• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

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

Consider that this is an early beta, is not feature-complete, and currently has no easy uninstallation, before jumping.

Older Wiis should be able to install this to boot2, which is the most "powerful" way of installing Bootmii. Newer Wiis might only be able to install it as an IOS.

According to what I've read, installing this doesn't kill Preloader, though that's no surprise.
Also, have a GCN controller handy.
 
Modern versions of HBC can run .dol and PROPER .elf files without issue.
It was only the older, invalid .elf files that got killed off.

Considering who Hackmii are, you know that their .elf files are fine.
 
Mejilan said:
Consider that this is an early beta, is not feature-complete, and currently has no easy uninstallation, before jumping.

Older Wiis should be able to install this to boot2, which is the most "powerful" way of installing Bootmii. Newer Wiis might only be able to install it as an IOS.

According to what I've read, installing this doesn't kill Preloader, though that's no surprise.
Also, have a GCN controller handy.

Just to add more information, if you don't have a GCN controller or just too lazy to get one you can use power/reset to pick from the menu.
 
It works!

I tried IOS update first, and bootmii didn't start up at start up, so then I redownloaded it as boot2 (I have a launch Wii), and it works great! It's damned pretty too. :)
 
This is good news for homebrew -- the earlier / low level access should allow fuller access to hollywood and broadway (hopefully anyway). Maybe we can get more presentable / 3d applications now... who knows what else.

If you don't have a GC controller you can navigate using the power / reset / eject buttons

I've updated the OP for the bootmii news, just need a mod to make the new title update on the forum
 
radioheadrule83 said:
This is good news for homebrew -- MINI should allow fuller access to hollywood and broadway. Maybe we can get more presentable / 3d applications now... who knows what else.

I've updated the OP for the bootmii news, just need a mod to make the new title update on the forum
What is MINI? Anyways, I have already PMed Dragona.
 
HUELEN10 said:
What is MINI? Anyways, I have already PMed Dragona.

My own understanding is limited and probably incorrect but here goes:

"Mini Is Not IOS" - isa limited replacement for IOS that can do low level things IOS (the system software that runs on the Starlet co-processor inside hollywood) might not allow or intefere with. It supports ARM and PPC binaries and allows any memory address to be peeked or poked. Its very small and there's no native support for USB, Wifi, NAND etc but the hardware registers for those things are exposed so methods could be written, and in any case it should be possible for developers to switch between MINI and IOS. The best part about BootMii is that now they've (hopefully safely) gotten their own code into Boot2, and they've got a mechanism for easily backing up and restoring whats on the NAND without additional hardware, it makes Wiis that much more brick-proof. Theoretically, if I understand it rightly, it may be possible for the community to write and test their own IOS' or something now - bypassing much of the security and I/O restrictions that Starlet and IOS' are designed to provide. I believe the 'custom' IOS' released thus far are based on Nintendo's own IOS, just with custom modules, hacks/patches applied etc.
 
just came by to congratulate gaffers with the first custom wii firmware.

good job, twiizers!


and so, the renaissance of the ppc desktop has just begun..
 
okay okay, someone explain what the difference between bootmii and preloader and starfall is

just from the buzz, it seems bootmii is the thing to get, but people got tired of waiting and got preloader
 
This should be noted by those not in the know:

bushing said:
Please do not install BootMii unless you have been following our blog for a while and know what IOS is, what boot1 and boot2 are, etc. If you’re curious, you can try anyway, but if you can’t figure out how to work this thing you should probably wait for a future beta. We really don’t want to see epic threads with “tips” on installing — this thing is supposed to be self-explanatory, and if it won’t install for you, that’s a bug we need to fix.

In other words, this is a safe way to install HBC and DVDX on a 4.0 Wii (safer than the method we've had since the weekend). It also allows the installation of the beta version of BootMii, but if you don't know what it is yet, do not install it.

Anony said:
okay okay, someone explain what the difference between bootmii and preloader and starfall is

just from the buzz, it seems bootmii is the thing to get, but people got tired of waiting and got preloader
Bootmii is a replacement for boot2. It is much, much more protective than preloader, but does do essentially the same stuff. Basically, it's a super-preloader. As stated above, though, read up more about it at hackmii.com before attempting installation.
 
