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

I have a question about the used system I just bought.

It works flawlessly, and I installed the homebrew channel (I think I'll hold off on installing the USB loader until I do some more reading) on the homebrew tutorial.

My question is not really related to homebrew, but rather to the system itself.

Its disc-spinning is a little louder than normal. Not super-loud, but loud enough to notice. The disc and game work fine, so should I be concerned?

I purchased a year warranty just in case.
 
Speevy said:
I have a question about the new system I just bought.

It works flawlessly, and I installed the homebrew channel (I think I'll hold off on installing the USB loader until I do some more reading) on the homebrew tutorial.

My question is not really related to homebrew, but rather to the system itself.

Its disc-spinning is a little louder than normal. Not super-loud, but loud enough to notice. The disc and game work fine, so should I be concerned?

I purchased a year warranty just in case.
Could be a drive screw that is too loose or too tight. If you have any concern, why not swap it just to be safe? Drives can die, it's happened to quite a bit of GAFers. Also, I wouldn't have bothered with the extended warranty, that is if you plan on buying any download licenses!
 
Speevy said:
I have a question about the new system I just bought.

It works flawlessly, and I installed the homebrew channel (I think I'll hold off on installing the USB loader until I do some more reading) on the homebrew tutorial.

My question is not really related to homebrew, but rather to the system itself.

Its disc-spinning is a little louder than normal. Not super-loud, but loud enough to notice. The disc and game work fine, so should I be concerned?

I purchased a year warranty just in case.
I don't think you should be worried. My system tend to get loud when I play, but not all the time. If it's really noticeable and bothering you contact Nintendo and see why it may be getting really loud.
 
HUELEN10 said:
Could be a drive screw that is too loose or too tight. If you have any concern, why not swap it just to be safe? Drives can die, it's happened to quite a bit of GAFers. Also, I wouldn't have bothered with the extended warranty, that is if you plan on buying any download licenses!


I totally messed up the post. The system is used. I bought a warranty separately.

I'm going to ask the seller (who offers a replacement) what he thinks.
 
Speevy said:
I totally messed up the post. The system is used. I bought a warranty separately.

I'm going to ask the seller (who offers a replacement) what he thinks.

Loud in comparison to what? Other systems? Or another Wii? The Wii's disc access is much louder than a PS3 or a GameCube. It should be quieter than a 360 though unless you have the miracle 360 of the gods.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
Loud in comparison to what? Other systems? Or another Wii? The Wii's disc access is much louder than a PS3 or a GameCube. It should be quieter than a 360 though unless you have the miracle 360 of the gods.


Like a mild buzz when a disc is in there.

I really don't want to have to swap it out.
 
Speevy said:
Like a mild buzz when a disc is in there.

I really don't want to have to swap it out.

All the time, or just while it's accessing? If it's all the time, switch it now (or install USBLoader). If it's just when it's accessing, then that's pretty normal.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
All the time, or just while it's accessing? If it's all the time, switch it now. If it's just when it's accessing, then that's pretty normal.


Shit. Yeah it buzzes when there's a disc in there, but there's no problem playing the game at all. But the buzz never stops.
 
Dragona Akehi said:
All the time, or just while it's accessing? If it's all the time, switch it now (or install USBLoader). If it's just when it's accessing, then that's pretty normal.


I'm getting it swapped out. Just e-mailed the guy.


As cool as USBLoader sounds, I don't want to keep the system knowing its disc drive could die at any time. This guy promised me a reliable used system.

Thank you for your help (everyone).
 
Speevy said:
I'm getting it swapped out. Just e-mailed the guy.


As cool as USBLoader sounds, I don't want to keep the system knowing its disc drive could die at any time. This guy promised me a reliable used system.

Thank you for your help (everyone).

You should install USB Loader anyway. Best thing ever.
 
Speevy said:
Oh I probably will.

I probably deserve this for trying to save a few bucks.

Actually, I'd recommend people buy a used Wii over a new one: you have a better chance of getting a Wii that will allow you to install BootMii as boot2.
 
