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GAF Wii Homebrew thread: Homebrew, emulators, USB disc installs! Easy tutorial!

JonathanEx said:
Ok, so, in idiot terms, I want to see if I've understood this right: there's a section of the Wii system, called boot2, which is the initial startup sequence, that isn't really meant to be overwritten: it's not 100% guaranteed that updating that will be successful. In Nintendo's effort to quash piracy and homebrew, they've tried to update the boot2 sector, and due to the uncertain nature of the boot2 sector and lack of proper testing, some Wiis cannot boot, and having homebrew/etc is not a cause of that.

Correct me on terminology and everything if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

Essentially yes. The problem isn't that they're writing boot2 (though that is a risky thing to do anyway) it's that the code they used for this purpose was absolute crap on stickleback bass.
 
Alright, cheers for the clarification. So this update could have been done properly, but Nintendo didn't.

And then when it gets to the homebrew checks, they were extremely crude and easily can be gotten around.
 
JonathanEx said:
Alright, cheers for the clarification. So this update could have been done properly, but Nintendo didn't.

And then when it gets to the homebrew checks, they were extremely crude and easily can be gotten around.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's really like Team Twiizers are the professionals, and the NCL team are the "hacks".
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
mine didnt *shrugs*

never had a 360 or ps3 brick during an update either, just lucky i guess.
Click to expand...
Yes, you are lucky. That doesn't help the other non-modded people that have been bricked due to this, though.
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
mine didnt *shrugs*

never had a 360 or ps3 brick during an update either, just lucky i guess.
Click to expand...

This might go down as the generation of faulty hardware & shady software updates. This is a complete farce. Hopefully Nintendo will step up to the plate and address the issue.
 
ZombieSupaStar said:
mine didnt *shrugs*

never had a 360 or ps3 brick during an update either, just lucky i guess.
Click to expand...

This would be all over CNN if Nintendo released an update that bricked everybody's system. That's not te point. The point is they released an update that has a certain probability of possibly bricking your system when you update. It won't hapen to everyone, thus why you succeeded, but it can happen to anyone at any given time during the update.

360s and PS3s tend to try to limit the risk on how they are updating when updating their OS/firmware. Nintendo was just sloppy and did it half assed. There's a big difference between this which is an update Nintendo should have never released. Sony and Microsoft try to avoid releasing dangerous releases like this to the public. Try to understand the difference here.
 
Marty Chinn said:
This would be all over CNN if Nintendo released an update that bricked everybody's system. That's not te point. The point is they released an update that has a certain probability of possibly bricking your system when you update. It won't hapen to everyone, thus why you succeeded, but it can happen to anyone at any given time during the update.

360s and PS3s tend to try to limit the risk on how they are updating when updating their OS/firmware. Nintendo was just sloppy and did it half assed. There's a big difference between this which is an update Nintendo should have never released. Sony and Microsoft try to avoid releasing dangerous releases like this to the public. Try to understand the difference here.
Click to expand...

yeah I tend to trust Microsoft the most when it comes to software issues on consoles.....and I cant believe I just said that either... :lol
 
I have an RMA set up for my system already. The disk drive is constant DRE's.

I haven't sent it in for repair yet though. I'm considering upgrading to 4.2, and if it bricks, I can get both problems fixed at the same time.

What new does 4.2 bring?
 
Well I'm glad I read this now..figures, I was leaning towards just going back to the official firmware on my own Wii. I've played all the stuff I've got on my Wii right now anyway plus I want to be able to play Super Mario Wii when it gets out soon, Muramasa plus I STILL haven't gotten to play the new Punch Out. Feel like I'm the only one who hasn't gotten to play that yet too :( Guess I'll have to wait for a safe update before I try to go back to the ofw.
 
What would wanting to play Muramasa, SMB, and PO have to do with whether your Wii's hacked or not? You can play all of those with a hacked Wii just as much as with a virgin one. Well, not SMB, if you mean NSMB, seeing as that's not out yet.
 
It has some nice new features.
No reason at all not to update HBC and BootMii, IMHO.

Might want to hold up on the DVDX update, though, since new versions of the various media players will need to be recompiled before they'll work with the new DVDX.
 
Yeah, it is strongly suggested that you update HBC and BootMii now. That way you're protected in case of accidental update by parties unknown.
 
NOA Tech Jane said:
Some of you have reported problems with your Wii console after updating to the Wii System Menu 4.2. The symptoms most people are describing usually occur when the Wii has been modified. However, some of you also mention your system has never been modified.