Looks like some dude at the GBATemp.net forums is hacking the Wii's Opera Browser to include a bunch of new features, such as tabs, a transparent OSK, Wiimote gestures, etc. He might even be able to update the Flash player. Maybe.
 
Anony said:
okay okay, someone explain what the difference between bootmii and preloader and starfall is

just from the buzz, it seems bootmii is the thing to get, but people got tired of waiting and got preloader

Imagine that when you turn the Wii on everything boots in this order:

Starlet -> Boot1 -> Boot2 -> searches the "Title 1-2" spot on the NAND for system menu, locates the IOS the menu requires and loads the menu with it.

Preloader and Starfall (which both originate from the same author Crediar) put themselves before the System Menu (they reside on the NAND in Title slots just like the System Menu). You can load preloader by holding the reset button as you power on, and you can use it to view the NAND filestructure and apply hacks.. things like that. It doesn't entirely brick-proof your Wii, but you can rescue yourself from your own mistakes with it (usually). Version .30 of Preloader will actually alter Boot 2 and tell it to look for an executable somewhere other than Title 1-2... the demonstration Crediar made, showed him deleting Title 1-2 from the NAND (deleting the system menu) and living to make youtube videos about it. Without preloader .30 that would be a surefire way to fuck his wii up. The downside of Preloader is that Nintendo could still theoretically nuke it / cause bricks with system menu / IOS updates.

BootMii begins with a tiny executable that starts right in Boot2 itself. It can load any code anywhere, including direct from SD card. Unless Nintendo send out an update that updates boot2 then its not only helping brick-proof the wii, its a mod thats hard for Nintendo to challenge (given any bugs/mistakes, power surges or drop outs during update could cause horrible bricks)
 
Will this increase boot-up time for startup?

Let's say I use it to dump my NAND data to make a backup. This means I can start fresh, dick around, and if i fuck it up, restore it right? Even ticket data? I kinda went through a number of forwarder channels for the USB Loader before finding one i liked, and I wanna get rid of the tickets to the ones I got rid of through the systems settings itself, but am afraid of what might happen were I to delete the wrong one.
 
Mejilan said:
Looks like some dude at the GBATemp.net forums is hacking the Wii's Opera Browser to include a bunch of new features, such as tabs, a transparent OSK, Wiimote gestures, etc. He might even be able to update the Flash player. Maybe.

From what I read in the thread about the latest version of the Opera for Devices SDK, I've got a feeling they'll all be beaten to the punch by an actual update from Opera. Hopefully anyway.

I can see memory becoming an issue if they add tabs and stuff. Thats not much of a big deal for me... a flash update would be fab though!
 
TheGreatDave said:
Quite a lot. Boot up takes like...10 seconds now, for me.

I'm regretting installing it for this reason.
10 SECONDS??!?!?


Need more people to confirm this. Also, can anyone answer my 2nd question?
 
I never bothered playing with this when I had a Wii, but what exactly are you guys doing on your Wiis that makes all this soft-modding so attractive?
 
Speevy said:
I never bothered playing with this when I had a Wii, but what exactly are you guys doing on your Wiis that makes all this soft-modding so attractive?

Disc installs.

pakkit said:
I did boot2 install, and start-up time is unaffected for me.

Bah, I did the same. I'm over VGA, I don't even get a signal to my monitor for 20 seconds.
 
Speevy said:
I never bothered playing with this when I had a Wii, but what exactly are you guys doing on your Wiis that makes all this soft-modding so attractive?
- Backup games to HDs to cut loading times and have backups
- Play imported Wii games
- Play DVD movies

Those are the main draws, for me.
 
Speevy said:
Aah, I won't comment on that, but I understand.
Don't worry. I can't speak for everyone, but I am legit, and I would hope that most of us here are as well.


I bit the bullet and tried installing bootmii through the HBC, but when I start up the app from the HBC, black screen and nothing more.
 
Mejilan said:
Consider that this is an early beta, is not feature-complete, and currently has no easy uninstallation, before jumping.

Older Wiis should be able to install this to boot2, which is the most "powerful" way of installing Bootmii. Newer Wiis might only be able to install it as an IOS.

According to what I've read, installing this doesn't kill Preloader, though that's no surprise.
Also, have a GCN controller handy.