Jaxter09 said:
Is there a way to make HBC load on startup? I installed bootmii but it doesnt open when I turn on the Wii.
BootMii needs to be able to read the bootmii folder on your SD card to do anything at startup. Try copying the bootmii folder to another SD card if you have one. If you do start getting access to BootMii, then you can configure it to boot to HBC after a short delay. See the tutorial for instructions.

Oh, and this all assumes you have BootMii as boot2. It won't work for BootMii as an IOS. If you can't install it as boot2 on your Wii, you'll need to use Preloader instead, I guess.
 
So after 15mins of Safe Updater "cascade of white letters" the installation crashed. I'll try it again tomorrow but this time nearer to my wifi router, as i think it crashed because the system was a bit far away from it.
 
Can the USB loader be used to boot GC games? It would be nice to keep my entire GC collection all in one place. Also what's the best place to look online for USB hard drives?
 
I really hope that guy who is working on what he calls "Project Freedom" actually manages to do it. I'd love being able to play GC games from USBLoader, be able to access the home menu, etc.
 
Crediar, of Preloader fame. Haven't heard anything about that in quite some time. Which of course, could be a good thing or a bad thing.
 
Mejilan said:
Crediar, of Preloader fame. Haven't heard anything about that in quite some time. Which of course, could be a good thing or a bad thing.

I knew it was someone with good credibility, so that's why I'm hoping and not writing it off!
 
I've updated my Wii's firmware to what I suppose is the latest version. I had HBC installed so I figured I was safe. Now, it did install properly and my Wii does not appear to be bricked as I can turn it on and off without any issue. However, the HBC disappeared? The channel where it was before the update turned into a blank (well, later into Contra Rebirth which I bought off WiiWare). Do I need to reinstall the HBC somehow?
 
Dascu said:
I've updated my Wii's firmware to what I suppose is the latest version. I had HBC installed so I figured I was safe. Now, it did install properly and my Wii does not appear to be bricked as I can turn it on and off without any issue. However, the HBC disappeared? The channel where it was before the update turned into a blank (well, later into Contra Rebirth which I bought off WiiWare). Do I need to reinstall the HBC somehow?
Yes, the official update deletes the old Homebrew Channel. You will need to reinstall the new version. BootMii as boot2 is gone too, if you had that. Finally, if you use a USB Loader, IOS222, IOS223 and IOS249 are all gone and need to be reinstalled as well, possibly requiring you to use AnyTitleDeleter to remove the stubs that Nintendo wrote over the top of them.

All of the techniques you need to get everything back is in the tutorial. Also in the tutorial are ways you could have updated without having to do all this recovery work afterwards.
 
Clipper said:
Yes, the official update deletes the old Homebrew Channel. You will need to reinstall the new version. BootMii as boot2 is gone too, if you had that. Finally, if you use a USB Loader, IOS222, IOS223 and IOS249 are all gone and need to be reinstalled as well, possibly requiring you to use AnyTitleDeleter to remove the stubs that Nintendo wrote over the top of them.

All of the techniques you need to get everything back is in the tutorial. Also in the tutorial are ways you could have updated without having to do all this recovery work afterwards.
Alright, thanks. I only need HBC for GeckoOS anyway. Don't use BootMii or USB Loader.
 
Wow the safe upgrade to 4.2 took way longer than I thought. I was getting ready for work and thought "Well I'll update"

Well 30-40 minutes later it finally finished and I was late for work.

But it's a Saturday so screw them. :lol
 
I wasn't sure if there was another thread so hopefully someone can help me here. I saw the announcement and I was wondering if it's fixed so I can update my non-homebrew wii without having it bricking.
 
I'm pretty sure that Nintendo's taken no action with their 4.2 update.
The chances are bricking are VERY low, and they'll repair (for free) any unmodded Wii that breaks because of this update. Even those out of warranty. At least, NoA and NoE will, according to statements I've read.

Honestly, I wouldn't be too concerned.
 
They're probably NOT going to do anything, beyond offering a free repair here and there.
They've already admitted that the number of affected users is tiny and in-line with expectations.

