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

Dragona Akehi said:
Yeah it'd be awesome.

Well the best thing for that is for discussion of the contents and to maybe link to tools that'll decrypt such things for people's own VC game.
Click to expand...
I'll look into some more games and then probably post something on it in a few days.

Genesis games seem to be packaged differently from other games on the service, as Sega/M2 are a genuine 3rd party VC developer of sorts and their format for VC games is a little different from Nintendo's. I'm not entirely sure how to extract NES roms yet, and Nintendo's games might have a different patching method.

EDIT: I did figure out how to extract SNES ROMs. Well, Super Mario World anyway. The sound is messed up on PC emulators though, and the checksum doesn't appear to be correct. The ROM itself (JAAE.ROM) is packaged with two other files: JAAE.PCM and JAAE.VAR. The extension on the first file makes me wonder if it's some kind of sound edit.

I'm going to stick with Genesis for now, as that format is easier to work with.
 
BrandNew said:
Yay! I got it to work. My problems were, as follows:

-I already had ios249 installed. The cIOSv7 thingy? I guess I didn't need it, or maybe I had already done it before, that's why it failed on me so much.
-My internet earlier today had been acting up, perhaps that's why the installation was wonky as well.
-I used ios249 instead of ios35 in Waninkok's installer, because I checked and I already HAD ios249 installed.

Woohoo!
Click to expand...

Why exactly are you installing cIOSv7? I thought cIOS10 and 13a/b was all we needed at the moment.
 
Magik said:
Why exactly are you installing cIOSv7? I thought cIOS10 and 13a/b was all we needed at the moment.
Click to expand...

It didn't occur to me at the time that cIOS7 wasn't needed if you were gonna use the cIOS13 thing. I don't know what these things do, I'm just trying to follow the tutorials.

Speaking of which, I'm trying to partition my external hard drive but this GParted program is weird. Everytime I boot it up it's in an insane screen size, where the window is gigantic and only like one part of it is visible, making me have to drag it around. I tried different resolution options in the bootup but it doesn't help. What gives? Is there another option to partition an external hard drive?
 
BrandNew said:
Yay! I got it to work. My problems were, as follows:

-I already had ios249 installed. The cIOSv7 thingy? I guess I didn't need it, or maybe I had already done it before, that's why it failed on me so much.
-My internet earlier today had been acting up, perhaps that's why the installation was wonky as well.
-I used ios249 instead of ios35 in Waninkok's installer, because I checked and I already HAD ios249 installed.

Woohoo!
Click to expand...
o/\o

It's such a good feeling if you have everything up and running like you wanted. Sooo much better than the vanilla experience.


edit: well, you'll get there soon. It's all doable. (no experience with partitions, can't help with that, sorry) :)
 
BrandNew said:
It didn't occur to me at the time that cIOS7 wasn't needed if you were gonna use the cIOS13 thing. I don't know what these things do, I'm just trying to follow the tutorials.

Speaking of which, I'm trying to partition my external hard drive but this GParted program is weird. Everytime I boot it up it's in an insane screen size, where the window is gigantic and only like one part of it is visible, making me have to drag it around. I tried different resolution options in the bootup but it doesn't help. What gives? Is there another option to partition an external hard drive?
Click to expand...

Windows XP?
I used Disk Management to create two partitions on my HDD. The first was tiny (about 5% of my drive), and the second was slated to be the WBFS (Wii) partition. Then I used Fat32Format.exe to format both partitions as Fat32. Then I used WBFS Manager 3.0.1 to format the large Fat32 partition to WBFS.

Now I load USB Loader, the cover images, and select homebrew from that tiny Fat32 partition, and USB Loader has no problem recognizing the larger, secondary WBFS partition as the location to install games to, and run games from.

Just don't forget to mark the small Fat32 partition (should you decide to make one) as "Active" via Win XP's Disk Management.
 
Oh okay, I'm an idiot. I'm on OS X and I can use Disk Utility.