This should be at the forefront of everyone's mind here. While I'm extremely excited to see the release of BootMii this is not the final version. I'm personally going to wait until it is complete before risk flashing boot2.

One other thing:

Talking about installations of "PC-rips" of Wii games are a no-no.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
This should be at the forefront of everyone's mind here. While I'm extremely excited to see the release of BootMii this is not the final version. I'm personally going to wait until it is complete before risk flashing boot2.
Exactly what I was thinking. Considering they only tested it on 10 Wiis, I'm pretty sure there are some bugs they haven't encountered yet. There isn't any method of uninstalling it either, is there?
 
Linkhero1 said:
Exactly what I was thinking. Considering they only tested it on 10 Wiis, I'm pretty sure there are some bugs they haven't encountered yet.

Like the little fact that it DOESN'T EVEN WORK! At least not on mine. How do I let them know this? It could prove helpful for the development of the app.
 
boot2 install here and boot-up time has jumped to 10+ seconds before i even get video out. progressive out, btw. frankly, that does not bother me one bit, though.
 
Decided to just go for it (they do need beta testers, after all). Install was a piece of cake. Takes about 10-12 seconds to get to the Bootmii menu after I hit the power button. Unfortunately, as I feared Wavebirds do not work currently with Bootmii, so it looks like unless you have a wired Gamecube controller you are SOL for now. Of course, if you take your SD card out your Wii will bypass Bootmii and you're good to go. I guess I'll have to wait till Beta 2 to actually try the damn thing :lol .
 
HUELEN10 said:
Don't worry. I can't speak for everyone, but I am legit, and I would hope that most of us here are as well.


I bit the bullet and tried installing bootmii through the HBC, but when I start up the app from the HBC, black screen and nothing more.

they do a system test/scan before the first screen output. apparently the bootmii installer gets, erm, surprised by something on your system. btw, what ver of HBC are you with?
 
HUELEN10 said:
Like the little fact that it DOESN'T EVEN WORK! At least not on mine. How do I let them know this? It could prove helpful for the development of the app.

The installer will write out an “installer.log” to SD; please email that log to beta_logs@bootmii.org.

They'll be able to go over what went wrong and fix it, and why it's clearly labelled a "beta".

I might renege on my previous post stating that I'd wait for a more finalised release. bushing and co. need our help to bugtest this programme, so I might take the plunge later on.
 
Alright, I know this a beta but I installed it anyways.

-Installed it as boot2.
-The bootmii loading takes around 10 secs. If you use a SD Card without the bootmii files, still takes around 5 secs.
-NOW, I can't use it. You know, I have a wavebird, and worked fine with the installer, but no go with bootmii.

Anyway, I suggest you wait so these bugs get fixed (I hope so).
 
Mejilan said:
Looks like some dude at the GBATemp.net forums is hacking the Wii's Opera Browser to include a bunch of new features, such as tabs, a transparent OSK, Wiimote gestures, etc. He might even be able to update the Flash player. Maybe.

you CANT update the flash, ppc flash has no sdk higher than the current one, which i think is 7, which wii and psp uses
 
GaussTek said:
-NOW, I can't use it. You know, I have a wavebird, and worked fine with the installer, but no go with bootmii. I guess you need a wired-GC controller (or something went wrong).
you can use it if your wii is within physical reach - use the front-plate buttons.

- a quick single press of power button traverses the menus/directories forward
- a quick single press of reset selects/activates/launches/etc
- a quick single press of eject traverses the sd directory backward (while simultaneously trying to eject your disk ; )
- a long power button press powers down the system.
 
blu said:
you can use it if your wii is within physical reach - use the front-plate buttons.

- a quick single press of power button traverses the menus/directories forward
- a quick single press of reset selects/activates/launches/etc
- a quick single press of eject traverses the sd directory backward (while simultaneously trying to eject your disk ; )
- a long power button press powers down the system.

Ahh thanks for the info. You know, I was just pressing reset and returned to System Menu. Didn't try the Power Button lol
 
blu said:
they do a system test/scan before the first screen output. apparently the bootmii installer gets, erm, surprised by something on your system. btw, what ver of HBC are you with?
Surprised? By what? I have nothing illegitimate, and the only other channel i have installed is one for my USB loader.

Also HBC I THINK beta .8 It fails to update.
 
Top Bottom