At this point, I'd also expect any future updates to include boot2 rewrites.
 
Mejilan said:
I'm pretty sure that Nintendo's taken no action with their 4.2 update.
The chances are bricking are VERY low, and they'll repair (for free) any unmodded Wii that breaks because of this update. Even those out of warranty. At least, NoA and NoE will, according to statements I've read.

Honestly, I wouldn't be too concerned.

Ah, ok. I thought it was a lot higher than normal from what people were saying.
 
Oh, btw, what happens to all your data when you send a bricked wii for repair ? Does it get the shaft or are they able to preserve it ?
 
I've heard reports that go either way.
NoA, it seems, is able to restore your purchased content in most cases, especially if your have your Wii linked to your Club Nintendo (formally My Nintendo) account, as all of your purchases auto-register to your Club Nintendo account. I suppose depending on the damage done to your way, they might even be able to restore your saves, but that's probably less likely.
 
Ramenman said:
Oh, btw, what happens to all your data when you send a bricked wii for repair ? Does it get the shaft or are they able to preserve it ?
They ask you on the phone what kind of data it is (stuff like Smash saves, VC games, Wii Ware games, etc.) and just transfer the license over.
 
Question to Clipper, or anyone else that might know this, as I've not been able to Google up a solid answer.

Is there a known issue with Hermes alternate cIOSes (222/223) on LU64+ Wiis?
It still irks me that I was never able to get them to run on my sister's LU64 Wii. I never had any real problems with my launch Wii, though.

I'm familiar with the various error messages that the installer can spit out, but after all of my efforts, I was able able to seemingly get the installer to install both 222 and 223 in various different configurations. However, trying to actually use the 222 or 223 on her Wii would cause a fatal hang. Even using something like SignCheck to scan and analyze the various IOSes and cIOSes would hang.

Is this a known problem?
Additionally, did v3 or v4 of Hermes cIOSes fix this?
My sister lives overseas, so at this point, I've no real way to check on her Wii.

Thanks in advance.
 
Mejilan said:
Question to Clipper, or anyone else that might know this, as I've not been able to Google up a solid answer.

Is there a known issue with Hermes alternate cIOSes (222/223) on LU64+ Wiis?
It still irks me that I was never able to get them to run on my sister's LU64 Wii. I never had any real problems with my launch Wii, though.

I'm familiar with the various error messages that the installer can spit out, but after all of my efforts, I was able able to seemingly get the installer to install both 222 and 223 in various different configurations. However, trying to actually use the 222 or 223 on her Wii would cause a fatal hang. Even using something like SignCheck to scan and analyze the various IOSes and cIOSes would hang.

Is this a known problem?
Additionally, did v3 or v4 of Hermes cIOSes fix this?
My sister lives overseas, so at this point, I've no real way to check on her Wii.

Thanks in advance.
There was an issue. v4 fixed it.
 
Clipper said:
It should say 4.2. I don't know how the tool could have run to completion and left you on 4.0.

Get Title Lister and check what the versions of your IOSes are. Is IOS9 at v778, IOS15 at v523 and the System Menu at v480,v481,v482 or v486 (for Japan, US, PAL and Korean systems respectively)?
My one did that too. It appears that the updater downgrades your firmware to 4.0 first, and then installs menu 4.2 last. Essentially, if your Wii is left on version 4.0 it means the updater crapped out part way through (happened to me about 5 times before I finally got it to work). When the updater fails it sends you straight back to the HBC automatically, so unless you knew to expect a continue prompt at the end of a successful installation you wouldn't know that the updater failed.

Hope that helps anyone who gets the same issue.
 
Luigiv said:
My one did that too. It appears that the updater downgrades your firmware to 4.0 first, and then installs menu 4.2 last. Essentially, if your Wii is left on version 4.0 it means the updater crapped out part way through (happened to me about 5 times before I finally got it to work). When the updater fails it sends you straight back to the HBC automatically, so unless you knew to expect a continue prompt at the end of a successful installation you wouldn't know that the updater failed.

