As far as I know, as long as the Wii is from before 2009 it is possible. Wiis made during/after 2009 can't, even during the homebrew-process it will tell you that stuff like DVD-X can't be installed because of that.
GAF Wii Homebrew thread: Homebrew, emulators, USB disc installs! Easy tutorial!
- Thread starter radioheadrule83
- Start date
ClovingWestbrook
Banned
Two Questions:
Haven't updated my Wii or anything homebrew related in at least a year and my friend is letting me borrow Skyward Sword. What do I need to do to get it working?
My wife rented Black Eyed Peas dance game and when she put it in the disc drive and tries to start it from the main menu the screen just goes black. No errors, nothing. Any idea?
Haven't updated my Wii or anything homebrew related in at least a year and my friend is letting me borrow Skyward Sword. What do I need to do to get it working?
My wife rented Black Eyed Peas dance game and when she put it in the disc drive and tries to start it from the main menu the screen just goes black. No errors, nothing. Any idea?
Even if it's possible you'll prefer loading backups from a USB HDD instead as using burned discs is accelerating wearing off the drive's laser.
If you followed (only) the GWHB tutorial and are on firmware version 4.3 there should be nothing to worry about.
The tutorial doesn't install an IOS246, so I don't know what's happening. Changing the IOS is not going to change the interface either, so I don't know what's up with that. Perhaps try loading Cfg off the hard drive instead of the SD or vice versa.
For both questions, update your homebrew setup, then upgrade the Wii online or from Skyward Sword.
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
So, today I HBCed a 4.3E Wii of a friend of mine. Followed the Wiki as always, done dx2 iOS236 to get 247/248, ios58 to use the forwarders and also hermes (even if it's optional), everything up to date. Everything in the HBC (emus/apps/emus channels...) works fine but we have a big problem with CFG LOADER 70.
We did the .xml steps too btw.
HD drive (on the list of compatibles one) with two partitions, one NTFS and one FAT32, using the latter for CFG.
Although CFG 70 then formatted the partition again in wfbs, so maybe I did something wrong there since it seems I should've been still with FAT32 in the end.
Anyway, we installed Wii Play and did some tests.
With 248 as default it always says IOS reload blocked and it fails, sometimes freezing the Wii.
With 247 it says the same and fails to load.
Only with 224 WITHOUT the block IOS option checked the game loads.
Then we tried Zelda SS: same deal. Only this time with 224 no IOS block it seems to load but then boots to the Home Menu.
I don't know what to do :/
We did the .xml steps too btw.
HD drive (on the list of compatibles one) with two partitions, one NTFS and one FAT32, using the latter for CFG.
Although CFG 70 then formatted the partition again in wfbs, so maybe I did something wrong there since it seems I should've been still with FAT32 in the end.
Anyway, we installed Wii Play and did some tests.
With 248 as default it always says IOS reload blocked and it fails, sometimes freezing the Wii.
With 247 it says the same and fails to load.
Only with 224 WITHOUT the block IOS option checked the game loads.
Then we tried Zelda SS: same deal. Only this time with 224 no IOS block it seems to load but then boots to the Home Menu.
I don't know what to do :/
So, today I HBCed a 4.3E Wii of a friend of mine. Followed the Wiki as always, done dx2 iOS236 to get 247/248, ios58 to use the forwarders and also hermes (even if it's optional), everything up to date. Everything in the HBC (emus/apps/emus channels...) works fine but we have a big problem with CFG LOADER 70.
We did the .xml steps too btw.
HD drive (on the list of compatibles one) with two partitions, one NTFS and one FAT32, using the latter for CFG.
Although CFG 70 then formatted the partition again in wfbs, so maybe I did something wrong there since it seems I should've been still with FAT32 in the end.
Anyway, we installed Wii Play and did some tests.
With 248 as default it always says IOS reload blocked and it fails, sometimes freezing the Wii.
With 247 it says the same and fails to load.
Only with 224 WITHOUT the block IOS option checked the game loads.
Then we tried Zelda SS: same deal. Only this time with 224 no IOS block it seems to load but then boots to the Home Menu.
I don't know what to do :/
Sounds like this particular drive really doesn't like d2x for some reason. For Skyward Sword, you might need to watch the MotionPlus video from the disc normally to get it to play properly, as it is likely trying to perform an IOS reload to show that if you haven't seen it.