For Mac users: I'm going to dedicate, oh, let's say, 80 gigs to the Wii and the rest for my Macbook and Time Machine. What, in terms of formatting, do I set for them?
 
BrandNew said:
Oh okay, I'm an idiot. I'm on OS X and I can use Disk Utility.

For Mac users: I'm going to dedicate, oh, let's say, 80 gigs to the Wii and the rest for my Macbook and Time Machine. What, in terms of formatting, do I set for them?
Click to expand...

Your Mac partition should be whatever you use as default already (I have no clue), but the Wii partition must be a Primary partition and you should leave it unformatted if possible, or FAT32 if you can't leave it as unformatted. Alternatively, you can try using a Mac-based WBFS manager to format that partition if USB Loader refuses to format it.

Oh, and could you perhaps record your steps so that they can be added to the tutorial? Thanks in advance if you do ;).
 
Goddamit. Well, I ended up going BACK to use GParted, made an 80 gig unformatted partition, with the rest being for Time Machine, but when I plugged it into my Wii and ran USB Loader, all it found was the entire hard drive, not as a partitioned one. So I just formatted my entire hard drive as WBFS...will I be able to plug it into my Macbook again and partition it again?
 
It turned out that my LTxxxxxxx serial number Jap Wii on 4.0J firmware is totally unhackable.

So I took it to my local gaming store and they sent it off for a few days. It came back with Gecko OS, softloader and the opera browser installed.

None of them worked when I selected them from homebrew browser. The wii locked up every time.

So I deleted the channels (except homebrew channel) and even that doesn't load anymore..

God knows what they did with it.. I took it back this morning and they will send it to the head office in Taipei later today.

I should have just bought a 2nd hand Wii in the first place.
 
pubba said:
It turned out that my LTxxxxxxx serial number Jap Wii on 4.0J firmware is totally unhackable.

So I took it to my local gaming store and they sent it off for a few days. It came back with Gecko OS, softloader and the opera browser installed.

None of them worked when I selected them from homebrew browser. The wii locked up every time.

So I deleted the channels (except homebrew channel) and even that doesn't load anymore..

God knows what they did with it.. I took it back this morning and they will send it to the head office in Taipei later today.

I should have just bought a 2nd hand Wii in the first place.
Click to expand...

Did you try the LU64 method? I think it should have worked. I haven't heard of any Wii being completely unhackable at the current time.

BrandNew said:
Woohoo, it finally worked. I am done! The Wii took my external as Fat32, not unformatted. Oh well.
Click to expand...
And it thought it was the whole drive too? It sounds very much like you didn't click apply in GParted to actually perform all the actions you selected. Try sticking it back into GParted now to see what partitions it recognises.
 
I just want to thank everyone involved at GAF for the wonderful wiki guide. I had upgraded my Wii to 4.0 when it first came out as homebrew wasn't a huge draw for me, but now with USB loader I was interested. I got a HD this weekend and upgraded with little problems following the guide. The only issue I had was with the CMDVDX34 step. The guide said to follow all the steps, but the third step (install DVDX) just went blank on me, so I skipped this step (no DVDX on my Wii) and everything still works great.

Thanks!
 
Porthos said:
I just want to thank everyone involved at GAF for the wonderful wiki guide. I had upgraded my Wii to 4.0 when it first came out as homebrew wasn't a huge draw for me, but now with USB loader I was interested. I got a HD this weekend and upgraded with little problems following the guide. The only issue I had was with the CMDVDX34 step. The guide said to follow all the steps, but the third step (install DVDX) just went blank on me, so I skipped this step (no DVDX on my Wii) and everything still works great.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Actually, thanks heaps for that info. I didn't know the last step was DVDX. There is no reason to install it, so I will add that to the Wiki as plenty of people have trouble with that bit.
 
Melhisedek said:
What video settings do you guys use when playing SNES emu on wii? Mostly video settings
Click to expand...

