Error has occurred message will not go away

I have a 3DSXL that gives the "An error has occurred" hold down power button..." on the lower screen. I receive it every time I open anything except a downloaded game as long as the wifi is turned on.

According to the interwebs, this is a common issue if your 3DS is dropped or bumped. I would like to transfer my data, but without the ability to use wifi I am unable to do so (man I miss old school cables). Nintendo won't touch my 3DS so that option is unavailable. All my original research pointed to the wifi card being at issue. Everything from "wiggle the connecting cable" to "replace the wifi card". Well I've done both. The error still pops up at inconsistent times. I can open software and it will instantly give the message, restart, open the same software and go farther into into it and then revive the error. Could it be something besides the wifi? Any thoughts on how to resolve this issue? Trinity. help.