Super Mario Advance 4 Cart problems!

[flojocabron]

DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT

I just got this game and it doesnt work!

It brings up a screen after loading GAMEBOY PLAYER

and it Says: YOUR SAVED DATA IS CORRUPTED.

dammit.

My cart looks legit! I dont think I got a pirate copy. It has the nintendo logo on the inside of the rom above the contacts. It even has the number stamped on the label.

I guess this happens when you emulate it, but its happening with a physical cart

It looks just like this one:

Was I duped?

Damn, at least it was a fiver

[Ziggy]

Well if it uses a battery, try disconnecting the battery long enough for the SRAM to lose its data. You just have to lift the positive battery connection, not both. A few minutes should be long enough, but I would leave it disconnected as long as possible just to be sure. If corrupt save data is preventing the game from running, then erasing the SRAM should fix that problem.

Unless it's doing it because the battery is dead, then you would have to replace it. If you have a volt meter, you can check the battery easily. I'm sure it's a 3v battery, so make sure it reads around 3v. If you don't have a volt meter and wanna problem solve with what you've got on hand, you could swap the battery for one from another cart with a known good battery. You'll lose the save data on that cart, so yeah, don't pick a cart with save data you care about.

Also, clean the cart contacts really really well. Dirty contacts can cause save problems. Even if they look clean, clean them anyway.

[flojocabron]

ok. thanks.

But I dont have a tri wing screwdriver.

I dry cleaned it with just a q-tip, had very little dirt.

I'l have to go the alcohol route.

[Ziggy]

Oh, I thought you had a triwing. I read your post real fast and saw you said it had Nintendo printed on the PCB, but I forgot you can see that without opening the cart.

Well, get a triwing screwdriver! They're really cheap and you'll be able to open all your stuff that uses them. You'll be able to clean ALL your GBA carts much easier and much better. Also, did I mention they're really cheap?

Assuming you also don't own a volt meter, you can pick them up cheap at any hardware store. Actually, you'll be getting a "multi meter" that can read voltage. Being able to read the voltage of the batteries in your carts takes the guess work out of it. And I like being able to read "new" batteries that I buy to see if they're NOS and actually dead or close to it. You can use a multi meter for many quick and easy fixes, every retro gamer should own one IMO. Just don't get an analog meter. Get a digital one that can do at least volts and ohms. Here's my favorite budget meter.