On SNES9X GX 6.0.4
Render - Unfiltered
Scaling - Default
Filtering - None --because it drop framerates--
Screen Zoom - 95 percent --Killer Instinct got cropped in the bottom--
Screen Position - 0.0
Video Mode - Automatic
 
Ok so I own Punch-Out!! for Wii and I recently installed and backed up the game on to my hard drive but the only problem is when I run it the cut scenes skip(gameplay and everything else is fine), I'm using 60GB iPod Video for my hard drive and other games work fine on it. I am using USB Loader GX.
 
Ok so I never considered doing this but the easiness of the bannerbomb has turned me onto the idea, so I'll be picking up 1TB external HDD for USB Loader, and more or less following the how-to guide at mikeandheath.com

Before I start though, some questions:
1) I have a Mac, is this a problem? Doesn't seem to be looks like i just unzip stuff and put it on my SD card.

2) Will Disaster (PAL) work on my NTSC (US) Wii with this? Because if so, then I'm sold.
 
kind of off topic, but does anyone here have any experience with getting a new wii, and having nintendo transfer game info over to the new one? there's been a rash of break-ins near me, and in case mine gets stolen and i get a new one, i don't want to be out $300+ on VC/WiiWare
 
handofg0d said:
Ok so I never considered doing this but the easiness of the bannerbomb has turned me onto the idea, so I'll be picking up 1TB external HDD for USB Loader, and more or less following the how-to guide at mikeandheath.com

Before I start though, some questions:
1) I have a Mac, is this a problem? Doesn't seem to be looks like i just unzip stuff and put it on my SD card.

2) Will Disaster (PAL) work on my NTSC (US) Wii with this? Because if so, then I'm sold.
Click to expand...
I've gone through the process using a Mac, no problem. You do just unzip stuff and put it on your card.

And yes, Disaster should work by all reports. GeckoOS and USB Loader both have a way to force NTSC with games.
 
handofg0d said:
Ok so I never considered doing this but the easiness of the bannerbomb has turned me onto the idea, so I'll be picking up 1TB external HDD for USB Loader, and more or less following the how-to guide at mikeandheath.com
Click to expand...
I have to ask why you're not using:


HisshouBuraiKen said:
You also need hermes' uLoader cIOS 223 for USB instruments. My mic's workin' just fine.
Click to expand...
Actually, rev 13 also works with mics.

grkazan12 said:
Ok so I own Punch-Out!! for Wii and I recently installed and backed up the game on to my hard drive but the only problem is when I run it the cut scenes skip(gameplay and everything else is fine), I'm using 60GB iPod Video for my hard drive and other games work fine on it. I am using USB Loader GX.
Click to expand...
What IOS are you using to run the games? I can understand that happening with rev12.
 
Clipper said:
Actually, thanks heaps for that info. I didn't know the last step was DVDX. There is no reason to install it, so I will add that to the Wiki as plenty of people have trouble with that bit.
Click to expand...

I've never personally seen anyone able to complete that last step (DVDX) successfully, on any version Wii. Not sure why though.
 
gregor7777 said:
I've never personally seen anyone able to complete that last step (DVDX) successfully, on any version Wii. Not sure why though.
Click to expand...

I'm looking for some advice regarding installing mplayer ce. I think this DVDX issue could be a problem for me.

As far as I can see the procedure would be (Gaf's instructions for dummies helped a lot- Thanks!)

1) Use Bannerbomb
2) Hackmii installer to install DVDX
3) Install Mplayer CE and new cios.

My questions:
Has anyone done this or have any knowledge of the best way to go about it?

Does mplayer work well enough on the wii to justify doing this?

Am I barking up the wrong tree altogether? Is there a better way to play DVDs and media files on the wii? I plan on using both usb sticks and an external drive.

Many thanks!
 
Clipper said:
What revision of it? If you don't know, go install rev 13 and see if that fixes it. Also, ensure you are using a good USB Loader like Configurable, NeoGamma or GX.

New page, etc.
Click to expand...

