 being the highest. I set mine to 3 so that it always boots up with max brightness.</strike>
EDIT: I made a slight mistake here. User sethirion corrected me with this. -1 is the default value of the brightness of the ds itself while 0-3 is the level of brightness you want ysmenu to start out with. 0 being the lowest and 3 being the highest.
Now that you have brightness configured, you should be all set! UNLESS that is if you play gba games on your 3in1 with ysmenu. Don't you hate seeing that extra black space around your gba screen? What a waste of space! Someone should invent like a border or something to go around it and give it extra flair. Oh wait, here you go.
<img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9830/gbaframe.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Just save it in your TTMenu folder as gbaframe.bmp and the next time you boot up a gba game, that frame will be there in all its glory.
NOTE: If the frame DOESN'T show up, open it in mspaint and resave it as a .bmp 24bit and it will work.
Ok, this next one isn't really contributing to appearance, but it does fall in the category of customizing.
Do you like to cheat? If so, check this out. Ok, so what you want to do is go to <a href="http://cheats.gbatemp.net/" target="_blank">http://cheats.gbatemp.net/</a> and download the file called usrcheat.dat. What you do with that file is you place it in your TTMenu folder. Then, when you boot up your DS, press Y while hovering over a DS game. A cheat menu will come up! (provided their are cheats available for that game) Here you can press A to select which ones you want, or press A on them again to deselect them. Press Start when you are done to save the cheats or B to cancel and discard the changes. You can also uncheck the cheats box while highlighting a game to completely turn off cheats.
That's really all there is to it. If you want to learn how to uninstall and how to upgrade, see the guides for them in my next post.
<b>PLEASE keep in mind that if your flashcard is a clone, and it isn't based on the r4 firmware, this guide will NOT work. If your r4 clone's firmware is based on the dstt or acekard firmware, use their respective guides for installing ysmenu onto them.
</b>
List of r4 clones that ysmenu DOES NOT work on:
1. R4 Neo.
2. R4 SDHC.
3. R4i Pro Gold.
Advantages of using YSMenu over regular R4 firmware:
1. R4 firmware is VERY outdated. Only recently has some group started working on the r4 firmware, but it still pales in comparison to the ysmenu firmware.
2. Native support of the EZ 3in1 (all current models) so you don't need to use 3rd party loaders.
3. Ysmenu is actually updated every few weeks or so.
4. Can delete files, so no need to take your sd card out of your r4 and into your computer ONLY to delete something.
It also retains the nice R4 gui too, which is a plus, as well as the brightness switching (tap the top-left part of the screen). Only drawback is that soft reset does not currently work. You have to turn off your ds and back on to get to your menu.
<!--sizeo:3--><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><b>FAQ</b><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
I've made this section due to some common questions... This section will be ever growing.
Q. Games start loading but then the loading bar freezes. What's up?
A. It's a simple solution. Reformat you sd card with <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?download=4003" target="_blank">this tool.</a> Be sure to back everything up!
Q. Games take forever to load!
A. Yes, certain games take forever to load. You can fix this by downloading the latest infolib.dat file from <a href="http://sites.google.com/site/weeklyinfolib/" target="_blank">here</a>. Be sure to show denieru7 some love!
Q. Where can I get the latest cheats?
A. At <a href="http://cheats.gbatemp.net/" target="_blank">http://cheats.gbatemp.net/</a> and make sure you download the appropriate file for your flashcard. If it is the original r4, choose cheat.dat. If it is a r4 clone, choose usrcheat.dat. (I explain cheats thoroughly at the end of my second guide)
Q. Can I play Mario & Luigi: Bower's Inside Story, Pokemon Heart Gold & Soul Silver, and other problematic games?
A. Yes, with the newest update to the dstt kernal, you can. You shouldn't have problems with any nds game at the moment. (original r4 only)
UPDATE: Now clones can play M&L:BIS as well! <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?s=&showtopic=164359&view=findpost&p=2297922" target="_blank">Thanks to bluelaserman, that is!</a> Only downside is that you must run ysmenu as a secondary firmware/.nds file as opposed to replacing the firmware altogether. Still, this is for people who want to play this game.
Q. The backgrounds for YSMenu aren't working!
A. Open them up in paint and save them as a 24-bit bitmap (.bmp) file and it should work.
Q. What if all else fails?
A. Honestly, get an <a href="http://www.kickgaming.com/acekard-ak2i-p-374.html" target="_blank">Acekard.</a> Big bang for your buck or euro or whatever.