We'd like to help get your system working properly again. If you're experiencing problems with your Wii console after downloading Wii System Menu 4.2, and you believe your system has not been modified, please give us a call. If we find that you have a normal system and the update caused your system to not work, we'll repair it at no charge.
Click to expand...
Guilty until proven innocent. Nice. Well, I guess if I had just destroyed an unknown percentage of 50,000,000 consoles through my own incompetence, I'd want to blame someone else too.
 
ruby_onix said:
Guilty until proven innocent. Nice. Well, I guess if I had just destroyed an unknown percentage of 50,000,000 consoles through my own incompetence, I'd want to blame someone else too.
Click to expand...
Nintendo isn't saying they're guilty, they're saying that HB is so simple to install on the Wii that people may have done it without realizing it.
 
I think it's reasonable. They can very easily tell if a console's been modified.
If it's bricked, but was never tampered with, they'll fix it for you for free, regardless of the state of the warranty.
 
Mejilan said:
I think it's reasonable. They can very easily tell if a console's been modified.
If it's bricked, but was never tampered with, they'll fix it for you for free, regardless of the state of the warranty.
Click to expand...

Of course, the way the statement is worded, it sounds like we should be thankful for their gracious offer to fix our systems if their update destroys them. It irks me.
 
So, just to recap.

I have a hacked Wii with the latest HBC, DVDX and BootMii set to IOS. If I wanted to take the chance and update to 4.2 (not that I would, until I had assurances that the danger of bricking was minimal), I'd have to remove all of those apps to do it "safely", and then reinstall them later, right? Or am I OK right now?

My Wii's NAND and everything else is safely backed up, btw.
 
i don't have an answer for you, but i think bootmii installed as an IOS isn't exactly brick-proof.

don't update your wii, there are no benefits.
 
I just realized that Nintendo didn't potentially brick 50 million consoles. Nintendo's saving grace for once is that most users don't connect their Wii's to the internet.

Mejilan said:
I think it's reasonable. They can very easily tell if a console's been modified.
If it's bricked, but was never tampered with, they'll fix it for you for free, regardless of the state of the warranty.
Click to expand...
And if it's bricked by Nintendo's tampering with the boot2, but you installed HBC purely to play imports, then you're screwed, regardless of the state of the warranty.

Nintendo pre-assumes that you're a pirate, before they even look at your system. If they find indisputable proof that you're NOT a pirate, then they'll repair it for free. It should be that anyone can send it in to be repaired for free (all warranties should be extended for bricks, since Nintendo is certainly potentially the cause), but if they happen to find the slightest proof that you're a pirate, it voids the offer. It's effectively the same thing, but different.

Dambrosi said:
So, just to recap.

I have a hacked Wii with the latest HBC, DVDX and BootMii set to IOS. If I wanted to take the chance and update to 4.2 (not that I would, until I had assurances that the danger of bricking was minimal), I'd have to remove all of those apps to do it "safely", and then reinstall them later, right? Or am I OK right now?

My Wii's NAND and everything else is safely backed up, btw.
Click to expand...
There is NO REASON for you to update to 4.2. All 4.2 does is remove your hacks, and risk destroying your system. Nintendo closed their store to anyone who doesn't agree to the update (ha ha, they won't be allowed to pay money for ROMs anymore, that'll show those pirates who's boss), but if you have homebrew, you can regain access the store, through methods mentioned earlier in the thread.
 
Dambrosi said:
So, just to recap.

I have a hacked Wii with the latest HBC, DVDX and BootMii set to IOS. If I wanted to take the chance and update to 4.2 (not that I would, until I had assurances that the danger of bricking was minimal), I'd have to remove all of those apps to do it "safely", and then reinstall them later, right? Or am I OK right now?

My Wii's NAND and everything else is safely backed up, btw.
Click to expand...
No.

First thing's first... DO NOT UPDATE. Whether you use homebrew or not, the official update procedure is nothing more than playing Russian Roulette with your Wii as the stake. You get no benefit. There are no games that will require the upgrade in future.

You likely DON'T have the latest HBC, DVDX and BootMii. They were all updated within the last 24 hours.

If you theoretically did want to update (even though the only reason to do this is if you are a masochist or fatally curious), then what you want to do is first upgrade HBC and BootMii. Then do the update (but seriously, don't) and then put BootMii back on as it will have been overwritten by the update. You will also need to install the new DVDX at this time, and wait fro your apps to support it.

tl;dr version: Don't update unless you enjoy pain.
 
Sorry for double post, but this is needed for the new page...

For all your questions about updating, go here

For all other homebrew related questions, look here first:
 
Clipper said:
You likely DON'T have the latest HBC, DVDX and BootMii. They were all updated within the last 24 hours.
Click to expand...
How do I update BootMii and DVDx again? The HBC is obvious.. start it up and it checks for an update... but BootMii... Can I update through the app itself or do I have to download it on PC and put it on the card?
 