You might have better luck working from different formats, so experiment with the games on the NTFS and/or recreate the FAT partition and try again.
So did you try CFG with Hermes? I always had odd issues with d2x (wrong video setting, pointer disappearing) while Hermes is butter smooth for me. I think d2x has incompatibilities with specific runs of Wii units (I have a Euro launch one), something that never happened to me with Hermes or the earlier cIOSes.
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
Thanks for the reply man!
As I've said, yes I did Hermes CIOS 222 installer and installed 224 and 223 as the wiki suggests.
in fact 224 (pic above) is the only one working but only if I choose IOS reload OFF (instead of Auto) for Wii Play (the game we've tried). The other game, Zelda SS, doesn't work: it loads but then it goes back to the system Menu.
Edit: NOW it works with IOS on AUTO,dunno why, Galaxy 2 also works with no problems (only with 224)
Is it normal to have to put IOS reload on OFF? I don't have to do that on *my* Wii (also upgraded to 4.3 but which had IOSes and HBC stuff previously). Also on my Wii I need to use IOS250 to load Zelda SS (248 doesn't work for me either). Unfortunately I can't use 250 on this particular Wii we're working with, since it says that IOS 250 (aming others) is a stub (again, pic above). So I can only choose the ones you see on the pic (what's the difference from mmload 223 and yload 223 for example?) and none work.
Clipper, thanks a lot man, we'll try to make it read the M+ video from the disc once and retry that.
Again, is it normal that if we don't chose IOS reload to OFF even Wii Play refuses to load?
And lastly, about reformatting the drive, is then normal that the Wii formats the partition you choose (I had two partition in my drive, one in NTFS and a 200GB one in FAT32 that I choose)? I thought it was supposed to be left in FAT32 or whatever?
Also, do you think I should edit the meta.xml file so that is uses 224 as a default now so that it'll use that IOS to rip the games to HD and maybe have more luck? Is that how you choose which IOS to use to rip the games?
What's important is not the slot where you put a cIOS in (since you can stuff anything in any slot) but the base you used to create the cIOS (this directly affects compatibility). Looking at my Wii I'm using Hermes with IOS57 as default base to run CFG, and a mix of IOS37, 38 and 57 as base depending on the game. YMMV
I forget what IOS Reload Block does on Hermes' IOS these days. I remember it used to only really work for one game, House of the Dead 2/3, but I think we had it on by default as it didn't hurt other games. It is not normal for you to need to turn it off for other games, I believe.
Don't bother with the yload settings. Those are for an old IOS that has been dead for years now. If Hermes' IOS is in those slots, then yes, you need mload. As for having IOS250 on your Wii, then that could be an old Waninkoko's IOS249 installation. It is very rare for Waninkoko's IOS to work and d2x to fail. Working on Hermes' but not d2x is also fairly rare, but not unheard of. For many of these people, switching drive partition helps d2x work too, though.
Yeah, using the IOS choice in meta.xml will affect which IOS it uses to rip, but there is no difference here between recent d2x and Hermes' versions in terms of ripping. Still, you should change it as it will shorten the load sequence by a few seconds both on starting Cfg and when starting games.
As for formatting, what it should have done is ask you which partition you wanted to use by selecting with A. It would only format if you told it to format it by pushing +.
Samurai Penguin
Member
I have a PAL Wii running the latest firmware. I finally got my import copy of Fishing Resort and want to run home brew just so I can bypass the region locking.
What do I need to buy (ie SD Card, SDHC card/what size, etc)?
And is it really easy to do? I read the GAF guide, but even then I was finding it hard to understand it all. Due to various factors like Sleep Apnea, etc, my memory and concentration is really fubar'd. I can barely concentrate watching a Michael Bay movie..it's that bad
Plus when it comes to anything technical, technology hates me. I even formatted the entire accounting department at Uni when doing an exam. What's even funnier, was that I was following a step by step guide on what to do :lol
What do I need to buy (ie SD Card, SDHC card/what size, etc)?