If there are other things you think I should put here, let me know by PM.
<!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><u><b>GUIDE TO INSTALLING YSMENU ON THE R4 + CLONES</b></u><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
0. First of all, make 2 folders on your desktop. Name one "YSMenu" and the other "r4crypt" (without quotes)
1. First, go to <a href="http://home.usay.jp/pc/etc/nds/" target="_blank">Yasu's page</a> and hit ctrl + f. search for "t_t" (without quotes).
2. Click on the latest date below (at time of writing, it is 2009/03/27). It will prompt to download.
<img src="http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/241/30323260.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
(btw, the reason we do this, and not post a direct link is because supposedly the author/creator of ysmenu, yasu, does not want direct linking OR hosting of it. If he finds out, he will drop ysmenu all together and will not longer support/update it and I'm sure we don't want that)
3. Extract the contents of the download to the YSMenu folder.
4. If you don't have the dldi patching tool already, get it <a href="http://chishm.drunkencoders.com/DLDI/downloads/dlditool-win32-gui.zip" target="_blank">here.</a>
5. If you don't have the r4dldi file already, get it <a href="http://chishm.drunkencoders.com/DLDI/downloads/r4tf.dldi" target="_blank">here.</a>
6. Now, put both the dldi tool and the r4dldi file on the desktop.
<img src="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/986/48490233.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
7. Now open the dlditool file. For the dldi file, click the ... button and choose r4tf.dldi and for the binaries click the ... button and choose the YSMenu.nds file that's in the ysmenu folder. Now click Patch at the bottom left. It should say it was patched successfully.
<img src="http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3513/94849406.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
8. Now, download the latest DSTT kernal (currently it's 1.17a12) <a href="http://filetrip.net/f9076-DSTT-Unofficial-Firmware-%5BNo-Fake-Killer%5D-1-17a12.html" target="_blank">here.</a>
9. Extract the contents in the YSMenu folder. Your folder should now look like this:
<img src="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/5965/90430190.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
(Note: The YSMenu and YSMenu_eng text files contain a summary of ysmenu and its features, a basic install guide, and a changelog. You can delete these as they aren't necessary for YSMenu to work. I forgot to delete them myself.)
10. Now, what you want to do, is delete the file akextract.exe as we don't need it.
11. Open the english folder and take everything out of there, and put it in the YSMenu folder. Then delete the eng folder.
12. Now make a copy of r4tf.dldi that you have on your desktop and put it in the YSMenu folder. If you did everything correctly, it should come out like this:
<img src="http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/539/34833982.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Remember, you have one copy of r4tf.dldi in the folder above and one on your desktop!!
13. Download r4crypt <a href="http://chishm.drunkencoders.com/NDS_Projects/r4crypt.zip" target="_blank">here</a> and ONLY extract the r4crypt.exe file to the r4crypt folder we made earlier.
14. Open notepad and copy & paste this:
@echo off
cls
:menu
echo ---------------------
echo Action Menu
echo ---------------------
echo [1] Decrypt Firmware
echo [2] Encrypt Firmware
echo [3] Decrypt Cheats
echo [4] Encrypt Cheats
echo [5] Close
echo ---------------------
echo.
set INPUT=
Set /P INPUT= Action:
if "%input%" =="" goto menu
if "%input%" =="1" goto decryptf
if "%input%" =="2" goto encryptf
if "%input%" =="3" goto decryptc
if "%input%" =="4" goto encryptc
if "%input%" =="5" goto close
:decryptf
r4crypt.exe -d _DS_MENU.DAT OUTPUT.DAT
goto close
:encryptf
r4crypt.exe -e YSMenu.nds _DS_MENU.DAT
goto close
:decryptc
r4crypt.exe -d CHEAT.DAT USRCHEAT.DAT
goto close
:encryptc
r4crypt.exe -e USRCHEAT.DAT CHEAT.DAT
goto close
:close
cls
15. Click file -> save as. This will come up:
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4961/83899335.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Change the "save as type" option to "All files". Type in GUI.BAT and then save it in the r4crypt folder.