So i followed all the steps but punch out is still having the problem where it skips cut scenes.
 
grkazan12 said:
So i followed all the steps but punch out is still having the problem where it skips cut scenes.
Click to expand...
Hmm... it could be a case of the iPod Video's data speed not being fast enough, but I doubt it. Can you please describe further the type of skipping you are seeing (just video, audio or both, frequency, etc.)? Also, which USB Loader are you using?

One other thing to try that might work is to delete the game from the drive and reinstall it.
 
Clipper said:
Hmm... it could be a case of the iPod Video's data speed not being fast enough, but I doubt it. Can you please describe further the type of skipping you are seeing (just video, audio or both, frequency, etc.)? Also, which USB Loader are you using?

One other thing to try that might work is to delete the game from the drive and reinstall it.
Click to expand...

It is basically video (aka cutscenes) in the game other than that everything works great and I ran on Configurable USB Loader and USB Loader GX and it works fine on both of them but the only problem is the cutscene skipping.
 
grkazan12 said:
It is basically video (aka cutscenes) in the game other than that everything works great and I ran on Configurable USB Loader and USB Loader GX and it works fine on both of them but the only problem is the cutscene skipping.
Click to expand...
So just the video skips without the audio skipping? Very weird. Try using the original disc to make sure it's not your Wii (use Gecko OS if it is an import).
 
Clipper said:
So just the video skips without the audio skipping? Very weird. Try using the original disc to make sure it's not your Wii (use Gecko OS if it is an import).
Click to expand...
Also try playing the game (through USB Loader) with the original disc inside the Wii and see if the problem still occurs.
 
The original disc in the Wii is fine and it plays the cutscenes, when the disc is in the tray and I try playing it with usb loader gx and configurable usb loader it still skips the cutscenes and the problem is not with audio or video of the cutscenes instead the problem is that when the game goes into a cutscene it just stops and moves on to the next fight, basically the cutscenes just stop.
 
grkazan12 said:
The original disc in the Wii is fine and it plays the cutscenes, when the disc is in the tray and I try playing it with usb loader gx and configurable usb loader it still skips the cutscenes and the problem is not with audio or video of the cutscenes instead the problem is that when the game goes into a cutscene it just stops and moves on to the next fight, basically the cutscenes just stop.
Click to expand...
Wait, are you talking about the slide-shows introducing a new fighter, the pre-match animations the fighters perform as they enter the ring, or something else? I was under the impressions the introduction vids only play the first time you fight a character and then can only be watched in the cutscene viewer on the main menu. If it's the pre-match animations, they can be skipped with button presses, but I doubt that would be happening.
 
Just wanted to say thanks Clipper.
The guide is fantastic, and I appreciate the effort you've put into it.

I originally set out only to bypass the region lock (via GeckoOS) and retire my Freeloader disc, but now I've got all my Wii games (PAL, US and JP) readily accessible through Configurable USB Loader. Thanks to your guide, it only took me a few hours. Trawling through various message boards trying to pull together the info myself and sort out what was now obsolete or inapplicable to my situation would have taken forever. So yeah, thanks for a great resource. :)
 
Clipper said:
Wait, are you talking about the slide-shows introducing a new fighter, the pre-match animations the fighters perform as they enter the ring, or something else? I was under the impressions the introduction vids only play the first time you fight a character and then can only be watched in the cutscene viewer on the main menu. If it's the pre-match animations, they can be skipped with button presses, but I doubt that would be happening.
Click to expand...

When I go to the cutscene viewer the cutscenes play for about 1 second to 1.5 seconds then they just stop and it takes me back to the cutscene viewer menu.
 
Is it normal that sometimes the HDD doesn't get recognized after turning on the Wii the next day? (using USB Loader GX, cIOS rev 13a) After a restart everything works fine.
 
dk_ said:
Is it normal that sometimes the HDD doesn't get recognized after turning on the Wii the next day? (using USB Loader GX, cIOS rev 13a) After a restart everything works fine.
Click to expand...