So the first people to actually update their firmware to 4.2 when it came out avoided the possible bricking or was the possibility of bricking your Wii there from the start?
 
BocoDragon said:
How do I update BootMii and DVDx again? The HBC is obvious.. start it up and it checks for an update... but BootMii... Can I update through the app itself or do I have to download it on PC and put it on the card?
Click to expand...

when it checks for an update it downloads the entire hackmii installer (which includes the latest bootmii and dvdx). you may not want to update dvdx just yet

Linkhero1 said:
So the first people to actually update their firmware to 4.2 when it came out avoided the possible bricking or was the possibility of bricking your Wii there from the start?
Click to expand...

it was there from the start
 
So if I'm to understand their customer service comments correctly, bricking modified Wii's is now policy rather than an unintentional but acceptable coincidence?
 
Nabs said:
it was there from the start
Click to expand...
Pretty stupid move on Nintendo's part. Well it looks like some people will be without Wii for a while.

I'm never updating my Wii through Nintendo unless I'm sure there will be no problems.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
So if I'm to understand their customer service comments correctly, bricking modified Wii's is now policy rather than an unintentional but acceptable coincidence?
Click to expand...
It's not a policy. They are just saying that it isn't their problem. The same thing as if you put your console near an edge and it dropped to the floor and broke. I don't blame them on that part. Punishing the legitimate users is something unacceptable, but they are now compensating for that too.
 
benita316 said:
HOW HOW HOW?

I've had no luck with CFG or GX.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what specifically did it, but I'll tell you what I did; I erased the Wii partition on my USB and created a new one. I reinstalled Hermes cIOS with the latest version as found in the official tutorial. I had already installed Hermes cIOS and I haven't asked Extraction to use it, but I did it anyway.

Then it worked. Well, it got past all the menus. I haven't actually played it yet, but earlier the game would freeze every time during the introduction clips when the game boots. Now it gets to the menu and seems to be fine.

I'll give it some playtime later.
 
ShockingAlberto said:
So if I'm to understand their customer service comments correctly, bricking modified Wii's is now policy rather than an unintentional but acceptable coincidence?
Click to expand...
It's not that they're saying "we are going to brick your Wii", it's that they're saying "if your Wii happens to get bricked and you've been hacking it we're not fixing it free."

the update isn't meant to brick anything, it's meant to remove the homebrew stuff.

In other words, if your system is bricked and it hasn't been modified, they're like "okay this is obviously our fault we'll fix that right up." If they see it has been modified, they're like, "okay you been screwin around and hacking this thing so we ain't gonna be responsible for that."

Which I find perfectly reasonable.
 
Htown said:
It's not that they're saying "we are going to brick your Wii", it's that they're saying "if your Wii happens to get bricked and you've been hacking it we're not fixing it free."

the update isn't meant to brick anything, it's meant to remove the homebrew stuff.

In other words, if your system is bricked and it hasn't been modified, they're like "okay this is obviously our fault we'll fix that right up." If they see it has been modified, they're like, "okay you been screwin around and hacking this thing so we ain't gonna be responsible for that."

Which I find perfectly reasonable.
Click to expand...
It's not reasonable at all. If you took your car in to the dealer for a recall and they massively screwed something up, would you be ok with them then refusing to fix their screw-up because they don't approve of your aftermarket hubcaps?

If they want to take that line they should do it like Microsoft (Windows) and simply not give you the patch if they don't like you, not give you a potentially fatal patch and then say "not our problem" when something goes wrong that has nothing whatsoever to do with the stuff they don't like.
 
Clipper said:
No.

First thing's first... DO NOT UPDATE. Whether you use homebrew or not, the official update procedure is nothing more than playing Russian Roulette with your Wii as the stake. You get no benefit. There are no games that will require the upgrade in future.
Click to expand...
Oh, OK. Then how do I access the Shopping Channel? I have several of the previous owner's VC games left to download, though thankfully I already got the best ones (Lylat Wars FTW!), and I heard there was a trick to regaining access without updating. Can anyone link me?

Clipper said:
You likely DON'T have the latest HBC, DVDX and BootMii. They were all updated within the last 24 hours.
Click to expand...
Oh, I do. I updated them this morning, before I heard about all this update=brick nonsense.:lol

Clipper said:
If you theoretically did want to update (even though the only reason to do this is if you are a masochist or fatally curious), then what you want to do is first upgrade HBC and BootMii. Then do the update (but seriously, don't) and then put BootMii back on as it will have been overwritten by the update. You will also need to install the new DVDX at this time, and wait fro your apps to support it.

tl;dr version: Don't update unless you enjoy pain.
Click to expand...
Relax, I'm not a masochist. I'll just wait it out.
 