16. Now take YSMenu.nds file from the YSMenu folder and move (as in, don't leave a copy) it to the r4crypt folder.
17. Double-click gui.bat that's inside the r4crypt folder.
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/480/18139709.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Type 2 and press enter to encrypt firmware. This will output a file called _DS_MENU.DAT
17a. (ONLY FOR CLONES) After you have typed 2 and it has created the file _DS_MENU.DAT, reopen gui.bat, type 1 and press enter. This will output a file called OUTPUT.DAT. Delete _DS_MENU.DAT file and rename OUTPUT.DAT to _DS_MENU.DAT.
18. Now, go back to your ysmenu folder and double-click the ttextract.exe file.
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4075/66621285.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
(You'll get an error with the creation of r4dldi.dat. It will become a 0 byte file. This is because ttextract.exe does not recognize the unofficial dstt firmware. Replace r4dldi.dat with this one <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?zm42j24fziu" target="_blank">here.</a>)
19. As you can see, four new files were created in your ysmenu folder. However, all we need is 2. Delete the ttdldi.dat file and the ttpatch.dat file. We do not need these. Also be sure to delete the ttextract.exe file afterwards.
20. After this, we go back to the r4crypt folder and move the _DS_MENU.DAT file to the ysmenu folder. Be sure to delete the ysmenu.nds file from the r4crypt folder. Your ysmenu folder should be looking like this:
<img src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/4743/51904192.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
21. Take the r4crypt folder and keep it somewhere safe (in your documents folder or something) as you need it for the future to update ysmenu. Also, take the dldi tool and the r4dldi file and put them somewhere safe as well.
22. Now in your ysmenu folder, open the file ysmenu.ini. It should look like this:
<img src="http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/9053/19652820.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
The letters in the black circle is what we wanna change. Depending on your preference, you can leave it at JPN to have ysmenu in japanese, or change it to either ENG for english, FRA for french, ITA for italian, or SPA for spanish. Choose your option then click file -> save.
23. Go into the ttmenu folder that is in your ysmenu folder and delete the folder titled "skin". We do not need it nor can we use it.
24. Now, we are done with all the downloading and editing! You are ready for ysmenu! HOWEVER, be sure to backup your original firmware files that are on your sd card to your computer before hand. Backup all your games and everything else as well.
25. Now we format your sd card. Format your sd card by going to my computer and right-clicking your sd card. Click "Format...".
<img src="http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/854/14904893.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
When you click it, this screen comes up:
<img src="http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9241/48212079.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Be sure to leave the quick format box unchecked. Click start and wait.
26. After you have formatted your sd card, it's time to get ysmenu onto your sd card. Copy EVERYTHING that is in your ysmenu folder and move it to the root of your sd card.
27. (OPTIONAL) If you want moonshell, simply copy the moonshl folder into your root of your sd card as well as the _DS_MSHL.NDS file. You can access moonshell on YSMenu if you select the .nds file called _DS_MSHL.NDS. It will load up normally.
28. (CLONES ONLY) The original R4 uses 2 folders and 2 files to run properly. The 2 folders are "moonshl" and "_system_". The two files are "_DS_MSHL.NDS" and "_DS_MENU.DAT". If your clone card requires any other file or folder to run, INCLUDE it in your root as it is needed for your clone to run. I personally own a r4 clone called R4-III and it came with a file called _R4_III.DAT and ysmenu would NOT run without it.
If you followed everything on this guide, you should be up and running with ysmenu on your r4! Be sure to move all your games & homebrew back onto your sd card.
If anything is out-of-date, misspelled, or if you see any general mistake, PLEASE do not hesitate to PM me about it and I'll fix it. Please notify me if the pics get taken down as well.
I hope you guys liked my guide, I actually put effort in it. I used the original guide as a template. If you think ysmenu looks ugly as fuck (and who doesn't think that?), check out my next guide.
<!--sizeo:4--><span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%"><!--/sizeo--><u><b>GUIDE TO MAKING YOUR YSMENU GUI PRETTY</b></u><!--sizec--></span><!--/sizec-->
Ok, so if you followed my guide and started using ysmenu, you realize that it's plain. No background. However, it's customizable.
<u>To get a background that you want:</u>
1. Go to <a href="http://ndsthemes.com/" target="_blank">http://ndsthemes.com/</a>
2. Go to the R4 section.
3. Download a theme you want
4. When the .rar file opens, these are the 2 pictures that you want:
<img src="http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/7173/12036959.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
You extract only these 2 (preferably to the desktop) and rename them to YSMenu1.bmp and YSMenu2.bmp (respectively).
