Daily Archives: September 23, 2012

Save yourself from heartache and pain by backing up your 3DS, XL, DSi SD Card data NOW! RIGHT NOW!

How to BackUp 3DS SD Card Data To Computer (3DS XL, DSi, DSi XL)

It is very easy to backup your SD Card Data, simply shut down your Nintendo handheld system (make sure it isn’t in Sleep Mode, but completely powered off). Take out the SD Card, and insert the SD Card into the Card Reader slot on your desktop PC or laptop computer.

If you don’t have a Card Reader slot, you can buy a Card Reader device that plugs into your computer at Walmart or anywhere else for very cheap. If the card is too small to fit, you’ll need an “Adapter” that the card slides into, that allows it to then slide into your PC.

Backup SD Card Data by simply going to My Computer>Double-Clicking your SD Card. Then highlight all the folders and click “Copy”. Now find a place on your computer that you want to store the files (such as “Downloads” or “Documents”) and create a dedicated folder for these files so that you always know where to find them.

Click “Organize”>”New Folder” (or right-click empty space and select “New Folder”) and name the folder “SD Card Backup” or something similar, with the name of your system, the date, and the size of the SD Card in the folder name. Now simply double click the new folder for your SD Card Data and select “Paste”. This will transfer all of your SD Card Data for your Nintendo system from the SD Card in your computer to the PC itself. It may take a while to copy.

Be sure you don’t take the SD Card out until the files have finished copying. Once it’s done, don’t just take the SD Card out, but select the small arrow at the bottom of your screen near the clock and click on the little plug icon with the green circle (It should say “Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media”), click it and then select “Eject Mass Storage Device” or something similar, which should be your SD Card. Take note if you have another hard drive, cellphone, etc. plugged into your computer at the same time as you are doing this, as the Safely Remove Hardware will detect them as well.

Once you’ve Safely Removed the SD Card, you can take it out of your computer and pop it back into your Nintendo system. All will be well and you will have saved yourself from huge heartache if anything ever happens to your SD Card Data.

Remember where you put the Backup folder on your PC and keep it there for safekeeping. You may even want to upload it to Dropbox, Google Drive (Google’s online hard drive service), SkyDrive (Microsoft’s MSN online harddrive service) or another online hard drive service that allows you to freely upload data to their servers, just in case something ever happens to your PC with your SD Card Data on it.

Remember, SD Cards can easily be lost, stolen, corrupted, broken, or data can be lost when you try to transfer your saved data, game files, eShop downloads/DSiWare/Virtual Console games, apps, etc. from one Nintendo handheld to another.

If this happens, you are S.C.R.E.W.E.D.

Just like if you don’t backup your computer files online and something happens to your computer or harddrive.

Word to the wise, ALWAYS backup your digital files. Digital means it isn’t hardcopy, and means that if it isn’t saved in another location, it can be easily lost and you may never get it back. BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP!

Astro has spoken. :)

Here are some helpful tutorial videos on Backing Up SD Card Data.

Here’s a few links you should read:

* GoNintendo Backup SD Card
* 3DS XL SD Card Data Transfering