So you’re upgrading from an older 3DS to a new Nintendo 3DS XL.
If you happen to have a ton of games and data that you want transferred from your old 3DS, chances are you’ve opted to do a system transfer which uses your computer as an intermediary to move the files from your old 3DS’s SD card. system to the microSD card of your new 3DS.
However, after going through the system transfer process and inserting the microSD card into the new 3DS XL, you will get a dreaded error message:
“No software data accessible.”
Wait to? Where are my games? noooo!!!!
In reality, they are most likely still on the card. You will know that the transfer process is half successful if you receive all your messages, for example, an inspection of your card through the configuration menu shows that it does not have all the free space that a supposedly empty card should have. If that’s the case, it probably means that your card got a bit corrupted during the transfer process and simply needs to be reformed. Here are six easy steps to recover all your games and data after getting the “software data not accessible” error.
Format memory card
Just as you need thoughts about puppies to reformat your brain, you’ll also need to reformat your 3DS memory card to fix this particular error. The key is to make sure that you did not delete the 3DS source file that you initially copied to your PC at the end of the 3DS system transfer process, as you will need to transfer it back to the new system’s memory card after reformatting. To format the memory card, connect it to the PC again. Next, open Control Panel , click System and Security and go to Administrative Tools . From there, click on the Create and format hard drive partitions option . This will open the Disk Management window, displaying your various connected drives and memory devices. Right click on the box that shows the name of your memory card . Make sure it’s the correct card so you don’t end up totally erasing the contents of the wrong drive. Once you right-click, you will see an option that says Format… Make sure File System says “FAT32” and the box for Perform a quick format is NOT checked (i.e. it has to be on). blank because you want to do a full format).
Once everything is kosher, go ahead and hit OK . Reforming can take a bit of time, so be patient and wait.
Copy your data again
After the renovation is complete, copy the “Nintendo 3DS” folder from your PC back to the memory card.
Disconnect your card
Properly disconnect your memory card from PC. The best way to do this is by using the “Safely remove hardware and eject media” option. On a Windows 7 computer, for example, you can access this option by clicking the small triangle at the bottom right of the bottom toolbar to show hidden icons. The icon you want to click is the one that shows a USB plug with a check mark .
Put your card in the new 3DS
Reinsert your memory card into your new 3DS. Turn it on and your games will come back. If it doesn’t work for some reason, well, it might be time to submit a support ticket to Nintendo.