I have the same issue, it randomly doesn't recognize the hard drive. I found a way that it works every time though. Disconnect the hard drive before running USB Loader. Once the loader program is up, plug in the hard drive. Then press A to mount the hard drive.
 
dk_ said:
Is it normal that sometimes the HDD doesn't get recognized after turning on the Wii the next day? (using USB Loader GX, cIOS rev 13a) After a restart everything works fine.
Click to expand...


Are you leaving the Wii on standby, if so the drive might just be put into sleep/energy saving mode.
 
handofg0d said:
Well, for starters I didn't know about it so thanks for the link.
But I think I like this one better just for it's linear format :Step 1 do this, Step 2 do that, etc.
I also like that it has a list of USB drives known to work.
Here's the tutorial I'm using:
http://www.mikeandheth.com/games/109-store-and-load-usb-wii-system-menu-4.html
Click to expand...
Well, you should be OK with that tutorial, it seems to have exactly the same steps as mine except they use USB Loader GX instead of Configurable USB Loader, which are pretty equivalent.

I'm worried about your linear comment. The base starting page gives you the same stepped structure, just with a few more clicks to get to the various pages you need. I'd like the tutorial to be as user friendly as possible, so any other thoughts you have on improving that would be nice.

One thing to note is that they completely ignore that the drive will only work when plugged into the USB port closer to an edge of the Wii when using rev 13 (they mention switching if it doesn't work at the very end, but it is known that it only works in the outer one). They also don't give the LU64 procedure, although I doubt you will have one of those Wiis anyway.
 
Perhaps I was looking at it wrong, but with your wikidot I seemed to have to click on each step then back arrow to the starting hub, and click on the next step.

Maybe if at the bottom of step 1 there was a link that said "Click here for step 2" it would feel more linear.

Also, it's always nice to have a list of known compatible HDD's for the USB loader (unless you do and i just missed it)

And for the record I have a launch Wii, dont know the serial off hand but I don't think it's an LU64
 
gregor7777 said:
I've never personally seen anyone able to complete that last step (DVDX) successfully, on any version Wii. Not sure why though.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure what step you're talking about but...

I did DVDX step to "change" the ios35 revision, and then be able to install and use ios16 (on my Wii 4.0u).
 
Mithos said:
I'm not 100% sure what step you're talking about but...

I did DVDX step to "change" the ios35 revision, and then be able to install and use ios16 (on my Wii 4.0u).
Click to expand...
He's talking about the very final stage of the DVDX step. The actual installation of DVDX fails for almost everyone, but the things it does before installing DVDX are the important things.

handofg0d said:
Perhaps I was looking at it wrong, but with your wikidot I seemed to have to click on each step then back arrow to the starting hub, and click on the next step.

Maybe if at the bottom of step 1 there was a link that said "Click here for step 2" it would feel more linear.

Also, it's always nice to have a list of known compatible HDD's for the USB loader (unless you do and i just missed it)

And for the record I have a launch Wii, dont know the serial off hand but I don't think it's an LU64
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I'll include a "What Now" section at the base of each page to link to other things you might want to install based on the starting questions. Most drives work now and they are increasing the compatibility list almost daily, so I can't be bothered to maintain a list. And yeah, you definitely don't have an LU64 Wii. If you haven't gone through with it yet, just remember to use the right USB port and also to remove all Gamecube controllers and memory cards before starting as well.
 
Is there a way to move the game backups off the wii formatted drive (through USB Loaderr) onto a PC WITHOUT using WBFS?

A bit of a peculiar request so maybe a bit of an explaination. I've just had a hard drive crash and looking at a clean windows install.. and keeping it svelt and quick does not mean installing .net3.5...

Thank you
 
toff74 said:
Is there a way to move the game backups off the wii formatted drive (through USB Loaderr) onto a PC WITHOUT using WBFS?

A bit of a peculiar request so maybe a bit of an explaination. I've just had a hard drive crash and looking at a clean windows install.. and keeping it svelt and quick does not mean installing .net3.5...

Thank you
Click to expand...
Some of the WBFS Managers do not require .net. Check here for the options. PrixM even makes it a point that .net isn't needed with his, and I believe wbfsgui is .net free too.
 
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