Remfin said:
It's not reasonable at all. If you took your car in to the dealer for a recall and they massively screwed something up, would you be ok with them then refusing to fix their screw-up because they don't approve of your aftermarket hubcaps?
Click to expand...
If the hubcaps have some potential to screw up the car in a similar way to the problem and the manufacturer/dealer made it clear that non-sanctioned parts are potentially bad for the car, then yes. I'd have no problem with them doing that.

Installing Homebrew comes at a risk. E.g., if you are stupid enough to follow a tutorial that tells you to put cIOSCORP on your Wii, then you are at a high chance of bricking your Wii. Even installing BootMii is dangerous if your power goes out at an inopportune moment. When you started using the Wii online, you agreed that you would not use software that wasn't sanctioned by Nintendo. Hence, they are perfectly within their rights to refuse warranty privileges to you if you violate that agreement.

Dambrosi said:
Oh, OK. Then how do I access the Shopping Channel? I have several of the previous owner's VC games left to download, though thankfully I already got the best ones (Lylat Wars FTW!), and I heard there was a trick to regaining access without updating. Can anyone link me?
Click to expand...
http://gwht.wikidot.com/wii-shop
 
Seeing lots of stories about potential bricking pointing to this thread (where no-one seems affected), and the official forum, where a handful seem to be affected, and nowhere else. Non-story?
 
I finally got my Wii back from my parents. It's in 3.2E, with HBC installed and Gecko OS in 1.07b. The only thing I'm interested in is playing imports. What should I do? What should I (not) update? Thanks for the help, I'm a bit perplexed here...
 
crispyben said:
Thanks Clipper, for the link and everything you did. I just wanted to know if I should upgrade Gecko OS, but I found the answer now (yes). :D
Click to expand...
Aagh, you beat my edit :(. At least it's reinforcing your already made decision.
 
Remfin said:
It's not reasonable at all. If you took your car in to the dealer for a recall and they massively screwed something up, would you be ok with them then refusing to fix their screw-up because they don't approve of your aftermarket hubcaps?

If they want to take that line they should do it like Microsoft (Windows) and simply not give you the patch if they don't like you, not give you a potentially fatal patch and then say "not our problem" when something goes wrong that has nothing whatsoever to do with the stuff they don't like.
Click to expand...
If Nintendo sees that your Wii has been modded, they have no idea whether it was for homebrew or piracy and I think it's reasonable for Nintendo to refuse to fix a console that they think may have been pirating their games.

Modding a Wii is clearing going to be against the terms of service/warranty/whatever, that's the risk you take if you do it.
 
Noticed all the scaremongering, updated to 4.2E despite of it.
Everything worked fine here.
Just downloaded You, me, and the cubes.
 
meppi said:
Noticed all the scaremongering, updated to 4.2E despite of it.
Everything worked fine here.
Just downloaded You, me, and the cubes.
Click to expand...
Scaremongering? It's always great to see someone express their gratitude so gracefully when other people are trying to watch their back. :p
 
If I were to draw a real-world analogy to the matter I would use this:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8281673.stm
If we describe homebrew or piracy not functioning as an adverse reaction I guess we can draw the analogy that a Wii which bricks is a fatal reaction to the update. If we then say Wiis that were bricked had an underlying health problem (I know it is slippery slope...which might make it a poor analogy). I don't know about a great deal about ECC and if it is required but my guess is just the ECC not updating is not able to cause a brick on its own because the system might not require it to boot for some reason. But it not updating will cause a brick if the Wii needed to use the ECC it to boot.

The difference lies in the fact the local health authority quarantined the vaccination as soon as they heard the story and the maker will be running tests on the batch to see if they are any faults. Nintendo on the other hand have done nothing and clearly done insufficient testing.

Then there is the fact Cervarix has a clear purpose while updating boot2 does also have a purpose but considering the updates target (uniformed individuals) it ends up a rather baffling one. I was under the impression more casual users (who are most likely to go gung-ho into this update) wouldn't be using bootmii or backing up their NAND in the first place so losing the ability to do so wouldn't affect them.

I would love it if someone could find a better analogy but I hope this means there is more understanding between both sides of the debate and the points made. I have to say I'm pleased I've seen none of the "I've not had a brick. Clearly the people that have are pirating liars. My Nintendo would never do anything wrong." which seems to plague the debate on Nintendo fan sites.
 
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