5. Put them into your TTMenu folder. Check it out, you now have those backgrounds on your r4 using ysmenu!
I use these btw:
<img src="http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/1175/ysmenu1.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
<img src="http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3470/ysmenu2.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Now, you might have your favorite background on your ysmenu now, but the problem is, some of the font is hard to read, isn't it? If it is:
<u>To change font coloring:</u>
1. Open your YSMenu.ini file
2. Scroll down a bit until you see this:
<img src="http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/5880/39685535.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Let me explain what each one does.
Color Path: The color of the font used on top of the top screen to show your current directory.
Color File: The color of the font used on files (an .nds file, a .gba file, a .sav file, etc...)
Color Folder: The color of the font used on folders. You MOST LIKELY have a folder where you keep your ds games. This is what I mean.
Color Select: The color of the highlighter. The highlighter is what you use to navigate. When you press up or down on the dpad, it's what moves.
Color Seltext: The color of the font used on a file or folder that is currently highlighted.
File Info is what is on the touch screen when you navigate through your games.
Color Text: The color of the text inside the frame on the touch screen. The frame that displays the icon and the title of the game you currently have highlighted.
Draw Frame: True shows the frame while False removes it. I suggest True.
You are able to edit the string of numbers and letters after the = sign on every option.
Go to <a href="http://www.conradshome.com/html2bgr15/" target="_blank">this website</a> and look for the colors that you may want to use. The website also features a handy html color code converter.
3. After you have edited, click save on your ysmenu.ini file and load up your r4. Look at your changes.
It may take a while to get the color(s) you desire. I know, as it took a while for me.
If you plan on using the 2 background pics I use, use these colors along with it.
<!--c1--><div class='codetop'>CODE</div><div class='codemain'><!--ec1-->[FILELIST]
; COLOR = BIT15 | BGR(5bit x3)
COLOR_PATH=0xA108
COLOR_FILE=0xA108
COLOR_FOLDER=0x94B4
COLOR_SELECT=0xFFF9
COLOR_SELTEXT=0xA108
[FILEINFO]
COLOR_TEXT=0xCC00
DRAW_FRAME=true<!--c2--></div><!--ec2-->
Eventually you will get the colors you desire, so keep trying 'til you get that sexy look.
Now, you got the background and the perfect font colors to go with it, BUT what about your brightness? Don't you hate having to always tap the top-left corner of your touch screen to brighten your screens up a bit? Then...
<u>To change the default brightness on bootup:</u>
1. Open your ysmenu.ini file
2. Look at where it says BRIGHT=
<img src="http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1533/85826119.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Now as you know, the ds lite has 4 different levels of brightness. <strike>By default it starts on the lowest setting. You can change this by editing the digit after the word BRIGHT=. The 4 levels are -1 through 3 with -1 being the lowest (default) and 3 being the highest. I set mine to 3 so that it always boots up with max brightness.</strike>
EDIT: I made a slight mistake here. User sethirion corrected me with this. -1 is the default value of the brightness of the ds itself while 0-3 is the level of brightness you want ysmenu to start out with. 0 being the lowest and 3 being the highest.
Now that you have brightness configured, you should be all set! UNLESS that is if you play gba games on your 3in1 with ysmenu. Don't you hate seeing that extra black space around your gba screen? What a waste of space! Someone should invent like a border or something to go around it and give it extra flair. Oh wait, here you go.
<img src="http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/9830/gbaframe.png" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Just save it in your TTMenu folder as gbaframe.bmp and the next time you boot up a gba game, that frame will be there in all its glory.
NOTE: If the frame DOESN'T show up, open it in mspaint and resave it as a .bmp 24bit and it will work.
Ok, this next one isn't really contributing to appearance, but it does fall in the category of customizing.
Do you like to cheat? If so, check this out. Ok, so what you want to do is go to <a href="http://cheats.gbatemp.net/" target="_blank">http://cheats.gbatemp.net/</a> and download the file called usrcheat.dat. What you do with that file is you place it in your TTMenu folder. Then, when you boot up your DS, press Y while hovering over a DS game. A cheat menu will come up! (provided their are cheats available for that game) Here you can press A to select which ones you want, or press A on them again to deselect them. Press Start when you are done to save the cheats or B to cancel and discard the changes. You can also uncheck the cheats box while highlighting a game to completely turn off cheats.
That's really all there is to it. If you want to learn how to uninstall and how to upgrade, see the guides for them in my next post.
