tl;dr: There is a dangerous syswipe script that comes with HATS pack, so it may be on your system already and appear after updates. Check and see if you have TegraExplorer version 4.2.1. If you do, it's highly recommended that you remove the payload (sdmc:/payloads/TegraExplorer) along with the sdmc:/scripts folder, and replace it with the official release. Known issues with this modified syswipe include unsafe battery calibration values (overcharging the battery) on Switch Lite consoles, and stock/OFW failing to boot afterwards on all models.
Hey all! Recently, I've seen more and more cases of people using a modified version of TegraExplorer’s syswipe script. With some investigation, this script originates from this fork of TegraExplorer by sthetix, and it is in his pack without most users' or helpers' knowledge. Below are the major issues with this version:
When attempting to reset the console, there are some system saves that cannot be removed, or else the console won't boot for a variety of reasons. The original script preserves some saves. This fork does not preserve one of the most important saves: the DeviceSettings save (8000000000000053)1. This save includes battery calibration data. When it is removed, the system initializes it to values that are unsafe for Switch Lites, as it causes it to overcharge. At best, this will significantly decrease the lifespan of any battery put in the console. At worst, this is a fire hazard.
This fork also adds 80000000000000d1 (erpt)1 and 8000000000000047 (exFAT)1 to the list of preserved saves. The original syswipe script also used to preserve these as well, but this was intentionally changed in the same commit that added indexer save reconstruction. When asked why, the author stated:
"I’ve seen many times [SciresM] say that it was not the best idea to keep the erpt save…About the exfat, no real reason besides the fact that you don’t need to keep it". - JeffVi
In the the commit message that changed the syswipe, it's mentioned that it "Removed dangerous manual indexer rebuild logic that caused save corruption", but the developer and maintainer of TegraExplorer notes that it’s "not dangerous, just inaccurate". (For more information on this indexer save and why it needs to be reconstructed, read this writeup from the developer of Atmosphère, SciresM)
Due to the removal of the reconstruction, attempting to boot stock/OFW after performing the syswipe (like many guides instruct) will result in a black screen. This behavior has caused, and will continue to cause people to search for drastic recovery methods, many of which can be actively harmful and irrecoverable. Stock/OFW will boot normally after booting sysCFW, but this adds Atmosphère as an undocumented hard dependency on doing a syswipe.
As a more minor point, this fork removes the check to see if it has actually removed the data in the user partition. If this fails with the original script, it will tell you "Dir deletion failed". This fork does not.
This can happen with resized user partitions and in a couple other cases and can be very relevant to recovering or resetting the console. Failing to properly remove the user directories can also be a sign that deeper recovery steps are needed.
The original syswipe script does not have these issues. The changes introduced provide no documented benefit while introducing documented risk. Whether you are a helper, or a user, it is strongly advised to verify that the original TegraExplorer is being used. If the version is reported as 4.2.1, it is likely this fork, and should be removed, along with the scripts it uniquely stores in the sdmc:/scripts directory, and replaced with the official release. If you instruct someone to perform a syswipe, or perform one yourself, please make sure that the official one is used and not this fork.
Footnotes
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All save IDs ownership and purpose were determined from this switchbrew page ↩ ↩2 ↩3