And is it really easy to do? I read the GAF guide, but even then I was finding it hard to understand it all. Due to various factors like Sleep Apnea, etc, my memory and concentration is really fubar'd. I can barely concentrate watching a Michael Bay movie..it's that bad
Plus when it comes to anything technical, technology hates me. I even formatted the entire accounting department at Uni when doing an exam. What's even funnier, was that I was following a step by step guide on what to do :lol
Choppasmith
Member
Requoting my message and the reply. Sorry, for the delay, but I was preoccupied with SS and I really want to see if I can fix this now.
By the intro, I mean the unskippable cutscene that plays when you start a new game. The WM+ video works just fine.
This, but in English. It's the same exact spot around the :47 mark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVExMqWfd34
I've tried a variety of different options (reinstalling, vid patches, IOSes, Block IOS reload, etc) I even found that the game uses IOS 53 and tried installing a WAD for it. Nothing.
If it helps, the base (I assume you mean what USB Loader is running on) is IOS 248 Base 56 d2x v6
I have a PAL Wii running the latest firmware. I finally got my import copy of Fishing Resort and want to run home brew just so I can bypass the region locking.
What do I need to buy (ie SD Card, SDHC card/what size, etc)?
And is it really easy to do? I read the GAF guide, but even then I was finding it hard to understand it all. Due to various factors like Sleep Apnea, etc, my memory and concentration is really fubar'd. I can barely concentrate watching a Michael Bay movie..it's that bad
Plus when it comes to anything technical, technology hates me. I even formatted the entire accounting department at Uni when doing an exam. What's even funnier, was that I was following a step by step guide on what to do :lol
You need an SD card or SDHC card, but preferably SD and the Internet on your PC. That's pretty much it. If you are confused by any of the steps, feel free to ask here and we'll get you sorted out.
I have a Japanese Wii that was softmodded, but I know nothing at all about it (someone else did the mod ages ago). I popped in Euro Xenoblade Chronicles, and it showed up in the wii menu properly, so I figured all was well. Started the game, and...it was the Japanese version.
Messed around a bit in the Homebrew Channel, not knowing what I'm doing really, and now the disc doesn't show up anymore, period (the system seems to understand that the disc is from another region).
Anyway...can someone walk me through this so I can get this damn thing to play Xenoblade?
:bangs head on wall:
Messed around a bit in the Homebrew Channel, not knowing what I'm doing really, and now the disc doesn't show up anymore, period (the system seems to understand that the disc is from another region).
Anyway...can someone walk me through this so I can get this damn thing to play Xenoblade?
:bangs head on wall:
I have a Japanese Wii that was softmodded, but I know nothing at all about it (someone else did the mod ages ago). I popped in Euro Xenoblade Chronicles, and it showed up in the wii menu properly, so I figured all was well. Started the game, and...it was the Japanese version.
Messed around a bit in the Homebrew Channel, not knowing what I'm doing really, and now the disc doesn't show up anymore, period (the system seems to understand that the disc is from another region).
Anyway...can someone walk me through this so I can get this damn thing to play Xenoblade?
:bangs head on wall:
OK, yo have a few choices as to what to do. Your system was likely set up with StartPatch or something similar. These types of apps allow you to launch games from any region, but I don't think there is an option to force English. Thus, you should use either Gecko OS or Cfg from the region free page in the tutorial.
Both of these apps have options that allow you to force language selection to English upon launching discs. Cfg has the additional option to install the game to a hard drive and play from there.
Black Republican
Member
i wanna sell my wii console, but im just curious is there a way for me to completely erase the homebrew stuff off my wii?
thanks if anyone can help
thanks if anyone can help
Samurai Penguin
Member
I got a SD card today and installed Letter Bomb and Gecko.
When I boot up the Wii, the main menu screen loads up fine, and there is now a Homebrew Channel.
I open it up, and down the bottom right hand side is a Gecko Icon and a Wi Fi icon.
There is nothing else on screen. I insert Fishing Resort (I have a PAL console running FW4.3) and nothing happens.
I press the home icon on the remote and get various options:
Shutdown
Load BootMii
Exit To System Menu
But nothing about playing Fishing Resort.
I reboot and if the SD card is inserted, BootMii loads up and I cannot do anything, as my Wii won't even sync up with my controllers.
No doubt I missed something. How do I launch the game? Should I download another region free app like TinyLoader?
