Game Boy Advance Dumping Guide

New page: https://dumping.guide/carts/nintendo/gba

(Note to editors: do not delete this page, keep it for the edit history and for any details that are not yet transferred to the new page)

To-do:
{{{1}}}

Dumping Methods

DS + DS Slot-1 Flashcart (Normal Carts)

Tools

• A Nintendo DS or Nintendo DS Lite with a flashcart
• GBA Backup Tool

Dumping

• Run the .nds for GBA Backup Tool
• Ensure that your GBA cart is inserted, then press A on the pop-up.
• By default, GBA Backup Tool is in Save Backup mode. Press R twice to go to rom backup mode.
• Press B to make a new backup, then hit A to confirm. Your rom will be dumped to your SD card.

DS + DS Slot-1 Flashcart (GBA Video Movie Carts)

use duplo (https://github.com/endrift/duplo)
here is a build from Whovian: https://archive.org/download/duplo
not needed (and won't work for) for TV series carts (which don't use the Matrix memory chips)

GBA + GCN-GBA Link Cable + Homebrew-enabled GCN/Wii

Tools

• A Game Boy Advance or Game Boy Advance SP
• A GameCube GBA Link Cable
• A Wii or a GameCube with some way to load .dol files (e.g. the Homebrew Channel for the Wii).
• The GBA Link Cable Dumper

Dumping

• Load the .dol with Homebrew Launcher or via Swiss on GameCube.
• Attach your GBA to the system in port 2 without a game in, leaving your gamecube controller attached to port 1.
• Turn on your GBA and wait for the dumper to be sent. After a moment, you should see the screen on your GBA change.
• Insert a cartridge into your GBA. Press A on the gamecube controller to continue in the menu, then press A again to dump.
• Remove the SD card and insert into your PC. the gba file will be placed in the dumps folder.

Homebrew-enabled GCN + Game Boy Player + SD-GCN Memory Card Adapter

Tools

• A GameCube with some way to load .dol files
• A GameCube Memory Card to SD Adapter.
• A Game Boy Player.
• The Latest GBI - You only need GBI.DOL, none of the others.

Dumping

• Load GBI.DOL with no cartridge in your game boy player. A menu should appear on screen, and some screen options will appear.
• Press B to hide the screen options, then insert your cartridge. Navigate to "Dump ROM" and hit A.
• Text showing progress will appear. Once done, hold reset, eject your cartridge and release. Upon the restart, you can power off.
• Remove your SD Card. the .GBA file will be on the root of your SD, named by serial which you can find on the bottom right of your cartridge's label.

BennVenn Joey Joebags

[todo]

BennVenn Joey Jr.

[todo]

GBxCart RW

[todo]

Gathering Dump Info

• CRC32: Generated from the ROM file using HxD or OpenHashTab on windows, or by using crc32 in a terminal emulator for linux/mac.
• MD5: As above, or by using md5 in a terminal emulator for linux/mac.
• SHA-1: As above, or by using shasum -a 1 in a terminal emulator for linux/mac.
• SHA-256: As above, or by using shasum -a 256 in a terminal emulator for linux/mac.
• Game title: If it differs between different places (e.g. title screen, console menu banner, box, cart) then go with the one on the front of the box.
• Region: The region the disc originated from like USA, Japan or Europe
• ROM Revision: The revision found in the ROM data.
• ROM Serial: The four-character serial found in the ROM data.
• Languages/Language Select: Some games either show a language selection screen at startup or in the game options. Note that it is possible to submit a game without checking the languages, but this then needs to be stated in your submission.
  • Tip: Using an emulator like mGBA can speed up the language checking dramatically.
• Cart Serial: It is located on the label on the front of the cart the form of "AGB-XXXX-XXX" (where X is a letter or number), also it may have a number (Like -1 or -2) appended. For additional information on cartridge serials, see Understanding Serials.
• Cart Stamp - imprinted letter (or number?) on the label (?) [get details]
• Box Barcode: The number on the case displayed beneath the vertical lines, see Barcode.
• Box Serial: The serial on the case. Example: AGB P AMAE USA.
• Size: The size of the ROM in bytes.
• PCB serial(s): The string of characters displayed on the front of the board inside the cart. You may need a tri-wing screwdriver to get inside the cart without damaging the screw.
• Chip(s) serial(s): The codes on the ROM chip inside the cart.
• Scans: The following scans (or photos): Front and back of the following items - box, cart and PCB.