System transfer help?

[Lyla]

I asked this awhile back but didn't get any real answer.

I have the acnl 3ds xl which has animal crossing pre installed. Am I able to do I system transfer to a new 3ds (I'm getting the Happy Home Designer ds tomorrow) and keep my save data for animal crossing.

I've heard people say that it can't be done as its pre installed and that I'll lose my data.

I really wanted to be able to play on my town on the new 3ds

 

[Mandymom]

Data transfer...there's something in the e-shop for that. Is it a digital copy?

 

[JCnator]

Contrary to what some people might say, any pre-installed software does get carried to the target system when you perform a System Transfer. Rest assured your game and progress won't be lost, assuming your Internet connection is stable enough at the time of the process.

 

[Lyla]

Contrary to what some people might say, any pre-installed software does get carried to the target system when you perform a System Transfer. Rest assured your game and progress won't be lost, assuming your Internet connection is stable enough at the time of the process.

But games like Animal crossing and Pokemon x/y don't have save data back up and my friend did a system transfer from the pokemon x 3ds which had the game pre installed and her save data was gone completely after the transfer.

 

[JCnator]

But games like Animal crossing and Pokemon x/y don't have save data back up and my friend did a system transfer from the pokemon x 3ds which had the game pre installed and her save data was gone completely after the transfer.

How did that loss of data exactly happened? Did they left the source SD Card still in even after the System Transfer finished and reaches the HOME Menu? If that was the case, then they could've pulled the source SD Card out as soon as the source system says the transfer is complete and put it on the target 3DS system.

The games that normally won't let you backup your save data actually allows you to do so if you choose to delete the software and preserve the save data. Very few games actually won't let you do backup whatsoever, but so far the only ones that falls under that category are the GBA VC games exclusive to 3DS Ambassadors.

Even if you didn't manage to backup those datas, the System Transfer should carry everything over just fine.


Since you're transferring to a New 3DS model rather than either 2DS, 3DS or 3DS XL, it's not a bad idea to choose the "Wireless Transfer" method, but it can get pretty long. This is the simplest out of the three methods. How long does it takes depend on how many GBs of data you have on the source SD Card, but it does take at least 4 hours to complete the transfer. Be sure your Internet connection is consistent enough, or you might lose your data if the Internet disconnects.

A faster alternative to the previous method is to pick "Low-capacity Transfer". It'll transfer the same exact content. While the downloaded games will be gone, the saved datas will be preserved. All you need to do is to redownload them and you should be fine. I highly recommend this method if you don't have an appropriate screwdriver to get the New 3DS's back plate out. Takes overall 30 to 45 minutes to complete that system transfer, and longer depending on how many games you have to redownload afterwards.

The best method of transferring is to copy everything from your old 3DS's SD Card to your computer, and then copy all of these datas to your New 3DS's microSD card. You'll need a #00 Phillips-head screwdriver to be able to remove the screws holding the back plate in place. The entire transfer process lasts no longer than anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes.


Still want more information about System Transfer? Read here.

 

[Midoriya]

But games like Animal crossing and Pokemon x/y don't have save data back up and my friend did a system transfer from the pokemon x 3ds which had the game pre installed and her save data was gone completely after the transfer.

I've actually noticed another example of this as well.... Years ago I had the Fire Emblem Awakening edition 3DS, and I system transferred to a New 3DS XL..... well, everything WAS fine and I still had all three files of my FE:A data filled out on the new system, until I accidentally dropped my phone on it and broke the screen months ago. I then system transferred again and found out NONE of the FE:A data transferred at all, while everything else did because it was backed up.... I'm perplexed because usually system transfers are supposed to work, but it didn't for everything in that case.

 

[Burumun]

But games like Animal crossing and Pokemon x/y don't have save data back up and my friend did a system transfer from the pokemon x 3ds which had the game pre installed and her save data was gone completely after the transfer.

Did she only transfer basic data? Because I believe there's multiple options, and you can choose between transferring everything or only transferring necessary data.

I still had all of my save data after doing a system transfer, but I did the full transfer. It'll take a bit longer, but if you have games where you can't back up the save data, it might be better.

 

[Lyla]

UPDATE:

I did it!

I deleted acnl before the transfer and it gave me the option to save a back up. Re-downloaded it after the transfer and my save data is still intact. Thanks for your help guys.

 

[Midoriya]

UPDATE:

I did it!

I deleted acnl before the transfer and it gave me the option to save a back up. Re-downloaded it after the transfer and my save data is still intact. Thanks for your help guys.

Congrats! Glad everything went smoothly