I didn't have install a Homebrew Browser...just the channel.
When I boot up the Wii, the main menu screen loads up fine, and there is now a Homebrew Channel.
I open it up, and down the bottom right hand side is a Gecko Icon and a Wi Fi icon.
There is nothing else on screen. I insert Fishing Resort (I have a PAL console running FW4.3) and nothing happens.
I press the home icon on the remote and get various options:
Shutdown
Load BootMii
Exit To System Menu
But nothing about playing Fishing Resort.
I reboot and if the SD card is inserted, BootMii loads up and I cannot do anything, as my Wii won't even sync up with my controllers.
No doubt I missed something. How do I launch the game? Should I download another region free app like TinyLoader?
I didn't have install a Homebrew Browser...just the channel.
You can't remove all trace (like the logs and stuff), but you can delete all the channels and cIOSes with AnyTitle Deleter Mod and/or Dop-Mii.
The HBC is not a region free app. It's an app that is installed to your Wii that lets you launch other apps. So yes, you need a region free app.
Theonik
Member
What's the best app to use in order to get ISO files out of the Wii to use on Dolphin? Will Configurable USB loader do this directly? Also will I be able to use a USB drive without having to reformat it? I was using my PC drive for that before but unfortunately my new MB doesn't have IDE so it's useless now.
Yes but I can't remember if it rips them as .wfbs file or.iso as well.
Samurai Penguin
Member
Got it working. Seems I forgot to name the app used (Gecko) in then apps folder. Works like a charm now 
Theonik
Member
Thank you. I don't think I noticed any section clarifying that or just ripping ISOs in general. How do I configure the loader to do this? Tried install and it makes a wbfs file. Also is there a program that allows ripping NGC disks as well? Lastly no programs allowing you to dump NGC memory cards? Sorry for the number of questions.
Edit: Ok saw the edit now. Any better alternatives then?
I'm sure someone will come along with a better answer soon but there are many programs on the net that can convert .wfbs to .iso in a matter of minutes. The one I used to use and was recommended was called Wii Backup Manager.
If your drive is NTFS then all you need to do is add the options ntfs_write=1 and install_partitions=iso to config.txt and it'll rip the games directly to iso files with CFG. Clipper really should add a page for Dolphin to make things a little more clear for people.
Theonik
Member
Thanks, I'll probably use it to convert the previous game I did.
FAT32. Trying another game right now in .ISO, should work fine correct? Probably better to make it NTFS sooner rather than later... How about the Gamecube question? Thanks for all the help btw.
Wii .iso files are too large for FAT32 formatted partitions, so it won't work. As for Gamecube games, you'll need to use another application. A homebrew app called CleanRip can also rip to .iso files or to split .iso files that can be later combined on FAT32 drives.
Theonik
Member
Yeah, found that out the hard way, Wii Back-up manager seems to be pretty fast in converting them though. So for Wii games I think I'm set. I'll probably just use both for different situations. Cleanrip sounds promising, will give it a shot with some NGC games. Thanks for all the help!
Black Republican
Member
so if say i used the deleter mod and the person im selling it to does a normal nintendo update it wont brick the console or anything like that? it was only basic homebrew stuff like region free gaming and the snes/gb channels i used it for
If all you did was stuff in the tutorial and apps from the Homebrew Browser, then there is nothing on there that could brick a console in an update.
BMX Bandit
Member
So I'm following the guide for 4.2 and I have BannerBomb unzipped(correct folder structure) and I have HackMii boot.elf in the root dir of the sd card. When I put the card in and hit yes to load boot.elf it just loads to a black screen though. Any ideas? Is boot.elf all you need from hackmii? Guide is worded that way. Thanks for any help.
edit: nm I got it going.
edit: nm I got it going.
RoninChaos
Member
So I'm thinking about trying out Dolphin. I'm told I need to mod my Wii to rip my games so Dolphin can use them. I'm trying to rip wii and gamecube games.
What do I need to do? I"m browsing from a phone at work so I can't search the thread. Can anybody help me out?
What do I need to do? I"m browsing from a phone at work so I can't search the thread. Can anybody help me out?