Hope that helps anyone who gets the same issue.
It certainly shouldn't downgrade you. It updates all the IOSes, then the Wii Shop, then the system menu. If a network error happens, it does just abort as you say.
 
Clipper said:
It certainly shouldn't downgrade you. It updates all the IOSes, then the Wii Shop, then the system menu. If a network error happens, it does just abort as you say.
You'd think so wouldn't you. But I was on 4.1 before and then got downgraded to 4.0 after the first failed attempt.
 
Upgraded to 4.2 now without any problems (so far...)
But preloader disappeared and I am booted now to the normal systemmenu.

Any way of getting preloader back?
 
Crediar's released the source code for Preloader, since he doesn't care to continue updating it. His last official version of the app was specifically coded to work with SysMenu 4.0 and 4.1. Since SysMenu 4.2 uses a new IOS, his version is not going to work on 4.2. Someone's released a new version however, that DOES work on 4.2. Give it a go. Installation and usage should be identical. All of the usual hacks have already been ported to the 4.2 SysMenu without issue, so hit up www.wiibrew.org for those.

Clipper said:
There was an issue. v4 fixed it.

Oh excellent, thank you!
 
Mejilan said:
Crediar's released the source code for Preloader, since he doesn't care to continue updating it. His last official version of the app was specifically coded to work with SysMenu 4.0 and 4.1. Since SysMenu 4.2 uses a new IOS, his version is not going to work on 4.2. Someone's released a new version however, that DOES work on 4.2. Give it a go.

Did you install it?
 
My non-homebrewed v4.2 Wii just stared giving me a "Wii System Memory is Corrupt" error randomly when exiting from certain channels and games. Nintendo advised me to format the system memory, but I'd rather not lose my Animal Crossing or Brawl data. One forum I checked actually stated that this would not help me anyway.

I prefer to leave my system non-homebrewed, but Nintendo isn't giving me many options here. Is there a way to move these files without homebrewing or at least a way to revert my Wii back to a non-homebrewed state so Nintendo wouldn't be able to tell if I need to send it in for repairs at some point.
 
I assume this is as good a place as any to ask.. did 4.2 update anything other than killing homebrew? I don't seem to find info about it anywhere. All I'm reading is "behind the scenes fixes" but what does that mean?
 
Clipper said:
It certainly shouldn't downgrade you. It updates all the IOSes, then the Wii Shop, then the system menu. If a network error happens, it does just abort as you say.
It definitely seems to downgrade to 4.0. I've run it twice now and my previously 4.1 Wii is now a 4.0 Wii. Weird...
 
I've been recently thinking of hacking my Wii to play foreign games. I've got an US Wii and have been using Freeloader so far for all my PAL gaming needs without any trouble. Still, it's a bit of a chore.

It's very hard to grasp how exactly this would be done, there is so much stuff out there in terms of updates and guides. I was hoping somebody could describe the process in very simple terms.

Is it something like 1. Download something to USB stick from my PC 2. Run USB stick from Wii 3. Avoid FW updates on disc and online 4. ???? 5. Profit
 
Chittagong:
Just go to the OP and access the wiki tutorial.
It's very easy to read/understand/parse through, and gets you started basically by asking you questions concerning your current set up, and pointing you to correct corresponding starting point.

Edit: Here's the link.
For all your homebrew and upgrading questions (including safely upgrading to 4.2), check this first:


upandaway said:
I assume this is as good a place as any to ask.. did 4.2 update anything other than killing homebrew? I don't seem to find info about it anywhere. All I'm reading is "behind the scenes fixes" but what does that mean?

The Conduit online multiplayer bugfixes, and slightly faster channel loading, apparently.
 
Mejilan said:
Chittagong:
Just go to the OP and access the wiki tutorial.
It's very easy to read/understand/parse through, and gets you started basically by asking you questions concerning your current set up, and pointing you to correct corresponding starting point.

Edit: Here's the link.
For all your homebrew and upgrading questions (including safely upgrading to 4.2), check this first:




The Conduit online multiplayer bugfixes, and slightly faster channel loading, apparently.

"How to get started, even if you are really dumb"

:lol
 
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