Follow the GAF tutorial to mod your Wii:
and then find an app called CleanRip and use that.
creid
Member
Very frustrated. I hacked my Wii to play Xenoblade, and I find that 4 out of 5 times when I start the system up, the audio sounds messed up. Sounds really compressed, and a bit tinny. So I've just been annoyingly restarting my system a few times before playing every day until I get lucky and have normal audio.
Today I did a little googling and found a post here that explains the problem, and it looks like I need to use TinyLoad instead of Gecko:
Problem is, when I run TinyLoad, the progress bar fills up, and then it just brings me back to HBC. I went back and downloaded the '2011-08 update' to TinyLoad, and it brings me to a black screen instead, and I have to hold down power for a few seconds to turn it off. Help!
If it helps: I used LetterBomb, BootMii as boot2, and the latest version of Gecko.
P.S.: The tinyload page notes that the latest update works straight from LetterBomb, and therefore requires no modification of the system at all. Maybe add this information to the Homebrew Tutorial? I certainly would've preferred not making changes to my Wii, and doing it this way apparently would've avoided all this trouble altogether.
Today I did a little googling and found a post here that explains the problem, and it looks like I need to use TinyLoad instead of Gecko:
Problem is, when I run TinyLoad, the progress bar fills up, and then it just brings me back to HBC. I went back and downloaded the '2011-08 update' to TinyLoad, and it brings me to a black screen instead, and I have to hold down power for a few seconds to turn it off. Help!
If it helps: I used LetterBomb, BootMii as boot2, and the latest version of Gecko.
P.S.: The tinyload page notes that the latest update works straight from LetterBomb, and therefore requires no modification of the system at all. Maybe add this information to the Homebrew Tutorial? I certainly would've preferred not making changes to my Wii, and doing it this way apparently would've avoided all this trouble altogether.
Why are you using TinyLoad?
Use USB Loader GX or CFG, or even patch your system menu to be region free that way your Wii drive will accept games from other regions.
All appears completely detailed here http://gwht.wikidot.com/
Good luck!
EDIT: You want avoid major modifications, but doesn't TinyLoad needs to run in a patched boot2? I really don't know too much about running straight from boot2, it completly bypass system menu I think.
creid
Member
Yeah, that's the guide I've been using, I referenced it in my post. I explained in my post why I tried TinyLoad. Why shouldn't I be trying to use it?
I was hoping to get some help with seemingly undocumented problems, since both of the 2 solutions I've tried already are supposed to allow me to play other region's games without issue. Are these 2 just less reliable than the others? If so, then that should be added to the wiki as well.
Not sure of the answer to that but I would recommend CFG as well.
Tinyload is a bit more troublesome to use and less powerful and I did mention it on the comparison page, I think, just not very strongly.
As for what to try next, Cfg (USB-Loader) with the Forwarder would be a definite solution. Although you might have some luck if you use the Forwarder to launch Gecko. All you need to do to do this is to install the Gecko boot.dol into the directory where Cfg would usually reside. StartPatch is another easy solution.
The letterbomb approach is still open to you, but I would find it annoying having to find the bomb letter every time, which is why I don't mention it in the tutorial.
i'm having my first problem that i can't solve on my own so i need help.
i just bought an used NSMBW disc and i'm trying to install the thing to my HDD and it always gives me errors. most of the time it gets to 52%, 54% or 64% until it errors out and stops ripping the disc. the disc has a few scratches but they're pretty light and i have games in slightly worse conditions that could be ripped fine. i'm using the CFG that is provided in the guide in this thread and the IOS d2x6 set.
the questions i have are:
is NSMBW a known game to cause issues (not easy to intall/requires additional steps)?
is my Wii's laser dying?
is the game damaged? (in which case i got ripped off)
i just bought an used NSMBW disc and i'm trying to install the thing to my HDD and it always gives me errors. most of the time it gets to 52%, 54% or 64% until it errors out and stops ripping the disc. the disc has a few scratches but they're pretty light and i have games in slightly worse conditions that could be ripped fine. i'm using the CFG that is provided in the guide in this thread and the IOS d2x6 set.
the questions i have are:
is NSMBW a known game to cause issues (not easy to intall/requires additional steps)?
is my Wii's laser dying?
is the game damaged? (in which case i got ripped off)
Simple enough test - try to play the game normally. I had similar problems with DKCR. Turned out the disc itself was to blame as it wouldn't load even normally.
Yeah, I agree. It would probably be the scratches on the disc causing the issue. However, you might have to find an unplayable point in the game to prove you aren't being ripped off, as the affected data may not actually be important to playing the game, unless they said the game was undamaged in the sale description.
i ripped another game and the wii worked fine, so it isn't the system.
playing the whole game looks to be too time consuming to check this but i think it is the only way i'm going to find any issues.
does anyone know if the data is spread all over the disc or if it is concentrated in a specific region of the disc like the inside of it?
also, what kind of do-it-yourself method is best to try to fix disc scratches?
playing the whole game looks to be too time consuming to check this but i think it is the only way i'm going to find any issues.
does anyone know if the data is spread all over the disc or if it is concentrated in a specific region of the disc like the inside of it?
also, what kind of do-it-yourself method is best to try to fix disc scratches?
The data is spread around. It could be music, level data, the update partition... it's really impossible to tell without dissecting the .iso. Perhaps you could get a completed save for the game off the Internet and transfer it to your Wii, then try some random levels from different worlds to see if they all load. I can't speak for DIY scratch repair methods, I'd rather use a scratch repair kit if I had a scratched disc I wanted to get working.
creid
Member
Yeah, switching to CFG fixed the problem. I originally skipped it because it required more steps than the others, but I guess I should've taken a hint from the fact that it was first in the list
lunchtoast
Member
So I finally got around to buying another Wii (my first got stolen out of luggage), which came in the mail last night. Was up until 1am modding it (took 3+ hours :/), but I was able to get everything set up and get my backups running on HDD. Also got a media player from the homebrew browser which can play .mkv, so awesome. The only thing I couldn't get working was a forwarder for cfg loader (didn't find .wad file in the SD root folder, kept getting a ret=-1 error), but that's not a big deal. Going to pick up my pro classic at UPS tonight after work and play xenoblade all weekend, can't wait!
Oh, and I used the neogaf wiki thread. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
Oh, and I used the neogaf wiki thread. Thanks to everyone who contributed.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Alright so trying Savegame Extractor, it needs the disc to be in the system. However the disc drive is busted. Is there any way I can get the save file otherwise?
Edit- Ah ha! No one told me you have to enable a Priiloader hack by holding Reset when you turn the system on. Jeeze. But now I can do it! Mario Kart, Brawl, all my online games... your save files are finally mine!! Yes!!!
Edit- Ah ha! No one told me you have to enable a Priiloader hack by holding Reset when you turn the system on. Jeeze. But now I can do it! Mario Kart, Brawl, all my online games... your save files are finally mine!! Yes!!!
lunchtoast
Member
Having some problems with CFG usb loader. When there's no music playing in the menu the games will get stuck on boot loading. I will have to keep resetting the wii until I can hear the music. I googled and guess there's a problem with using v70 and a WD drive. The games work fine it's just annoying to having to keep reset until it works.
ThatObviousUser
ὠαἴÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï Ïαá¿Ï εἶ
Lame, you also have to mod the Wii you're transferring the save files to. Which I already did but I was pretty sure I read that you'd be able to copy them over like normal saves...
Also my fricking Brawl disc is scratched. =/ Thought my second Wii was giving me trouble but I'm pretty sure it's the disc... was able to pop it out and put it back in without resetting and it let me play two rounds before throwing an error. I wonder if I'd be able to rip it and play it fine... hrm... probably not... Fricking Gamestop price gouging on used Brawl. $45. =/ Come on.
Also my fricking Brawl disc is scratched. =/ Thought my second Wii was giving me trouble but I'm pretty sure it's the disc... was able to pop it out and put it back in without resetting and it let me play two rounds before throwing an error. I wonder if I'd be able to rip it and play it fine... hrm... probably not... Fricking Gamestop price gouging on used Brawl. $45. =/ Come on.
Sounds like you're getting spin down on the drive. Perhaps try disabling it as I think there is a tool for doing that on WD drives.
jim-jam bongs
Member
Just posting to subscribe. I've started playing with HB on my Wii in the past few days after hacking it a few weeks ago for the sole purpose of ripping ISOs to play in Dolphin, but now that I've seen all the cool stuff people have already made I'm hooked.